ABSTRACT
Almost finished lecturer, Thackeray often made a very poor appearance when he attempted to deliver a speech to a large audience. Probably he spoke best at the Garrick Club dinners and on similar occasions, when he felt more or less at home. Mr. Fields has declared that it never disturbed Thackeray that he made a woeful picture as a speaker, but that he sat down with such cool serenity, if he found he could not recall what he wished to say, that his audience could not help joining in smiling when he came to a standstill. In the midst of a most earnest and elaborate sentence he suddenly stopped, gave a look of comic despair at the ceiling, crammed both hands into his trousers pockets, and deliberately sat down.
