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The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft
·
George Gissing
6
Assuredly,
this
writing
was
not
intended
for
the
public,
and
yet,
in
many
a
passage,
I
seemed
to
perceive
the
literary
purpose--something
more
than
the
turn
of
phrase,
and
so
on,
which
results
from
long
habit
of
composition.
Certain
of
his
reminiscences,
in
particular,
Ryecroft
could
hardly
have
troubled
to
write
down
had
he
not,
however
vaguely,
entertained
the
thought
of
putting
them
to
some
use.
I
suspect
that,
in
his
happy
leisure,
there
grew
upon
him
a
desire
to
write
one
more
book,
a
book
which
should
be
written
merely
for
his
own
satisfaction.
Plainly,
it
would
have
been
the
best
he
had
it
in
him
to
do.
But
he
seems
never
to
have
attempted
the
arrangement
of
these
fragmentary
pieces,
and
probably
because
he
could
not
decide
upon
the
form
they
should
take.
I
imagine
him
shrinking
from
the
thought
of
a
first-person
volume;
he
would
feel
it
too
pretentious;
he
would
bid
himself
wait
for
the
day
of
riper
wisdom.
And
so
the
pen
fell
from
his
hand.
Conjecturing
thus,
I
wondered
whether
the
irregular
diary
might
not
have
wider
interest
than
at
first
appeared.
To
me,
its
personal
appeal
was
very
strong;
might
it
not
be
possible
to
cull
from
it
the
substance
of
a
small
volume
which,
at
least
for
its
sincerity's
sake,
would
not
be
without
value
for
those
who
read,
not
with
the
eye
alone,
but
with
the
mind?
I
turned
the
pages
again.
Here
was
a
man
who,
having
his
desire,
and
that
a
very
modest
one,
not
only
felt
satisfied,
but
enjoyed
great
happiness.
He
talked
of
many
different
things,
saying
exactly
what
he
thought;
he
spoke
of
himself,
and
told
the
truth
as
far
as
mortal
can
tell
it.
It
seemed
to
me
that
the
thing
had
human
interest.
I
decided
to
print.
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