Chapter 2 Cooke

points out that in his Living Authors of England

Thomas Powell describes this incident, the "young author"

mentioned being himself: "We have a vivid

recollection of the last time we saw him. It was at

an evening party, a few days before he sailed from

England; his intimate friend, Mr. Browning, was also

present. It happened that the latter was introduced that

evening for the first time to a young author who had just

then appeared in the literary world. This, consequently,

prevented the two friends from conversation, and they

parted from each other without the slightest idea on Mr.

Browning's part that he was seeing his old friend Domett

for the last time. Some days after, when he found that

Domett had sailed, he expressed in strong terms to the

writer of this sketch the self-reproach he felt at having

preferred the conversation of a stranger to that of his

old associate."