,transcriber's notes3    italics        
presented like    small caps3 plus signs
   oe replaces the oe ligature          
,uncommon and inconsistent hyphenation  
and spelling have been retained2        
typographical errors have been          
corrected4     ,the ,strand ,magazine - 
,vol4#a - ,no4 #d - ,april #ahia        
,illustration3 ,a ,,picture-,,letter4   
,by ,sir ,edwin ,landseer4     ,pictures
 with ,histories4  7,continued47   ,the 
frontispiece we are enabled to give this
 month is penned in what may be termed  
pictorial hieroglyphics by ,sir ,edwin  
,landseer4 ,the letter was addressed to 
,charles ,george ,lewis1 the celebrated 
engraver4 ,the first house represented  
is ,lewis's residence in                
,charlotte-street1 whilst the final     
sketch is a very correct drawing of the 
artist's house in ,st4 ,john's          
,wood-road4 ,it remains just in the same
 state to-day1 and is occupied by ,mr4  
,h4 ,w4 ,b4 ,davis1 ,r4,a4 ,this        
delightfully original missive           

reads--evidently in response to an      
invitation3--  ,illustration3 ,,woburn  
,,abbey4 #ahbf  ,a ,,sportsman',s       
,,card1 ,,by ,,sir ,,edwin ,,landseer4  
,dear ,charles1--,i shall be delighted  
to come to your house1 also ,maria1     
,william1 and ,henry4--,yours1 ,neddy   
,landseer4  ,the only other occasion on 
which ,landseer departed from his usual 
routine of work seems to have been when 
he was on a visit to the ,duke of       
,bedford at ,woburn ,abbey1 in          
,december1 #ahbf1 at which time the     
artist was in his twenty-third year4 ,he
 set himself to sketch a couple of      
sportsman's cards1 of which we give the 
one considered the most picturesque1 and
 best calculated to show the great      
painter's versatility and ingenuity4    
,the writing is that of the ,duke of    
,bedford1 and1 to judge by the number of
 hares1 rabbits1 and pheasants bagged1  
sport at ,woburn ,abbey during this     
particular week must have been fairly   
brisk4 ,there is no question as to the  

genuine nature of this veritable        
curiosity1 for on the back of it is     
written the signature--in ink almost    
faded--of ,lady ,georgiana ,russell4    
,from our remarks in the previous       
chapter on ,pictures with ,histories1 it
 will be readily gathered that behind   
nearly every canvas which ,landseer     
touched some happy incident lies hidden 
away4 ,his magnificent work1 ,a         
,distinguished ,member of the ,humane   
,society1 was suggested to him by seeing
 the noble creature which figures in the
 picture carrying a basket of flowers in
 its mouth4  ,lion--a picture he painted
 for ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,merle for #ej--;has  
its story to tell4 ,landseer            
particularly wished to see the          
dog--,lion--excited4 ,there chanced to  
be in the house a live mouse in a trap4 
,the mouse was let loose1 ,lion gave    
chase1 and the next instant the mouse   
had disappeared4 ,there was no          
accounting for such a rapid exit1 when  
somebody suggested that possibly ,lion  

had swallowed it4 ,and such was the     
fact2 the poor little mouse had found   
safety in the dog's huge jowls4         
,immediately ,lion's lips were opened   
the tiny creature jumped out uninjured  
and made good its escape4  ,lion1 being 
a particularly powerful dog1 was not    
easy to play tricks with4 ,on one       
occasion whilst he was walking along the
 bank of a canal1 a passing bargeman    
began to poke him with his oar4 ,with a 
sudden rush and a jerk1 ,lion seized the
 oar1 and lifted his tormentor into the 
water4 ,it is interesting to note that  
,lion's portrait was despatched in a    
heavy case to ,paris1 just at the time  
of the ,revolution1 and narrowly escaped
 being used as a barricade4  ,here is   
another anecdote of one of ,landseer's  
pictures4 ,beauty's ,bath was a portrait
 of ,miss ,eliza ,peel1 daughter of ,sir
 ,robert ,peel1 in which she is shown   
with a pretty little pet poodle1 named  
,fido1 in her arms4 ,at the time the    
picture was engraved and about to be    

issued to the public1 ,sir ,robert was  
not on the best of terms with the       
populace4 ,this the publisher knew1 and 
saw that1 if he issued the work as a    
portrait of ,miss ,peel1 it would ruin  
the sale4 ,accordingly1 he gave it this 
very taking title1 by which it has ever 
since been known4  ,one day ,sir ,robert
 met the publisher and demanded why the 
title had been changed4 ,he was assured 
that ,beauty's ,bath was most           
appropriate4  ,oh6 yes1 that's all      
right1 said ,sir ,robert4 ,i've no      
objection to that4 ,only1 he continued  
thoughtfully1 evidently thinking of the 
pet poodle and his charming daughter1   
which do you intend for the beauty8     
,well1 replied the publisher merrily1   
you pay your money and you take your    
choice6  ,illustration3 ,,huntsman ,,and
 ,,hounds4  ,landseer loved to have his 
artistic joke4 ,this is excellently seen
 in the two sketches which we reproduce4
 ,huntsman and ,hounds is a little      
pen-and-ink drawing done for ,miss      

,wardrop at the age of thirty-four4     
,miss ,wardrop1 herself1 was fond of the
 pencil and brush1 and was particularly 
partial to animals4 ,she found no small 
difficulty in drawing accurately a      
horse's hoofs4 ,one day she went to     
,landseer and told him frankly of her   
non-success1 at the same time asking him
 to give her a hint as to the best way  
of drawing them correctly4 ,the artist  
good-humouredly complied with her       
request1 and showed her that it was by  
no means necessary to depict them at    
all4 ,this he did by hiding the horse's 
hoofs in a wealth of grass1 as shown in 
the sketch4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,expectant ,,dog4  ,the ,expectant ,dog
 is another example of the artist's     
merry moments4 ,the poodle was the      
property of the ,hon4 ,f4 ,byng1 a      
distinguished member of the ,humane     
,society1 and also prominent through his
 connection with the ,metropolitan      
,commission of ,sewers4 ,landseer was   
dining with ,mr4 ,byng1 when he was     

asked to make a little sketch of ,mr4   
,byng himself4 ,this he immediately did 
by drawing that gentleman's favourite   
dog with its head up a sewer in the     
midst of a puddle of water1 and a rat   
making a very speedy exit at its        
approach4 ,the eminent ,commissioner of 
,sewers saw the joke at once1 as did    
also his friends1 and for many a long   
day he was known by the nickname of     
,poodle ,byng4  ,we now turn to some    
works by ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 to     
which a history is attached1 and1 in so 
doing1 there occurs a somewhat curious  
incident1 which has the interest of     
connecting two of our greatest painters4
 ,sir ,joshua's famous picture of ,the  
,gleaners shows one of the toilers of   
the field carrying a bundle of wheat on 
her head4 ,this figure was put in1 as   
the lady--,miss ,potts--who posed as the
 model for it1 happened to be staying   
with her friends1 the ,macklins1 where  
,sir ,joshua was staying also4 ,miss    
,potts was destined to become the mother

 of ,sir ,edwin ,landseer2 for1 some    
time afterwards1 she met ,john          
,landseer1 loved and married him4 ,in   
passing1 it may be mentioned that ,sir  
,joshua is credited with having         
expressed the opinion that if an artist 
painted four or five distinctly original
 subjects in his lifetime1 the          
achievement should be sufficient to     
satisfy the demands of the expectant    
public4 ,hence he painted no fewer than 
a quartette of ,the ,strawberry ,girl1  
each single picture being as good as the
 others1 though probably the first one  
painted would be preferred for choice4  
,any of them would easily fetch #b1jjj  
or #c1jjj each4 ,we have had the        
privilege of examining ,sir ,joshua's   
own ledgers1 and in #agff we find that  
he was only receiving #aej for a whole  
length portrait1 #gj for half-length1   
#ej for a kit cat 7#cf in4 x #be in471  
and #cj for a head4 ,gainsborough       
received about the same figure4  ,the   
recent tragic death of the ,duke of     

,bedford suggests to us a picture which 
,sir ,joshua painted of ,the ,bedford   
,family--a work worth1 at the lowest    
estimate1 #aj1jjj4 ,the curious         
circumstance of allowing this valuable  
painting to be turned towards the wall  
in a darkened room for a great number of
 years is in itself suggestive of some  
unknown story4 ,at last it was decided  
to have the picture renovated1 for it   
had become perfectly black4 ,it was     
accordingly sent to be cleaned2 but it  
was found impossible to remove the dire 
results which a darkened room and a     
dusty atmosphere had worked upon it4 ,it
 was then suggested that the very       
opposite means should be tried4 ,the    
canvas was hung in a room1 the roof of  
which was of glass1 through which the   
bright sunshine could fall upon it4 ,as 
the week and month passed by1 the       
sunlight scattered the gloom by degrees1
 until1 at the end of a year1 all had   
disappeared1 and the rich colouring was 
once more visible4 ,one of the boys     

represented in the picture is ,lord     
,william ,russell--the father of the    
late ,duke of ,bedford--who was killed  
by his valet in #ahdj4  ,illustration3  
,,the ,,bedford ,,family4  ,a ,sir      
,joshua worth #ae1jjj has been thrown   
out of window during a fire1 and reached
 the ground untouched by smoke or flame4
 ,this was ,lady ,williams ,wynn and    
children1 which now hangs at ,wynstay4  
,a very interesting incident may be told
 to show how minute ,sir ,joshua        
was--even to a hair4 ,at the sale of his
 books1 there was found amongst the     
leaves a little curl wrapped up in a    
small piece of tissue paper on which the
 artist had written ,lady ,waldegrave's 
hair4 ,he had painted a picture of the  
,countess of ,waldegrave and her        
daughter1 and1 in order to get the exact
 colour of the hair1 had persuaded the  
,countess to cut off a lock4 ,it was    
recently beautifully mounted1 surrounded
 by portraits of the pictures connected 
with it1 and presented to the late      

,countess2 and it now hangs underneath  
the original work4  ,can a leopard      
change its spots8 ,yes1 so far as a     
pictorial leopard goes--as may be       
illustrated by a painting by ,sir       
,joshua of ,master ,herbert as a        
,bacchus4 ,he made an error here1 for he
 depicted the god of wine surrounded by 
lionesses1 when1 of course1 leopards    
should have figured in the festive      
scene4 ,the engraver in whose hands the 
picture was placed saw the mistake1 and 
took it upon himself to add the spots to
 the lionesses1 thereby converting them 
into leopards in his engraving4 ,he even
 went further1 and painted the necessary
 spots on the animals on the canvas4    
,one hundred years passed away1 and the 
picture was sent to ,london to be       
cleaned and restored1 when1 to the great
 dismay of the cleaner1 he noticed that 
as he worked the leopards began to lose 
their spots6 ,examination soon showed   
what was the reason4 ,all the spots were
 removed1 the lionesses appeared in     

their proper skins1 and so the picture  
now appears4  ,we reproduce two pictures
 by ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4 ,the history
 of one is as sensational as the other  
is broadly humorous4 ,they happen1 too1 
to be the stories of a husband and wife4
  ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,musters4      
,mrs4 ,musters was a great beauty of her
 day1 and in #aggh ,sir ,joshua painted 
her4 ,the picture he sent home to ,mr4  
,musters to his seat at ,colwick4 ,an   
application was received from the artist
 that the canvas should be returned to  
him1 as he desired to make one or two   
important alterations which would       
considerably benefit the picture4 ,it   
was sent back to him1 and it remained in
 his possession seven years4 ,time after
 time it was applied for1 but all to no 
effect--it was impossible to get it     
back2 the applicants got nothing but    
excuse after excuse4 ,at last1 in       
desperation1 ,sir ,joshua declared that 
he had spoiled the work1 and so         
destroyed it1 and to make up for this he

 painted another of ,mrs4 ,musters in   
the character of ,hebe1 after a lapse of
 seven years4 ,where was the original   
picture8 ,it transpired that ,george    
,,iv4--then ,prince of ,wales--was at   
that time engaged in making a collection
 of the beauties of his ,court1 and had 
often asked ,mr4 ,musters to allow his  
wife to sit for her portrait for this   
purpose4 ,this ,mr4 ,musters firmly     
refused4 ,the ,prince then brought some 
pressure to bear on ,sir ,joshua        
,reynolds to get the picture4 ,how ,sir 
,joshua set to work has already been    
seen4 ,the painting was afterwards sold 
at the ,pavilion at ,brighton1 and was  
purchased by the ,earl of ,egremont of  
,petworth1 at whose seat it now hangs4  
,it should be mentioned that this is the
 only instance on record where ,sir     
,joshua did anything to cast a shade    
upon a character which was in every     
other respect a truly honourable one4   
,the pressure which the ,prince enforced
 was too great1 and he succumbed4       

,illustration3 ,,john ,,musters1 ,,esq4 
,surely nothing can be more humorous    
than the fact of a man having his       
portrait painted1 and1 as the fashion in
 clothing changed1 so having the latest 
thing in satin coat and flowered vest   
put on his figure6 ,yet this was        
actually done1 and by the husband of the
 very lady who figures prominently in   
the preceding story4 ,mr4 ,musters was  
exceptionally eccentric4 ,not content   
with a picture of himself by ,sir       
,joshua1 he secured from time to time   
the services of another artist to       
re-clothe him up to date4 ,some years   
after his death1 the canvas was         
submitted to a well-known expert1 when  
the momentous question arose as to how  
it could possibly be a genuine ,sir     
,joshua when the clothing was of a date 
some thirty years after the great artist
 had ceased to exist8 ,the picture was  
put into the hands of a cleaner1 when   
he1 almost bewildered1 sent a hasty     
message to the expert to say that all   

the clothes were gradually coming off6  
,part of the coat had disappeared1 the  
flowers on the vest were fading1 the fob
 of the watch-chain had gone4 ,the whole
 truth was soon made evident1 and very  
soon the old1 though valuable1 clothes  
were all found underneath1 and ,mr4     
,musters appeared in the proper costume 
of his day as ,sir ,joshua painted him4 
,as such he is to be seen in our copy of
 the engraving from the picture4  ,the  
works of ,gainsborough are replete with 
anecdote4 ,one incident is worthy of    
being chronicled as associating ,sir    
,joshua ,reynolds and this great artist 
together4 ,it happened in #aghb1 when   
the two painters1 to put it plainly1    
were not on speaking terms4 ,at the     
,royal ,academy of that year            
,gainsborough exhibited a picture1 ,girl
 and ,pigs4 ,sir ,joshua was much       
impressed with it1 and1 as a token of   
his appreciation of unquestionable      
genius1 and1 we venture to think1       
possibly with a view to bringing about a

 renewal of friendship1 purchased the   
work for #ajj4 ,it would bring thousands
 now4 ,the ,earl of ,carlisle possesses 
it4  ,gainsborough was generous to a    
high degree4 ,when he was at ,bath he   
was anxious to paint ,quin1 the actor1  
and in return for the sitting said that 
he would make him a present of the      
portrait4 ,quin refused4 ,gainsborough  
pleaded with him1 and made use of these 
remarkable words3 ,if you will let me   
paint your portrait ,i shall live for   
ever6 ,the actor gave way1 but today the
 picture preserves the memory of ,quin4 
,on one occasion ,gainsborough actually 
gave half-a-dozen pictures to a ,mr4    
,wiltshire1 a carrier1 who1 solely for  
the love of art1 volunteered to convey  
one of his important canvases to ,london
 free of charge4 ,these pictures were   
the price paid for the van hire1 and two
 of them now hang in the ,national      
,gallery--,the ,market ,cart1 and ,the  
,parish ,clerk4  ,the two next          
reproductions we give have exceptionally

 singular histories4 ,one indeed is a   
romance of the purest type4 ,the fact of
 his celebrated ,duchess of ,devonshire 
having been stolen has probably had much
 to do with making the public regard it 
as the finest thing that ,gainsborough  
ever did4 ,but art connoisseurs say that
 the ,hon4 ,mrs4 ,graham is a far finer 
bit of colouring4 ,it now hangs in the  
,national ,gallery of ,scotland1 and its
 value is put down at #be1jjj4 ,here is 
its history--a truly romantic one4      
,illustration3 ,,the ,,honourable ,,mrs4
 ,,graham4  ,mrs4 ,graham was the wife  
of ,captain ,graham1 who years          
afterwards became ,general ,lord        
,lynedoch1 ,g4,c4,b4 ,she was only      
seventeen when her husband commissioned 
,gainsborough to paint her4 ,he was     
passionately attached to his beautiful  
wife1 their married life was one long   
day of happiness1 and when1 at a        
comparatively early age1 she died1 her  
broken-hearted husband could not bear   
even to look upon the picture1 and it   

disappeared4 ,he tried in every way to  
put an end to his life honourably2 but  
at all times failed4 ,he went into the  
,peninsular ,war1 volunteered for every 
forlorn hope in the hope of getting     
killed2 but he seemed to bear a charmed 
life1 and rose to be a ,field ,marshal  
in the ,english ,army1 and lived to     
ninety-one years of age4 ,where was the 
picture of such fabulous value8 ,it was 
not until after ,lord ,lynedoch's death 
that it was discovered in a furniture   
warehouse1 where it had been packed away
 in a heavy case and concealed from view
 for very many years4  ,we now come to  
the picture that was the means of       
bringing about the historical quarrel   
between ,gainsborough and the ,royal    
,academy2 and1 in order that its history
 should be fully set forth in these     
pages1 the writer has searched the      
various newspapers of that day with a   
view of showing the extreme feeling that
 existed4 ,gainsborough sent a picture  
of the three daughters of ,george ,,iii4

 to the ,academy1 with a polite request 
that it should be hung the same distance
 from the ground as it would be when    
placed in position in the ,royal        
residence4 ,the ,academy ,council       
ignored this wish1 and hung it far too  
high4 ,this so enraged                  
,gainsborough--who was of a somewhat    
irritable disposition--that he sent for 
all his pictures1 and had them brought  
back from the ,academy4 ,the ,morning   
,herald of ,may #e1 #aghd1 says3--      
,yesterday1 the three pictures of the   
,princess ,royal1 ,princess ,elizabeth1 
and ,princess ,augusta were removed from
 the ,exhibition ,room of ,somerset     
,house on the ,strand to ,mr4           
,gainsborough's at ,pall ,mall1 and from
 thence are to be fixed as furniture at 
,carlton ,house4  ,the ,morning ,herald 
was1 however1 wrong1 there was only one 
picture1 not three4  ,again1 the        
following extract1 which appeared in the
 same paper on ,may #g1 #aghd1 is worthy
 of being quoted3--  ,gainsborough1     

whose professional absence every visitor
 of the ,royal ,academy so feelingly    
deplores1 is fitting up his own saloon  
in ,pall ,mall for the display of his   
matchless productions1 where he may     
safely exhibit them without further     
offence to the ,sons of ,envy and       
,dullness4444 ,by the bye1 let it be    
remembered to the honour of ,sir ,joshua
 ,reynolds and ,sir ,william ,chambers1 
that1 so far from abetting the conduct  
of the ,academy ,hangmen1 they have in  
the handsomest manner protested against 
the shameful outrage offered by these   
fatal executioners to genius and taste6 
,illustration3 ,,princess ,,royal1      
,,princess ,,augusta1 ,,and ,,princess  
,,elizabeth3 ,,daughters ,,of ,,george  
,,iii4  ,the history of the picture does
 not end here4 ,it remained at ,carlton 
,house until the building was pulled    
down1 and was then removed to           
,buckingham ,palace4 ,at some subsequent
 period an unknown individual requiring 
a picture to fit in a space over a door 

to one of the ,state ,rooms1 positively 
had it cut down to the required size4   
,it is still there4 ,its value at the   
present moment1 had it been left        
untouched1 would be #bj1jjj2 as it is1  
it is worth about half that sum4 ,our   
illustration shows the painting as it is
 to-day4     ,two ,fishers4  ,from the  
,french of ,guy de ,maupassant4         
,henri ,rn ,albert ,guy de ,maupassant  
was born on the #eth of     ,august in  
the year #ahej4 ,his parents lived in   
,normandy1 and     were people of       
position2 but when1 in #ahgj1 the war   
broke out     with ,prussia1 ,guy1 then 
just twenty1 buckled on his sword and   
served his country as a common soldier4 
,when the war was over1     he became   
acquainted with ,gustave ,flaubert1 and 
the brilliant     author of ,salammb    
introduced him to the world of letters1 
in     which he quickly won himself a   
foremost place4 ,he is not a very       
prolific writer1 but the quality of his 
work is always fine1     and he is one  

of the best writers of short tales now  
living4     ,he is fond of using his    
experience of the war as a basis for    
his stories--of which ,two ,fishers is  
an excellent example1 as     well as of 
his remarkably artistic style1 which    
tells a story     in its full effect    
without a word too much or little4      
,illustration3 ,,the ,,two ,,fishers4   
,paris was blockaded--famished--at the  
point of death4 ,even the sparrows on   
the housetops were few and far between1 
and the very sewers were in danger of   
becoming depopulated4 ,people ate       
anything they could get4  ,monsieur     
,morisot1 watchmaker by trade1 was      
walking early one bright ,january       
morning down the ,boulevards1 his hands 
in the pockets of his overcoat1 feeling 
hungry and depressed1 when he           
unexpectedly ran against a friend4 ,he  
recognised ,monsieur ,sauvage1 an old   
time chum of the river-side4  ,every    
,sunday before the war ,morisot used to 
start at daybreak with his bamboo       

fishing rod in his hand1 his tin bait   
and tackle box upon his back4 ,he used  
to take the train to ,colombes1 and to  
walk from there to the ,island of       
,maranthe4 ,no sooner had he arrived at 
the river than he used to begin to fish 
and continue fishing until evening4     
,here every ,sunday he used to meet     
,monsieur ,sauvage1 a linen-draper from 
,paris1 but stout and jovial withal1 as 
keen a fisherman moreover as he was     
himself4  ,often they would sit side by 
side1 their feet dangling over the water
 for half a day at a time and say       
scarcely a word1 yet little by little   
they became friends4 ,sometimes they    
never spoke at all4 ,occasionally they  
launched out into conversation1 but they
 understood each other perfectly without
 its aid1 for their tastes and ideas    
were the same4  ,on a spring morning in 
the bright sunshine1 when the light and 
delicate mist hovered over the river1   
and these two mad fishermen enjoyed a   
foretaste of real summer weather1       

,morisot would say to his neighbour3    
,hein6 not bad1 eh8  ,and ,sauvage would
 reply3 ,i know nothing to beat it4     
,this interchange of sentiments was     
quite enough to engender mutual         
understanding and esteem4  ,in autumn1  
toward evening1 when the setting sun    
reddened the sky and cast shadows of the
 fleeting clouds over the water2 when   
the river was decked in purple2 when the
 whole horizon was lighted up and the   
figures of the two friends were         
illumined as with fire2 when the        
russet-brown of the trees was lightly   
tinged with gold1 and the trees         
themselves shivered with a wintry shake1
 ,monsieur ,sauvage would smile at      
,monsieur ,morisot and say1 ,what a     
sight1 eh8  ,and ,monsieur ,morisot1    
without even raising his eyes from his  
float would answer1 ,better than the    
,boulevards1 hein6  ,this morning1 as   
soon as they had recognised each other  
they shook hands warmly1 quite overcome 
at meeting again under such different   

circumstances4  ,monsieur ,sauvage      
sighed and murmured1 ,a nice state of   
things4  ,monsieur ,morisot1 gloomy and 
sad1 answered1 ,and what weather6       
,to-day is ,new ,year's day4 ,the sky in
 fact was clear1 bright1 and beautiful4 
,they began to walk along1 sorrowful and
 pensive4 ,said ,morisot1 ,and our      
fishing1 eh8 ,what times we used to     
have6  ,sauvage replied1 ,when shall we 
have them again8  ,they went into a     
little caf and had a glass of absinthe1 
and then started again on their walk4   
,they stopped at another caf for another
 glass4 ,when they came out again they  
were slightly dazed1 like people who had
 fasted long and then partaken too      
freely4  ,it was lovely weather2 a soft 
breeze fanned their faces4 ,monsieur    
,sauvage1 upon whom the fresh air was   
beginning to take effect1 suddenly said3
 ,suppose we were to go6  ,go where8    
,why1 fishing6  ,but where8  ,to our    
island1 of course4 ,the ,french outposts
 are at ,colombes4 ,i know ,colonel     

,dumoulin2 he will let us pass through  
easily enough4  ,illustration3 ,,they   
,,went ,,on ,,their ,,way ,,rejoicing4  
,morisot trembled with delight at the   
very idea3 ,all right1 ,i'm your man4   
,they separated to fetch their rods4    
,an hour afterwards they were walking   
fast along the high-road1 towards the   
town commanded by ,colonel ,dumoulin4   
,he smiled at their request but granted 
it1 and they went on their way rejoicing
 in the possession of the password4     
,soon they had crossed the lines1 passed
 through deserted ,colombes1 and found  
themselves in the vineyard leading down 
to the river4 ,it was about eleven      
o'clock4  ,on the other side the village
 of ,argenteuil seemed as if it were    
dead4 ,the hills of ,orgremont and      
,saumons commanded the whole country    
round4 ,the great plain stretching out  
as far as ,nanterne was empty as air4   
,nothing in sight but cherry trees1 and 
stretches of grey soil4  ,monsieur      
,sauvage pointed with his finger to the 

heights above and said1 ,the ,prussians 
are up there1 and a vague sense of      
uneasiness seized upon the two friends4 
,the ,prussians6 ,they had never set    
eyes upon them1 but for months past they
 had felt their presence near1          
encircling their beloved ,paris1 ruining
 their beloved ,france1 pillaging1      
massacring1 insatiable1 invincible1     
invisible1 all-powerful1 and as they    
thought on them a sort of superstitious 
terror seemed to mingle with the hate   
they bore towards their unknown         
conquerors4 ,morisot murmured1 ,suppose 
we were to meet them1 and ,sauvage      
replied1 with the instinctive gallantry 
of the ,parisian1 ,well6 we would offer 
them some of our fish for supper4  ,all 
the same they hesitated before venturing
 into the country1 intimidated as they  
were by the all-pervading silence4      
,eventually ,monsieur ,sauvage plucked  
up courage3 ,come along1 let's make a   
start2 but we must be cautious4  ,they  
went through the vineyard1 bent double1 

crawling along from bush to bush1 ears  
and eyes upon the alert4  ,only one     
strip of ground lay between them and the
 river4 ,they began to run1 and when    
they reached the bank they crouched down
 among the dry reeds for shelter4       
,morisot laid his ear to the ground to  
listen for the sound of footsteps1 but  
he could hear nothing4 ,they were alone1
 quite alone2 gradually they felt       
reassured and began to fish4  ,the      
deserted island of ,maranthe hid them   
from the opposite shore4 ,the little    
restaurant was closed1 and looked as if 
it had been neglected for years4        
,monsieur ,sauvage caught the first     
gudgeon1 ,monsieur ,morisot the second4 
,and every minute they pulled up their  
lines with a little silver object       
dangling and struggling on the hook4    
,truly1 a miraculous draught of fishes4 
,as the fish were caught they put them  
in a net which floated in the water at  
their feet4 ,they positively revelled in
 enjoyment of a long-forbidden sport4   

,the sun shone warm upon their backs4   
,they heard nothing--they thought of    
nothing--the rest of the world was as   
nothing to them4 ,they simply fished4   
,suddenly a smothered sound1 as it were 
underground1 made the earth tremble4    
,the guns had recommenced firing4       
,morisot turned his head1 and saw above 
the bank1 far away to the left1 the vast
 shadow of ,mont ,valerien1 and over it 
the white wreath of smoke from the gun  
which had just been fired4 ,then a jet  
of flame burst forth from the fortress  
in answer1 a moment later followed by   
another explosion4 ,then others1 till   
every second as it seemed the mountain  
breathed out death1 and the white smoke 
formed a funeral pall above it4         
,monsieur ,sauvage shrugged his         
shoulders4 ,they are beginning again1 he
 said4  ,monsieur ,morisot1 anxiously   
watching his float bob up and down1 was 
suddenly seized with rage against the   
belligerents and growled out3 ,how      
idiotic to kill one another like that4  

,monsieur ,sauvage3 ,it's worse than the
 brute beasts4  ,monsieur ,morisot1 who 
had just hooked a bleak1 said3 ,and to  
think that it will always be thus so    
long as there are such things as        
,governments4  ,monsieur ,sauvage       
stopped him3 ,the ,republic would not   
have declared war4  ,monsieur ,morisot  
in his turn3 ,with ,kings we have       
foreign wars1 with the ,republic we have
 civil wars4  ,then in a friendly way   
they began to discuss politics with the 
calm common-sense of reasonable and     
peace-loving men1 agreeing on the one   
point that no one would ever be free4   
,and ,mont ,valerien thundered          
unceasingly1 demolishing with its       
cannon-balls ,french houses1 crushing   
out ,french lives1 ruining many a dream1
 many a joy1 many a hope deferred1      
wrecking much happiness1 and bringing to
 the hearts of women1 girls1 and mothers
 in ,france and elsewhere1 sorrow and   
suffering which would never have an end4
  ,it's life1 said ,monsieur ,morisot4  

