Part 5

Nodier's "Trilby," who now revisits the book-stores owing to Mr. du Maurier's having taken his name for his heroine's, is one of the few latter-day fairies that have fairy blood (or ichor) in their veins. He belongs on the same shelf with Fouque's "Undine," but, though he was only joking when he personated a father who "had not seen him since the days of King Fergus," he is certainly of the breed of Una and Maer, Caoilte and Mananan. That he made a sensation on his first appearance in the world of letters is shown by Victor Hugo's ode, warning the Fairy of Argyle to beware of ink-slinging penny-a-liners:--

"Car on en veut aux Trilbys * * * * * * * * Ils souilleraient d'encre noire, Helas! ton manteau de moire, Ton aigrette de rubis"--

advice which might be repeated apropos of Mr. du Maurier's creation.

Mr. Dole, who has made a translation (1) of Nodier's "Trilby," has looked through all of Scott's novels, he says, to discover, if possible, the "preface or note" from which the French author claimed to have drawn his story, and has the deft art of "Pendennis" and "The Newcomes." And the "Cave of Harmony," with its songs and its bumpers and long whiffs, the gay nights and rollicking days of F. B. and Clive and Pendennis--the glamor of all which has enticed full many a youngster towards the easy descent, or the shining slopes (as the case may be) of art and letters--all these scenes have doubtless served as the studies of the pictures, almost as delightful and masterly as their prototypes, that du Maurier gives us of the joyous Bohemian life of the three jolly Musketeers of the Brush in the Quartier Latin in "Trilby."

AUBURN, ALA., 26 Dec., 1894.

CHARLES C. THACH.

* * * * *

As a small contribution to "Trilbyana," I would call attention to the fact, unnoted so far, that Trilby was the name of Eugenie de Guerin's pet dog, mentioned several times in the journal she kept for her brother Maurice. Was the dog, perhaps, named for the fairy?

LOUISVILLE, KY.

A. C. B.

* * * * *

As there seems to be a mania for hunting up the sources of the inspiration of certain authors, I will engage in the game also. In Saintine's "Picciola," Book I., Chap XII., after the first paragraph, you will find the germ of "Peter Ibbetson."

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.

C. C.

* * * * *

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FOOTNOTES:

[A] See frontispiece.

[B] Unless in amended form.