SYLVIE AND BRUNO
CONCLUDED
BY
LEWIS CARROLL
WITH FORTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
HARRY FURNISS
New York
MACMILLAN AND CO.
AND LONDON
1894
The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved
Dreams, that elude the Waker’s frenzied grasp—
Hands, stark and still, on a dead Mother’s breast,
Which nevermore shall render clasp for clasp,
Or deftly soothe a weeping Child to rest—
In suchlike forms me listeth to portray
My Tale, here ended. Thou delicious Fay—
The guardian of a Sprite that lives to tease thee—
Loving in earnest, chiding but in play
The merry mocking Bruno! Who, that sees thee,
Can fail to love thee, Darling, even as I?—
My sweetest Sylvie, we must say ‘Good-bye!’
PREFACE.
I must begin with the same announcement as inthe previous Volume (which I shall henceforwardrefer to as “Vol. I.,” calling the present Volume“Vol. II.”), viz. that the Locket, at p. 405, was drawnby ‘Miss Alice Havers.’ And my reason, for notstating this on the title-page—that it seems onlydue, to the artist of these wonderful pictures, thathis name should stand there alone—has, I think,even greater weight in Vol. II. than it had in Vol. I.Let me call especial attention to the three “LittleBirds” borders, at pp. 365, 371, 377. The way, inwhich he has managed to introduce the most minutedetails of the stanzas to be illustrated, seems to mea triumph of artistic ingenuity.
Let me here express my sincere gratitude to themany Reviewers who have noticed, whether favorablyor unfavorably, the previous Volume. Their unfavorableremarks were, most probably, well-deserved;the favorable ones less probably so. Both kindshave no doubt served to make the book known, andhave helped the reading Public to form their opinionsof it. Let me also here assure them that it is notfrom any want of respect for their criticisms, that Ixhave carefully forborne from reading any of them.I am strongly of opinion that an author had farbetter not read any reviews of his books: the unfavorableones are almost certain to make himcross, and the favorable ones conceited; and neitherof these results is desirable.
Criticisms have, however, reached me from privatesources, to some of which I propose to offer a reply.
One such critic complains that Arthur’s strictures,on sermons and on choristers, are too severe. Let mesay, in reply, that I do not hold myself responsiblefor any of the opinions expressed by the charactersin my book. They are simply opinions which, itseemed to me, might probably be held by the personsinto whose mouths I put them, and which wereworth consideration.
Other critics have objected to certain innovationsin spelling, such as “ca’n’t,” “wo’n’t,” “traveler.” Inreply, I