,say rather that it's death1 said       
,monsieur ,sauvage4  ,they started1     
scared out of their lives1 as they felt 
that someone was walking close behind   
them4 ,turning round1 they saw four men1
 four tall1 bearded men1 dressed as     
servants in livery1 and wearing flat    
caps upon their heads4 ,these men were  
covering the two fishermen with rifles4 
,illustration3 ,,turning ,,round ,,they 
,,saw ,,four ,,men4  ,the rods dropped  
from their frightened hands1 and floated
 aimlessly down the river4 ,in an       
instant the ,frenchmen were seized1     
bound1 thrown into a boat1 and ferried  
over to the island4  ,behind the house  
they had thought uninhabited was a      
picket of ,prussian soldiers4 ,a hairy  
giant1 who was sitting astride a chair1 
and smoking a porcelain pipe1 asked them
 in excellent ,french if they had had   
good sport4  ,a soldier placed at the   
feet of the officer the net full of     
fish1 which he had brought away with    
him4  ,not bad1 ,i see4 ,but we have    

other fish to fry4 ,listen1 and don't   
alarm yourselves4 ,you are a couple of  
,french spies sent out to watch my      
movements1 disguised as fishermen4 ,i   
take you prisoners1 and ,i order you to 
be shot4 ,you have fallen into my       
hands--so much the worse for you4 ,it is
 the fortune of war4 ,inasmuch1 however1
 as you came through the lines you are  
certainly in possession of the password4
 ,otherwise you could not get back      
again4 ,give me the word and ,i will let
 you go4  ,the two friends1 livid with  
fear1 stood side by side1 their hands   
nervously twitching1 but they answered  
not a word4  ,the officer continued3 ,no
 one need ever know it4 ,you will go    
home quietly1 and your secret will go   
with you4 ,if you refuse it is death for
 you both1 and that instantly4 ,take    
your choice4  ,they neither spoke nor   
moved4  ,the ,prussian calmly pointed to
 the river and said3 ,reflect1 in five  
minutes you will be at the bottom of    
that water4 ,i suppose you have         

families4  ,mont ,valerien thundered    
unceasingly4  ,the two ,frenchmen stood 
perfectly still and silent4  ,the       
officer gave an order in ,german4 ,then 
he moved his chair farther away from the
 prisoners1 and a dozen soldiers drew up
 in line twenty paces off4  ,i will give
 you one minute1 he said1 not one second
 more4  ,he got up leisurely1 and       
approached the two ,frenchmen4 ,he took 
,morisot by the arm and said1 in an     
undertone3 ,quick6 ,give me the word4   
,your friend will know nothing4 ,i will 
appear to give way4  ,monsieur ,morisot 
did not answer4  ,the ,prussian took    
,monsieur ,sauvage aside and said the   
same thing to him4  ,monsieur ,sauvage  
did not answer4  ,they found themselves 
once more side by side4  ,the officer   
gave another order2 the soldiers raised 
their guns4  ,by accident ,morisot's    
glance fell upon the net full of fish on
 the ground a few steps off4 ,a ray of  
sunshine lit up their glittering bodies1
 and a sudden weakness came over him4   

,good-bye1 ,monsieur ,sauvage1 he       
whispered4  ,good-bye1 ,monsieur        
,morisot1 replied ,monsieur ,sauvage4   
,they pressed each other's hands1       
trembling from head to foot4  ,fire1    
said the officer4  ,monsieur ,sauvage   
fell dead on his face4 ,monsieur        
,morisot1 of stronger build1 staggered1 
stumbled1 and then fell right across the
 body of his friend1 with his face      
turned upwards to the sky1 his breast   
riddled with balls4  ,the ,prussian gave
 another order4 ,his men dispersed for a
 moment1 returning with cords and       
stones4 ,they tied the stones to the    
feet of the dead ,frenchmen1 and carried
 them down to the river4  ,mont         
,valerien thundered unceasingly4  ,two  
soldiers took ,morisot by the head and  
feet4 ,two others did the same to       
,sauvage4 ,the bodies swung to and fro1 
were launched into space1 described a   
curve1 and plunged feet first into the  
river4  ,the water bubbled1 boiled1 then
 calmed down1 and the little wavelets1  

tinged with red1 circled gently towards 
the bank4  ,the officer1 impassive as   
ever1 said1 ,it is the fishes' turn now4
  ,his eye fell upon the gudgeon lying  
on the grass4 ,he picked them up1 and   
called out1 ,wilhelm4 ,a soldier in a   
white cap appeared4 ,he threw the fish  
towards him4  ,fry these little animals 
for me at once1 while they are still    
alive and kicking4 ,they will be        
delicious4  ,then he began smoking      
again4  ,illustration     ,babies4   ,it
 is what a simple young writer once     
called a beautiful truism that baby is  
one of oldest subjects in the           
world--indeed1 it is almost as old as   
man--and yet it has seldom or never been
 treated with completeness4 ,no doubt   
one reason for that is the fact that    
baby has never been able to make itself 
heard except in inarticulate cries1 and 
no doubt also another reason is that    
people in general have not been until   
lately interested in any babies but     
their own4  ,the difference between     

ancient and modern times is remarkable  
in nothing more than in the treatment of
 babies4 ,human life1 merely as such1   
was considered less sacred then than    
now1 and the average view of the baby   
was simply utilitarian4 ,was the baby1  
male or female1 a healthy baby8 ,was it 
likely to become a sturdy citizen or a  
stout soldier1 or to be the capable     
mother of strong children8 ,then let the
 baby live4 ,babies that did not satisfy
 these conditions were disposed of much 
as we dispose of superfluous puppies or 
kittens4 ,and not even now1 moreover1 is
 baby life considered throughout all the
 world as something in itself delightful
 and valuable4 ,savage people and tribes
 are not such sinners in this regard as 
half-civilised nations like those of    
,india and ,china4  ,what is the use of 
rearing daughters8 asked an intelligent 
,chinaman not long ago of an inquiring  
,englishman4 ,when young they are only  
an expense1 and when grown they marry   
and go away4 ,whereas a son----4  ,what 

a world of difference there is between  
that sentiment and this of ,a ,cradle   
,song1 a recent poem by the young poet  
,w4 ,b4 ,yeats1 where the mother        
addresses her baby thus3--      ,i kiss 
you and kiss you1 my arms round my own2 
,ah6 how ,i shall miss you1 my dear1    
when you're grown6  ,to us1 in these    
later times1 and with all the sentiments
 of ,christian civilisation fostered in 
us1 it is almost incomprehensible that  
any grown human beings could have the   
heart to extinguish the first struggling
 life of babies2 most of all does it    
seem incomprehensible that the mother1  
whose nature is wont to well up and flow
 out at the first helpless cry of her   
infant1 and the father1 whose instinct  
is to hover over and protect and fend   
for both mother and child in their      
weakness1 could ever surrender1 or with 
their own hands destroy1 the creature   
whom they have brought into the world4  
,but1 strong as are the natural         
instincts1 stronger still in many is    

religious fanaticism1 stronger is a     
national or tribal tradition4 ,and when 
we consider that it has taken ages of   
,christian culture and feeling to bring 
us to our present height of imaginative 
sympathy with all forms of life1 till   
now we are agreed that no more          
beautiful1 sacred1 or divine sight is to
 be seen under the sun than that of a   
mother with a child in her arms1 then we
 can understand that1 while it is an    
outrage1 a sin1 and a crime to destroy a
 child among the taught of ,christendom1
 it is but a hideous barbarism among the
 uninstructed of heathendom4  ,turning  
to consider particularly the treatment  
of babies in various lands1 by various  
peoples and tongues1 we are compelled to
 note that even where infanticide or    
exposure is not practised1 a similar    
result is worked out through the        
hardships--sometimes unconscious1       
sometimes designed--of infant life4 ,the
 conditions of existence among many     
savage tribes are so severe that only   

the fittest1 the sturdiest1 and wiriest 
constitutions can survive4 ,there is1   
for instance1 a very fine and           
intelligent tribe of blacks in the      
neighbourhood of the ,cameroons1 named  
the ,duallas1 which imposes from the    
first a very violent test upon the      
constitutions of their offspring4 ,like 
the ancient ,germans1 the ,duallas take 
a child when only four or five days old 
and plunge it in the river4 ,this is    
repeated every day till the child is    
strong and hardy enough to bathe itself1
 or till it has succumbed beneath the   
treatment4 ,other less intelligent and  
more savage tribes of ,africans train   
their children to endure torture from a 
very early age4 ,even the average       
nursing of the negro mother is enough to
 try the toughness of the child's       
constitution4 ,when the child is being  
fed he is set astride his mother's hip2 
and he must hold on how he can and get  
what nutriment he can1 while his mother 
moves about her ordinary duties4 ,when  

he is not thus attached to his mother he
 lies on a little bed of dried grass on 
the ground1 in all the simplicity in    
which ,nature brought him into the      
world1 and crams himself with earth or  
whatever he can lay his little black    
hands on4  ,illustration3 ,red indian   
papooses3  ,akin to the negro's         
treatment of children--though           
considerably in advance as regards      
tenderness and picturesqueness--is that 
of the ,red ,indians of ,north ,america4
 ,the father and mother combine to make 
a very curious and ornamental close     
cradle or bed for the papoose4 ,in shape
 it is not unlike the long oval shield  
of the ,zulu4 ,the father cuts it out of
 wood or stout bark with his tomahawk   
and scalping-knife1 and covers it with  
deer or buffalo skin1 or1 if he has not 
these1 with matting or the softest bark 
of trees1 leaving the upper side loose  
and open4 ,the mother then adorns and   
embroiders it with beads and grasses1   
and lines and pads it with the softest  

grass or moss or rags she can find4 ,the
 papoose is lightly strapped in with    
soft thongs fastened to the board and   
passing under his arms1 and then the    
covering is laced over him as one laces 
up a shoe1 and nothing but the face of  
the papoose is left exposed4 ,thus done 
up1 baby can be hung 7with a thong      
attached to his cradle7 on the branch of
 a tree1 or from the pole of the wigwam1
 or set in a corner out of the way4 ,it 
may seem to us that the close           
confinement and the upright position of 
these nests cannot be very comfortable1 
but it is said that after tumbling about
 a while on the grass or among the dogs 
of the wigwam the ,indian baby          
frequently cries to go back to his      
solitary nest4 ,in this wise1 too1 is he
 carried1 slung over his mother's back1 
when the tribe is on the march4 ,the    
oval thing we have described is the     
prevalent pattern of cradle among       
,american ,indians1 though in the       
extreme north or in the extreme south   

modifications of the style obtain4 ,the 
,flat-head mother1 for instance1 makes  
her papoose into a round bundle1 with   
folds of bark and thongs of deer-skin1  
and carries it in a wooden receptacle   
something like a canoe1 slung on her    
back1 with a little pent-house or shade 
projecting over the baby's face4        
,illustration3 ,a ,flat-head ,mother4   
,it is worth noting that this complete  
swaddling of infants is almost universal
 among both barbarous and civilised     
peoples who dwell in sub-tropical or    
temperate climates4 ,it is done not so  
much 7or not only7 to keep the child    
warm1 but to prevent it from scratching 
itself1 from moving about and hurting   
itself1 and from bruising itself or     
breaking its tender bones if it should  
chance to fall4 ,a baby1 however1 that  
is done up tight and flat as a ,red-skin
 baby is1 must be almost as safe on a   
top-shelf as on the ground4 ,the close  
swaddling and padding of baby is found1 
the more we consider it1 to be the      

fashion among both civilised and        
barbarous kindreds1 and peoples1 and    
tongues1 where women are very           
hard-worked4 ,it is easy to understand  
how that must be4 ,when the mother digs 
and plants the soil1 and grinds the     
corn1 draws the water and cooks the food
 for her husband and children--as does  
the savage woman of every clime--when   
she spins and brews1 and makes and      
mends1 and cooks and cleans1 as does the
 house-wife of almost every degree in   
almost every country of ,europe2 when   
the mother has thus her hands full of   
toil or occupation from morning till    
night1 and when the expense or the      
convenience of a nurse is not available1
 what can she do1 what must she do1 with
 baby1 but contrive some means of       
keeping him from troubling her and at   
the same time from damaging himself8    
,therefore the ,american ,indian papoose
 is bound and laced in the thing we have
 seen2 therefore the ,amazon ,indian    
child is slung in a close net-like      

hammock from tree to tree2 therefore the
 ,new ,guinea child hangs like a bunch  
of onions in a bag-net either from a    
jutting bamboo of his father's hut or on
 his mother's back by a strap passed    
across the forehead2 and therefore the  
,european baby of several countries is  
wrapped and padded in the ways we are   
about to describe4  ,illustration3 ,a   
,,german ,,baby4  ,illustration3 ,,baby 
,,was ,,found ,,asleep ,,in ,,the       
,,snow4  ,of all house-wives in ,europe1
 probably the ,german is the hardest    
worked1 and of all ,european mothers the
 ,german practises most completely the  
art of swathing and padding her baby1   
and of putting it on the shelf4 ,the    
,german baby is swaddled in a long1     
narrow pillow1 which is made to meet    
completely round him1 being tucked up   
over his feet and turned under his      
solemn chin4 ,three bands of gay blue   
ribbons are then passed round the whole 
bundle and tied in large1 florid bows   
about where his chest1 his waist1 and   

his ankles may be supposed to be4 ,in   
this guise he can be deposited as an    
ornament either on the sumptuous best   
bed1 or on the kitchen dresser1 or on   
the drawing-room table4 ,how fond the   
,germans are of this presentment of baby
 may be guessed from the fact that it   
figures largely in their picture-books1 
among their dolls1 and even in the      
bakers' shops at ,easter-time1 made of  
dough and covered with sugar to be      
devoured by greedy live babies4         
,illustration3 ,a ,,very ,,queer ,,fish4
  ,the ,german mother has the completest
 confidence in the safety of her baby   
when swaddled thus4 ,but the confidence 
is sometimes betrayed by the wrappage1  
as witnesseth the following story4 ,a   
party of peasants set out for the       
christening of a new baby1 the baby     
being swaddled and wrapped in the usual 
manner4 ,the way was long to the church1
 and the weather was cold2 indeed1 snow 
lay on the ground4 ,the anxiety of the  
christening over1 the whole             

party--parents1 sponsors1 and           
friends--adjourned to the village inn to
 warm and cheer themselves with schnaps1
 or what the ,londoner terms a drop of  
something short4 ,they then set off on  
their return home lightly and gaily1 and
 their hearts being merry within them   
they essayed a snatch or two of song and
 a step or two of dance4 ,home at length
 was reached1 and the interesting       
christened bundle was laid on the table4
 ,the whole party--parents1 sponsors1   
and friends--stared agape and in        
silence2 there was the pillow1 the      
ribbons1 and the bows all complete1 but 
where was the baby8 ,someone ventured to
 raise the bundle2 it was quite limp and
 empty6 ,baby was gone6 ,back the whole 
party hurried on its lonely track1 and  
baby was found asleep in the snow1 about
 midway between the church and the      
village4 ,he was a sturdy child1 and the
 story runs that he escaped with a      
violent sneeze or two1 which1 it is     
said1 the anxious parents strove to     

allay by popping him into the oven4     
,there can be no doubt that the ,german 
child that could survive the pillow1 and
 the snow1 and the oven1 must have been 
sturdy indeed4  ,like the ,german mother
 in her treatment of infants is the     
,austrian--the real ,austrian1 that is1 
who is of ,teutonic origin2 for the     
,austro-,hungarian monarchy includes so 
many nationalities1 so many kindreds and
 peoples and tongues1 that it would need
 a whole article to write of them all4  
,and like also1 with a curious          
difference1 is the ,swedish and         
,norwegian mother4 ,the ,swedish child1 
or barn--7compare the ,yorkshire barn1  
and the ,scottish bairn7--is swaddled in
 more complex fashion than the ,german4 
,it is wound about with six-inch-wide   
bandages1 sometimes with the arms free  
and sometimes not1 sometimes the legs   
included in the whole bundle1 but       
usually swathed separately4 ,the        
bandages are traditionally supposed to  
make the limbs and figure grow straight4

 ,the bandaged barn is then wrapped in a
 pillow and tied about with ribbons and 
bows like the ,german child1 except that
 frequently his arms are free and his   
legs are shortly and stoutly suggested  
by the tucking in of the pillow4 ,after 
that he may be fastened flatwise to     
another pillow1 and slung               
perpendicularly from a supple pole stuck
 in the wall1 so that he looks like a   
very queer fish indeed1 fit to be shown 
outside the shop of an angling-tackle   
maker4 ,like the ,german1 the ,swedish  
child always wears a cap1 which is      
borderless and of special fineness for  
its first ,sunday1 when it is           
christened4 ,then1 also1 it wears beads 
upon its neck1 and gorgeous garments    
with gay bows of ribbon1 all which are  
provided by the godmother4 ,in the      
remoter parts of both ,sweden and       
,norway it is still the custom every    
,sunday to carry these swaddled infants 
to church1 which is probably a long way 
off4 ,they are not taken into church1   

however1 but buried for warmth in the   
snow1 in which a small hole is left for 
them to breathe through4  ,in less      
primitive parts of ,sweden and ,norway1 
however1 and among the better-off1 the  
pillow-bundle often gives place to a    
wooden cradle1 shaped like a trough or a
 ,french baquet1 which is usually       
suspended by a spiral spring from the   
roof4 ,the elastic motion can scarcely  
be of the most delightful kind to baby  
we should think1 for there is nothing to
 prevent the cradle from spinning or    
twisting round at its will1 and so      
producing dizziness4 ,in ,russia1 too1 a
 similar cradle is used--contrived1     
however1 more rudely as to both         
structure and motion4 ,it is an oblong  
box or wicker basket1 with a cord from  
each of its four corners converging to  
the hook or the rafter from which it is 
hung1 and with a looped cord underneath1
 in which the mother puts her foot to   
swing her baby4 ,in winter--which in    
,russia is long and severe--the cradles 

or1 sometimes1 the hammocks in which the
 youngest children sleep are slung round
 the great stove upon which the parents 
and other adult members of the family   
pass the night1 wrapped in their        
sheep-skins4  ,illustration3 ,a ,swedish
 ,cradle4  ,illustration3 ,,french      
,,baby--,,old ,,style4  ,france is the  
only other country in which the pillow  
is a necessary complement of the baby4  
,but the attachment of the two is       
nowadays characteristically ,french4 ,it
 is a compromise between the old and the
 new1 between tradition and fashion1 and
 consequently it is not universal4 ,the 
,french baby 7especially on gala days7  
is laid upon the pillow1 and his fine   
frocks and gay ribbons1 instead of      
enveloping his tender body1 are spread  
upon him as he lies1 so that he is no   
more than a kind of bas-relief4 ,in     
,france1 however1 it must be noted there
 came earlier than elsewhere in         
,europe--7one of the results of the     
,revolution7--the revolt against mere   

tradition and usage in the treatment of 
babies4 ,among well-to-do and           
aristocratic ,french folk1 in           
particular1 a change in that regard has 
long been in progress4 ,the ,french     
child used to have always its pillow or 
cradle2 now it begins to lie upon a     
fresh1 wholesome bed1 neither of wool   
nor of feathers1 but of hair or straw1  
or among country or sea-faring folk of  
sweet dried fern or bracken or          
pungent-smelling sea-weed2 and          
,government bureaux circulate among the 
peasants such directions as these3--,lay
 the infant to sleep on its right side2 
avoid putting it to sleep in the lap    
before putting it in bed4 ,the ,french  
baby used to wear a multiplicity of     
caps--a small close cap of fine linen1  
over which was a second of light        
flannel1 and over that a third of some  
light and ornamental stuff2 now the caps
 are being discarded1 and baby goes     
openly and baldly bareheaded4 ,there is1
 however1 one infantile institution to  

which well-to-do ,french folk cling     
obstinately1 and that is the            
foster-mother or wet-nurse4 ,the        
institution had its origin ages ago1 and
 was popular with other than fine ladies
 who feared to spoil their shape with   
nursing4 ,it was under the early        
,bourbon kings that the practice first  
became established of sending infants   
into the country1 to some well-known    
dependant of the house1 to be nursed and
 fed and brought up4 ,that is why one   
reads so much in ,french literature of  
foster-brothers and foster-sisters1 who 
were the peasant children brought up in 
the same lap1 and at the same breast as 
the young lords and ladies4 ,the        
wet-nurse who lived in the family       
was--and is still--commonly a           
,burgundian1 an ample1 handsome1 and    
good-natured type of woman1 something   
like our own woman of ,devonshire4 ,the 
fine ,burgundian nurse is still a       
feature of ,parisian life1 with her     
black eyes1 her rich colour1 and her    

opulent form1 her red cloak1 her        
full-bordered cap1 and her long1        
floating ribbons4 ,it is evident that   
this large and productive type is very  
old1 for there is a curious statute in  
ancient ,french law1 called the droit de
 douze enfants3 it obtained only in     
,burgundy1 and it enacted that all      
parents of a dozen children should be   
exempt from the payment of any taxes    
whatever4  ,illustration3 ,a            
,,burgundian ,,nurse4  ,illustration3 ,a
 ,chinese mother  child3  ,before we    
finally turn1 whither we have all this  
while been tending1 to the completest   
and wholesomest treatment of babies1 let
 us note one or two remarkable          
curiosities in that way4 ,there is1     
first of all1 the well-worn1 and now    
almost out-worn1 tradition that ,chinese
 female babies have their feet tortured 
by tight bandaging to make and keep them
 small4 ,that practice1 let us say at   
once1 was never prevalent1 except in    
very high society--like really          

tight-lacing in ,england--and even there
 it is now gradually becoming obsolete4 
,but1 among the sweltering millions of  
,china there is a practice which seems  
to have a curious result4 ,the mother   
carries her infant in a kind of bag or  
pannier on her back1 and not--as in     
other countries where the dorsal        
carriage is affected--with the face     
turned outwards1 but--as1 probably1 we  
ought to expect in ,china1 where        
everything seems to go and come by the  
rule of contraries--with the face turned
 inwards4 ,the result of that is that   
the baby's nose is of necessity pressed 
against its mother's back1 whence1 no   
doubt1 say the learned in these matters1
 has been evolved1 in the course of     
ages1 the peculiarly flattened or       
blunted nose1 characteristic of the     
,chinaman4 ,furthermore1 ,chinese girls1
 even when allowed to live1 are little  
thought of4 ,in the family generally    
they bear no names3 they are known as   
,number ,one or ,number ,two1 like      

convicts1 and they are no more reckoned 
members of the family than the cat or   
the dog4 ,so when a ,chinaman is asked  
what family he has1 he counts only his  
boys4 ,and a boy is treated with great  
honour and ceremony by the women4 ,when 
he is four months old1 he is set for the
 first time in a chair1 and his mother's
 mother sends or brings him many        
presents1 notably among which is        
sugar-candy4 ,the candy is emblematic of
 the sweet things of life1 and it is    
stuck to the chair to signify the hope  
that he may never lack such things4 ,his
 first birthday is the second great day 
of rejoicing4 ,he is then set upon a    
table in front of many things1 such as  
ink1 books1 tools1 c41 and whichever he 
first lays his hand on decides his      
future occupation4  ,it is an odd thing 
that by no people on earth are          
children--both girls and boys--treated  
with more affection and indulgence than 
by the island neighbours of the         
,chinese--the ,japanese1 namely2 and no 

children have a greater abundance of    
toys and amusements4 ,it must1 however1 
be said that the fondness and patience  
of ,japanese parents are reciprocated by
 the love and obedience of their        
children4 ,both father and mother are   
equally devoted to their offspring4 ,the
 mother commonly carries her baby slung 
in front of her1 and when she is tired  
the father cheerfully accepts the       
burden2 but fathers and mothers1 and    
elder sisters and brothers may often be 
seen in the gay1 sunny streets of ,tokio
 or ,yokohama giving pick-a-backs to    
delighted1 crowing babies4 ,the         
,japanese baby1 moreover1 is not only   
indulged1 he is also treated with the   
greatest care and intelligence4 ,he is  
judiciously fed2 he is regularly bathed 
either at home or in the public         
bath-houses2 and his skin is stimulated 
and his health hardened by his being    
frequently plunged in a cold stream1 or 
even in the snow4 ,a ,japanese baby     
would appear to us a very droll         

creature4 ,if you would know how he     
looks you have only to examine a        
well-made ,japanese doll4 ,he has his   
head shaved1 with the exception of four 
tufts of hair--one in front1 one behind1
 and one over either ear4 ,he wears     
bright and gaudy clothes 7or did wear2  
for children1 like their parents1 sad to
 say1 are gradually being arrayed in    
,european fashion71 and his loose jacket
 has very long and very wide sleeves4   
,very poor children go barefoot2 others 
wear stockings and clogs1 the stockings 
having a separate pocket for the big    
toe4  ,illustration3 ,some ,japanese    
,children3  ,to find other children as  
well1 wisely1 and wholesomely treated as
 children are in ,japan1 we must come to
 an ,english home1 with a look in by the
 way at an ,american home1 where1 it is 
said by many1 the child is made somewhat
 too much of1 and therefore spoiled4    
,but it must be sorrowfully admitted    
that it is only the child of well-to-do 
or cultured parents in ,great ,britain  

that is as well and wisely cared for1   
and that is as happy as the child of    
,japan3 there is no doubt that the      
average of childish comfort and         
happiness is very much greater in ,japan
 than in ,england4 ,yet a well-ordered  
,english home is baby's paradise4 ,there
 he is not swathed in bandages and      
rolled in a pillow and crowned with a   
nightcap2 he is kept always clean and   
sweet1 he is lightly but sufficiently   
clothed1 and he is allowed to kick1 and 
crow1 and grow strong as much as ever he
 likes4 ,he is no longer put to bed in a
 deep wooden cradle set on wooden       
rockers1 but in a light and airy        
bassinette1 which either is stationary  
or swings lightly upon hooks4 ,that     
question of stationary or moving        
bassinette has become somewhat vexed    
among mothers1 many doctors favouring   
the opinion that it is neither necessary
 nor desirable that infants should be   
sent to sleep with rocking or swinging4 
,the old rocking cradle had a much more 

fearsome motion than the swinging       
bassinette4 ,rocked by a careless or    
energetic person it would often make the
 baby ill2 indeed1 there used to be a   
tradition among humble mothers 7a       
tradition which still obtains in        
,scotland7 that if the cradle was rocked
 when empty the baby would certainly be 
ill when next put into it4 ,the rocking 
cradle with its great wooden hood has   
had its day 7and how magnificent the    
height of its day was may be guessed    
from the cradle of ,james ,i4 that was  
shown in the ,stuart ,exhibition7--it   
has had its day1 and is now departing   
into the limbo of things obsolete and   
forgotten1 and thither probably in the  
course of years the swinging bassinette 
will follow it4  ,we have in this       
article treated of babies only when they
 are inarticulate1 when none but the    
mother or the constant nurse can        
understand them4 ,that is commonly      
reckoned by the stranger or the mere    
male person the least interesting age of

 all1 but to the mother--and1 indeed1 to
 all women and grown girls--it is the   
most interesting4 ,then the baby's      
clinging helplessness1 its wide stare of
 wonder1 and its bright1 human smile and
 crow of response to a kind look or     
tone1 suffuse the female heart with an  
unimaginable delight4 ,what pride is    
felt in the health and beauty and weight
 of the baby6 7,here's a leg for a babe 
of a week6 says the doctor in           
,tennyson's ,grandmother47 ,how his     
active crawling is admired6--and        
sometimes his singular taste for        
buttons1 and marbles1 and cinders6 ,with
 what wonder and gratulation is the     
appearance of his first tooth hailed6   
,with what expressions of joy is        
attention called to his first attempts  
at walking1 and how dear he is when he  
first goes pattering over the boards6   
,but beyond and beneath all these common
 phenomena the earliest infancy has     
ravishing mysteries which only the      
mother can patiently watch1 and pore    

over1 and understand4 ,every day1 every 
hour brings to her a new joy1 of which  
she can speak to no one2 for that which 
no else one sees--the waking attention1 
the dawning reason--the mother sees1 and
 that which no one else hears the mother
 hears4  ,illustration     ,on the      
,stump for the ,pump4  ,by ,sir ,wilfrid
 ,lawson4  ,illustration  ,the ,editor  
of ,the ,strand asks ,sir ,w4 ,lawson to
 send him an article with some such     
title as ',thirty ,years of ,temperance 
,advocacy1' or ',on the ,stump for the  
,pump4'      ,you ask me to write ,on   
the ,stump for the ,pump1     ,don't you
 think 'twould be better1 ,the ,pump on 
the ,stump8     ,sure that pump should  
be able a tale to unfold1     ,for you  
hint in your letter it's thirty years   
old6     ,just think of one pumping for 
thirty long years1     ,and the water   
scarce yet has got up to their ears4    
,yet while water's so hard to the right 
pitch to rise1     ,the full tide of    
beer mounts quite up to our eyes4       

,there is ,goschen1 and ,randolph1 and  
,booth1 and old ,smith1     ,men of fame
 and renown1 and great vigour and pith1 
,they come with their brooms1 and they  
come with their mops1     ,and they     
labour and sweep1 but the tide never    
stops4     ,away in the torrent go      
virtue and wealth1     ,peace1 plenty1  
and happiness1 order and health1        
,and ,bung with a chuckle cries1 ,pump  
as you may1     ,but beer and the brewer
 still carry the day4     ,now you      
kindly have asked me to say what ,i     
think     ,on this troublesome1 terrible
 question of drink4     ,so the ,pump   
will endeavour to pour something out1   
,a pump at the least should be able to  
spout6     ,well1 well1 ,i must hope    
that ,i shall not quite fail1     ,so   
the ,pump1 as you've asked him1 will    
pour out his tale4  ,almost everyone who
 proposes a toast at a public dinner    
commences his speech by saying that he  
feels himself to be the most unfit      
person who could have been selected to  

perform the duty4  ,in this matter ,i am
 neither the most fit1 nor the most     
unfit person to give such a narrative as
 the ,editor desires4 ,there are many   
advocates of temperance still living who
 have addressed far more audiences on   
the subject than ,i have done1 and whose
 account of their experience would be   
far more interesting and instructive    
than mine can be4  ,on the other hand-- 
,i've been about a bit in my time1      
,and troubles ,i've seen a few2     ,but
 ,i always found it the best of plans   
,to paddle my own canoe4  ,and ,i have  
sometimes had to paddle that canoe      
through tolerably stormy waters4 ,for   
generations a ,temperance lecturer has  
usually been viewed by the respectable  
classes with a mixture of pity and      
contempt4 ,drink was blended with all   
our ideas of real happiness and         
enjoyment4 ,doctors ordered drink as a  
potent medicine1 and1 at the same time1 
as a valuable article of daily diet4    
,clergymen1 certainly at times1 mildly  

hinted that their flocks might          
peradventure be more moderate in its    
consumption1 but rarely indeed condemned
 the thing itself4  ,elections were won 
to the inspiriting cry of the ,national 
,church and the ,national ,beverage1    
while all those who had enriched        
themselves by the making and selling of 
strong drink were held in the highest   
esteem and veneration by the rest of the
 community4  ,for anyone to enter on a  
crusade against drink was held to be    
audacious1 vulgar1 disreputable1 and    
unconstitutional1 and a man who took    
such a course was considered to be1 if  
not a fool1 certainly a hypocritical    
knave4 ,i have always thought that      
,dickens' portrait of ,stiggins1 the    
,temperance lecturer1 did much to       
maintain this idea4 ,any way1 it was in 
full force at the time when ,i ventured 
to launch the above-mentioned cause4    
,but ,i did not start as a ,temperance  
lecturer4 ,the field was already well   
occupied4 ,father ,mathew1 ,joseph      

