He was then forty-eight years old, very gray, with much of age upon him, which had come from suffering,--age shown by dislike of activity and by an old man's way of thinking about many things,--speaking as though the world were all behind him instead of before; but still with a stalwart outward bearing, very erect in his gait, and a countenance peculiarly expressive and capable of much dignity.

I speak of his personal appearance at this time, because it was then only that I became acquainted with him.

In 1859 he undertook the last great work of his life, the editorship of _The Cornhill Magazine_, a periodical set on foot by Mr.George Smith, of the house of Smith and Elder, with an amount of energy greater than has generally been bestowed upon such enterprises.

It will be well remembered still how much _The Cornhill_ was talked about and thought of before it first appeared, and how much of that thinking and talking was due to the fact that Mr.
Thackeray was to edit it.

_Macmillan's_, I think, was the first of the shilling magazines, having preceded _The Cornhill_ by a month, and it would ill become me, who have been a humble servant to each of them, to give to either any preference.