The two men were drawn to each other;
Irving greatly admired the "noble hearted, manly, spirited little fellow,
with a mind as generous as his fancy is brilliant." Talma was playing
"Hamlet" to overflowing houses, which hung on his actions with breathless
attention, or broke into ungovernable applause; ladies were carried
fainting from the boxes. The actor is described as short in stature,
rather inclined to fat, with a large face and a thick neck; his eyes are
bluish, and have a peculiar cast in them at times. He said to Irving
that he thought the French character much changed--graver; the day of the
classic drama, mere declamation and fine language, had gone by;
the Revolution had taught them to demand real life, incident, passion,
character. Irving's life in Paris was gay enough, and seriously
interfered with his literary projects. He had the fortunes of his
brother Peter on his mind also, and invested his earnings, then and for
some years after, in enterprises for his benefit that ended in
disappointment.
The "Sketch-Book" was making a great fame for him in England. Jeffrey,
in the "Edinburgh Review," paid it a most flattering tribute, and even
the savage "Quarterly" praised it.
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