,livesey1 ,samuel ,bowling1 and many    
other devoted men had said pretty well  
all that could be said in favour of     
abstinence from intoxicating liquor1    
and1 where their teaching had been      
followed1 had done a world of good4     
,what struck me as very hard was1 that  
these noble men should expend time1     
money1 and labour at their own charges  
in promoting the ,temperance reformation
 which ,richard ,cobden says lies at the
 foundation of every social and         
political reform1 and that all the time 
the ,government of the country should   
appoint thousands and thousands of      
agents to promote the sale and          
consumption of the very article which   
causes all the drunkenness and misery4  
,illustration3 ,,father ,,mathew4       
,illustration3 ,,at ,,exeter4  ,be it   
remembered that the philanthropic       
,temperance advocates got no monetary   
premium on any success which they might 
attain among the people1 while the      
,government agents who sold the drink   

were pecuniarily interested in every    
glass which they could get their        
customers to consume--their system being
 one of payment by results4 ,for anyone 
to raise his voice against this most    
lucrative and powerful monopoly was     
looked upon as an audacious             
impertinence4 ,our meetings were        
occasionally broken up by the friends   
and supporters of the liquor power4 ,i  
remember a big meeting at ,exeter with  
the present ,bishop of ,london in the   
chair4 ,a disorderly force of men well  
primed for the business invaded and     
pervaded the hall1 yelling1 singing1 and
 jostling the audience4 ,they broke up  
the chairs and used them as weapons of  
offence4 ,the ,bishop kept his seat1    
perfectly calm and collected1 but1 as   
the police declined to interfere for our
 protection1 the enemy succeeded in     
their object and broke up the meeting1  
after breaking the ribs of our unlucky  
men and covering the ,bishop and ,sir   
,g4 ,trevelyan and myself with flour1 so

 that we looked as though we had just   
returned from the ,derby4  ,at          
,sandwich1 also1 we once had a great    
row4 ,the publicans' friends pretty well
 packed the meeting1 and with songs1    
coees1 horns1 c41 prevented our         
speaking4 ,but we got a speech out of   
one of the rioters1 and although short1 
it was the best speech ,i had ever heard
 in favour of prohibition4  ,the man was
 tolerably drunk1 but able to stand4    
,close to the platform was sitting the  
great brewer of the place1 looking most 
demure and respectable1 but who had     
probably directly or indirectly         
organised the riot4 ,steadying himself  
as well as he could1 the man pointed    
with his hand towards the great brewer1 
and simply said1 ,i want to know what's 
to become of this gentleman8 ,if anyone 
will ponder on this speech for a moment 
or two the nature and object of the     
licensing system will be clear enough4  
,illustration3 ,,what',s ,,to ,,become  
,,of ,,this ,,gentleman8  ,as a rule1 ,i

 think it was generally in the places   
where the brewers--our ,british ,ale    
,kings--were exceptionally strong that  
these violent scenes occurred4 ,but     
generally when there had been a pretty  
good rowdy meeting1 we used to come     
again soon after1 when our friends1     
taught by the experience1 used to take  
precautions for ensuring law and order1 
so that the rows probably eventually did
 us more good than harm4  ,one thing    
which struck me much in perambulating   
the country was1 that wherever ,i went  
the friends who kindly entertained me   
were almost always pessimists1 who      
asserted that the place we were then in 
was one of the very worst places for    
drunkenness which could possibly be     
found4  ,illustration3 ,a ,,pessimist4  
,of course they could always be the     
worst1 but this testimony leads one to  
think that things must be bad enough all
 round4  ,i suppose the ,editor1 when   
asking for reminiscences of ,thirty     
,years' ,temperance ,advocacy includes  

advocacy in the ,house of ,commons4 ,no 
one would think that it was personally  
needed in that assembly1 but only for   
the check of intemperance outside4  ,yet
 ,i once heard a member1 who was known  
not to be a teetotaler1 say that he     
could not believe something which the   
,government had stated1 although he     
could swallow a great deal--a statement 
which was received with great           
acquiescent cheering from all parts of  
the ,house4 ,but my advocacy in the     
,house was of prohibition of the liquor 
traffic1 and not of total abstinence4 ,i
 proposed that there should be          
prohibitory districts wherever the      
inhabitants clearly and distinctly      
expressed a desire for freedom from     
liquor shops4 ,this was thought to be a 
most shocking proposition4 ,was it to be
 supposed that the magistrates1 who were
 the licensing authorities1 did not know
 the requirements of the neighbourhood  
far better than the inhabitants of that 
neighbourhood knew it themselves6 ,the  

very idea was looked upon as a species  
of blasphemy4  ,a ,bill must have two   
names endorsing it before it can be     
introduced into the ,house of ,commons4 
,at that time ,i hardly knew where ,i   
should get the second name which was    
required4 ,i at last got it in this way4
 ,mr4 ,bazley 7afterwards ,sir ,thomas  
,bazley7 then represented ,manchester4  
,some working men who were either his   
neighbours or constituents1 and who were
 very keen about the ,bill1 interviewed 
him and talked over the ,bill4 ,i fancy 
he made some objection to it1 when the  
men said1 ,mr4 ,bazley1 is there not a  
village which belongs to you1 and where 
you prohibit all sale of drink8  ,yes1  
said ,mr4 ,bazley1 and with the best    
effect4  ,and will you not give us the  
same power of protecting ourselves which
 you enjoy8  ,i will1 said ,mr4 ,bazley1
 and he put his name on the back of my  
,bill4  ,illustration3 ,,sir ,,wilfrid  
,,lawson4  ,but few indeed would vote   
for such a measure in those days4 ,lord 

,randolph ,churchill said that in that  
very year1 #ahij1 two-thirds of the     
members of the ,house of ,commons were  
terrorised by the liquor trade4 ,and    
many must have been in that abject      
condition in #ahfe1 when the first ,bill
 was introduced4 ,at all events1 whether
 through terror of publicans1 or        
contempt for ,temperance advocates1 or  
ignorance of the enormity of the evil   
arising from drinking1 the great        
majority of the ,house of ,commons were 
dead against any legislation tending to 
cripple the liquor traffic4 ,we had all 
the old arguments trotted out--,liberty 
of the ,subject--,making men sober by   
,act of ,parliament1 and so forth4 ,i   
have sometimes wondered why they thought
 it absolutely necessary to iterate and 
reiterate all this unmeaning jargon4    
,they had made up their minds that it   
would not be safe to vote against the   
publicans1 and the preliminary talk was 
a superfluous expenditure of energy4 ,on
 the first division ,i only got about   

forty votes1 and that was a larger      
number than most persons expected4 ,but 
,i must not commence a long story of how
 we slowly but steadily gained ground in
 the ,house4 ,the history of all reforms
 is in its general features pretty much 
the same4 ,someone has roughly summed up
 the progress of reforms by saying1     
,first1 they are laughed at2 then they  
are said to be contrary to ,scripture2  
then it is said that everybody knew them
 before4 ,we have long left for ever the
 days of divisions of forty1 and now    
almost everyone admits that the public  
are entitled to some powers of          
self-protection from the liquor trade4  
,it is still thought the proper thing to
 call everyone who is in earnest in     
trying to get that protection for the   
people1 an extreme man2 but everyone    
knows that this is only the orthodox    
political slang which must be employed  
when argument is wanting4  ,lord        
,rosebery has declared that the         
,temperance men are the backbone of the 

,liberal ,party4 ,the ,conservative     
,party also now announce themselves to  
be warm advocates of ,temperance4 ,we   
cannot say that they have been at it for
 thirty years1 since they only took1 as 
a party1 any overt legislative action   
two years ago by their ,compensation to 
,brewers' ,bill1 which they again       
attempted to pass last year4  ,many     
persons thought that endowing           
publichouses would not tend to reduce   
drinking1 but1 be that as it may1 it was
 pleasant to see the intense zeal with  
which the leaders of the ,conservative  
,party devoted themselves to what they  
considered the interests of ,temperance4
 ,all the other business of the ,session
 was set aside4 ,the ,government ,press 
urged no surrender4 ,diminishing        
majorities did not damp their ardour4   
,the forces were summoned to be present 
at all costs when this ,temperance      
measure was on hand4 ,one memorable day 
many legislators were absolutely        
compelled to hurry back from ,ascot to  

take part in an early division4 ,lord   
,hartington was among the number1 and it
 is said that1 being only just in time1 
he was seen to run through the lobby1 a 
fact unprecedented in modern political  
history4  ,all this proves that there   
never were so many ,temperance advocates
 as there are at this instant4 ,at the  
same time1 ,i am inclined to think that 
there has seldom been more drinking than
 there is in the season of good trade   
and high wages4 ,whether it will require
 an additional thirty years of          
,temperance advocacy before we deal an  
effectual blow at what has been termed  
the intoxicating interests1 who can say8
 ,the good sign1 as noted above1 is1    
that everybody is calling out that      
something must be done4 ,englishmen     
generally say this for a long time      
before they really do anything1 but the 
recent prolific response to ,general    
,booth's appeal for funds to rescue the 
perishing1 seems to indicate that the   
public are really and keenly touched by 

all the misery around them4             
,illustration  ,the ,general says       
,nine-tenths of ,england's misery is    
,drink4 ,that is just what the          
,temperance advocates have been saying  
for nearly twice thirty years4 ,their   
hour of triumph is growing appreciably  
nearer4 ,it will come so soon as the    
good1 noble1 and self-denying men who   
now deal with the misery which ,general 
,booth tells us is the effect of drink1 
will strike at the drink which is the   
cause of that misery4 ,when we have done
 that1 we may confidently look forward  
to an ,england which shall be as        
different from the ,england of to-day1  
as light is from darkness4      ,then   
shall ,misery's sons and daughters      
,in their lowly dwelling sing1          
,bounteous as the ,nile's dark waters1  
,undiscovered as their spring2       ,we
 shall scatter through the land         
,blessing with a secret hand4  ,the     
,king's ,stratagem4  ,by ,stanley ,g4   
,weyman4   ,in the days when ,henry the 

,fourth of ,france was ,king of ,navarre
 only1 and in that little kingdom of    
hills and woods which occupies the      
south-west corner of the larger country1
 was with difficulty supporting the     
,huguenot cause against the ,french     
court and the ,catholic ,league--in the 
days when every isolated castle1 from   
the ,garonne to the ,pyrenees1 was a    
bone of contention between the young    
king and the crafty queen-mother1       
,catherine de ,medicis1 a conference    
between these notable personages took   
place in the picturesque town of ,la    
,role4  ,illustration3 ,,two ,,men ,,sat
 ,,at ,,play4  ,la ,role still rises    
grey1 time-worn1 and half-ruined on a   
lofty cliff above the broad green waters
 of the ,garonne1 forty odd miles from  
,bordeaux4 ,but it is a small place now4
 ,in the days of which we are speaking1 
however1 it was important1 strongly     
fortified1 and guarded by a castle which
 looked down on a thousand red-tiled    
roofs1 rising in terraces from the      

river4 ,as the meeting-place of the two 
sovereigns it was for the time as gay as
 ,paris itself1 ,catherine having       
brought with her a bevy of fair maids of
 honour1 in the effect of whose charms  
she perhaps put as much trust as in her 
own diplomacy4 ,but the peaceful        
appearance of the town was delusive1 for
 even while every other house in it rang
 with music and silvery laughter1 each  
party was ready to fly to arms without  
warning1 if it saw that any advantage   
was to be gained thereby4  ,on an       
evening shortly before the end of the   
conference two men sat at play in a     
room1 the deep-embrasured window of     
which looked down from a considerable   
height upon the river4 ,the hour was    
late1 and the town silent4 ,outside1 the
 moonlight fell bright and pure on      
sleeping fields and long1 straight lines
 of poplars4 ,within the room a silver  
lamp suspended from the ceiling threw   
light upon the table1 leaving the       
farther parts of the room in shadow4    

,the walls were hung with faded         
tapestry4 ,on the low bedstead in one   
corner lay a handsome cloak1 a sword1   
and one of the clumsy pistols of the    
period4 ,across a chair lay another     
cloak and sword1 and on the window seat1
 beside a pair of saddle-bags1 were     
strewn half-a-dozen such trifles as     
soldiers carried from camp to camp--a   
silver comfit-box1 a jewelled dagger1 a 
mask1 and velvet cap4  ,the faces of the
 players1 as they bent over the dice1   
were in shadow4 ,one--a slight1 dark man
 of middle height1 with a weak chin1 and
 a mouth as weak1 but shaded by a dark  
moustache--seemed1 from the occasional  
oaths which he let drop1 to be losing   
heavily4 ,yet his opponent1 a stouter   
and darker man1 with a sword-cut across 
his left temple1 and that swaggering air
 which has at all times marked the      
professional soldier1 showed no signs of
 triumph or elation4 ,on the contrary1  
though he kept silence1 or spoke only a 
formal word or two1 there was a gleam of

 anxiety and suppressed excitement in   
his eyes1 and more than once he looked  
keenly at his companion1 as if to judge 
of his feelings or learn whether the    
time had come for some experiment which 
he meditated4 ,but for this1 an observer
 looking in through the window would    
have taken the two for only one more    
instance of the hawk and pigeon4  ,at   
last the younger player threw down the  
caster1 with a groan4  ,you have the    
luck of the evil one1 he said1 bitterly4
 ,how much is that8  ,two thousand      
crowns1 replied the other without       
emotion4 ,you will play no more8  ,no6  
,i wish to heaven ,i had never played at
 all6 was the answer4 ,as he spoke the  
loser rose1 and going to the window     
stood looking moodily out4 ,for a few   
moments the elder man remained seated1  
gazing at him furtively1 but at length  
he too rose1 and1 stepping softly to his
 companion1 touched him on the shoulder4
 ,your pardon a moment1 ,m4 le ,vicomte1
 he said4 ,am ,i right in concluding    

that the loss of this sum will          
inconvenience you8  ,a thousand fiends6 
exclaimed the young ,vicomte1 turning on
 him wrathfully4 ,is there any man whom 
the loss of two thousand crowns would   
not inconvenience8 ,as for me----  ,for 
you1 continued the other1 smoothly      
filling up the pause1 shall ,i be wrong 
in saying that it means something like  
ruin8  ,well1 sir1 and if it does8 the  
young man retorted1 drawing himself up  
haughtily1 his cheek a shade paler with 
passion4 ,depend upon it you shall be   
paid4 ,do not be afraid of that6        
,gently1 gently1 my friend1 the winner  
answered1 his patience in strong        
contrast with the other's violence4 ,i  
had no intention of insulting you1      
believe me4 ,those who play with the    
,vicomte de ,lanthenon are not wont to  
doubt his honour4 ,i spoke only in your 
own interest4 ,it has occurred to me1   
,vicomte1 that the matter might be      
arranged at less cost to yourself4      
,how8 was the curt question4  ,may ,i   

speak freely8 ,the ,vicomte shrugged his
 shoulders1 and the other1 taking       
silence for consent1 proceeded3 ,you1   
,vicomte1 are governor of ,lusigny for  
the ,king of ,navarre2 ,i1 of ,crance1  
for the ,king of ,france4 ,our towns lie
 only three leagues apart4 ,could ,i by 
any chance1 say on one of these fine    
nights1 become master of ,lusigny1 it   
would be worth more than two thousand   
crowns to me4 ,do you understand8  ,no1 
the young man answered slowly1 ,i do    
not4  ,think over what ,i have said1    
then1 was the brief answer4  ,for a full
 minute there was silence in the room4  
,the ,vicomte gazed out of the window   
with knitted brows and compressed lips1 
while his companion1 sitting down1 leant
 back in his chair1 with an air of      
affected carelessness4 ,outside1 the    
rattle of arms and hum of voices told   
that the watch were passing through the 
street4 ,the church bell struck one4    
,suddenly the ,vicomte burst into a     
hoarse laugh1 and1 turning1 snatched up 

his cloak and sword4 ,the trap was very 
well laid1 ,m4 le ,capitaine1 he said   
almost jovially2 but ,i am still sober  
enough to take care of myself--and of   
,lusigny4 ,i wish you good-night4 ,you  
shall have your money1 never fear4      
,still1 ,i am afraid it will cost you   
dearly1 the ,captain answered1 as he    
rose and moved towards the door to open 
it for his guest4 ,his hand was already 
on the latch when he paused4 ,look here1
 he said1 what do you say to this1 then8
 ,i will stake the two thousand crowns  
you have lost to me1 and another        
thousand besides against your town4     
,fool6 no one can hear us4 ,if you win1 
you go off a free man with my thousand4 
,if you lose1 you put me in possession  
one of these fine nights4 ,what do you  
say to that8 ,a single throw to decide4 
,the young man's pale face reddened4 ,he
 turned1 and his eyes sought the table  
and the dice irresolutely4 ,the         
temptation indeed came at an unfortunate
 moment1 when the excitement of play had

 given way to depression1 and he saw    
nothing before him outside the door1 on 
which his hand was laid1 but the cold   
reality of ruin4 ,the temptation to     
return1 and by a single throw set       
himself right with the world was too    
much for him4 ,slowly he came back to   
the table4 ,confound you6 he said       
irritably4 ,i think you are the devil   
himself1 ,captain4  ,don't talk child's 
talk6 said the other coldly1 drawing    
back as his victim advanced4 ,if you do 
not like the offer you need not take it4
  ,illustration3 ,,what ,,do ,,you ,,say
 ,,to ,,that8  ,but the young man's     
fingers had already closed on the dice4 
,picking them up he dropped them once1  
twice1 thrice on the table1 his eyes    
gleaming with the play-fever4 ,if ,i    
win8 he said doubtfully4  ,you carry    
away a thousand crowns1 answered the    
,captain1 quietly4 ,if you lose you     
contrive to leave one of the gates of   
,lusigny open for me before next full   
moon4 ,that is all4  ,and what if ,i    

lose1 and not pay the forfeit8 asked the
 ,vicomte1 laughing weakly4  ,i trust to
 your honour1 said the ,captain4 ,and1  
strange as it may seem1 he knew his man4
 ,the young noble of the day might      
betray his cause and his trust1 but the 
debt of honour incurred at play was     
binding on him4  ,well1 said the        
,vicomte1 ,i agree4 ,who is to throw    
first8  ,as you will1 replied the       
,captain1 masking under an appearance of
 indifference a real excitement which   
darkened his cheek1 and caused the pulse
 in the old wound on his face to beat   
furiously4  ,then do you go first1 said 
the ,vicomte4  ,with your permission1   
assented the ,captain4 ,and taking the  
dice up in the caster he shook them with
 a practised hand1 and dropped them on  
the board4 ,the throw was seven4  ,the  
,vicomte took up the caster and1 as he  
tossed the dice into it1 glanced at the 
window4 ,the moonlight shining athwart  
it fell in silvery sheen on a few feet  
of the floor4 ,with the light something 

of the silence and coolness of the night
 entered also1 and appealed to him4 ,for
 a few seconds he hesitated4 ,he even   
made as if he would have replaced the   
box on the table4 ,but the good instinct
 failed4 ,it was too late1 and with a   
muttered word1 which his dry lips       
refused to articulate1 he threw the     
dice4 ,seven6  ,neither of the men      
spoke1 but the ,captain rattled the     
little cubes1 and again flung them on   
the table1 this time with a slight air  
of bravado4 ,they rolled one over the   
other and lay still4 ,seven again6  ,the
 young ,vicomte's brow was damp1 and his
 face pale and drawn4 ,he forced a      
quavering laugh1 and with an unsteady   
hand took his turn4 ,the dice fell far  
apart1 and lay where they fell4 ,six6   
,the winner nodded gravely4 ,the luck is
 still with me1 he said1 keeping his    
eyes on the table that the light of     
triumph which had suddenly leapt into   
them might not be seen4 ,when do you go 
back to your command1 ,vicomte8  ,the   

unhappy man stood like one stunned1     
gazing at the two little cubes which had
 cost him so dearly4 ,the day after     
to-morrow1 he muttered hoarsely1        
striving to collect himself4  ,then     
shall we say the following evening8     
asked the ,captain4  ,very well4  ,we   
quite understand one another1 continued 
the winner1 eyeing his man watchfully1  
and speaking with more urgency4 ,i may  
depend on you1 ,m4 le ,vicomte1 ,i      
presume8  ,the ,lanthenons have never   
been wanting to their word1 the young   
nobleman answered1 stung into sudden    
haughtiness4 ,if ,i live ,i will put    
,lusigny into your hands1 ,m4 le        
,capitaine4 ,afterwards ,i will do my   
best to recover it--in another way4     
,illustration3 ,,he ,,was ,,alone ,,with
 ,,his ,,triumph4  ,i shall be entirely 
at your disposal1 replied the ,captain1 
bowing lightly4 ,and in a moment he was 
alone--alone with his triumph1 his      
ambition1 his hopes for the             
future--alone with the greatness to     

which his capture of ,lusigny was to be 
the first step1 and which he should     
enjoy not a whit the less because as yet
 fortune had dealt out to him more blows
 than caresses1 and he was still at     
forty1 after a score of years of        
roughest service1 the governor of a     
paltry country town4  ,meanwhile1 in the
 darkness of the narrow streets1 the    
,vicomte was making his way to his      
lodgings in a state of despair and      
unhappiness most difficult to describe4 
,chilled1 sobered1 and affrighted he    
looked back and saw how he had thrown   
for all and lost all1 how he had saved  
the dregs of his fortune at the expense 
of his loyalty1 how he had seen a way of
 escape and lost it for ever6 ,no wonder
 that as he trudged alone through the   
mud and darkness of the sleeping town   
his breath came quickly and his chest   
heaved1 and he looked from side to side 
as a hunted animal might1 uttering great
 sighs4 ,ah1 if he could only have      
retraced the last three hours6  ,worn   

out and exhausted1 he entered his       
lodging1 and securing the door behind   
him stumbled up the stone stairs and    
entered his room4 ,the impulse to       
confide his misfortunes to someone was  
so strong upon him that he was glad to  
see a dark form half sitting1 half lying
 in a chair before the dying embers of a
 wood fire4 ,in those days a man's      
natural confidant was his valet1 the    
follower1 half-friend1 half-servant1 who
 had been born on his estate1 who lay on
 a pallet at the foot of his bed1 who   
carried his billets-doux and held his   
cloak at the duello1 who rode near his  
stirrup in fight and nursed him in      
illness1 who not seldom advised him in  
the choice of a wife1 and lied in       
support of his suit4  ,the young        
,vicomte flung his cloak over a chair4  
,get up1 you rascal6 he cried1          
impatiently4 ,you pig1 you dog6 he      
continued1 with increasing anger4       
,sleeping there as though your master   
were not ruined by that scoundrel of a  

,breton6 ,bah6 he added1 gazing bitterly
 at his follower1 you are of the        
canaille1 and have neither honour to    
lose nor a town to betray6  ,the        
sleeping man moved in his chair and half
 turned4 ,the ,vicomte1 his patience    
exhausted1 snatched the bonnet from his 
head1 and threw it on the ground4 ,will 
you listen8 he said4 ,or go1 if you     
choose look for another master4 ,i am   
ruined6 ,do you hear8 ,ruined1 ,gil6 ,i 
have lost all--money1 land1 ,lusigny    
itself1 at the dice6  ,the man1 aroused 
at last1 stooped with a lazy movement1  
and picking up his hat dusted it with   
his hand1 and rose with a yawn to his   
feet4  ,illustration3 ,,sire6 ,,he      
,,said4  ,i am afraid1 ,vicomte1 he     
said1 his tones quiet as they were1     
sounding like thunder in the ,vicomte's 
astonished and bewildered ears1 ,i am   
afraid that if you have lost ,lusigny1  
you have lost something which was not   
yours to lose6  ,as he spoke he struck  
the embers with his foot1 and the fire1 

blazing up1 shone on his face4 ,the     
,vicomte saw1 with unutterable confusion
 and dismay1 that the man before him was
 not ,gil at all1 but the last person in
 the world to whom he should have       
betrayed himself4 ,the astute smiling   
eyes1 the aquiline nose1 the high       
forehead1 and projecting chin1 which the
 short beard and moustache scarcely     
concealed1 were only too well known to  
him4 ,he stepped back with a cry of     
horror4 ,sire6 he said1 and then his    
tongue failed him4 ,he stood silent1    
pale1 convicted1 his chin on his breast4
 ,the man to whom he had confessed his  
treachery was the master whom he had    
conspired to betray4  ,i had suspected  
something of this1 ,henry of ,navarre   
continued1 after a pause1 a tinge of    
irony in his tone4 ,rosny told me that  
that old fox1 the ,captain of ,crance1  
was affecting your company a good deal1 
,m4 le ,vicomte1 and ,i find that1 as   
usual1 his suspicions were well-founded4
 ,what with a gentleman who shall be    

nameless1 who has bartered a ford and a 
castle for the favour of ,mademoiselle  
de ,luynes1 and yourself1 ,i am blest   
with some faithful followers6 ,for      
shame6 he continued1 seating himself    
with dignity1 have you nothing to say   
for yourself8  ,the young noble stood   
with his head bowed1 his face white4    
,this was ruin1 indeed1 absolutely      
irremediable4 ,sire1 he said at last1   
your ,majesty has a right to my life1   
not to my honour4  ,your honour6 quoth  
,henry1 biting contempt in his tone4    
,the young man started1 and for a second
 his cheek flamed under the             
well-deserved reproach2 but he recovered
 himself4 ,my debt to your ,majesty1 he 
said1 ,i am willing to pay4  ,since pay 
you must1 ,henry muttered softly4  ,but 
,i claim to pay also my debt to the     
,captain of ,crance4  ,oh1 the ,king    
answered4 ,so you would have me take    
your worthless life1 and give up        
,lusigny8  ,i am in your hands1 sire4   
,pish1 sir6 ,henry replied in angry     

astonishment4 ,you talk like a child4   
,such an offer1 ,m4 de ,lanthenon1 is   
folly1 and you know it4 ,now listen to  
me4 ,it was lucky for you that ,i came  
in to-night1 intending to question you4 
,your madness is known to me only1 and  
,i am willing to overlook it4 ,do you   
hear8 ,cheer up1 therefore1 and be a    
man4 ,you are young2 ,i forgive you4    
,this shall be between you and me only1 
the young prince continued1 his eyes    
softening as the other's head drooped1  
and you need think no more of it until  
the day when ,i shall say to you1 ',now1
 ,m4 de ,lanthenon1 for ,france and for 
,henry1 strike6'  ,he rose as the last  
word passed his lips1 and held out his  
hand4 ,the ,vicomte fell on one knee1   
and kissed it reverently1 then sprang to
 his feet again4 ,sire1 he said1        
standing erect1 his eyes shining1 you   
have punished me heavily1 more heavily  
than was needful4 ,there is only one way
 in which ,i can show my gratitude1 and 
that is by ridding you of a servant who 

can never again look your enemies in the
 face4  ,what new folly is this8 said   
,henry1 sternly4 ,do you not understand 
that ,i have forgiven you8  ,therefore  
,i cannot give up ,lusigny1 and ,i must 
acquit myself of my debt to the ,captain
 of ,crance in the only way which       
remains1 replied the young man1 firmly4 
,death is not so hard that ,i would not 
meet it twice over rather than again    
betray my trust4  ,this is midsummer    
madness6 said the ,king1 hotly4         
,possibly1 replied the ,vicomte1 without
 emotion2 yet of a kind to which your   
,majesty is not altogether a stranger4  
,the words appealed strongly to that    
love of the chivalrous which formed part
 of the ,king's nature1 and was one     
cause alike of his weakness and his     
strength1 which in its more extravagant 
flights gave opportunity after          
opportunity to his enemies1 in its      
nobler and saner expressions won        
victories which all his astuteness and  
diplomacy could not have compassed4 ,he 

stood looking with half-hidden          
admiration at the man whom two minutes  
before he had despised4  ,i think you   
are in jest1 he said1 presently4  ,no1  
sire1 the young man answered1 gravely4  
,in my country they have a proverb about
 us4 ',the ,lanthenons1' say they1 'have
 ever been bad players1 but good        
payers4' ,i will not be the first to be 
worse than my name6  ,illustration3     
,,the ,,vicomte ,,fell ,,on ,,one       
,,knee4  ,he spoke with so quiet a      
determination that the ,king was        
staggered1 and for a minute or two paced
 the room in silence1 inwardly reviling 
the generous obstinacy of his weak-kneed
 supporter1 yet unable to withhold his  
admiration from it4 ,at length he       
stopped1 with a low1 abrupt exclamation4
  ,wait6 he cried4 ,i have it6 ,ventre  
,saint ,gris1 man1 ,i have it6 ,his eyes
 sparkled1 and1 with a gentle laugh1 he 
hit the table a sounding blow4 ,ha6 ha6 
,i have it6 he repeated1 joyously4  ,the
 young noble gazed at him in surprise1  

half sullen1 half incredulous4 ,but when
 ,henry in low1 rapid tones had         
expounded his plan1 the ,vicomte's face 
underwent a change4 ,hope and life      
sprang into it4 ,the blood flew to his  
cheeks4 ,his whole aspect softened4 ,in 
a moment he was on his knee1 mumbling   
the ,king's hand1 his eyes full of joy  
and gratitude4 ,after that the two      
talked long1 the murmur of their voices 
broken more than once by the ripple of  
low laughter4 ,when they at length      
separated1 and ,henry1 his face hidden  
by the folds of his cloak1 had stolen   
away to his lodgings1 where1 no doubt1  
more than one watcher was awaiting him  
with a mind full of anxious fears1 the  
,vicomte threw open his window and      
looked out on the night4 ,the moon had  
set1 but the stars still shone          
peacefully in the dark canopy above4 ,he
 remembered on a sudden1 his throat     
choking with silent repressed emotion1  
that he was looking towards his         
home--the stiff grey pile among the     

beech woods of ,navarre which had been  
in his family since the days of ,st4    
,louis1 and which he had so lightly     
risked4 ,and he registered a vow in his 
heart that of all ,henry's servants he  
would henceforth be the most faithful4  
,meanwhile the ,captain of ,crance was  
enjoying the sweets of coming triumph4  
,he did not look out into the night1 it 
is true1 but pacing up and down the room
 he planned and calculated1 considering 
how he might make the most of his       
success4 ,he was still comparatively    
young4 ,he had years of strength before 
him4 ,he would rise4 ,he would not      
easily be satisfied4 ,the times were    
troubled1 opportunities many1 fools     
many2 bold men with brains and hands    
few4  ,at the same time he knew that he 
could be sure of nothing until ,lusigny 
was actually his1 and he spent the next 
few days in considerable suspense4 ,but 
no hitch occurred4 ,the ,vicomte made   
the necessary communications to him2 and
 men in his own pay informed him of     

dispositions ordered by the governor of 
,lusigny which left him in no doubt that
 the loser intended to pay his debt4    
,it was1 therefore1 with a heart already
 gay with anticipation that the ,captain
 rode out of ,crance two hours before   
midnight on an evening eight days later4
 ,the night was dark1 but he knew the   
road well4 ,he had with him a powerful  
force1 composed in part of thirty of his
 own garrison1 bold1 hardy fellows1 and 
in part of six score horsemen1 lent him 
by the governor of ,montauban4 ,as the  
,vicomte had undertaken to withdraw1    
under some pretence or other1 one-half  
of his command and to have one of the   
gates opened by a trusty hand1 the      
,captain trotted along in excellent     
spirits1 and stopped to scan with       
approval the dark line of his troopers  
as they plodded past him1 the jingle of 
their swords and corselets ringing sweet
 music in his ears4 ,he looked for an   
easy victory2 but it was not any slight 
misadventure that would rob him of his  

prey4 ,as his company wound on by the   
river-side1 their accoutrements         
reflected in the stream or passed into  
the black shadow of the olive grove     
which stands a mile to the east of      
,lusigny1 he felt little doubt of the   
success of his enterprise4              
,illustration3 ,,his ,,company ,,wound  
,,on ,,by ,,the ,,river-,,side4         
,treachery apart1 that is2 and of       
treachery there was no sign4 ,the       
troopers had scarcely halted under the  
last clump of trees before a figure     
detached itself from one of the largest 
trunks1 and advanced to their leader's  
rein4 ,the ,captain saw with surprise   
that it was the ,vicomte himself4 ,for a
 second he thought something had gone   
wrong1 but the young noble's first words
 reassured him4 ,it is all right1 ,m4 de
 ,lanthenon whispered1 as the ,captain  
bent down to him4 ,i have kept my word1 
and ,i think that there will be no      
resistance4 ,the planks for crossing the
 moat lie opposite the gate4 ,knock     

thrice at the latter1 and it will be    
opened4 ,there are not fifty armed men  
in the place4  ,good6 the ,captain      
answered1 in the same cautious tone4    
,but you--  ,i am believed to be        
elsewhere1 and must be gone4 ,i have far
 to ride to-night4 ,farewell4  ,till we 
meet again1 the ,captain answered2 and  
with that his ally glided away and was  
lost in the darkness4 ,a cautious word  
set the troop again in motion1 and a    
very few minutes saw them standing on   
the edge of the moat1 the outline of the
 gateway tower looming above them1 a    
shade darker than the wrack of clouds   
which overhead raced silently across the
 sky4 ,a moment of suspense1 while one  
and another shivered--for there is that 
in a night attack which touches the     
nerves of the stoutest--and the planks  
were found1 and as quietly as possible  
laid across the moat4 ,this was so      
successfully done that it evoked no     
challenge1 and the ,captain crossing    
quickly with some picked men1 stood     

almost in the twinkling of an eye under 
the shadow of the gateway4 ,still no    
sound was heard save the hurried        
breathing of those at his elbow or the  
stealthy tread of others crossing4      
,cautiously he knocked three times and  
waited4 ,the third rap had scarcely     
sounded1 however1 before the gate rolled
 silently open1 and he sprang in1       
followed by his men4  ,so far so good4  
,a glance at the empty street and the   
porter's pale face told him at once that
 the ,vicomte had kept his word4 ,but he
 was too old a soldier to take anything 
for granted1 and forming up his men as  
quickly as they entered1 he allowed no  
one to advance until all were inside1   
and then1 his trumpet sounding a wild   
note of defiance1 his force sprang      
forward in two compact bodies1 and in a 
moment the town awoke to find itself in 
the hands of the enemy4  ,as the        
,vicomte had promised1 there was no     
resistance4 ,in the small keep a score  
of men did indeed run to arms1 but only 

to lay them down without striking a blow
 when they became aware of the force    
opposed to them4 ,their leader1 sullenly
 acquiescing1 gave up his sword and the 
keys of the town to the victorious      
,captain1 who1 as he sat his horse in   
the middle of the market-place1 giving  
his orders and sending off riders with  
the news1 already saw himself in fancy  
,governor of a province and ,knight of  
the ,holy ,ghost4  ,illustration3 ,,they
 ,,have ,,got ,,cr,,ance6  ,as the red  
light of the torches fell on steel caps 
and polished hauberks1 on the serried   
ranks of pikemen1 and the circle of     
white-faced townsmen1 the picturesque   
old square looked doubly picturesque4   
,every five minutes1 with a clatter of  
iron on the rough pavement and a shower 
of sparks1 a horseman sprang away to    
tell the news at ,montauban or ,cahors2 
and every time that this occurred1 the  
,captain1 astride on his charger1 felt a
 new sense of power and triumph4        
,suddenly the low murmur of voices was  

broken by a new sound1 the hurried clang
 of hoofs1 not departing but arriving4  
,there was something in the noise which 
made the ,captain prick his ears1 and   
secured for the messenger a speedy      
passage through the crowd4 ,even at the 
last the man did not spare his horse1   
but spurring to the ,captain's side1    
then and then only sprang to the ground4
 ,his face was pale1 his eyes were      
bloodshot4 ,his right arm was bound up  
in blood-stained cloths4 ,with an oath  
of amazement1 the ,captain recognised   
the officer whom he had left in charge  
of ,crance1 and thundered out1 ,what is 
it8  ,they have got ,crance6 the man    
gasped1 reeling as he spoke4 ,they have 
got ,crance6  ,who8 the ,captain        
shrieked1 his face purple with rage4    
,the little man of ,barn6 ,he assaulted 
it five hundred strong an hour after you
 left1 and had the gate down before we  
could fire a dozen shots4 ,we did what  
we could1 but we were but one to seven4 
,i swear1 ,captain1 we did all we could4

 ,look at this6  ,almost black in the   
face1 the ,captain swore another        
frightful oath4 ,it was not only that he
 saw governorship and honours vanish    
like ,will-o'-the-wisps1 but that he saw
 even more quickly that he had made     
himself the laughing-stock of a kingdom6
 ,and he had4 ,to this day1 among the   
stories which the southern ,french love 
to tell of the prowess and astuteness of
 the great ,henry1 there is none more   
frequently told1 or more frequently     
laughed over1 than that of the famous   
exchange of ,crance for ,lusigny4       
,illustration  ,portraits of            
,celebrities at different times of their
 ,lives4  ,illustration3      ,from a   
,painting by       ,,age #cg4     ,r4   
,lehmann4  ,illustration3      ,from a  
,photo4 by   ,,present ,,day4           
,messrs4 ,elliott  ,fry4   ,,earl       
,,granville4  ,born #ahae4  ,at the age 
of thirty-seven1 as our first portrait  
shows him1 ,earl ,granville1 who had    
succeeded to the peerage six years      

earlier1 and who had already been for   
four years ,vice-,president of the      
,board of ,trade1 had just obtained a   
seat in the ,cabinet1 and succeeded     
,lord ,palmerston at the ,foreign       
,office4 ,since that time ,lord         
,granville has filled almost every      
office of importance in successive      
,liberal ,governments4 ,he was moreover1
 as everybody knows1 one of ,her        
,majesty's most confidential friends and
 counsellors4 ,no ,royal ceremony1      
whether a marriage1 a christening1 or a 
funeral1 was complete without his       
well-known dignified1 yet genial        
presence2 and he probably attended more 
ceremonies of this kind1 at different   
,courts of ,europe1 than any other      
person of his time4  ,earl ,granville's 
recent lamented death gives the above   
portraits a melancholy interest4        
,illustration3      ,from a ,painting   
,,age #ag4     by ,g4 ,f4 ,watts4       
,illustration3      ,from a     ,,age   
#ba4     ,painting4  ,illustration3     

,from a ,photo4 by      ,,age #dg4      
,mrs4 ,cameron4  ,illustration3         
,from a ,photo4 by      ,,age #fh4      
,messrs4 ,cameron  ,smith4   ,g4 ,f4    
,,watts1 ,r4,a4  ,born #ahbj4  ,our     
portraits of ,mr4 ,g4 ,f4 ,watts depict 
him at most interesting ages4 ,the first
 was painted at seventeen by ,mr4 ,watts
 himself1 at which age his first picture
 was exhibited at the ,royal ,academy4  
,at twenty-one1 he had painted his first
 great historical picture2 while at     
forty-seven1 the age of our third       
portrait1 he had just received the title
 of ,r4,a4   ,illustration3      ,from a
       ,,age #bb4     ,photograph4      
,,sir ,,john ,,everett ,,millais1       
,,bart41 ,r4,a4  ,born #ahbg4  ,although
 our first portrait shows ,sir ,john    
,millais at the early age of twenty-two1
 he was already an important figure in  
the world of ,art2 for he had gained his
 first medal at the ,society of ,arts   
when only nine1 and had1 like ,mr4      
,watts1 exhibited his first picture in  

the ,royal ,academy at seventeen4 ,at   
the age of this portrait he had founded1
 with ,holman ,hunt and ,d4 ,g4         
,rossetti1 the famous ,pre-,raphaelite  
,brotherhood1 of which the object was to
 depict ,nature1 not as tinged by the   
imagination1 but as they really saw it2 
a movement which was at first received  
with the most violent abuse1 but which1 
greatly owing to the eloquent support of
 ,mr4 ,ruskin1 at last made good its    
way4 ,two years later he was elected    
,a4,r4,a41 and ten years afterwards1    
,r4,a4 ,at the age depicted in our      
second portrait he was known1 as he is  
still1 as a painter without rival in    
range1 manliness1 and vigour1 and in    
bold and masterly brush-work4 ,in the   
year #ahhe the ,queen marked her sense  
of his commanding abilities by          
conferring upon him the honour of a     
baronetcy4  ,illustration3      ,from a 
,,age #dj4     ,photograph4             
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,present ,,day4     ,messrs4 ,window   

,grove4   ,illustration3      ,from a   
,photo4       ,,age #ag4     by ,maull  
,co4  ,illustration3      ,from a       
,photo4 by       ,,age #cb4     ,hills  
,saunders4   ,,sir ,,richard ,,everard  
,,webster4  ,born #ahdb4  ,sir ,richard 
,webster at seventeen1 the age of our   
first portrait1 was leaving the         
,charterhouse ,school for ,trinity      
,college1 ,cambridge1 where he was      
greatly distinguished as an athlete1 and
 where he won the two miles race against
 ,oxford4 ,our second portrait shows him
 at this period1 in his running costume4
 ,at thirty-two1 as in our third        
portrait1 he had already so             
distinguished himself at the ,bar that  
two years later he was made a ,q4,c41 at
 the earliest age on record4 ,the       
brilliance of ,sir ,richard's subsequent
 career is well known4 ,it may interest 
our readers to be told that some        
portraits1 at a country house1 of ,sir  
,richard at various stages of his life1 
first suggested to the ,editor the      

notion of this series1 which has proved 
so popular4  ,illustration3 ,,age #bb4  
,from a ,photo4 by ,mayland1 ,cambridge4
  ,for the above photographs we are     
indebted to the kindness of ,sir        
,richard ,webster4  ,illustration3      
,from a ,photo4 by       ,,present      
,,day4     ,hughes  ,mullins1 ,ryde4    
,illustration3      ,from a       ,,age 
#f4     ,daguerreotype4  ,illustration3 
,from a       ,,age #bd4                
,photograph4  ,illustration3      ,from 
a       ,,age #ah4     ,photograph4     
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,present ,,day4     ,alfred ,ellis4    
,,miss ,,marion ,,terry4  ,miss ,marion 
,terry is a clever member of a clever   
family1 and her ability developed itself
 early4 ,already at the age of six 7as  
in the first portrait above given7 she  
was appearing in the part of little     
,sybil in ,tom ,taylor's play1 ,a ,wolf 
in ,sheep's ,clothing4 ,this childish   
effort was followed up by others more   
successful still1 and1 at the age at    

which our second portrait represents    
her1 she had made a strong impression1  
as a mature actress1 in the exacting    
part of ,ophelia4 ,then she appeared in 
several of ,mr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,gilbert's      
dramas1 as ,dorothy in ,dan'l ,druce1   
and as ,galatea in ,pygmalion and       
,galatea4 ,since that time ,miss ,marion
 ,terry has played many parts1 and with 
the same unvarying success1 in which her
 natural capacity is aided by her grace 
of action and the striking charm of her 
appearance4   ,illustration3      ,from 
a       ,,age #i4     ,daguerreotype4   
,illustration3      ,from a       ,,age 
#cj4     ,photograph4  ,illustration3   
,from a       ,,age #ba4                
,photograph4  ,illustration3      ,from 
a ,photo4 by       ,,age #db4           
,conby1 ,boston4   ,,william ,,terriss4 
,born #ahdi4  ,at nine years old1       
,william ,lewin 7for ,terriss is only a 
stage name1 and the popular actor is in 
reality the son of ,mr4 ,herbert ,lewin1
 the barrister1 and a nephew of ,george 

,grote1 the celebrated ,greek historian7
 was at school at ,dr4 ,grix's1         
,littlehampton4 ,he afterwards had      
several years' experience first as a    
sheep-farmer in ,south ,america1 and    
then in ,north ,america as a            
horse-breeder2 but at the age of our    
second portrait he had returned to      
,england1 and had appeared upon the     
stage in the part of ,nicholas ,nickleby
 at the ,adelphi4 ,from that time his   
success was certain1 and has ever since 
been growing4 ,at thirty1 ,mr4 ,terriss 
was playing ,captain ,molyneux in the   
,shaughraun1 with ,dion ,boucicault1 on 
the first production of that play in    
,england4 ,our last portrait shows him  
as ,mr4 ,irving's chief supporter1 and1 
now as ever1 an immense favourite with  
his brother professionals4 ,mr4 ,terriss
 holds the medal of the ,royal ,humane  
,society for saving life at sea4  ,we   
are indebted to the courtesy of ,mr4    
,terriss for permission to reproduce    
these photographs4   ,illustration3     

,from a ,photo4 by      ,,age #ai4      
,marsters1 ,nottingham4   ,,charles     
,,bradlaugh4  ,born #ahcc4  ,at the age 
of nineteen ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 after      
having been successively errand-boy1    
coal-dealer1 ,sunday-school teacher1 and
 lecturer1 had enlisted in the #gth     
,dragoon ,guards1 and had served for a  
time in ,ireland4 ,he then became       
orderly-room clerk1 obtained his        
discharge1 and took a situation as clerk
 to a solicitor in ,london4 ,soon1      
however1 he began to write and lecture1 
and before the age at which our second  
portrait shows him1 he was known        
throughout the country for the opinions 
which it was the business of his life to
 advocate4 ,and erroneous as many of    
those opinions doubtless were1 and      
fierce as was the opposition which they 
excited1 no one would now venture to    
dispute his earnestness1 his remarkable 
ability1 or the goodness of his heart4  
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,age #ch4     ,van ,loo4               

,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,age #eg4     ,messrs4 ,elliott  ,fry4 
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,age #c4     ,samuel ,a4 ,walker4      
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,age #bh4     ,bertin1 ,brighton4      
,,henry ,,pettitt4  ,born #ahec4  ,of   
,mr4 ,henry ,pettitt1 at the age of     
three1 we have nothing to recount2 but  
at fourteen he ran away from school to  
,sadler's ,wells ,theatre1 obtained an  
engagement1 went on the stage as an     
,irish boy armed with a shillelagh1     
broke the head of a utility actor1 and  
got a drubbing which left him senseless4
 ,after this taste of stage-life he     
obtained an engagement as an usher at   
the ,north ,london ,collegiate ,school1 
a post which he was holding at the age  
of our second portrait4 ,but all this   
while he was writing poems1 sketches1   
and burlesque lectures1 and finally1 in 
collaboration with ,paul ,meritt1 he    
wrote his first play1 ,british ,born1   
which was a grand success4 ,since then  

he has produced innumerable dramas1 and1
 as a master of construction and as a   
realistic writer1 he has probably no    
equal at the present day4               
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,age #ba4     ,t4 ,coleman4            
,illustration3      ,from a ,photo4 by  
,,age #ch4     ,samuel ,a4 ,walker4     
,a ,new ,industry for ,ladies4  ,by     
,miss ,grace ,harriman4   ,the object of
 this ,new ,industry is to open up a    
new1 profitable1 and1 ,i hope1 pleasant 
way out of the present congested state  
of the ,lady ,labour ,market4 ,the      
,ladies' ,fruit and ,salad ,gardens have
 been established at ,grange ,gardens1  
,sawley1 near ,derby1 to provide        
pleasant homes and remunerative         
employment for gentle-women who have a  
taste for gardening work and wish to add
 to their incomes or to earn a living4  
,illustration3 ,,miss ,,grace           
,,harriman4  ,it seems to have been     
seven or eight years since the idea     
first came to me that ladies with a     

taste for gardening might possibly earn 
a living by it2 but so much needed      
thinking out1 and detail after detail   
fitting in1 that it is only five years  
since ,i myself became a practical      
gardener4  ,the more ,i inquired into   
the matter the more plainly ,i saw that 
market gardeners1 as a rule1 made a good
 thing of it4  ,after trying two rented 
gardens that only proved quicksands1 as 
far as money-spending on them went1 the 
soil being worn out1 and the fruit trees
 that were in them most uncertain1 ,i   
determined to take new ground in hand1  
i4e41 break up old pasture and plant a  
garden after my own idea of obtaining   
the greatest amount of produce with the 
least amount of labour4 ,i advocate     
planting dwarf hardy fruit-trees in the 
open2 and for this reason1 that during  
nine months of the year they need no    
labour expending on them after they are 
once well planted and securely fenced   
from rabbits1 their winter depredators1 
and with reason we may look for a good  

crop of fruit five years out of seven4  
,my own experimental garden was planted1
 ,march1 #ahhi4 ,that year we had       
enormous crops of vegetables of splendid
 flavour1 and a very fair amount of     
fruit4 ,last year our crop of fruit1 in 
addition to the vegetables1 was very    
considerable4 ,had the produce of this  
garden been for sale1 it must have      
realised a very handsome sum4  ,to my   
mind it would be unwise for a woman     
single-handed to expect to make a sure1 
comfortable living out of one isolated  
garden1 but by well-directed            
cooperation1 thereby being able to grow 
a great variety of fruits and vegetables
 and salads to meet the wants of a      
private trade1 the chance of the        
possibility of failure is reduced to a  
minimum4  ,it is not desirable for more 
than six owners of gardens to live in   
one house4 ,when fruit1 salads1 and     
vegetables are grown by the acre1 and   
sold by the dozen1 the bunch1 or the    
pound1 the book-keeping necessary must  

be very considerable4 ,these six ladies 
can well look after the three-acre      
garden1 or1 rather1 fruit plantation4   
,each lady has her own portion of half  
an acre solely under her care1 and she  
keeps a strict account of everything    
sold off her portion2 and1 after all    
necessary expenses are paid1 the        
profits1 are divided exclusively among  
the lady cultivators in proportion as   
each may1 by diligence and constant     
attention1 have produced abundant crops 
or otherwise4  ,our cultivation of      
flowers is mainly directed to late      
autumn1 winter1 and early spring ones1  
those for ,christmas and ,easter        
decorations paying as well as any4 ,the 
ladies gladly undertake table and other 
decorations at any time1 as we do not   
entirely confine ourselves to autumn1   
winter1 and spring flowers4             
,illustration3 ,,bedding ,,out4  ,well  
directed co-operation being so much more
 powerful than single-handed efforts1 as
 soon as the sufficient number of ladies

 have definitely signified their        
intention of joining and showed us they 
have the necessary #ajj capital 7for my 
five years of active practical gardening
 work have plainly showed me that a     
little capital is absolutely necessary  
for a woman to start successful market  
gardening71 a private ,limited          
,liability ,company will be formed--of  
course composed entirely of lady        
gardeners4 ,the first year they must not
 expect to make more than covers        
expenses1 including board of each       
household4 ,the work is such that any   
lady is well able to perform2 the       
produce grown1 all kinds of hardy and   
dessert fruit under glass and in the    
open4 ,especial attention is given to   
delicate vegetables and salads1         
mushrooms1 c41 with flowers and poultry 
as an adjunct4  ,the market of the      
produce grown has from the beginning    
stood out plainly before me as the vital
 point of success4 ,fortunately by      
starting in a thickly populated         

consuming neighbourhood there seems     
every probability of the greater        
portion1 if not the whole1 of the       
produce being taken by people kind      
enough to open up deposit accounts with 
the lady gardeners4 ,after ,april #a1   
the gardens may be seen each ,thursday  
between #b and #e o'clock4 ,those going 
will kindly write their names in the    
visitors' book1 and pay one shilling    
each for being shown over4 ,this latter 
is a necessity1 as it takes up the      
valuable time of the lady gardeners4    
,the household arrangements are         
conducted with the greatest regularity2 
the details of the menu even may be     
gathered by those visiting the place4   
,the hours of meals are as follow3--    
,breakfast at       #h a4m4     ,early  
dinner       #a p4m4     ,afternoon tea 
#d p4m4     ,high tea           #g p4m4 
,during the busiest months of the year1 
,april1 ,may1 and ,june1 most of the day
 will be taken up with one kind or other
 of light gardening work4 ,the long     

holidays must be taken in the winter4   
,those left at home can send off with   
ease the stored crops as ordered1 attend
 to the plants under glass1 and feed the
 poultry4  ,illustration3 ,,the         
,,vinery4  ,i have been repeatedly asked
 why ,i have not started the industry   
near ,london4 ,my reasons for not doing 
so are many3--  7#a7 ,well-situated1    
good land1 near to a station within a   
few miles of town1 commands far too high
 a price to be thought of4  7#b7 ,the   
,london market all the year round is far
 from being the best obtainable4 ,some  
instances have come under my notice     
where ,middlesex growers have sent their
 garden produce to one or other of the  
great ,midland markets1 the far higher  
price obtainable more than out-weighing 
the greater amount of freight4  7#c7 ,it
 seemed wiser to start the ,industry in 
a neighbourhood where the promoter was  
well known1 and had many friends and    
acquaintances4 ,it is also within easy  
distance of one or more of the late     

summer and autumn crowded health        
resorts4 ,the late summer and autumn    
being the season when the bulk of all   
perishable fruits ripen1 a moment's     
reflection will point out to all that   
these health resorts are1 as a rule1    
whether by the seaside or inland1       
usually in a non-fruit-growing district4
 ,but it would not answer to rely on    
these places entirely1 because for some 
months of the year they are practically 
empty4  7#d7 ,no sane people would plant
 fruit trees on other land than their   
own without the protection of a long    
lease1 the very shortest being thirty   
years4  ,illustration3 ,,pruning ,,and  
,,potting4  ,i am continually receiving 
offers of land from all parts of the    
country1 but ,i wish it distinctly      
understood that we entertain the idea of
 none unless owned by those of          
sufficient influence and enterprise to  
secure a ready market for the produce   
grown by the lady gardeners4            
,illustration3 ,,planting ,,potatoes4   

,i gather from my correspondents that   
some do not even grasp the fundamental  
fact that their #ajj is required solely 
to provide their own share of garden and
 house2 the smallest1 and at the same   
time the largest1 number to be          
advantageously placed during the summer 
is thirty-six1 as many expenses         
necessary to a fewer number could well  
be common to all4 ,more than that number
 ,i can also easily and advantageously  
place4 ,i have had some hundreds of     
applications1 but ,i prefer none to     
decide until they see the exact model of
 the ,industry1 in full working order   
now4  ,full particulars may be obtained 
of the business part by sending a       
stamped address to the promoter1        
,miss ,grace ,harriman1     ,the ,hut1  
,mount-park4     ,harrow-on-the-,hill4  
,illustration     ,the ,waltz in ,faust4
  ,by ,richard ,dowling4   ,my original 
name was ,john ,fowler4 ,i am known to  
the world by one much more high         
sounding4 ,this is the first time since 

,i came to man's estate that ,i have    
written the name of my boyhood1 and ,i  
have never spoken it4 ,the one ,i have  
gone by most of my life is hardly more  
removed in splendour from plain ,john   
,fowler than the life of variety and    
rich experiences ,i now enjoy compared  
with the experience of my early years4  
,i follow one of the fine arts as a     
profession1 and in the impetuous days of
 my youth ,i adopted a nom de guerre of 
fine sound and picturesque associations4
  ,i have refused all requests that ,i  
would furnish an account of my youth4 ,i
 would not speak of it now if ,i did not
 feel absolutely certain that the man   
well known in certain art circles in    
,london can never be identified through 
the autobiographical sketch with ,john  
,fowler1 the miller's youngest son4     
,private reasons1 of no interest to the 
public1 prevent me localising my early  
home4 ,i am neither a criminal nor a    
hero1 that people should be interested  
in my private life1 and my only romantic

 experience will be found in this       
narrative4 ,telling my story over here  
will beguile my heart of a troublesome  
unrest which came to be positive pain1  
pain springing from a flood of memories1
 when a few moments ago a piano-organ at
 the next house played the waltz in     
,faust4  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,mill    
,,at ,,bracken ,,glen4  ,i was born in  
the dwelling-house attached to a        
water-mill in a secluded glen far away  
in the north of ,england4 ,my family    
held religious views shared by no sect  
,i ever heard of1 and lived lives of    
extraordinary austerity4 ,no mirror1 no 
musical instruments1 no volumes of      
poetry1 no novels1 no games of any kind 
were permitted in our house4 ,the       
furniture was the most simple1          
consistent with maintaining bodily      
efficiency for the performance of the   
day's work without hindrance or loss of 
time2 our carpets were of the dullest   
colour1 and were considered merely as a 
means of keeping out the cold and       

economising fuel4 ,we had curtains on   
the windows1 but they were only to      
exclude or divert the draughts4 ,our    
clothes were ample and warm1 but they   
were of the hues of the earth in winter4
 ,we spoke few words and in low tones4  
,we ate and drank in silence4 ,we had no
 place of worship4 ,the whole ,sunday   
was spent in solemn walks and reading   
the ,scriptures and a few pious books4  
,we regarded ,quakers as lax            
,christians4  ,the household consisted  
of my father1 his wife and children1 and
 my father's brother1 his wife and      
children4 ,we were so large a family    
that all the mill work was done without 
the aid of strangers1 and we all lived  
under one roof1 in the mill house of    
,bracken ,glen4 ,i was the youngest1 the
 youngest of all4  ,before ,i knew of   
any world beyond the mill and ,bracken  
,glen1 ,i thought it was a busy and     
cheerful place4 ,now that ,i come to    
look back on it ,i know it was one of   
the most desolate and lonely situations 

in all ,england4 ,people talk of the    
woes of solitude in the forest1 in an   
unpeopled island1 in a crowd4 ,but the  
most terrible and corroding solitude of 
all is that of a small group of human   
beings1 a large family sunk deep among  
mountains far out of the reach of       
ordinary human intercourse1 and living  
in such strict customs and observances  
as obtained at ,bracken ,glen4 ,of      
course we had the business always going 
on1 and that prevented our people from  
going mad4 ,but the mill was not in the 
main road4 ,you had to turn up into the 
,glen to reach it1 and no faces ever    
appeared in the yard but the faces of   
people coming on business to the mill4  
,illustration3 ,i ,,fell ,,grievously   
,,ill4  ,as ,i have said1 ,i was the    
youngest of the whole ,fowler family1   
brothers and sisters and cousins4 ,the  
winter that ,i was twelve years of age  
,i fell grievously ill1 so ill that they
 thought ,i should never recover4 ,then1
 for the first time1 ,i saw a doctor4   

,our people had no great faith in       
doctors1 and this was the only occasion 
on which one had been in ,bracken ,glen 
for ten years4  ,my father and mother   
were assured that ,i was certain to die 
if ,i were not instantly sent to a      
milder climate1 say the ,isle of ,wight 
or some genial part of the ,south       
,coast4 ,there was a grave demur1 a long
 debate1 and finally ,i was despatched  
to the home of a married cousin whose   
name ,i had heard and of whom ,i knew   
little except that he was the son of my 
father's eldest sister1 that he was not 
a miller1 which was a reproach to him1  
and that he did not conform to the      
observances seen at ,bracken ,glen1 or  
indeed hold the same form of religious  
belief4  ,i was too weak and wretched   
when ,i left home to care about         
anything1 to care whether ,i was moved  
or not1 whether ,i was to taste warmer  
air or not1 whether ,i lived or not4 ,if
 they would only let me alone ,i think  
,i should have preferred to die4  ,i was

 taken from the cold1 bleak1 northern   
,glen where1 although we ground corn    
never any grew1 and carried hundreds of 
miles south2 an interminable journey1 it
 seemed to my young mind and feeble1    
sensitive body4  ,all through that      
winter ,i was delicate1 and not allowed 
out of doors4 ,my cousin's name was     
,harding4 ,i had never met either him or
 his wife before4 ,he was about thirty1 
and she twenty-five4 ,they were simple  
people1 with much of the hereditary     
aversion from frivolity1 but they were  
not dogmatic or censorious1 and they    
were beyond and above all the very      
kindest people ,i ever met in all my    
life4 ,they lived a mile out of the     
little town of ,bickerton1 on the high  
road4 ,they were childless4 ,he traded  
in corn in ,bickerton4 ,the taste for   
grain seemed to run in the blood of our 
family4  ,in my old home my education   
had not been neglected4 ,i could read   
and cypher1 and ,i knew the heaviness of
 all the weights1 and the dryness of all

 the dry measures4 ,my father had taught
 me the elements of ,euclid and         
,algebra1 and ,i remember that the most 
awful terrors were in my mind of what   
these sciences could be in operation if 
their mere elements were so forbidding1 
and cold1 and tyrannical4 ,my father had
 a theory that any man able to keep a   
set of books could never be ship-wrecked
 in life4 ,he had tried to instil a     
passion for book-keeping into my mind4  
,so intense was my loathing of that     
black art that to this day the mere     
mention of it rouses me to fury4 ,in    
fine1 ,i may say that ,i had laid the   
foundation of what was called a         
commercial education1 and upon this ,i  
had raised up my own sole and           
overwhelming horror of arithmetical     
figures1 triangles1 debtor and creditor1
 and unknown quantities4  ,sufficient of
 the old leaven of the ,fowlers worked  
in ,harding1 not only to draw him into  
the grain trade1 but to make him still  
shy of sweet sounds that give delight   

and hurt not4 ,there was no musical     
instrument in the house1 but books--    
,there were hundreds of books6  ,an     
inexhaustible mine of books1 and such as
 ,i had never dreamed of before6 ,books 
that my cousins ,nellie and ,george had 
had when they were young4 ,fairy tales  
and stories of adventure1 novels and    
poetry6  ,in the cold grey times of that
 winter my soul took fire4 ,my spirit   
sprang up from long drowsing in the husk
 of the chrysalis1 and put forth golden 
and azure and purple wings1 and soared  
into skies of endless glories beyond the
 sun4 ,all day long ,i went enchanted   
through enchanted palaces1 where moved  
stately princesses with gold brocaded   
robes and haughty eyes1 and voices of   
mystic tones4 ,i led armies against the 
,saracen1 and spread terrors never      
dreamed on earth before1 and exercised  
clemencies that made heaven envious4 ,i 
headed cavalcades through winding       
streets where the air was thick with    
banners4 ,i bore the ,black ,knight     

backward out of his saddle in the list1 
and clove the plumed helmet of the      
leaguer in the breach4 ,i harangued my  
troops on the field of victory1 and     
pardoned my foes in the shrines of their
 heathen gods4  ,but ,i did not know how
 the sound of a trumpet stirred1 or what
 dancing was1 or love4 ,i had never     
heard a musical instrument in my life or
 seen a festival1 and ,i was too young  
for love--and yet1 perhaps1 not all too 
young for noble love and chivalry1 if   
the princess or the lady came my way4   
,with the spring of the next year health
 began to stir in my veins4 ,i shook off
 all the lassitudes and languors of     
illness1 and by ,april ,i felt better   
than ever in my young life before4 ,with
 returning health1 the romantic rapture 
which had come to me out of books grew  
and intensified4 ,there was no talk of  
my going home1 or more correctly1 there 
had been talk of it1 and my kind        
relatives1 the ,hardings1 had declared  
that nothing but force should take me   

from them until ,i had been fully       
fortified by spending a whole summer in 
the more genial south4  ,in our own     
,glen1 all the time ,i could steal from 
the detested weights and measures and   
triangles1 and debit and credit side of 
the fabulous transactions of that       
creature1 ,john ,jones1 ,esq41 ,i spent 
far afield among the hills4 ,here1 near 
,bickerton1 this spring ,i found all ,i 
cared for of ,nature in the sky above   
me1 and in the large1 old-fashioned     
garden2 and all ,i desired of           
enchantment in the magical books4 ,i    
rarely went beyond the garden-gate1 and 
never into the town4 ,i became a        
youthful recluse in the boundless realms
 of fancy4 ,i lorded it over empires and
 cities of men4 ,space1 the space of the
 furthest wandering star1 was not vast  
enough to accommodate the realms that   
rose in mist out of the pages of the    
poets and romancists4  ,i was a         
precocious boy4 ,i knew nothing of boys'
 games and sports1 and all at once ,i   

had come out of the cold1 arid life at  
,bracken ,glen into the rich and varied 
lights and colours of poetry4 ,the      
change was overwhelming and             
intoxicating4 ,my reading had1 in a     
vague way1 been progressive4 ,i had     
begun with fairy tales4 ,to these had   
succeeded stories of adventure and      
travel1 and to them poetry and plays4   
,prose romances and novels came last1   
for ,i had fought shy of them at first1 
considering that they dealt too much    
with people and scenes like those in my 
own experience of life4 ,when first ,i  
broke free among books ,i wished to     
forget the world4  ,towards the end of  
,april two things drove me to the       
novels4 ,the supply of other books had  
been exhausted1 and ,i began to yearn   
after a glimpse at what possibilities of
 poetry and wonder still existed in the 
world1 as the world was going on outside
 the sphere of my experience4 ,i wanted 
to see in books the things now visible  
to other eyes still on earth--things    

hidden from me by barriers of age and   
circumstances ,i could not understand4  
,from this desire arose the romance of  
my life4  ,one evening ,george ,harding 
mentioned at tea that ,mr4 ,seymour1 a  
gentleman who owned an estate in the    
neighbourhood and had a fine house1     
,trafford ,manor1 a couple of miles     
further out from ,bickerton1 was going  
to give a ball the end of that month4   
,the ,hardings did not look on balls as 
exactly wicked1 and said nothing for or 
against the approaching party4 ,they did
 not1 of course1 know the ,trafford     
,manor folk1 who were county people1 and
 quite inaccessible to traders in       
,bickerton4  ,if my cousins had         
conscientious scruples against going to 
balls1 and if the social position of the
 ,seymours forbade any chance whatever  
of an invitation1 the husband and wife  
were willing to talk of the approaching 
festival4 ,they discussed it in no      
measured terms4 ,they said it would be  
the most distinguished and splendid     

event of the neighbourhood for the year4
 ,they enumerated the distinguished and 
rich and powerful people who would      
attend4 ,they talked of the grounds     
being lighted up with lamps1 and the    
house one vast illumination from roof to
 cellar4 ,they spoke of the dancing and 
the bounteous table and the plenteous   
wine and the strings of carriages coming
 up the drive1 of the brilliant         
costumes1 and the jewels and lovely     
women1 of the fountain spouting on the  
lawn1 and the band--the band of famous  
musicians from ,london1 who1 though they
 came by night to places like ,bickerton
 in sober black cloth coats and played  
with fiddles1 were yet entitled to wear 
in ,london magnificent red coats all    
slashed and braided and piped and       
gathered with cords and knots of gold2  
musicians who not only could play with  
marvellous skill on stringed1 brown wood
 instruments while they sat on chairs1  
but had1 in their natural sphere in     
,london1 great brazen and silver        

instruments to play upon as they rode   
through the crowded streets of the      
marvellous capital on jet black prancing
 chargers1 whose bridles were of steel  
shining like silver1 and upon whose     
forehead blazed burnished1 brazen stars4
  ,illustration3 ,,they ,,spoke ,,of    
,,the ,,famous ,,musicians4  ,in the    
novels ,i had read there had been       
descriptions of balls4 ,i had no more   
thought when reading that it could ever 
be my luck to see one than ,i had       
considered my chance good of fighting   
,north ,american ,indians1 or cutting   
out ,french sloops1 or riding from      
,london to ,york on ,black ,bess4  ,now1
 a ball had not only come within my ken1
 but had been brought to my very door4  
,what could be easier than for me to    
slip out of my room when all the house  
was asleep1 walk to ,trafford ,manor1   
enter the grounds1 and behold the       
miraculous sight through a window or    
open door1 and1 when ,i had filled my   
soul with a scene of fairy-land         

realised1 steal back to my room         
unnoticed by anyone in the house8 ,the  
,hardings were1 of course1 much older   
than ,i4 ,they were man and woman and ,i
 only a boy not yet in his teens1 but   
they had no halo of parental awe1 no    
parental authority or infallibility4  ,i
 had never in all my life heard a       
musical instrument4 ,at the ball there  
would be a band4 ,a band was several    
musical instruments playing all         
together4 ,what could that be like8     
,would it resemble several people       
talking at once8 ,that would be horribly
 confusing4 ,but it could not be like   
several people talking together1 for    
people spoke of a band as a source of   
fine pleasure4 ,would a band of several 
instruments playing at one time be like 
a parti-coloured card spun round8       
,hardly2 for that only confused the     
colours1 so long as they could be known 
to be separate colours1 and only made a 
dull stain when they mingled in one     
tint4  ,my first care was to keep my    

intention to myself4 ,my second was to  
survey the ground of future enterprise4 
,there was no difficulty about either of
 these precautions4 ,i had merely to    
hold my tongue and to walk to ,trafford 
,manor along a beautiful1 undulating1   
winding1 wooded road which passed by our
 modest gate1 and before the stately    
portal of the great house4  ,the beauty 
of ,trafford ,manor was renowned in all 
the south1 and the owner was proud of   
his grounds and opened them to all who  
chose to see them4  ,one morning1 to the
 astonishment of my cousin ,nellie1 ,i  
announced my intention of going for a   
long walk4 ,she was delighted1 crammed  
my pockets full of the best good things 
in the larder1 and declared that she    
should resent seeing me before dinner4  
,that whole day ,i spent in the         
,trafford demesne4 ,surely nowhere was  
scene more fitted for a fairy fte4 ,it  
was mid ,april1 and clear and sunny     
weather4 ,the air was full of fresh     
spices of the swelling buds and of the  

dainty1 delicate1 flat leaves already   
unsheathed and glittering moist and     
green in the flowing air4 ,it was       
rapture to live and breathe1 and heaven 
to know as much and no more of the world
 of things than books taught1 no more   
than enough to set the spirit dreaming4 
,all the senses brought fuel for poetry1
 if the sacred flame fluttered inside4  
,as yet the trees were only misty with  
verdure4 ,the depths in depth of vestal 
green in the woods took the eye into    
such enchanted bowers of the            
imagination1 it was like praying1 to    
stand and listen to the soft1 ample     
murmurs of the multitudinous leaves as  
the broad air came by them out of the   
opening south4  ,illustration3 ,,crammed
 ,,my ,,pockets ,,full4  ,in that far   
off ,bracken ,glen ,i often knew        
promptings towards the spirit of the    
heather and the glen and the skies4 ,but
 then ,i felt ,nature spoke a language  
,i did not understand1 which no one     
about me seemed to hear4 ,in the midst  

of my most ecstatic trances ,i recalled 
myself by conceiving what a poor opinion
 ,john ,jones1 ,esquire1 of the soddened
 book-keeping1 would hold of me if he   
knew that ,i was wasting time in        
hearkening to fancy instead of those    
pipes of wine which never knew rest in  
the day-book1 journal1 or ledger1 or    
trying to remember thirteen times1 or   
endeavouring at all events to trisect   
the angle at which the brown ground of  
the bluff bit through the verdure of the
 hill to the gash where the stream      
gushed forth through ragged rocks on its
 way to the pond above our overshot     
wheel4  ,but now ,i had met1 in the     
modest library of the ,hardings1 men who
 would gag ,john ,jones1 ,esquire1 if he
 opened his mouth to speak in those     
sylvan dales of ,trafford1 men who would
 condescend to have no dealings whatever
 with pipes of wine1 except to drink in 
them the ladies of their love1 and who  
would not allow a triangle into their   
presence1 except for the purpose of     

tricing up ,john ,jones1 ,esquire1 to   
it1 and giving him five dozen with the  
cat6  ,illustration3 ,,slipped          
,,downstairs4  ,the ,hardings usually   
retired early1 and in the first days of 
my visit1 when ,i felt the first flush  
of freedom from the stricter rules of my
 own home1 when ,i stirred under the    
inspiriting touch of the outer world1   
faint though it might be1 through the   
intercourse of ,george ,harding with it1
 ,i felt grieved that they would not sit
 later of nights and let me listen in   
awakening silence to their news of the  
great world beyond4  ,on the night of   
the ball ,i thought they would never    
rise to go4 ,it would not do for me to  
betray the least anxiety4 ,other nights 
,i had never shown any desire to go to  
bed4 ,it would not do to challenge      
attention or excite suspicion by        
exhibiting any hurry this night4 ,it was
 hard to sit and hear of all the        
preparations for the great ball1 and    
feel that my cousins were standing      

between me and a sight of the glories   
about which they could only speculate4  
,i had heard that people would not begin
 to arrive at ,trafford ,manor until    
late1 but ,i was consumed with          
impatience to be off4 ,at last the      
blessed moment of release came4 ,my     
cousins went to bed1 and ,i found myself
 alone in my room at the back of the    
house4  ,no great strategy or caution   
was necessary to escape4 ,i waited half 
an hour1 then slipped downstairs1       
carrying my boots in my hand1 and stole 
out by the back door4  ,when ,i found   
myself in the garden ,i had almost to   
grope my way1 the night was so dark4 ,i 
could not see the clouds over-head1 but 
they must have been thick1 for not a    
star shone in all heaven1 and they must 
have been low1 for the air was unusually
 warm considering the season4 ,i sat    
down on a garden chair and put on my    
boots4 ,then rising1 ,i drew a full     
breath1 made quietly for the road1 and1 
turning my back upon the town1 set off  

at a good pace towards ,trafford ,manor4
  ,i don't know what o'clock it was1 but
 the low mutter of vehicles was behind  
me and before me in the darkness1 and   
every now and then the lights of a      
carriage flashed into view in the rear1 
and the carriage dashed past1 carrying  
before it into the blackness a shield of
 light raised up by its lamps4  ,here   
was lonely ,i at last1 the hero of a    
romance6 ,surely it was a romance to    
steal away in the dead of night and set 
out alone in search of adventure4 ,for  
although ,i had but one intention       
clearly defined at starting1 that of    
getting sight of the ball1 now that ,i  
found myself on the way was ,i not      
fairly circumstanced to encounter       
adventures8 ,might not the horses under 
one of the carriages break away from    
control1 placing in peril the precious  
and lovely inmates1 until ,i dashed     
forward and rescued them1 winning       
guerdon of lovely looks and             
loud-sounding fame8 ,might not thieves  

and highwaymen lurk in the impenetrable 
boscage1 and1 breaking forth1 threaten  
the ladies with death1 until ,i1        
bursting among the throng1 scattered the
 marauders and entered the ,manor in    
triumph with my peerless charge8 ,a     
great general driving by might fall into
 some terrible danger from onslaught of 
enemies1 or the breaking of a wheel1 and
 ,i might chance upon his deliverance1  
and he1 in gratitude1 might make a      
general of me1 and send me against the  
,indians or the ,kaffirs4 ,or a high    
admiral1 being unused to the land1 might
 be met by me wandering about on foot   
and alone--lost1 not knowing where to   
turn for food or shelter1 and ,i might  
guide him to both1 and he might order   
that henceforth ,i was to be ,captain of
 the saucy ,arethusa4  ,any one of these
 adventures was likely to befall one in 
my position and circumstances1 and it   
would be only prudent to keep oneself in
 a fit state of mind to deal with all of
 them4 ,the fit state of mind was the   

enthusiastic and heroic2 and in a very  
enthusiastic and heroic disposition ,i  
trod the road1 and arrived at the lodge 
of ,trafford ,manor demesne4  ,here no  
difficulty presented itself1 for both   
the great iron portal and the two side  
gates stood wide1 inviting all men to   
enter4  ,i had not in my old home at    
,bracken ,glen been used to bars and    
bolts1 and ,i had no awe of social      
superiors1 because ,i had come in       
contact with none4 ,but ,i had grave    
timidity towards strangers of any kind1 
and1 although the rank of the folk at   
,trafford ,manor had no fears for me1 ,i
 stood in awe of people who could       
command the wonders of which the        
,hardings had spoken4 ,such people were 
of rather a different order of being1   
like the genii of ,eastern tales1 than  
merely richer and better born people of 
the same race as myself4  ,i walked into
 the grounds with as much confidence as 
,i had travelled the high road4  ,all   
thoughts of the past and future left me 

in presence of the scene on the lawn    
before the house4 ,i no longer wanted to
 take part in any enterprise of         
hazardous adventure4 ,i no longer       
yearned to distinguish myself and win   
plaudits or enduring fame4 ,i only      
wanted to be let alone4 ,i only wanted  
to be4 ,i only wanted to wander about   
this land of romance1 and drink in all  
the loveliness at my wide young eyes4   
,in the centre of the lawn the fountain 
threw up a ghostly wavering pillar of   
water1 soft as smooth1 and tinted with  
light of various hues4 ,down the arcades
 of the tress swung lines of coloured   
lamps4 ,here and there1 round the trunk 
of oak1 or beech1 or lime1 clustered a  
group of blue1 and green1 and yellow    
lamps1 like the flame of giant gems     
sparkling on the dark1 tasselled1       
trailing robe of night4  ,people were   
walking about1 not bidden guests at the 
,manor1 but those who1 like myself1 had 
come to see the place by night4 ,i took 
no notice of anyone4 ,i took no notice  

of anything1 but the intoxicating       
atmosphere of delight through which ,i  
moved4 ,i did not think4 ,i was content 
merely to feel the enthralling influence
 of the scene4 ,this was my first       
experience of poetry realised1 of dreams
 in tangible form1 of visions of the day
 taking material form at night4  ,all at
 once ,i came upon a ,french window wide
 open1 with1 beyond it1 a vast room lit 
by one huge chandelier4 ,the floor shone
 like dark ice shadowed by brown rocks1 
and down the dark ice figures of men and
 women glided4 ,the necks and shoulders 
and arms of the women were bare1 and in 
their hair flashed incandescent points  
of shifting fire4 ,their robes were     
flowing1 and of all colours1 like the   
silent column of smoke rising up in the 
lawn1 only the colours were richer and  
more varied4 ,the long dresses of the   
women swept the floor as they moved to  
and fro1 their white-gloved hands on the
 arms of their cavaliers4  ,i stood     
spell-bound4 ,my eyes went on seeing1   

yet discovering nothing new1 as when one
 looks at the lonely sea4 ,mere seeing  
was a delight inexpressible1 a delight  
that held me fast1 as though the air    
around me was adamant4  ,in front of me1
 by the window1 stood a woman whose     
beauty was so splendid it did not seem  
human4 ,it was a perfectly colourless   
face1 of most exquisite profile1 clear  
and sweet as a cameo4 ,she did not      
strike me as of any age4 ,as she seemed 
now she must always have been1 for any  
change would not leave her perfect1 and 
it was very plain she was designed for  
perfection4 ,there was in her a settled 
decision of line that precluded the idea
 of her ever being otherwise than as she
 was now--beauty absolute4  ,could ever 
man that lived be worthy to touch the   
hand of this ethereal princess standing 
tall and dark against the light of the  
chandelier in the doorway8 ,could any   
mere man be privileged to do her a      
service1 to save her from fire or battle
 or the sea8 ,to breathe the air she    

sanctified by her presence8 ,to live in 
the garden through which she walked8 ,to
 merit her smile8 ,to die for her8      
,when poets spoke of goddesses they     
thought of her4  ,then softly1 and yet  
all at once1 as my amazed and           
incredulous eyes were fixed upon this   
miracle1 the air was stirred in a way ,i
 had never known it stirred before4     
,something subtler than light came      
through it and touched me1 and stole    
into my veins1 and made my blood richer 
and indescribably precious in my heart4 
,the flames of the candles swayed in a  
strange1 intelligible1 inexplicable     
sympathy with this new sense in me4 ,the
 essences of all perfumes were poured in
 upon my brain and made me giddy with a 
rapture ,i had never dreamed life could 
hold4 ,all at once and by no effort of  
my own ,i came into possession of some  
property of joy beyond the glory of     
light and colour1 beyond the reach of   
perfume4 ,it came from beyond where this
 miracle of womanhood against the light 

stood4 ,it beat by her like wind1 and   
yet it stirred not one petal of the     
flowers in her hair4 ,but the influence 
of it possessed her face1 and she who   
had been ,grecian goddess became an     
enraptured spirit4 ,what could it be8   
,had the gate of ,paradise opened1 and  
was some large and subtle and fine      
rapture flowing towards me and around   
me1 and possessing me with rhythmical   
joy8  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,poor ,,boy 
,,has ,,fainted4  ,what could this new  
thing1 this mysterious agony of delight 
be8  ,then1 like a flash1 ,i knew4  ,it 
was the band6  ,it was the band1 and ,i 
was hearing music for the first time in 
my life6  ,after that with me all grew  
dark and blank4  ,i had fainted4  ,i was
 found lying on the grass1 and when ,i  
came to myself that being whom ,i took  
for more than mortal was kneeling beside
 me and bending over me1 chafing my     
hands1 and saying3--  ,quick6 quick6    
bring a light and water6 ,the poor boy  
has fainted4 ,others were around me1 and

 some hurried away4  ,poor boy6 ,i      
thought4 ,poor boy1 whom she has        
touched6  ,what caused it8 she asked me1
 pushing my hair back from my forehead4 
,what a pretty boy he is4 ,do you know1 
dear1 what caused it8  ,i don't know1 ,i
 said1 as well as ,i could2 ,i think it 
must have been the band4 ,i never heard 
music before4  ,never heard music       
before8 she cried in astonishment1 ,are 
you sure8 ,where have you lived that you
 never heard music before8  ,in ,bracken
 ,glen--a glen in the north1 ,i said4   
,we have a mill there4 ,our people do   
not have music1 and ,i never heard music
 until ,i heard it now4  ,and you       
fainted when you heard it first8 she    
asked1 helping me to rise4  ,i can think
 of nothing else to make me faint4 ,this
 is the first time ,i ever fainted4     
,you are better now8  ,i am quite well1 
thank you4 ,i shall go away now4  ,no1  
not yet4 ,i am much interested in you4  
,there must be something uncommon in the
 boy who fainted when he heard music for

 the first time4 ,it was the waltz in   
',faust4' ,my husband will be most      
interested in this4 ,he knows a great   
deal about music1 but ,i think this will
 be new to him4  ,there may have been   
something uncommon in that boy who      
fainted on hearing music for the first  
time4 ,people who know me by the name ,i
 now bear before the public say ,i have 
a faculty of producing melody that will 
satisfy4 ,i have said that ,i follow one
 of the fine arts as a profession4 ,i am
 a musician--a composer of music4 ,that 
lady who twenty years ago saw me fall to
 the ground outside ,trafford ,manor1   
and came to my help1 has aided my career
 in many ways4 ,she spoke of me to her  
husband1 who knows more about music than
 any other man ,i am acquainted with4   
,she encouraged me in my hours of       
depression1 of despair4 ,she has done   
more kindnesses for me than any other   
woman--but one4 ,i am now a successful  
man4 ,i am proud to owe all ,i own of   
value in the world to her4 ,the one     

woman ,i am more indebted to than to    
her1 ,i owe1 in a way1 to the lady of   
the ,faust waltz also1 for her daughter 
is my wife4 ,it was while ,i was a guest
 at a ball in ,trafford ,manor that ,i  
told my wife ,gertrude of that memorable
 night long ago4 ,it was while she was  
standing by the same window where her   
mother had stood nineteen years before1 
and looking as her mother looked then1  
that ,i found courage to speak4 ,the    
band played again the waltz in ,faust4  
,then ,i lost control1 and the          
overwhelming love for the girl at my    
side bore me away2 and ,i cried out to  
her in my despair1 and asked if there   
was any hope for me in her heart4  ,she 
did not understand me4 ,i had not made  
my meaning plain4 ,we went out upon the 
lawn1 where many years ago ,i had       
watched the fountain mount through the  
rainbow-coloured lights4 ,it was not now
 early spring1 but deep summer4 ,it was 
not now with me the admiration of a     
child for a statue1 but the passion of a

 man for a woman4 ,the first strain of  
melody had been a revelation to the boy4
 ,how poor and thin it seemed to the    
revelation that there was hope for me in
 the heart of the girl ,i loved4 ,before
 the band finished that waltz in ,faust1
 ,gertrude understood what ,i had       
whispered in the doorway4 ,that waltz in
 ,faust had played in music to my soul1 
and my darling to my arms4 ,i never hear
 it without experiencing incommunicable 
emotions4 ,who can wonder8              
,illustration     ,illustration3        
,orchids4  ,,odontoglossum              
,,hastilabium4   ,shakespeare's words to
 the effect that the man who has no     
music in himself is fit only for        
treasons1 stratagems1 and spoils1 might 
appropriately be adapted to flowers4    
,certainly the man or woman who finds it
 impossible to love the rose and the    
violet1 the chrysanthemum1 and even the 
simple little primrose which will be so 
much abroad during this month of ,april1
 is lamentably lacking in something4 ,so

 much is indisputable of flowers in     
general1 and of the subject of this     
paper in particular4 ,the rose alone    
excepted1 no plant has inspired the     
abiding love shown for the orchid1 and1 
not even excepting the rose1 none has   
been the object of such enthusiasm4 ,the
 study of the orchidaceous family1 as   
some one has said1 is a liberal         
education1 and it was once declared1    
with all the authority of print1 that   
,mr4 ,joseph ,chamberlain must be       
possessed of a fine character because he
 loves these extraordinary flowers4 ,if 
the predilection for orchids is to be   
accepted as proof of any such           
possession1 the ,english race is in no  
danger of deterioration4  ,many of our  
readers will have heard of the tulip    
mania which raged so fiercely in        
,holland about the middle of the        
seventeenth century1 when simply        
fabulous prices were given for a single 
bulb4 ,there was little that was either 
reasonable or explicable in the desire  

to secure the tulip at all costs1 but   
the popularity of the orchid is easily  
understood by anyone who cares to go    
into the subject4 ,we venture to believe
 that by the time we have said all we   
have to say--and how small a portion    
that is of what we could say6--those who
 peruse this paper will find it somewhat
 difficult to resist running off to the 
nearest nurseryman and asking to be     
shown over his houses1 or to the nearest
 bookseller and ordering one of the     
numerous popular manuals which will     
instruct them how to set about becoming 
orchid growers themselves4 ,we have     
often heard the uninitiated wonder what 
there is to attract in the orchid1 more 
than in any other beautiful flower4     
,well1 to say nothing of its exquisite  
and unique charm as a mere spectacle1   
,darwin gave many reasons1 and the      
,darwinian mind1 we believe1 has        
actually sought to show that the orchid 
is the missing link between animal and  
vegetable nature4 ,the student will find

 lots to support this fascinating       
theory1 and to induce him to think that 
if the other missing link--that between 
the man and the animal--is discoverable1
 we shall have completed the chain of   
nature starting with man and ending with
 the garden cabbage4 ,but all this is   
another story1 with which it is not our 
province now to deal4  ,orchids have    
been really popular about twenty-five   
years4 ,they were well known in the last
 century1 but they were the possession  
of the privileged few1 and were regarded
 as a mere floral curiosity4 ,one day1  
however1 some sixty years or more ago1  
the late ,duke of ,devonshire chanced to
 come across an orchid from ,demerara1  
which bore an extraordinary resemblance 
to a butterfly4 ,his delight was        
immense1 and he proceeded forthwith to  
cultivate the plant1 of which a variety 
is shown in our illustration of the     
,oncidium ,kramerianum4 ,a little later 
he purchased a ,moth ,orchid1 for which 
he paid #ajj guineas2 and to the        

interest taken in these floral mimics by
 the ancestor of ,lord ,hartington are  
traceable the developments which have   
been so remarkable during the last      
decade or two4  ,almost the first thing 
that strikes the spectator at an orchid 
show for the first time1 after he has   
recovered from a sort of shock at the   
overwhelming beauty of the display--a   
display out-rivalling the rainbow in its
 variety and blend of colour--is the    
quite ludicrous resemblance of many of  
the flowers to animals1 birds1 and      
insects4 ,bees1 spiders1 grasshoppers1  
flies1 lizards1 and toads are quite     
common forms of orchid mimicry4 ,our    
illustration of ,cycnoches ,warscewiczii
 shows a swan1 with a curious-looking   
tuft upon its breast4 ,another species  
is very like a dove as it may be seen   
hovering for an instant near the branch 
of a tree before alighting4 ,one group  
has a flower in which a resemblance to  
the monkey is found2 but the most       
ludicrous of mimetic vagaries is surely 

that of the species known popularly as  
the ,man ,orchid4 ,dressed like an      
acrobat in skin tunic of green1 it      
swings as if gibbeted1 in company with  
some fifty other little felons4 ,but the
 flower is not content to run animate   
nature close in outward appearance2 it  
evinces a disposition to rival man in   
the manufacture of various kinds of     
appliances4 ,it takes a hint from the   
boot-maker1 and produces the ,lady's    
,slipper2 it provides for the wants of a
 young family1 and turns out a ,cradle2 
it even resolves itself into a sort of  
swimming bath1 in which the bee         
sometimes finds himself involuntarily   
immersed1 and from which he escapes by  
means of a side-door arrangement4 ,well 
might ,darwin say that the orchid family
 seemed to have been modelled in the    
wildest caprice4 ,proteus himself was   
incapable of assuming so many shapes4   
,illustration3 ,,cycnoches              
,,warscewiczii4  ,illustration3         
,,oncidium ,,kramerianum4  ,the         

prevalent notion that these marvels are 
only for the owners of heavily-laden    
pockets dies hard4 ,a pious wish that   
orchids were less expensive and could be
 grown at home is not uncommon4 ,it will
 be a revelation to some people to learn
 that an orchid which shall be a source 
of endless amusement and of considerable
 instruction may be had for a few       
shillings4 ,whether1 in short1 you have 
a few odd hundred pounds or merely a few
 odd hundred farthings to spare1 you may
 gratify your love for this particular  
flower4 ,you cannot expect to walk into1
 say1 ,mr4 ,bull's establishment in the 
,king's-road1 ,chelsea1 some day when   
you are passing1 and for the price of a 
couple of dozen cigars appropriate the  
beautiful ,clogyne cristata alba1 some  
idea of whose virgin purity is conveyed 
in our illustration4 ,this plant        
originally cost ,mr4 ,bull #bjj4 ,great 
as this price is1 it is barely          
two-thirds of the record2 #cjj has been 
exceeded for a single plant4 ,mr4 ,bull 

possesses a variety of the ,lady's      
,slipper for which he paid that very    
figure4 ,in #ahhc ,sir ,trevor ,lawrence
 paid #bce guineas for an orchid1 and   
,baron ,schrder paid #afe and #afj      
respectively for two plants4 ,many firms
 have paid hundreds of pounds for the   
possession of a rare species1 whilst1 of
 course1 one may often hear of a        
collection being sold for many          
thousands4 ,at the same time1 ,mr4 ,bull
 or ,messrs4 ,veitch1 or any well-known 
cultivator will be happy to place       
orchids1 which a few years ago were     
beyond the reach of even a large        
proportion of the middle classes1 at    
your disposal for five or six shillings4
  ,illustration3 ,c,,logyne ,,cristata  
,,alba4  ,and be it understood1 in      
buying an orchid you can never be quite 
sure that you have not secured a        
veritable treasure4 ,the speculative    
element enters into orchid-collection to
 a degree undreamt of by the outsider4  
,as the value of the most valuable just 

purchased by a duke may disappear in an 
hour1 so that of the most common just   
purchased by yourself may be augmented a
 hundred-fold by an eccentricity4 ,take 
an instance of depreciation recorded by 
,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,burbidge4 ,a species of   
,lady's ,slipper was imported and the   
single plant fetched #ajj easily4 ,but  
the home of the plant was discovered1   
and in the course of a week or two      
nurserymen were selling the same thing  
for five shillings4 ,on the other hand1 
,pescatore's ,odontoglot1 we are told1  
had been imported for years1 and plants 
might be picked up for a few shillings  
each1 when quite unexpectedly a lovely  
form heavily barred with purple         
appeared1 and1 had it been sold by      
auction when first it flowered1 it would
 have brought from #ej to #ajj4 ,before 
it bloomed the plant would1 in common   
with others of the same species1 have   
been readily disposed of for a trifle4  
,a friend of ,mr4 ,burbidge's chanced to
 buy cheap a number of plants which were

 hanging fire4 ,they were shrivelled    
plants of ,odontoglossums in paper bags1
 and they took a good deal of skill and 
attention to bring them into vigour and 
health again4 ,but when they bloomed    
some of them turned out very distinct1  
and an offer of #ejj made for the lot as
 they stood1 after the first five or six
 had bloomed1 was not accepted4 ,the    
most interesting piece of luck of this  
sort1 however1 which we have come across
 is related by ,mr4 ,frederick ,boyle4  
,a ,mr4 ,spicer1 a tea planter in       
,sylhet1 knowing his mother in ,england 
was fond of orchids1 sent her some      
plants4 ,they were an ordinary ,lady's  
,slipper variety4 ,mrs4 ,spicer brought 
them to flower1 and noticed certain     
curious characteristics4 ,she consulted 
an expert1 with the result that he paid 
her seventy guineas down and carried off
 the plant4 ,for years1 says ,mr4       
,boyle1 this lovely species was a prize 
for dukes and millionaires1 and its     
introduction was due to a son's desire  

to gratify his mother's tastes by       
sending her a few everyday orchids6     
,the mention of this discovery brings us
 to the more tragic side of orchid      
collecting4 ,mr4 ,sander1 the famous    
orchid grower of ,st4 ,albans1          
despatched a representative to try to   
find the particular species which had   
proved so profitable to ,mrs4 ,spicer4  
,after many fruitless efforts1 ,mr4     
,forsterman got on the track1 but in the
 very moment of triumph a tiger barred  
the way1 his coolies bolted1 and nothing
 would persuade them to go further4 ,mr4
 ,forsterman was no shikari1 but he felt
 himself called upon to uphold the cause
 of science and the honour of ,england  
at this juncture4 ,in great agitation he
 went for that feline1 and1 in short1   
its skin and its story were conspicuous 
attractions of his cottage in the after 
years4  ,illustration3 ,,odontoglossum  
,,humeanum4  ,illustration3             
,,odontoglossum ,,cervantesii ,,decorum4
  ,the perils which men face in the     

search for orchids are as great as those
 encountered by the prospector for      
precious stones and metal1 or by the    
missionary who goes forth into the wild 
corners of the earth to preach ,god's   
,word4 ,we know of one man who1 by pluck
 and diplomacy1 has managed to pass     
unscathed among the cannibals of ,new   
,guinea4 ,when he first arrived1 he was 
honoured by a careful overhauling on the
 part of the natives1 who ultimately    
declared that he was too thin to eat4   
,he has since made himself more or less 
at home with them1 though he has only   
succeeded in winning their esteem by    
sitting down to the same dish and       
partaking of its contents1 whatever they
 might be1 and in compelling their      
respect by placing a few inches of cold 
steel at his side1 and giving them an   
occasional object-lesson in the wonders 
of the revolver4 ,he carries his life in
 his hands1 and all for the sake of the 
chance of finding an orchid with some   
feature possessed by none other4 ,the   

collector who would make his mark must  
be prepared for hazardous marches1 for  
hanging like a sailor by his eyebrows   
over mighty precipices1 or for wading   
for days in swamps4 ,he must have       
self-reliance1 resource1 patience1      
knowledge1 and endurance4               
,illustration3 ,,odontoglossum          
,,crispum4  ,the orchid has not only its
 heroes1 it has its martyrs as well4    
,any great grower will give one the     
names of a dozen men who have sacrificed
 all in their efforts to add to the list
 of species4 ,collectors have been lost 
in ,panama1 ,rio ,hacha1 ,ecuador1      
,sierra ,leone1 ,orinoco1 and probably  
other places4 ,i wonder1 said a friend  
to ,mr4 ,burbidge1 if orchid amateurs   
ever give a thought as to the real price
 their orchids cost1 and he proceeded to
 enumerate the names of such men as     
,bruchmueller1 ,zahn1 ,hutton1 ,klaboch1
 ,endres1 ,chesterton1 and ,freeman1 who
 have died in the interests of the      
orchid lover4 ,on the roll of martyrs to

 orchidology1 says ,mr4 ,boyle1 with    
enthusiasm1 ,mr4 ,pearce stands high4   
,to him we owe1 among many fine things1 
the hybrid ,begonias which are becoming 
such favourites for bedding and other   
purposes4444 ,it was his great luck and 
great honour to find ,masdevallia       
,veitchii1 so long1 so often1 so        
laboriously searched for from that day  
to this1 but never even heard of4 ,to   
collect another shipment of this        
glorious orchid1 ,mr4 ,pearce sailed for
 ,peru in the service1 ,i think1 of ,mr4
 ,bull4 ,unhappily--for us as well as   
for himself--he was detained at ,panama4
 ,somewhere in those parts there is a   
magnificent ,cypripedium4,a ,the poor   
fellow could not resist this temptation4
 ,they told him at ,panama that no white
 man had returned from the spot1 but he 
went on4 ,the ,indians brought him back 
some days or weeks later1 without the   
prize2 and he died on arrival4  ,even   
when the precious plant is secured1 and 
danger to life and limb is past1 the    

difficulties to be overcome are         
enormous4 ,to bring a million sterling  
in gold from ,paris or ,new ,york under 
special and vigilant guard1 is a process
 almost simple when compared with the   
jealous care which has to be expended on
 the transportation of orchids4 ,it     
sometimes happens that on opening the   
cases on arrival in ,england1 a valuable
 collection is found to have rotted en  
route1 and the importer realises that   
hundreds of pounds have been spent and  
lives risked1 to secure worthless roots6
 ,the orchid importer needs a stout     
heart and unlimited enterprise1 and some
 of us may well wonder how he manages to
 make the business pay at all when we   
think of the ambassadors he employs in  
nearly every clime1 of the funds which  
he has occasionally to place at their   
disposal1 and of the fact that one loss 
may involve a sum equal to a fair annual
 income4 ,on the other hand1 if he is   
the lucky possessor of a variety of     
value1 the plant creates the greatest   

enthusiasm in orchid circles1 and is    
consequently a source of immense profit4
  ,we have in these pages taken a rapid 
glance at the more popular1 it may even 
be said the more romantic1 side of the  
work of orchid collection4 ,enough has  
been said1 we hope1 to show why the     
study of orchidology is a liberal       
education4 ,what a wealth of natural    
history of the most fascinating kind it 
opens up6 ,nothing more striking is     
recorded in nature than the manner in   
which the bee fertilises the orchid1 to 
give the least adequate account of which
 would involve another half-dozen pages 
of this magazine4 ,the majority of us   
probably would be surprised to learn    
that but few orchids grow in the ground4
 ,they are found often high up on the   
branches of some monarch of the primeval
 forest1 and the proverbial needle in   
the bundle of hay might be discovered   
half a dozen times over whilst the      
collector is searching for a single     
plant4 ,others appear1 however1 quite   

low down4 ,the tree-growing orchid is an
 epiphyte4 ,that is to say1 though it   
lives on the tree it makes the branch a 
resting-place only4 ,it gets its        
nourishment from the atmosphere and not 
the tree1 as does the mistletoe for     
instance4 ,one orchid1 a ,diacrium1     
actually grows on rocks within reach of 
the spray from the salt sea waves4      
,illustration3 ,,odontoglossum          
,,cirrosum4  ,to follow in the footsteps
 of the collector is to acquire a       
considerable knowledge of the countries 
of the earth4 ,orchids luxuriate in warm
 and humid places1 thousands of feet    
above the level of the sea4 ,they have  
outdistanced the ,anglo-,saxon in the   
number of lands they have colonised4    
,you may find them in ,africa1 in       
,north1 ,central1 and ,south ,america1  
in ,australia and ,new ,zealand1 in     
,asia1 in ,madagascar1 in               
,europe--everywhere except in very cold 
climates4 ,one day the orchid hunter may
 be on the high road of civilisation1   

pursuing his quest like an ordinary     
tourist2 another he will have plunged   
into regions dark as darkest ,africa1 as
 far removed from modern conditions as  
the dwarfs of ,stanley's limitless      
forest4 ,in the search for a single     
orchid he comes across many varieties of
 the human race1 and on a thousand      
points connected with modes of life1 of 
governments1 of the relations of places 
one to another1 far and near1 he is     
better informed than many an arm-chair  
specialist4  ,footnote ,a3 ,lady's      
,slipper4     ,a ,thing that ,glistened4
  ,by ,frank ,r4 ,stockton4   ,in the   
fall of #ahhh the steam-ship ,sunda1    
from ,southampton1 was running along the
 southern coast of ,long ,island1 not   
many hours from port1 when she was      
passed by one of the great ,british     
liners1 outward bound4 ,the tide was    
high1 and the course of both vessels was
 nearer the coast than is usual1 that of
 the ,sunda being inside of the other4  
,as the two steamers passed each other  

there was a great waving of hats and    
handkerchiefs4 ,suddenly there was a    
scream from the ,sunda4 ,it came from   
,signora ,rochita1 the prima donna of an
 opera troupe which was coming to       
,america in that ship4  ,i have lost my 
bracelet6 she cried in ,italian1 and    
then1 turning to the passengers1 she    
repeated the cry in very good ,english4 
,the situation was instantly            
comprehended by everyone4 ,it was late  
in the afternoon2 the captain had given 
a grand dinner to the passengers1 at    
which the prima donna had appeared in   
all her glories of ornamentation1 and   
the greatest of these glories--a        
magnificent diamond bracelet--was gone  
from the arm with which she had been    
enthusiastically waving her lace        
handkerchief4  ,the second officer1 who 
was standing near1 dashed into the      
captain's office1 and quickly reappeared
 with chart and instruments1 and made a 
rapid calculation of the position of the
 vessel at the time of the accident1    

making due allowance for the few minutes
 that had passed since the first cry of 
the signora4 ,after consultation with   
the captain and re-calculations of the  
distance from land and some other       
points1 he announced to the weeping     
signora that her bracelet lay under a   
little black spot he made on the chart1 
and that if she chose to send a diver   
for it she might get it1 for the depth  
of water at that place was not great4   
,by profession ,i am a diver1 and the   
next day ,i was engaged to search for   
the diamond bracelet of ,signora        
,rochita4 ,i had a copy of the chart1   
and having hired a small schooner1 with 
several men who had been my assistants  
before1 and taking with me all the      
necessary accoutrements and appliances1 
,i set out for the spot indicated1 and  
by afternoon we were anchored1 we       
believed1 at it or very near it4  ,i    
lost no time in descending4 ,i wore1 of 
course1 the usual diver's suit1 but ,i  
took with me no tools nor any of the    

implements used by divers when examining
 wrecks2 but ,i carried in my right hand
 a brilliant electric lamp1 connected   
with a powerful battery on the schooner4
 ,i held this by an insulated handle1 in
 which there were two little knobs1 by  
which ,i could light or extinguish it4  
,illustration3 ,,waving ,,her ,,lace    
,,handkerchief4  ,the bottom was hard   
and smooth1 and lighting my lamp1 ,i    
began to look about me4 ,if ,i          
approached the bracelet ,i ought to be  
able to see it sparkle1 but after       
wandering over considerable space1 ,i   
saw no sparkles nor anything like a     
bracelet4 ,suddenly1 however1 ,i saw    
something which greatly interested me4  
,it was a hole in the bottom of the     
ocean1 almost circular1 and at the least
 ten feet in diameter4 ,i was surprised 
that ,i had not noticed it before1 for  
it lay not far from the stern of our    
vessel4  ,standing near the rocky edge  
of the aperture1 ,i held out my lamp and
 looked down4 ,not far below ,i saw the 

glimmering of what seemed to be the     
bottom of this subterranean well4 ,i was
 seized with a desire to explore this   
great hole running down under the       
ordinary bottom of the sea4 ,i signalled
 to be lowered1 and although my comrades
 were much surprised at such an order1  
they obeyed1 and down ,i went into the  
well4 ,the sides of this seemed rocky   
and almost perpendicular1 but after     
descending about fifteen feet1 they     
receded on every side1 and ,i found     
myself going down into a wide cavern1   
the floor of which ,i touched in a very 
short time4  ,holding up my lamp1 and   
looking about me1 ,i found myself in a  
sea cave of some thirty feet in         
diameter1 with a domelike roof1 in      
which1 a little to one side of the      
centre1 was the lower opening of the    
well4 ,i became very much excited2 this 
was just the sort of place into which a 
bracelet or anything else of value might
 be expected to have the bad luck to    
drop4 ,i walked about and gazed         

everywhere1 but ,i found nothing but    
rocks and water4  ,i was about to signal
 to be drawn up1 when above me ,i saw   
what appeared to be a flash of darkness1
 coming down through the well4 ,with a  
rush and a swirl it entered the cavern1 
and in a moment ,i recognised the fact  
that a great fish was swooping around   
and about me4 ,its movements were so    
rapid and irregular1 now circling along 
the outer edge of the floor of the      
cavern1 then mounting above me1 until   
its back seemed to scrape the roof1 that
 ,i could not form a correct idea of the
 size of the creature4 ,it seemed to me 
to be at least twenty feet long4 ,i     
stood almost stupefied1 keeping my eyes 
as far as possible fixed upon the       
swiftly moving monster4  ,sometimes he  
came quite near me1 when ,i shuddered in
 every fibre1 and then he shot away1 but
 ever gliding with powerful undulations 
of his body and tail1 around1 about1 and
 above me4 ,i did not dare to signal to 
be drawn up1 for fear that the terrible 

creature would enter the well-hole with 
me4 ,then he would probably touch me1   
perhaps crush me against the wall1 but  
my mind was capable of forming no plans2
 ,i only hoped the fish would ascend and
 disappear by the way he came4          
,illustration3 ,i ,,stood ,,stupefied4  
,my mind was not in its strongest       
condition1 being much upset by a great  
trouble1 and ,i was so frightened that  
,i really did not know what ,i ought to 
do1 but ,i had sense enough left to feel
 sure that the fish had been attracted  
into the cavern by my lamp4 ,obviously  
the right thing to do was to extinguish 
it1 but the very thought of this nearly 
drove me into a frenzy4 ,i could not    
endure to be left alone with the shark  
in darkness and water4 ,it was an insane
 idea1 but ,i felt that1 whatever       
happened1 ,i must keep my eyes upon him4
  ,now the great fish began to swoop    
nearer and nearer to me1 and then       
suddenly changing its tactics1 it       
receded to the most distant wall of the 

cavern1 where1 with its head toward me1 
it remained for the first time          
motionless4 ,but this did not continue  
long4 ,gently turning over on its side1 
it opened its great mouth1 and in an    
instant1 with a rush1 it came directly  
at me4 ,my light shone full into its    
vast mouth1 glistening with teeth1 there
 was a violent jerk which nearly threw  
me off my feet1 and all was blackness4  
,the shark had swallowed my lamp6 ,by   
rare good fortune he did not take my    
hand also4  ,now ,i frantically tugged  
at my signal rope4 ,without my lamp1 ,i 
had no thought but a desire to be pulled
 out of the water1 no matter what       
happened4 ,in a few minutes ,i sat      
divested of my diving suit1 and almost  
insensible upon the deck of the         
schooner4 ,as soon as ,i was able to    
talk ,i told my astonished comrades what
 had happened1 and while we were        
discussing this strange occurrence1 one 
of them1 looking over the side1 saw1    
slowly rising to the surface1 the body  

of a dead shark4  ,illustration3 ,,it   
,,was ,a ,,pint ,,bottle4  ,by ,george6 
he cried1 here is the beast4 ,he has    
been killed by the current from the     
battery4 ,we all crowded to the rail1   
and looked down upon the monster4 ,he   
was about ten feet long1 and it was     
plain that he had died for making       
himself the connection between the poles
 of the battery4  ,well1 said the       
captain1 presently1 ,i suppose you are  
not going down again8  ,not ,i1 ,i      
replied2 ,i give up this job4  ,then    
suddenly ,i cried1 ,come1 boys1 all of  
you1 make fast to that shark1 and get   
him on board2 ,i want him4  ,some of the
 men laughed1 but my manner was so      
earnest1 that in a moment they all set  
about to help me4 ,a small boat was     
lowered1 lines were made fast to the    
dead fish1 and1 with block and tackle1  
we hauled him on deck4 ,i then got a    
butcher's knife from the cabin1 and     
began to cut him open4  ,look here1     
,tom6 exclaimed the captain1 that's     

nonsense4 ,your lamp's all smashed to   
pieces1 and if you get it out it will   
never be any good to you4  ,i don't care
 for the lamp1 ,i answered1 working away
 energetically1 but an idea has struck  
me4 ,it's plain that this creature had a
 fancy for shining things4 ,if he       
swallowed a lamp1 there is no reason why
 he should not have swallowed anything  
else that glistened4  ,oh-o6 cried the  
captain1 you think he swallowed the     
bracelet1 do you8  ,and instantly       
everybody crowded more closely about me4
  ,i got out the lamp--its wires were   
severed as smoothly as if they had been 
cut with shears2 then ,i worked on4     
,suddenly there was a cry from every    
man4 ,something glimmered in the dark   
interior of the fish4 ,i grasped it and 
drew it out4 ,it was not a bracelet1 but
 a pint bottle1 which glimmered like a  
glow-worm4 ,with the bottle in my hand  
,i sat upon the deck and gazed at it4 ,i
 shook it2 it shone brighter4 ,a bit of 
oiled silk was tied tightly over the    

cork1 and it was plain to see that it   
was partly filled with a light coloured 
oil1 into which a bit of phosphorus had 
been dropped1 which on being agitated   
filled the bottle with a dim light4     
,but there was something more in the    
bottle than phosphorus and oil4 ,i saw a
 tin tube corked at each end2 the       
exposed parts of the corks spreading    
enough to prevent the tin from striking 
the glass4 ,we all knew that this was   
one of those bottles containing a       
communication of some sort2 which are   
often thrown into the sea1 and float    
about until they are picked up4 ,the    
addition of the oil and phosphorus was  
intended to make it visible by night as 
well as by day1 and this was plainly the
 reason why it had been swallowed by a  
light loving shark4  ,i poured out the  
oil and extracted the tube4 ,wiping it  
carefully ,i drew out the corks1 and    
then from the little tin cylinder ,i    
pulled a half-sheet of note-paper1      
rolled up tightly4 ,i unrolled it1 and  

read these words3--  ,before ,i jump    
overboard1 ,i want to let people know   
that ,i killed ,john ,polhemus4 ,so ,i  
have fixed up this bottle4 ,i hope it   
may be picked up in time to keep ,jim   
,barker from being hung4 ,i did think of
 leaving it on the steamer1 but ,i might
 change my mind about jumping overboard1
 and ,i guess this is the best way4 ,the
 clothes ,i wore1 and the hatchet ,i did
 it with1 are under the wood shed back  
of ,polhemus' house4      ,henry        
,ramsey4  ,i sprang to my feet with a   
yell4 ,jim ,barker was my brother1 now  
lying in prison under sentence of death 
for the murder of ,polhemus4 ,all the   
circumstantial evidence1 and there was  
no other1 had been against him4 ,the    
note was dated eight months back4 ,oh6  
cruel fool of a murderer4 ,the shark was
 thrown overboard1 and we made best     
speed to port1 and1 before the end of   
the afternoon ,i had put ,ramsey's note 
into the hands of the lawyer who had    
charge of my brother's case4            

,fortunately1 he was able to identify   
the handwriting and signature of        
,ramsey1 a man who had been suspected of
 the crime1 but against whom no evidence
 could be found4 ,the lawyer was almost 
as excited as ,i was by the contents of 
this note1 and early the next morning we
 started together for the house of the  
,polhemus' family4 ,there under the wood
 shed we found1 carefully buried1 a     
blood-stained shirt and vest and the    
hatchet4  ,my impulse was to fly to my  
brother1 but this my lawyer forbade4 ,he
 would take charge of the affair1 and no
 false hopes must be excited1 but he    
confidently assured me that my brother  
was as good as free4  ,returning to the 
city ,i thought ,i might as well make my
 report to ,signora ,rochita4  ,the lady
 was at home and saw me4 ,she showed the
 most intense interest in what ,i told  
her1 and insisted upon every detail of  
my experiences4 ,as ,i spoke of the     
shark and the subterranean cave she     
nearly fainted from excitement1 and her 

maid had to bring the smelling salts4   
,when ,i had finished she looked at me  
steadily for a moment1 and then said3   
,i have something to tell you1 but ,i   
hardly know how to say it4 ,i never lost
 my bracelet4 ,i intended to wear it at 
the captain's dinner2 but when ,i went  
to put it on ,i found the clasp was     
broken1 and1 as ,i was late1 ,i hurried 
to the table without the bracelet1 and  
thought of it no more until1 when we    
were all waving and cheering1 ,i glanced
 at my wrist and found it was not there4
 ,then1 utterly forgetting that ,i had  
not put it on1 ,i thought it had gone   
into the sea4 ,it was only this morning1
 that1 opening what ,i supposed was the 
empty box1 ,i saw it4 ,here it is4  ,i  
never saw such gorgeous jewels4  ,madam1
 said ,i1 ,i am glad you thought you    
lost it1 for ,i have gained something   
better than all these4  ,you are a good 
man1 said she1 and then she paid me     
liberally for my services4 ,when this   
business had been finished1 she asked-- 

,are you married8  ,i answered that ,i  
was not4  ,is there anyone you intend to
 marry8  ,yes1 said ,i4  ,what is her   
name8 she asked4  ,sarah ,jane          
,mc,elroy4  ,wait a minute1 said she1   
and she retired into another room4      
,presently she returned and handed me a 
little box4  ,give this to your         
lady-love1 said she2 when she looks at  
it she will never forget that you are a 
brave man4  ,when ,sarah ,jane opened   
the box1 there was a little pin with a  
diamond head1 and she gave a scream of  
delight4 ,but ,i saw no reason for      
jumping or crying out1 for1 after having
 seen the ,signora's bracelet1 this     
stone seemed like a pea in a bushel of  
potatoes4  ,i don't need anything1 she  
said1 to remind me you are a brave man4 
,i am going to buy furniture with it4   
,i laughed1 and remarked that every     
little helps4  ,when ,i sit1 with my    
wife by my side1 before the fire in our 
comfortable home1 and consider that the 
parlour carpet1 and the furniture1 and  

the pictures1 and the hall and stair    
carpet1 and all the dining-room         
furniture1 with the china and the glass 
and the linen1 and all the kitchen      
utensils1 and two bedroom suites on the 
second story--both hard wood--and all   
the furniture and fittings of a very    
pleasant room for a single man1 the     
third story front1 were bought with the 
pin that the ,signora gave to ,sarah    
,jane1 ,i am filled with profound       
respect for things that glitter4 ,and   
when ,i look on the other side of the   
fire and see ,jim smoking his pipe just 
as happy as anybody1 then ,i say to     
myself that1 if there are people who    
think that this story is too much out of
 the common1 ,i wish they would step in 
here and talk to ,jim about it4 ,there  
is a fire in his eye when he tells you  
how glad he is that it was the shark    
that died instead of him4  ,illustration
     ,the ,state of the ,law ,courts4   
,i   ,a vivid public interest has of    
late been aroused in regard to the      

administration of justice in this       
country4 ,the wholesome feeling of      
reverence that formerly attached to our 
judges seems now to be on the wane1 and 
in private circles1 especially among the
 legal profession1 the conduct of the   
judicature has been severely commented  
upon1 while the ,press has occasionally 
ventured to darkly hint that the        
retirement of one of our most eminent   
judges is desirable in the public       
interest4 ,on all sides it is agreed    
that his infirmities unfit him for the  
efficient discharge of his duties1 his  
judgments show the melancholy decline of
 a once brilliant intellect1 and the    
continued occupation of his seat upon   
the bench is a source of danger to the  
public4 ,and yet such is the state of   
our legal machinery that his retirement 
is practically in his own hands4 ,only  
by an address of both ,houses of        
,parliament to the ,crown can his       
removal be brought about--an odious and 
invidious task1 which the legislature   

naturally delays as long as possible1   
and will only undertake as an extreme   
measure4 ,although of recent years there
 has been a marked improvement in the   
personnel of our judges1 so far as      
bodily vigour is concerned1 there are   
still on the bench aged and infirm men  
who would have retired but for the      
necessity of completing the statutory   
period of fifteen years1 at the         
expiration of which only can their      
pensions be earned4 ,it is pitiable to  
see these old public servants1 who once 
ranked among the most brilliant men of  
their day1 attempting to discharge their
 duties with an obvious effort and at   
great physical fatigue4  ,more than     
enough instances have recently arisen of
 judges being incapacitated by deafness 
and other infirmities1 and refusing to  
retire4 ,but public opinion has hitherto
 been very tolerant1 and these          
distinguished men have been permitted in
 their declining years to exercise      
functions demanding the highest mental  

activity without exciting adverse       
comment4 ,that there are defects in our 
judicial system1 not the least of which 
is the absence of any controlling power 
over our judges1 becomes more and more  
apparent1 and it will be useful1        
therefore1 to bring some of those which 
are most notorious in the legal         
profession under the notice of the      
public4  ,the judicial system in this   
country is the most expensive in the    
world4 ,our judges1 it is true1 are men 
of the highest integrity1 and the       
confidence of the public in their       
incorruptibility is absolute4 ,in this  
respect1 no doubt1 we compare favourably
 with many foreign nations4 ,but the    
public have a right to look for         
something more than a strictly          
honourable bench1 and it is desirable to
 inquire what we get in return for the  
enormous annual outlay on our           
judicature4 ,for the sake of convenience
 let us begin with the higher tribunals4
 ,it will be interesting1 in the first  

place1 to study the following table1    
which shows the numerical strength of   
,her ,majesty's judges1 together with   
the salaries they receive3--       #a   
,lord ,chancellor                       
#aj1jjj      #d ,lords of ,appeal       
7#f1jjj7           #bd1jjj      #a      
,master of the ,rolls                   
#f1jjj      #e ,lords ,justices 7#e1jjj7
            #be1jjj      #e ,chancery   
,judges 7#e1jjj7           #be1jjj      
#a ,lord ,chief ,justice                
#h1jjj     #ac ,common ,law ,judges     
7#e1jjj7         #fe1jjj      #b        
,admiralty ,judges 7#e1jjj7             
#aj1jjj      #a ,judge ,court of ,arches
               #e1jjj     --            
--------     #cc                        
#agh1jjj  ,there are1 besides1 a great  
number of highly paid officials known on
 the ,common ,law side as masters1 and  
in the ,chancery ,division as chief     
clerks1 who assist the judges by        
performing minor judicial functions4    
,these gentlemen receive #a1jjj a year  

each4 ,there are also ,clerks of the    
,crown and ,associates on the various   
circuits who receive liberal salaries1  
as well as a multitude of clerks and    
other officers who are paid out of the  
public funds4 ,but it is not our present
 purpose to consider these minor        
functionaries1 our object being to      
afford a general conception of the      
working of the ,high ,courts of ,justice
 without going into unnecessary details4
 ,for the information of the curious1   
however1 we may state that the total    
expenditure for law and justice last    
year was more than four and a half      
millions sterling1 a sum which it should
 be understood includes the charges for 
maintaining prisons and other expenses  
incidental to the administration of     
justice4  ,in face of such stupendous   
figures the intelligent foreigner may   
well imagine that we have a judicial    
system well-nigh perfect1 or at least   
quite adequate to the requirements of a 
great commercial community4 ,and yet    

what are the facts8 ,among members of   
the legal profession it is a matter of  
common observation and lament that      
commercial cases are year by year       
growing less frequent4 ,for a long time 
they consoled themselves by attributing 
this to commercial stagnation4 ,but of  
late their eyes have been opened to the 
real cause1 and neither by their smiles 
nor their tears can they win back the   
vanished litigation that once so        
satisfactorily brought grist to their   
mill4 ,on all hands business men declare
 that1 so far from being satisfied with 
their expensive legal machinery1 they   
absolutely dread the law4 ,they dare not
 risk its dignified delay1 they fear its
 endless expense1 they are terrified at 
the prospect of being dragged from      
,court to ,court on ,appeal1 and they   
have no confidence in the ability of a  
large proportion of our judges to decide
 rightly on commercial disputes1        
especially those involving technical    
matters4  ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,justice

 ,,stephen4  ,this feeling has doubtless
 been intensified by the recent case of 
,vagliano and the ,bank of ,england4 ,it
 is needless to go into the details of  
this matter1 which are well known to the
 public4 ,suffice it to say that a judge
 of the ,high ,court in #ahhh gave a    
decision contrary to the feeling of     
business men and subversive of          
commercial custom in regard to bills of 
exchange1 which was upheld in the ,court
 of ,appeal by a majority of five to    
one4 ,this decision was1 however1       
reversed in the ,house of ,lords in     
,march of this year by a majority of six
 to two4 ,thus1 after long delay and    
enormous expense1 the case having been  
heard by fifteen judges1 a final        
decision was obtained that satisfied the
 commercial community4 ,but the         
uncertainty of the law is exemplified by
 the fact that the verdict of seven     
judges1 i4e41 six in the ,house of      
,lords and one in the ,court of ,appeal1
 outweighed that of the remaining eight4

 ,and there is no reason to suppose that
 the judges of the ,house of ,lords who 
carried the day are men of higher legal 
ability than those in the ,court of     
,appeal4  ,instead1 therefore1 of       
waiting months for their cases to be    
tried1 paying enormous fees to leading  
counsel1 and possibly enduring the risk 
and delay of appeal1 men of commerce    
prefer to submit their disputes to the  
arbitration of others in their own      
trade1 and thereby get them decided     
without any delay or legal expense4     
,innumerable disputes are in this way   
settled in the ,city every year1 and in 
some businesses it is a matter of       
etiquette for men to accept the office  
of arbitrator when asked to do so       
without any fee1 they knowing full well 
that the time is sure to come when they 
themselves will require to have a matter
 decided in the same convenient and     
expeditious manner4  ,it is undoubtedly 
a great hardship for a commercial       
community to have to put up with rough  

and ready justice in this way1 instead  
of having the advantage of highly       
trained legal minds4 ,but business men  
cannot afford to wait for the slow      
machinery of the law1 and though they   
have to maintain the ,courts of         
,justice1 they decide to do without     
them4 ,doubtless many others would      
gladly do the same had they equal       
facilities for arbitration4  ,the result
 of this widening breach between law and
 commerce is that a large and increasing
 proportion of the work of the ,high    
,court consists of libel1 slander1      
malicious prosecution1 and cases of a   
similar class1 together with actions    
varying in character not at all1 and in 
the amount sought to be recovered only  
infinitesimally1 from those which come  
within the jurisdiction of the ,county  
,court4  ,but though a great number of  
the suits may be of slight importance1  
the cost of litigation is by no means   
insignificant4 ,the court-fees1 it is   
true1 are not proportionately so high as

 in the ,county ,court1 although they   
might with advantage be largely reduced2
 but the average charges for legal      
assistance are enough to make the       
boldest litigant pause4  ,illustration3 
,,appeal ,,court4  ,in an ordinary      
action for #ajj1 supposing the defendant
 to be unsuccessful1 he will probably   
have to pay1 in addition to the #ajj1   
not less than #abj to his opponents'    
solicitor for the costs taxed against   
him1 as well as1 say1 #aej1 the little  
account of his own attorney4 ,supposing 
he conscientiously believes the verdict 
to be unjust1 and determines to go to   
the ,court of ,appeal1 he will have to  
pay at least #ajj more if unsuccessful4 
,this brings his bill up to #dgj1       
instead of the original #ajj4 ,a        
rational litigant would in such a case  
be unlikely to want to go beyond the    
,court of ,appeal1 but supposing he     
should desire to avail himself of the   
highest tribunal that a generous country
 places at his disposal1 and takes his  

case to the ,house of ,lords1 he will be
 put to a further expense of about #bjj4
  ,on the other hand1 the successful    
suitor would also be at a considerable  
loss1 the costs that he would have to   
pay being far in excess of the #ajj     
recovered4 ,by such a system a powerful 
and dangerous weapon is undoubtedly     
placed in the hands of a wealthy        
litigant who chooses oppressively to    
take his opponent from court to court4  
,in many cases the costs are augmented  
to a scandalous degree by the           
multiplication of interlocutory         
proceedings4 ,it is monstrous that in an
 action to recover a sum of #ajj a      
wealthy and perverse litigant should    
have the power1 on some incidental      
question of interrogatory1 to take his  
opponent from the master to the judge1  
from the judge to the ,divisional       
,court1 from the ,divisional ,court to  
the ,court of ,appeal1 and from the     
,court of ,appeal to the ,house of      
,lords4  ,an evil hardly less grave than

 the law's expense is the law's delay4  
,in a common law action of the simplest 
character1 with little or no            
interlocutory proceedings1 the period   
that must elapse between the issue of   
the writ and the trial of the action is 
little short of twelve months1 while in 
the event of appeal nearly another year 
will be lost4 ,in the ,chancery         
,division the delay is still more       
marked4  ,at the commencement of the    
legal year1 namely1 ,october #bd1 #ahij1
 there were #ddh ,chancery cases set    
down for trial4 ,of these1 when         
,christmas arrived1 only #gd had been   
decided1 that is1 after about one-third 
of the judicial year had elapsed4 ,at   
that rate of progress--without allowing 
for the setting down of additional      
causes1 which is1 of course1 continuous 
throughout the year--there would only   
be1 of the #ddh causes set down in      
,october1 #ahij1 #bbb disposed of by    
,october1 #ahia1 thus leaving still     
unsettled half the cases that litigants 

were ready to try twelve months before4 
,the appointment of an additional       
,chancery judge is by many advocated for
 the purpose of battling with these     
arrears4 ,it is1 however1 notorious     
that1 owing to the higher scale of costs
 in ,chancery than in ,common ,law1     
solicitors prefer the former for the    
purpose of trying their actions4 ,in    
consequence of this1 a large number of  
cases that should properly come before  
the ,common ,law judges are tried in the
 ,chancery ,division4 ,surely the effect
 of removing this gross anomaly should  
be seen before further expenditure be   
imposed upon the nation4  ,few probably 
will go so far as ,jeremy ,bentham in   
laying down that the ,state should      
provide for the administration of       
justice free of expense to litigants2   
but there is a very general consensus of
 opinion in favour of a simplification  
of procedure and a limitation of the    
powers of appeal1 and these are reforms 
that a willing legislature might well   

undertake4  ,to return to the judges of 
the ,high ,court1 it will be instructive
 to inquire how they earn the liberal   
salaries set forth in the foregoing     
table4 ,commencing at the top1 it will  
be well to consider the position of that
 august official the ,lord ,high        
,chancellor of ,england4 ,and whatever  
remarks we may find it necessary to     
make1 we wish it to be distinctly       
understood that we mean no disrespect to
 ,lord ,halsbury1 the present learned   
and capable occupant of the post4 ,it is
 merely our object to criticise the     
office1 and our observations1 therefore1
 will have no personal bearing4 ,in the 
first place1 it is worthy of note that  
the most highly paid temporal office in 
,england--that of the ,lord             
,chancellor--is given rather as a reward
 for political than for legal success4  
,of course1 to occupy the post of       
,attorney-,general1 the stepping-stone  
to that of ,lord ,chancellor1 a man must
 be a lawyer of considerable ability4   

,it has1 however1 been very well said   
that a good lawyer can be nothing else2 
and it is obvious that an               
,attorney-,general must be a man of some
 political as well as legal capacity4   
,it is quite conceivable that there may 
be a dearth of legal talent on any      
political side1 and that a moderate man 
maybe chosen as the chief law-adviser of
 the ,crown in consequence4 ,indeed1    
such a state of things has happened     
before now4 ,it by no means follows1    
therefore1 that the ,lord ,chancellor is
 necessarily a man of transcendent legal
 ability4 ,it is probable1 in fact1     
that1 as a rule1 he is not so good a    
lawyer as the judges who receive half   
his salary4 ,and here it may be well to 
remark that1 although the ,lord         
,chancellor is nominally at the head of 
the bench1 he can exercise no efficient 
control over the judges4 ,he can make   
appointments to the bench1 but judges1  
once made1 can1 as already stated1 only 
be removed by the act of both ,houses of

 ,parliament4 ,thus a judge1 even if    
obviously suffering from mental decay1  
may continue to exercise his functions1 
to the miscarriage of justice1 for a    
considerable period before the          
legislature can be set in motion to     
bring about his retirement4             
,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,justice ,,jeune4 
,the ,lord ,chancellor occasionally     
7when any of the ,lords ,justices are   
absent from illness or other cause7 sits
 in the ,court of ,appeal1 which is held
 in two sections--one hearing cases from
 the ,common ,law side1 and the other   
those from the ,chancery ,division4 ,the
 principal duty of the ,lord            
,chancellor1 however1 consists in       
presiding over the ,house of ,lords--the
 final ,court of ,appeal both in ,common
 ,law and ,chancery matters4 ,the ,house
 of ,lords1 as an appellate court1      
consists of the ,lord ,chancellor1 the  
,lords of ,appeal1 and such peers as    
are1 or have been1 holding high judicial
 office4 ,ordinary peers1 however1 have 

also the right of sitting and giving    
judgment1 and1 in consequence of this   
anomaly1 the judges of final appeal have
 sometimes had the assistance of an     
eccentric nobleman endowed with a fancy 
for the law1 whose vote has carried as  
much weight as that of the ,lord        
,chancellor himself4 ,the judicial work 
of the ,house of ,lords is light4       
,indeed1 it will not be understating the
 case to say that the ,house does not   
dispose of more than sixty or seventy   
causes in the year4 ,it is thus not     
difficult to calculate1 supposing these 
cases to occupy an average of half a    
day1 and taking into consideration the  
salaries of the ,lord ,chancellor and   
the ,lords of ,appeal1 together with the
 heavy pensions paid to ex-,chancellors 
and other expenses1 that the ,court of  
,final ,appeal exercises its judicial   
functions at a cost of something like a 
thousand pounds a day6  ,besides the    
,lord ,chancellor1 the ,lord ,chief     
,justice is by some legal fiction       

supposed to exercise control over the   
judicial bench4 ,as a matter of fact1   
however1 the judges are practically     
under no control whatever save that of  
public opinion1 as represented by the   
press1 which should never hesitate to   
expose their shortcomings when they come
 to light4 ,it is the duty of those on  
whom1 by force of circumstances1 the    
public are obliged to rely to safeguard 
their interests1 not to relax their     
supervision out of deference to the high
 repute in which our judges are held4   
,under the old system1 when the ,courts 
of ,common ,pleas1 ,exchequer1 and      
,queen's ,bench existed1 each division  
had a chief who was responsible for the 
work of his court and the mode in which 
it was administered4 ,the judges now    
hold a meeting1 at which they make their
 own arrangements for circuits and for  
appointments to the various courts4     
,although the ,lord ,chief ,justice is  
supposed to control the order of work1  
the judges in effect have a free hand as

 regards their own duties4  ,with the   
development of modern civilisation and  
the increase of democratic strength1 the
 social status of the judges has        
materially changed1 and it is by no     
means in accordance with end of the     
century ideas to grant them the almost  
despotic power that they held of old4   
,the ,judicature ,act did something     
towards diminishing their prestige1 and 
nowadays many of them are disappointed  
perhaps to find that their office does  
not command a high social position4     
,illustration3 ,,admiralty ,,court4     
,notwithstanding the decadence of the   
social status and prestige of the       
judges1 on circuit they maintain a pomp 
and splendour1 it is true somewhat      
tawdry1 which finds its only counterpart
 in the mimic state of the ,lord ,mayor4
 ,quiet gentlemen who have been         
accustomed all their lives to carry     
their own bags down to chambers1        
suddenly find themselves1 after being   
raised to the ,bench and especially when

 going on circuit1 surrounded with      
unwonted splendour4 ,they are attended  
by a smart young gentleman who costs the
 country three guineas a day while the  
,assizes last1 as his reward for acting 
as judge's marshal1 or a sort of        
groom-in-waiting4 ,if he fulfilled the  
functions of clerk1 perhaps there would 
not be much cause for complaint2 but the
 judge has a clerk of his own1 to whom  
the nation pays a liberal salary1 and   
the marshal's duties are purely         
ornamental4  ,it is true the cost of the
 splendid equipage1 generally drawn by  
four hack horses from the local livery  
stables1 the trumpeters1 the javelin    
men1 and all the paraphernalia of the   
judge's progress from his lodgings to   
the ,court1 falls upon the ,high        
,sheriff1 and not upon the country2 but 
it is1 nevertheless1 a vexatious impost 
and an intolerable anachronism4         
,illustration3 ,,hats ,,and ,,wigs4     
,the prerogatives of the judges still   
far exceed those of any other public    

servants2 they are permitted to perform 
their duties almost at their own        
pleasure2 even the ,legislature refuses 
to recognise any power over them1 and   
they have also much patronage vested in 
them1 such as the appointment of        
revising barristers1 chief clerks and   
masters1 who exercise judicial          
functions4  ,the holidays enjoyed by the
 members of the judicature are far in   
excess of those in any other profession4
  ,the following figures will give an   
idea of how many days out of the #cfe   
are occupied by the judges in earning   
their salaries3--      ,christmas       
holidays                          #ba   
days4     ,easter                       
#ab        ,whitsuntide                 
#aj        ,long ,vacation              
#gb        ,queen's ,birthday           
#a        ,sundays 7besides those       
included above7      #cf        ,courts 
sit                                 #bac
                                        
---                                     

#cfe  ,although there is no statutory   
authority for the closing of the courts 
on the ,queen's birthday1 the judges    
have recently1 with one or two          
exceptions1 made a point of showing     
their loyalty by doing no work on that  
day4 ,many of them also are frequently  
absent on ordinary working days from    
other causes than illness4 ,these       
delinquents are well known to the       
members of the legal profession1 and it 
is unnecessary to mention their names4  
,the hours of sitting are nominally from
 #aj4cj in the morning to #d in the     
afternoon1 with an interval of half an  
hour for lunch4 ,some judges1 however1  
do not generally take their seats until 
a quarter to #aa1 and often later1 and  
one or two are known occasionally to    
steal a little time from the end of the 
sitting4 ,it is also a matter of common 
observation that the orthodox half-hour 
for lunch is very often spun out to     
three-quarters4 ,so that1 including the 
short sitting on ,saturdays1 when the   

courts rise at two o'clock1 the judges  
do not sit much more than an average of 
four hours a day4  ,illustration3       
,,luncheon4  ,even if we give them      
credit for #d-a_/b hours a day1         
reckoning their salaries at #e1jjj      
7though many of them receive more7 we   
find that the payment they receive for  
their work comes to over #e an hour4 ,at
 such a price it is only reasonable to  
expect them to give the fullest         
attention to their duties4 ,but1 alas1  
for human fallibility6 ,even judges     
sometimes nod4  ,it is true that our    
system is at fault in permitting our    
judicature to be conducted by men whose 
physical infirmities prevent them from  
giving due attention to their work4 ,but
 such considerations do not soothe the  
breast of the unfortunate litigant who  
has paid an eminent counsel a hundred   
guineas to address a sleeping judge1 or 
one whose deafness prevents him from    
comprehending the weighty arguments     
offered for his consideration4          

,illustration3 ,a ,,messenger4  ,it is  
part of the duty of the fourteen judges 
of the ,queen's ,bench ,division to go  
on circuit1 and during the time of the  
circuits1 as a rule not more than two or
 three puisne judges are left in        
,london4 ,these judges are absent from  
town1 in fact1 fully one-half of the    
judicial year1 and the occupants of the 
bench are not in the metropolis in their
 full strength for more than a third of 
that period4 ,as a result of this       
arrangement1 the business of the high   
courts1 so far as the trial of actions  
is concerned1 is absolutely at a        
stand-still during the greater part of  
the year4 ,the cause lists become       
congested1 suitors wait vainly for their
 cases to be settled1 and a multitude of
 the suits entered never come on for    
trial at all1 many of them being more or
 less amicably arranged out of court1   
while others bring about their own      
culmination through death or other      
causes4 ,it is notorious that many of   

the judges1 when they observe that a    
case is of a complex character1         
involving long and tedious              
investigation1 will bring strong        
pressure on the parties to induce them  
either to settle the case or to refer it
 to an arbitrator4 ,such pressure it is 
dangerous for either side to resist1 and
 it results in further fees1 further    
costs1 and further delay4  ,the judges1 
while on circuit1 receive a travelling  
allowance of seven guineas a day4 ,this 
is a comparatively recent arrangement1  
the travelling expenses having formerly 
been paid in a lump sum4 ,it would be   
interesting to compare the average      
length of time occupied by the judges on
 circuit under the old and under the new
 system4 ,a great deal of time is       
utterly wasted4 ,for instance1 a whole  
day is devoted to what is termed        
,opening the ,commission4 ,this is      
nothing but an antiquated ceremony of no
 possible use1 consisting of the reading
 of the ,royal ,commission under which  

the judges hold the assizes4 ,it        
occupies about a quarter of an hour1 the
 remainder of the day being lost4 ,the  
assizes are often concluded within a    
less number of days than the time       
assigned to them1 and the judges take   
advantage of this to enjoy a welcome    
holiday1 with a solatium for their      
enforced idleness of seven guineas a    
day4  ,our present circuit system       
undoubtedly leads to a scandalous and   
deplorable waste of judicial time and   
public money4 ,for instance1 on the     
,south-,eastern ,circuit1 the largest   
towns of which are ,cambridge and       
,norwich1 there is practically no       
business whatever2 and yet all the      
paraphernalia and expense of assizes    
goes on for eleven or twelve weeks every
 year in respect of cases that might be 
disposed of in ,london in about a week  
by one judge4 ,on other circuits1 too1  
time is wasted in an equally reckless   
manner1 the judges on several days being
 absolutely idle4  ,surely there is no  

necessity to allow a week for the       
judicial work at a town where there are 
only a few cases that could easily be   
disposed of in a couple of days4 ,the   
public1 who pay the bill1 unfortunately 
have but little opportunity of having   
the shortcomings of the judges brought  
under their notice4 ,not only are the   
latter protected by the respectful      
feeling1 the result of ingrained        
reverence1 that the judicial bench has  
always been able to inspire2 but it is  
also a fact that those whose position   
makes them most capable of criticising  
the judges find it contrary to their    
interests to do so4 ,barristers who have
 to make their way at the bar1 and who  
are well acquainted with the            
peculiarities of the judges1 are afraid 
to speak of them1 for to do so would be 
to their own professional detriment1 and
 clerks and underlings1 who have to rely
 on the patronage of the judges1 cannot 
be expected to tell what they know4  ,in
 the present article it is to be hoped  

we have done enough to show that defects
 exist1 and that one of the most needed 
reforms is the establishment of a       
complete and efficient controlling power
 over our judicial bench1 for judges1   
after all1 are only human1 and no human 
beings1 however honourable1 can be      
relied upon always to perform their duty
 to the public with thoroughness and    
energy if left entirely to their own    
devices4  ,the fact that private        
arbitration1 especially in commercial   
cases1 has in a great measure superseded
 the ,courts1 forms a most damaging     
comment on our judicial system4 ,the    
case1 then1 that we allege against the  
judicature may be briefly summed up1 the
 chief points being as follows3--  7a7  
,excessive cost4  7b7 ,unreasonable     
delay in getting to trial4  7c7         
,unnecessary multiplication of appeals  
with consequent delay and expense4  7d7 
,waste of judicial power on ,circuit and
 ,divisional ,court arrangements4  7e7  
,incapacity of individual judges4  7f7  

,unreasonably long holidays4  ,it is our
 intention in subsequent articles to    
bring forward further particulars1 and  
without going so deeply into technical  
details as to be uninteresting to the   
ordinary reader1 to suggest remedies    
with a view to bringing our judicature  
more in touch with the people1 and      
making it adequate to the needs of a    
great commercial community4             
,illustration     ,stories of the       
,victoria ,cross3 ,told by ,those who   
have ,won it4  ,deputy                  
,inspector-,general ,j4 ,jee1 ,c4,b41   
,v4,c4   ,though military surgeons are  
technically non-combatants1 yet         
practically they are as much exposed to 
peril as other officers1 and frequently 
have to perform work demanding the      
greatest care and calmness under the    
most disturbing dangers4 ,in gallantry  
and devotion to duty no other class of  
soldiers has surpassed them4 ,the       
following is the story of the exploit of
 one of these brave men1 ,surgeon ,jee1 

as told in his own words3--       ,on   
the advance of the force to relieve the 
garrison of ,lucknow1     under         
,generals ,havelock and ,outram1 my     
regiment1 the #ghth     ,highlanders1   
led the way4 ,general ,outram's order on
 leaving     ,lucknow ran as            
follows3--,i have selected the #ghth    
,highlanders     for covering the       
retreat of the force2 they had the post 
of     honour on the advance1 and none  
are more worthy of the post of          
honour on leaving it4      ,there was   
very hard fighting from the ,alum ,bagh 
till we arrived     close to ,lucknow1  
when ,i was told an officer was severely
     wounded4 ,i dismounted from my     
horse to attend him1 and found     he   
was dead4 ,at that moment a very rapid  
ordnance and musketry     fire commenced
 close to us1 and ,i was pulled into the
 bastioned     gateway of the           
,char-,bagh ,palace by some soldiers1 to
 whom     probably ,i owed my life1 as  
the round shot passed by us in     quick

 succession4 ,captain ,havelock 7now    
,sir ,henry ,havelock7     then rode up 
to me1 with a bullet hole through his   
topee1 and     said1 ,we have taken that
 position1 at all events1 at the point  
of the bayonet4 ,that proved to be the  
bridge over the canal     at the        
entrance of ,lucknow1 defended by heavy 
guns1 which had     evidently been well 
served1 judging by the numbers of dead  
lying around them4      ,illustration3  
,,surgeon ,,jee ,,dressing ,,the        
,,wounded4      ,when the main body of  
the force arrived and crossed to the    
other side of the bridge1 the ,generals 
heard that the streets     in the city1 
leading direct to the ,residency1 were  
entrenched     and barricaded4 ,it was1 
therefore1 decided to take the outside  
route by the very narrow road to the    
right by the canal1     leaving the     
#ghth to hold the position until ordered
 to advance     after the column4       
,captains ,drummond-,hay and ,lockhart  
were then     ordered to proceed with   

their companies to a pagoda some little 
distance up the street leading from the 
bridge4 ,all was     pretty quiet for   
some time1 and the force had got some   
distance     away1 when a message was   
sent down to the ,colonel by ,captain   
,drummond-,hay that the enemy were      
coming down upon them in great     force
 with two guns4 ,the ,colonel sent up an
 order for them to     charge them1     
which they did1 and spiked the guns and 
brought     them down and threw them    
into the canal1 all the while hotly     
pursued by the enemy4 ,i then got       
between twenty and thirty     wounded   
men in a few minutes4  ,i was then      
informed that the regiment had          
disappeared round the corner of the     
canal after the force1 and that we      
should all be killed if ,i remained to  
dress the wounded upon whom ,i was      
engaged1 as the enemy was firing at us  
from the corner of the street4 ,so ,i   
sent to the ,colonel for men to carry   
the wounded on their backs till we came 

up with the dhoolies4 ,i was thus       
enabled to save them for a short time4  
,it appeared that ,captain ,havelock1   
the ,assistant ,adjutant-,general1 had  
been sent back by his father to order   
the #ghth to follow the force1 when he  
was badly wounded in his arm4 ,luckily  
,i came across two dhoolies1 in which ,i
 placed him and a lieutenant of the     
#ghth1 who was mortally wounded4 ,the   
rest ,i put into sick-carts drawn by six
 bullocks2 but shortly after all of them
 were massacred within sight of us1 as  
unfortunately a native hackery          
containing round shot fell over1 and    
completely blocked the road4 ,one poor  
fellow1 ,private ,farmer1 held his watch
 out from one of the carts1 asking his  
comrades to come and take it rather than
 the enemy should get it1 but no one    
responded1 as the danger was too great4 
,one man had his lower jaw blown off by 
a round shot1 whom ,i am seen dressing  
in my ,v4,c4 picture at the ,crystal    
,palace4  ,when we reached the force    

,captain ,halliburton1 #ghth            
,highlanders 7afterwards killed in      
,lucknow71 took charge of the wounded   
with his company4 ,we lost our way in   
the city1 and were led by a guide1 who  
showed us the way to the ,residency into
 the enemy's battery1 where we suffered 
considerable loss4 ,after this we       
wandered about the suburbs of the city1 
under an awful cannonading and shelling 
from the opposite side of the ,river    
,goomtee1 being fired at from loopholes 
in the houses of the streets when we    
entered them1 from which parties of     
natives1 clothed in white1 often issued4
 ,we took refuge in the ,mote-,mahul1 as
 it was too late at night to advance    
further4 ,the ,mote-,mahul is a square  
courtyard with sheds round it1 and two  
large gateway entrances4 ,this was      
crowded with soldiers1 camp followers1  
and camels1 so that you could scarcely  
move4 ,i had ,captain ,havelock and     
,lieutenant ,woodhouse 7right arm       
afterwards amputated71 #hdth ,regiment1 

with me under the shed4 ,the firing     
during the night was deafening1 and     
gongs were sounding the hour1 and we    
knew not how far the ,residency was4    
,some who had been with the main body   
said the #ghth were all killed1 and they
 could not tell what had become of the  
rest of the force4 ,at daylight the next
 day ,brigadier ,cooper gave us some    
tea1 as we had taken nothing since      
leaving ,alum ,bagh early the morning   
before4 ,our men then commenced making  
loopholes in the wall of the shed to    
shoot the enemy on the other side1 and  
,i heard them told not to make too many 
or they would be shooting some of us1   
and soon afterwards ,brigadier ,cooper  
was shot through one of them1 and fell  
over me4 ,i often had to cross a gateway
 that was being raked up by bullets1 to 
dress the wounded of both the artillery 
and my own men1 against the             
remonstrances of my apothecary1 ,mr4 de 
,soura1 and others4  ,i then volunteered
 to attempt to get the wounded into the 

,residency1 and was told by ,captain    
,halliburton1 if ,i succeeded1 to tell  
,general ,outram to send him            
reinforcements or they would all be     
killed and the guns lost4 ,i soon came  
across ,colonel ,campbell1 wounded in   
the leg 7afterwards amputated in        
,lucknow1 and he died71 and ,i got one  
of his men to carry him on his back 7who
 would have been recommended for the    
,v4,c4 if he could have been found1 but 
he was supposed to have been killed74 ,i
 then wandered on1 and had to cross a   
shallow stream under fire of the guns of
 the extensive ,palace of the ,kaiser   
,bagh1 where the enemy were said to have
 #bj1jjj men4 ,i was then hailed by an  
,european sentry at the gate of a very  
high wall1 which ,i had the unpleasant  
feeling was the ,kaiser ,bagh1 and that 
,i was on the wrong road1 but to my     
great relief he told me it led to the   
,residency1 and that ,i must keep well  
under the wall on the way to it1 to     
avoid the firing that was going on4 ,on 

arriving at the ,residency ,i delivered 
my message to ,general ,havelock1 who   
congratulated me on my escape1 as ,i was
 reported killed4  ,of course ,i lost a 
great many of my wounded1 and one could 
see their skeletons lying outside the   
,palace1 which we afterwards took1      
during the two months we were besieged  
in ,lucknow4 ,i did not see my horse    
7that is painted in my ,v4,c4 picture   
from a photograph7 till after ,i arrived
 in ,lucknow1 where he was captured4 ,he
 was badly wounded by a large slug or   
bolt about two inches long 7which ,i    
have now7 entering deeply on the side of
 the chest1 and which was afterwards    
found most difficult to extract with    
bullet forceps4 ,yet the horse lived to 
aid ,outram's relief outside ,lucknow1  
and afterwards was sold as a very       
valuable charger for #afj4              
,illustration3 ,i ,,came ,,across       
,,colonel ,,campbell4   ,lance-,corporal
 ,william ,goate4  ,the following       
account1 written by himself1 of the     

military career of ,william ,goate1 and 
of the heroic act of devotion for which 
he was rewarded with the ,v4,c41 speaks 
for itself and needs no introduction3-- 
,my father died when ,i was only five   
years old1 and left mother     with a   
family of eleven of us1 so as ,i grew up
 ,i had to work     in the fields till  
,i was big enough to mind horses4 ,then 
after     a bit ,i got tired of the     
country1 although it was a pretty       
village in ,norfolk1 called ,tritton1   
close to ,norwich2 so ,i     thought ,i 
would go to ,norwich and get a job as a 
groom1 which     ,i did1 and stopped    
till ,i was #ah4 ,then ,i thought ,i    
would like     another change1 so up to 
,london ,i went1 and ,i had a wish to be
     a soldier4 ,i was a smart lad and  
fresh-looking1 so ,i went to            
,westminster in ,november1 #ahec1 and   
enlisted in the #ith ,lancers1     and  
being a groom ,i was quite at home in a 
cavalry regiment2     and ,i confess to 
being proud of our gay uniform and      

fluttering     pennons4 ,well1 after    
serving four years ,i was destined to   
ride     in many a wild charge and see  
men and horses go down like             
ninepins1 but ,i never thought of       
danger4 ,when we got the order     to   
charge1 away we went determined to win1 
and ,i can tell you     it must always  
be a terrible sight for any troops1 let 
alone     ,sepoys1 to see a regiment of 
cavalry sweeping down upon them4        
,our fighting began at ,delhi4 ,we were 
at ,umballa when the ,mutiny     broke  
out1 and we were ordered to join in the 
operations     against ,delhi4 ,i was   
present at the siege and capture of that
     city4 ,i will tell you of a little 
adventure of my own at this     time4   
,before the city was taken ,i was on    
despatch duty at an     advanced post   
with orders to fetch reinforcements when
 the     enemy came out4 ,one day ,i saw
 six men trying to steal round by       
the river into our camp4 ,believing them
 to be spies1 ,i asked     the officer  

in charge of the picket to allow me and 
two men to     go and ascertain what    
their intentions were4 ,he gave us      
leave4     ,we had a very difficult job 
to get down to the riverside on         
account of the rocks1 and when we got up
 to the men they showed     fight4 ,we  
shot three of them with our pistols--one
     each4 ,being on horseback we then  
attacked them with the lance4     ,one  
daring fellow struck at me1 and ,i      
couldn't get at him4 ,he     slightly   
wounded my horse and then made a run for
 the river4     ,i jumped from my horse1
 and1 going into the water after him1   
ran him through with my lance4          
,meanwhile1 the other two of my         
companions had settled the two remaining
 men4 ,all this while     a heavy fire  
had played on us from the enemy's       
battery4 ,we     had now to ride for our
 lives4 ,on getting back to the camp1   
the officer in command sent me to the   
camp with a note to the     ,colonel of 
the regiment1 who made me a             

lance-corporal then and     there4      
,illustration3 ,i ,,ran ,,him ,,through 
,,with ,,my ,,lance4  ,i might say ,i   
was two years in the saddle1 almost     
continuously fighting4 ,i was with ,sir 
,colin when he retook ,cawnpore from the
 ,gwalior rebels4 ,we went to the aid of
 ,general ,wyndham1 who had been        
repulsed4 ,we crossed the bridge of     
boats under a heavy fire1 but forced our
 way in4 ,as soon as our brave leader   
got his men in position1 he carried     
everything before him4 ,we could still  
see traces of ,nana ,sahib's atrocity in
 ,june1 and every soldier vowed         
vengeance4 ,the affair that ,i was in   
when ,i gained my ,victoria ,cross was  
before ,lucknow1 the second time4 ,early
 in #aheh the rebels had strongly       
fortified the place1 and it became      
necessary for ,sir ,colin to take it4   
,our regiment had some hot work4 ,it was
 on ,march #f that ,i won the ,cross1 in
 action at ,lucknow1 having dismounted  
in the presence of the enemy and taken  

up the body of ,major ,percy ,smith1    
#bnd ,dragoon ,guards1 which ,i         
attempted to bring off the field1 and   
after being obliged to relinquish it1   
being surrounded by the enemy's cavalry1
 going a second time1 under a heavy     
fire1 to recover the body1 for which ,i 
received the ,victoria ,cross4  ,i will 
try and describe the fight1 and what ,i 
saw of it4 ,the enemy appeared in great 
force on the race-course outside        
,lucknow1 and the #ith ,lancers1 the    
#bnd ,dragoon ,guards1 and two native   
cavalry regiments were ordered to       
charge4 ,the brigade swept on in grand  
style1 and clashed into the enemy4 ,we  
had a fierce hand-to-hand fight2 but our
 troops behaved splendidly1 and at last 
we broke them up4 ,then we were obliged 
to retire under a heavy fire4 ,as we did
 so ,major ,smith1 of the ,dragoons1 was
 shot through the body1 and fell from   
his horse4 ,failing to catch him1 ,i    
sprang to the ground1 and1 throwing the 
bridle-rein over my arm1 raised the     

,major on to my shoulder2 in this manner
 ,i ran alongside of my horse for some  
hundreds of yards1 until ,i saw the     
enemy's cavalry close upon me4 ,clearly 
,i couldn't get away with my burden1 so 
,i determined to do what ,i could for   
myself4  ,springing into my saddle1 ,i  
shot the first ,sepoy who charged1 and  
with my empty pistol felled another4    
,this gave me time to draw my sword1 my 
lance having been left on the field4    
,the ,sepoys were now round me cutting  
and hacking1 but ,i managed to parry    
every slash and deliver many a fatal    
thrust4 ,it was parry and thrust1 thrust
 and parry all through1 and ,i cannot   
tell you how many saddles ,i must have  
emptied4 ,the enemy didn't seem to know 
how to parry4  ,taking advantage of     
this1 ,i settled accounts with a jolly  
lot4 ,i was determined not to be taken  
alive4 ,at last some of the ,lancers saw
 me and came to my rescue4 ,thinking the
 major might still be alive1 ,i went    
again to rescue him1 but it was not     

until the enemy's forces were driven    
back that we got his body4  ,after the  
action1 ,general ,sir ,colin ,campbell1 
,general ,sir ,hope ,grant1 and some of 
the cavalry officers shook hands with me
 and complimented me4  ,in regard to the
 sword and lance1 ,i certainly prefer   
the lance2 the lance is so keen1 it goes
 through a man before he knows it4 ,i   
was always very careful never to let a  
swordsman get under my lance1 and in    
fighting with cavalry ,i made full use  
of the pennon to baffle an enemy's      
horse4  ,the weapons of troops on active
 service are made as keen as razors1 and
 it was a common thing during the       
,mutiny to see a party of soldiers under
 the shade of a great tree waiting their
 turn to get their blades sharpened and 
the dints removed1 ready for the next   
fight with the rebels4 ,our gallant     
little army was like a ship cleaving its
 way through the sea1 for wherever we   
went1 the enemy1 like the waters1 closed
 in behind4      7,to be continued47    

,illustration3 ,,lance-,,corporal       
,,goate ,,winning ,,the ,v4,c4          
,playwrights' ,manuscripts4   ,we here  
present our readers with fac-similes of 
the manuscripts of several of the most  
popular of living playwrights1 chosen   
from some of the best-known of their    
plays4 ,most of them tell their own     
story2 but we may call particular       
attention to the specimen by ,mr4       
,irving1 who is not generally known to  
be a playwright4 ,yet the manner in     
which he treats a drama like ,louis     
,,xi4 7a page of which we give71 by     
cutting1 adding1 and writing in         
soliloquies1 manifestly makes him a     
joint-author in the play4               
,illustration3 ,fac-simile of a page of 
,,ms4 from ,mr4 ,,robert ,,buchanan',s  
play1 ,clarissa4  ,illustration3        
,fac-simile of a page of ,,ms4 from ,mr4
 ,,george ,r4 ,,sims' play1 ,the ,lights
 o' ,london4  ,act ,,iii4 ,scene #a4    
,illustration3 ,fac-simile of a page of 
,,ms4 from ,mr4 ,h4 ,,pettitt',s play1  

,hands across the ,sea4  ,illustration3 
,fac-simile of a page of ,,ms4 from a   
play now being written by ,mr4 ,,jerome 
,k4 ,,jerome4  ,illustration3           
,fac-simile of a page of ,,ms4 from ,mr4
 ,,henry ,a4 ,,jones' play1 ,the        
,dancing ,girl4  ,illustration3         
,fac-simile of a page of original ,,ms4 
of ,louis ,,xi41 with alterations by    
,mr4 ,,henry ,,irving4  ,illustration3  
,fac-simile of soliloquies inserted by  
,mr4 ,,henry ,,irving at the places     
marked ,q and 99 in the preceding page4 
,the ,luckiest ,man in the ,colony4  ,by
 ,s4 ,w4 ,hornung4   ,that is never a   
nice moment when your horse knocks up   
under you1 and you know quite well that 
he has done so1 and that to ride him    
another inch would be a cruelty--another
 mile a sheer impossibility4 ,but when  
it happens in the ,bush1 the moment is  
apt to become more than negatively      
disagreeable2 for you may be miles from 
the nearest habitation1 and an          
unpremeditated bivouac1 with neither    

food nor blankets1 is a thing that      
demands a philosophic temperament as    
well as the quality of endurance4 ,this 
once befell the manager of ,dandong1 in 
the back-blocks of ,new ,south ,wales1  
just on the right side of the ,dandong  
boundary fence1 which is fourteen miles 
from the homestead4 ,fortunately        
,deverell1 of ,dandong1 was a young man1
 well used1 from his boyhood1 to the    
casual hardships of station life1 and   
well fitted by physique to endure them4 
,also he had the personal advantage of  
possessing the philosophic temperament  
large-sized4 ,he dismounted the moment  
he knew for certain what was the matter4
 ,a ridge of pines--a sandy ridge1 where
 camping properly equipped would have   
been perfect luxury--rose against the   
stars a few hundred yards ahead4 ,but   
,deverell took off the saddle on the    
spot1 and carried it himself as far as  
that ridge1 where he took off the bridle
 also1 hobbled the done-up beast with a 
stirrup-leather1 and turned him adrift4 

,illustration3 ,,deverell ,,took ,,off  
,,the ,,saddle4  ,deverell1 of ,dandong1
 was a good master to his horses and his
 dogs1 and not a bad one to his men4    
,always the master first1 and the man   
afterwards1 he was a little selfish1 as 
becomes your masterful man4 ,on the     
other hand1 he was a singularly frank   
young fellow4 ,he would freely own1 for 
instance1 that he was the luckiest man  
in the back-blocks4 ,this1 to be sure1  
was no more than the truth4 ,but        
,deverell never lost sight of his luck1 
nor was he ever ashamed to recognise it3
 wherein he differed from the average   
lucky man1 who says that luck had       
nothing to do with it4 ,deverell could  
gloat over his luck1 and do nothing     
else--when he had nothing else to do4   
,and in this way he faced contentedly   
even this lonely1 hungry night1 his back
 to a pine at the north side of the     
ridge1 and a short brier pipe in full   
blast4  ,he was the new manager of      
,dandong1 to begin with4 ,that was one  

of the best managerships in the colony1 
and ,deverell had got it young--in his  
twenties1 at all events1 if not by much4
 ,the salary was seven hundred a year1  
and the homestead was charming4         
,furthermore1 ,deverell was within a    
month of his marriage2 and the coming   
,mrs4 ,deverell was a girl of some      
social distinction down in ,melbourne1  
and a belle into the bargain1 to say    
nothing of another feature1 which was   
entirely satisfactory1 without being so 
ample as to imperil a man's             
independence4 ,the homestead would be   
charming indeed in a few weeks1 in time 
for ,christmas4 ,meanwhile1 the clip had
 been a capital one1 and the rains      
abundant2 the paddocks were in a        
prosperous state1 the tanks overflowing1
 everything going smoothly in its right 
groove 7as things do not always go on a 
big station71 and the proprietors       
perfectly delighted with their new      
manager4 ,well1 the new manager was     
sufficiently delighted with himself4 ,he

 was lucky in his work and lucky in his 
love--and what can the gods do more for 
you8 ,considering that he had rather    
worse than no antecedents at            
all--antecedents with so dark a stain   
upon them that1 anywhere but in a       
colony1 the man would have been a ruined
 man from his infancy--he was really    
incredibly lucky in his love affair4    
,but whatever his parents had been or   
had done1 he had now no relatives at all
 of his own3 and this is a great thing  
when you are about to make new ones in  
an inner circle3 so that here1 once     
more1 ,deverell was in his usual luck4  
,it does one good to see a man          
thoroughly appreciating his good luck4  
,the thing is so seldom done4 ,deverell 
not only did this1 but did it with      
complete sincerity4 ,even to-night1     
though personally most uncomfortable1   
and tightening his belt after every     
pipe1 he could gaze at the stars with   
grateful eyes1 obscure them with clouds 
of smoke1 watch the clouds disperse and 

the stars shine bright again1 and call  
himself again and again1 and yet again1 
the luckiest man in the ,colony4  ,while
 ,deverell sat thus1 returning thanks on
 an empty stomach1 at the northern edge 
of the ridge1 a man tramped into the    
pines from the south4 ,the heavy sand   
muffled his steps2 but he stopped long  
before he came near ,deverell1 and threw
 down his swag with an emancipated air4 
,the man was old1 but he held himself   
more erect than does the typical        
swagman4 ,the march through life with a 
cylinder of blankets on one's shoulders1
 with all one's worldly goods packed in 
that cylinder1 causes a certain stoop of
 a very palpable kind2 and this the old 
man1 apparently1 had never contracted4  
,other points slightly distinguished him
 from the ordinary run of swagmen4 ,his 
garments were orthodox1 but the felt    
wide-awake was stiff and new1 and so    
were the moleskins2 these1 indeed1 might
 have stood upright without any legs in 
them at all4 ,the old man's cheeks1     

chin1 and upper lip were covered with   
short grey bristles1 like spikes of     
steel2 above the bristles he had that   
lean and hungry look which ,csar saw in 
,cassius4  ,illustration3 ,a ,,man      
,,tramped ,,into ,,the ,,pines4  ,he    
rested a little on his swag4 ,so this is
 ,dandong1 he muttered1 as if speaking  
to the ,dandong sand between his feet4  
,well1 now that ,i am within his        
boundary-fence at last1 ,i am content to
 rest4 ,here ,i camp4 ,to-morrow ,i     
shall see him6  ,deverell1 at the other 
side of the ridge dimming the stars with
 his smoke1 for the pleasure of seeing  
them shine bright again1 heard a sound  
which was sudden music to his ears4 ,the
 sound was a crackle4 ,deverell stopped 
smoking1 but did not move2 it was       
difficult to believe his ears4 ,but the 
crackle grew louder2 ,deverell jumped up
 and saw the swagman's fire within a    
hundred yards of him2 and the difficult 
thing to believe in then was his own    
unparalleled good luck4  ,there is no   

end to it1 he chuckled1 taking his      
saddle over one arm and snatching up the
 water-bag and bridle4 ,here's a swaggie
 stopped to camp1 with flour for a      
damper1 and a handful of tea for the    
quart-pot1 as safe as the bank6 ,perhaps
 a bit of blanket for me too6 ,but ,i am
 the luckiest man in the ,colony2 this  
wouldn't have happened to anyone else6  
,he went over to the fire1 and the      
swagman1 who was crouching at the other 
side of it1 peered at him from under a  
floury side palm4 ,he was making the    
damper already4 ,his welcome to         
,deverell took a substantial shape2 he  
doubled the flour for the damper4       
,otherwise the old tramp did not gush4  
,deverell did the talking4 ,lying at    
full length on the blankets1 which had  
been unrolled1 his face to the flames1  
and his strong jaws cupped in his hands1
 he discoursed very freely of his luck4 
,you're saving my life1 said he1 gaily4 
,i should have starved4 ,i didn't think 
it at the time1 but now ,i know ,i      

should4 ,i thought ,i could hold out1   
between belt and 'baccy1 but ,i couldn't
 now1 anyhow4 ,if ,i hold out till the  
damper's baked1 it's all ,i can do now4 
,it's like my luck6 ,i never saw        
anything look quite so good before4     
,there now1 bake up4 ,got any tea8      
,yes4  ,meat8  ,no4  ,well1 we could    
have done with meat1 but it can't be    
helped4 ,i'm lucky enough to get        
anything4 ,it's my luck all over4 ,i'm  
the luckiest man in the ,colony1 let me 
tell you4 ,but we could have done with  
chops4 ,gad1 but ,i'd have some yet1 if 
,i saw a sheep6 ,they're all wethers in 
this paddock1 but they don't draw down  
towards the gate much4  ,he turned his  
head1 and knitted his brows1 but it was 
difficult to distinguish things beyond  
the immediate circle of firelit sand1   
and he saw no sheep4 ,to do the man     
justice1 he would not have touched one  
if he had2 he had said what he did not  
mean2 but something in his way of saying
 it made the old man stare at him hard4 

,illustration3 ,,he ,,had ,,turned ,,his
 ,,back4  ,then you're one of the       
gentlemen from ,dandong ,station1 are   
you1 sir8  ,i am1 said ,deverell4 ,my   
horse is fresh off the grass1 and a bit 
green4 ,he's knocked up1 but he'll be   
all right in the morning2 the crab-holes
 are full of water1 and there's plenty  
of feed about4 ,indeed it's the best    
season we've had for years--my luck     
again1 you see6  ,the tramp did not seem
 to hear all he said4 ,he had turned his
 back1 and was kneeling over the fire1  
deeply engrossed1 with the water-bag and
 the quart-pot--which he was filling4   
,it was with much apparent preoccupation
 that he asked3--  ,is ,mr4 ,deverell1  
the boss1 there now8  ,he is4 ,deverell 
spoke drily1 and thought a minute4      
,after all1 there was no object in      
talking about himself in the third      
person to a man who would come applying 
to him for work the next day4 ,realising
 this1 he added1 with a touch of        
dignity1 ,i'm he4  ,the tramp's arm     

jerked1 a small fountain played out of  
the bottle neck of the water-bag and    
fell with a hiss upon the fire4 ,the    
tramp still knelt with his back to      
,deverell4 ,the blood had left his face1
 his eyes were raised to the pale1      
bright stars1 his lips moved4 ,by a     
great effort he knelt as he had been    
kneeling before ,deverell spoke2 until  
,deverell spoke again4  ,you were on    
your way to see me1 eh8  ,i was on my   
way to ,dandong4  ,wanting work8 ,well1 
you shall have it1 said ,deverell1 with 
decision4 ,i don't want hands1 but ,i'll
 take you on2 you've saved my life1 my  
good fellow1 or you're going to1 in a   
brace of shakes4 ,how goes the damper8  
,well1 said the old man1 answering      
,deverell's last question shortly1 but  
ignoring his first altogether4 ,shall ,i
 sweeten the tea or not8  ,sweeten it4  
,the old man got ready a handful of tea 
and another of sugar to throw into the  
quart-pot the moment the water boiled4  
,he had not yet turned round4 ,still    

kneeling1 with the soles of his boots   
under ,deverell's nose1 he moved the    
damper from time to time1 and made the  
tea4 ,his hands shook4  ,deverell made  
himself remarkably happy during the next
 half-hour4 ,he ate the hot damper1 he  
drank the strong tea1 in a way that     
indicated unbounded confidence in his   
digestive powers4 ,a dyspeptic must have
 wept for envy4 ,towards the end of the 
meal he discovered that the swagman--who
 sat remote from the fire1 and seemed to
 be regarding ,deverell with a gaze of  
peculiar fascination--had scarcely      
broken his bread4  ,aren't you hungry8  
asked ,deverell1 with his mouth full4   
,no4  ,but ,deverell was1 and that1     
after all1 was the main thing4 ,if the  
old man had no appetite1 there was no   
earthly reason for him to eat2 his      
abstinence could not hurt him under the 
circumstances1 and naturally it did not 
worry ,deverell4 ,if1 on the other hand1
 the old man preferred to feed off      
,deverell--with his eyes--why1 there is 

no accounting for preferences1 and that 
did not worry ,deverell either4 ,indeed1
 by the time his pipe was once more in  
blast1 he felt most kindly disposed     
towards this taciturn tramp4 ,he would  
give him a billet4 ,he would take him on
 as a rabbiter1 and rig him out with a  
tent1 camp fixings1 traps1 and          
even--perhaps--a dog or two4 ,he would  
thus repay in princely fashion          
to-night's good turn--but now1 confound 
the thing6 ,he had been sitting the     
whole evening on the old fool's         
blankets1 and the old fool had been     
sitting on the ground6  ,i say6 ,why on 
earth don't you come and sit on your own
 blankets8 asked ,deverell1 a little    
roughly2 for to catch oneself in a      
grossly thoughtless act is always       
irritating4  ,i am all right here1 thank
 you1 returned the swagman1 mildly4 ,the
 sand is as soft as the blankets4       
,well1 ,i don't want to monopolise your 
blankets1 you know1 said ,deverell1     
without moving4 ,take a fill from my    

pouch1 will you8  ,he tossed over his   
pouch of tobacco4 ,the swagman handed it
 back--he did not smoke2 had got out of 
the way of it1 he said4 ,deverell was   
disappointed4 ,he had a genuine desire  
at all times to repay in kind anything  
resembling a good turn4 ,he could not   
help being a little selfish2 it was     
constitutional4  ,i'll tell you what1   
said ,deverell1 leaning backward on one 
elbow1 and again clouding the stars with
 wreaths of blue smoke1 ,i've got a     
little berth that ought to suit you down
 to the ground4 ,it's rabbiting4 ,done  
any rabbiting before8 ,no4 ,well1 it's  
easy enough2 what's more1 you're your   
own boss4 ,catch as many as you can or  
care to1 bring in the skins1 and get    
sixpence each for 'em4 ,now the berth ,i
 mean is a box-clump1 close to a tank1  
where there's been a camp before1 and   
the last man did very well there2 still1
 you'll find he has left plenty of      
rabbits behind him4 ,it's the very spot 
for you2 and1 look here1 ,i'll start you

 with rations1 tent1 camp-oven1 traps1  
and all the rest of it6 wound up        
,deverell1 generously4 ,he had spoken   
out of the fulness of his soul and body4
 ,he had seldom spoken so decently to a 
pound-a-week hand--never to a swagman4  
,yet the swagman did not jump at the    
offer4  ,mr4 ,deverell1 said he1 rolling
 the name on his tongue in a curious    
way1 ,i was not coming exactly for work4
 ,i was coming to see you4 ,i knew your 
father6  ,the deuce you did6 said       
,deverell4  ,the old man was watching   
him keenly4 ,in an instant ,deverell had
 flushed up from his collar to his      
wideawake4 ,he was manifestly           
uncomfortable4 ,where did you know him8 
he asked doggedly4  ,the tramp bared his
 head2 the short grey hair stood crisply
 on end all over it4 ,he tapped his head
 significantly1 and ran the palm of his 
hand over the strong bristles of his    
beard4  ,so1 said ,deverell1 drawing his
 breath hard4 ,now ,i see2 you are a    
brother convict6  ,the tramp nodded4    

,and you know all about him--the whole  
story8  ,the tramp nodded again4  ,by   
,god6 cried ,deverell1 if you've come   
here to trade on what you know1 you've  
chosen the wrong place and the wrong    
man4  ,the tramp smiled4 ,i have not    
come to trade upon what ,i know1 said he
 quietly1 repeating the other's         
expression with simple sarcasm4 ,now    
that ,i've seen you1 ,i can go back the 
way ,i came2 no need to go on to        
,dandong now4 ,i came because my old    
mate asked me to find you out and wish  
you well from him3 that was all4  ,he   
went in for life1 said ,deverell1       
reflecting bitterly4 ,i have the vaguest
 memories of him2 it happened when ,i   
was so very young4 ,is he well8  ,he    
was4  ,illustration3 ,,it ,,was ,,all   
,,wrong ,,together4  ,and you have been 
in gaol together6 ,and you know what    
brought him there1 the whole story6     
,curiosity crept into the young man's   
tone1 and made it less bitter4 ,he      
filled a pipe4 ,for my part1 ,i never   

had the rights of that story1 he said4  
,there were no rights1 said the convict4
 ,it was all wrong together4 ,your      
father robbed the bank of which he      
himself was manager4 ,he had lost money 
in mining speculations4 ,he took to the 
bush1 and fought desperately for his    
life4  ,i'm glad he did that6 exclaimed 
,deverell4  ,the other's eyes kindled1  
but he only said3 ,it was what anyone   
would have done in his place4  ,is it8  
answered ,deverell scornfully4 ,did you1
 for instance8  ,the old man shrugged   
his shoulders4 ,deverell laughed aloud4 
,his father might have been a villain1  
but he had not been a coward4 ,that was 
one consolation4  ,a silence fell       
between the two men4 ,there were no more
 flames from the fire1 but only the glow
 of red-hot embers4 ,this reddened the  
face of ,deverell1 but it did not reach 
that of the old man4 ,he was thus free  
to stare at ,deverell as hard and as    
long as he liked1 and his eyes never    
left the young man's face4 ,it was a    

sufficiently handsome face1 with eyes as
 dark as those of the old man1 only     
lightened and brightened by an          
expression altogether different4        
,deverell's pipe had soothed him4 ,he   
seemed as serene now as he had been     
before he knew that his companion had   
been also the companion of his          
father--in prison4 ,after all1 he had   
grown up with the knowledge that his    
father was a convicted felon2 to be     
reminded of it casually1 but also       
privately1 could not wound him very     
deeply4 ,the tramp1 staring at him with 
a fierce yearning in his eyes1 which the
 young man could not see1 seemed to     
divine this1 but said3--  ,it cannot be 
pleasant for you to see me4 ,i wouldn't 
have come1 only ,i promised to see you2 
,i promised to let him hear about you4  
,it would have been worse1 you know1 had
 he got out on ticket-of-leave1 and come
 himself6  ,it would so6 exclaimed      
,deverell sincerely4  ,in the dark1 the 
old man grinned like one in torment4    

,it would so1 ,deverell repeated1 unable
 to repress a grim chuckle4 ,it would be
 the most awkward thing that could      
possibly happen to me--especially if it 
happened now4 ,at present ,i call myself
 the luckiest man in the ,colony2 but if
 my poor father were to turn up--       
,deverell was not interrupted2 he       
stopped himself4  ,you are pretty safe1 
said his companion in an odd tone--which
 he quickly changed4 ,as your father's  
mate1 ,i am glad you are so lucky2 it is
 good hearing4  ,deverell explained how 
he was so lucky4 ,he felt that the      
sentiments he had expressed concerning  
his father's possible appearance on the 
scene required some explanation1 if not 
excuse4 ,this feeling1 growing upon him 
as he spoke1 led him into explanations  
that were very full indeed1 under the   
circumstances4 ,he explained the        
position he had attained as manager of  
,dandong2 and the position he was about 
to attain through his marriage was quite
 as clearly--though                     

unintentionally--indicated4 ,it was made
 clear to the meanest perception how    
very awkward it would be for the young  
man1 from every point of view1 if the   
young man's father did turn up and      
ostentatiously reveal himself4 ,while   
,deverell was speaking the swagman broke
 branches from the nearest pines and    
made up the fire2 when he finished the  
faces of both were once more illumined2 
and that of the old man was stern with  
resolve4  ,and yet1 said he1 suppose the
 impossible1 or at any rate the         
unlikely--say that he does come back4 ,i
 know him well2 he wouldn't be a drag or
 a burden to you4 ,he'd only just like  
to see you4 ,all he would ask would be  
to see his son sometimes6 ,that would be
 enough for him4 ,i was his chum1 mind  
you1 so ,i know4 ,and if he was to come 
up here1 as ,i have come1 you could take
 him on1 couldn't you1 as you offer to  
take me8 ,he lent forward with sudden   
eagerness--his voice vibrated4 ,you     
could give him work1 as you say you'll  

give me1 couldn't you8 ,no one'd know it
 was your father6 ,no one would ever    
guess6  ,no6 said ,deverell1 decidedly4 
,i'll give you work1 but my father ,i   
couldn't4 ,i don't do things by halves3 
,i'd treat my father as my father1 and  
damn the odds6 ,he had pluck4 ,i like to
 think how he was taken fighting6       
,whatever he did1 he had grit1 and ,i   
should be unworthy of him--no matter    
what he did--if ,i played the coward4   
,it would be worse than cowardly to     
disown your father1 whatever he had     
done1 and ,i wouldn't disown mine--,i'd 
sooner shoot myself6 ,no1 ,i'd take him 
in1 and be a son to him for the rest of 
his days1 that's what ,i'd do--that's   
what ,i will do1 if ever he gets out on 
ticket-of-leave1 and comes to me6  ,the 
young man spoke with a feeling and      
intensity of which he had exhibited no  
signs before1 leaning forward with his  
pipe between his fingers4 ,the old man  
held his breath4  ,but it would be      
devilish awkward6 he added frankly4     

,people would remember what they've been
 good enough to forget2 and everybody   
would know what now next to none know4  
,in this country1 thank ,god1 the man is
 taken for what the man is worth--his   
father neither helps nor hinders him1   
when once he's gone4 ,so ,i've managed  
to take my own part1 and to get on well1
 thanks to my own luck4 ,yes1 it would  
be devilish awkward1 but ,i'd stand by  
him1 before ,heaven1 ,i would6  ,the old
 man breathed hard4  ,i don't know how  
,i've come to say so much to you1 though
 you did know my father1 added          
,deverell1 with a sudden change of tone4
 ,it isn't my way at all4 ,i needn't    
tell you that from to-morrow forward    
you're the same as any other man to me4 
,and if you ever go to see my father1   
you must not tell him all ,i have said  
to you about what1 as you say1 is never 
likely to happen4 ,but you may tell     
him--you may tell him ,i am glad he was 
taken fighting6  ,the old man was once  
more quite calm4 ,i shall never see your

 father again4 ,no more will you1 he    
said slowly and solemnly2 for your      
father is dead6 ,i promised him to find 
you out when my time was up1 and to tell
 you4 ,i have taken my own way of       
breaking the news to you4 ,forgive me1  
sir2 but ,i couldn't resist just seeing1
 first of all1 if it would cut you up   
very badly6  ,deverell did not notice   
the quiet bitterness of the last words4 
,he smoked his pipe out in silence4     
,then he said3 ,god rest him6 ,perhaps  
it's for the best4 ,as for you1 you've a
 billet at ,dandong for the rest of your
 days1 if you like to take and keep it4 
,let us turn in4  ,the worn moon rose   
very late1 and skimmed behind the pines1
 but never rose clear of them1 and was  
down before dawn4 ,it shone faintly upon
 the two men lying side by side1 packed 
up each in a blanket--,deverell in the  
better one4 ,from the other blanket a   
hand would steal out from time to time1 
grope tremulously over ,deverell's back1
 lie a minute1 and then be gently       

withdrawn4 ,long before dawn1 however1  
the old man noiselessly arose and rolled
 up his swag4 ,he packed up every thing 
that he had brought--every thing except 
the better blanket4 ,over that he       
smiled1 as though it was an intense     
pleasure to him to leave it behind1     
lapped round the unconscious form of    
,deverell4 ,just before going1 when the 
swag was on his back1 he stooped down   
once and put his face very close to that
 of ,deverell4 ,the worn moon glimmered 
through the pines upon them both4 ,the  
faces were strangely alike2 only        
,deverell's was smiling sweetly in his  
dreams1 while the other's shone moist   
with--something4  ,a few minutes later  
the gate in the ,dandong boundary-fence 
closed for the last time upon the       
gaol-bird tramp2 and ,deverell's father 
was dead indeed--to ,deverell4 ,lucky   
for ,deverell1 of course4 ,but then he  
was the luckiest man in the whole       
,colony4 ,didn't he say so himself8     
,illustration3 ,,he ,,stooped ,,down4   

,jamrach's4   ,illustration  ,the shop  
we are about to visit--perhaps quite the
 most remarkable in ,london--stands in a
 remarkable street1 ,ratcliff-highway4  
,ratcliff-highway is not what it        
was--indeed1 its proper name is now ,st4
 ,george's-street1 but it still retains 
much of its old eccentric character4    
,the casual pedestrian who wanders from 
the neighbourhood of the ,mint1 past the
 end of ,leman-street and the entrance  
to the ,london ,dock1 need no longer    
fear robbery with violence2 nor may he  
with any confidence look to witness a   
skirmish of crimps and foreign sailors  
with long knives2 but1 if his taste for 
observation incline to more tranquil    
harvest1 his eye1 quiet or restless1    
will fall upon many a reminder of the   
,highway's historic days1 and of those  
relics of its ancient character which   
still linger4 ,sailors' boarding-houses 
are seen in great numbers1 often with   
crossed flags1 or a ship in full sail1  
painted1 in a conventional spirit       

peculiar to the district1 upon the      
windows4 ,here and there is a slop shop 
where many dangling oilskins and        
sou'westers wave in the breeze1 and     
where1 as often as not1 an old          
figure-head or the effigy of a naval    
officer in the uniform of fifty years   
ago stands as a sign4 ,there are shops  
where advance notes are changed1 and    
where the windows present a curious     
medley of foreign bank notes1 clay      
pipes1 china tobacco-jars1 and sixpenny 
walking sticks1 and there are many      
swarthy-faced men1 with ringed ears1    
with print shirts and trousers          
unsupported by braces2 also there are   
many ladies with gigantic feathers in   
their bonnets1 of painful hue1 and other
 ladies who get along very comfortably  
without any bonnets at all4  ,in a      
street like this1 every shop is1 more or
 less1 an extraordinary one2 but no     
stranger would expect to find in one of 
them the largest and most varied        
collection of arms1 curiosities1 and    

works of savage and civilised art       
brought together for trade purposes in  
the world1 and this side by side with a 
stock of lions1 tigers1 panthers1       
elephants1 alligators1 monkeys1 or      
parrots4 ,such a shop1 however1 will be 
the most interesting object of          
contemplation to the stray wayfarer     
through ,st4 ,george's-street1 and this 
is the shop famed throughout the world  
as ,jamrach's4 ,everybody1 of course1   
knows ,jamrach's by name1 and perhaps   
most know it to be situated somewhere in
 the waterside neighbourhood of the     
,east-end2 but few consider it anything 
more than an emporium from which the    
travelling menageries are supplied with 
stock4 ,this1 of course1 it is1 but it  
is something besides2 and1 altogether1  
one of the most curious and instructive 
spots which the seeker after the quaint 
and out-of-the-way may visit is         
,jamrach's4  ,the shop1 which we find on
 the left-hand side as we approach it   
from the west1 is a double one1 and     

might easily be taken for two separate  
establishments4 ,the first window we    
reach might be passed as that of an     
ordinary bird fancier's1 were the       
attention not attracted by the unusually
 neat1 clean1 and roomy appearance of   
the cages displayed1 and the uncommon   
shapes and colours of the birds which   
inhabit them4 ,the next window is more  
catching to the eye4 ,furious ,japanese 
figures1 squatting ,hindoo gods1 strange
 and beautiful marine shells1 and       
curious pottery bring the pedestrian to 
a stand1 and arouse a desire to explore 
within4 ,all this outside1 however1     
gives small promise of the strange      
things to be seen and learnt behind the 
scenes4 ,returning to the door by the   
aviary window1 we enter1 and find       
ourselves in a bright1 clean room1      
eighteen or twenty feet square1 properly
 warmed by a stove placed in the centre4
 ,the walls1 from floor to ceiling1 are 
fitted with strong and commodious wire  
cages1 in which birds of wonderful voice

 and hue and monkeys of grotesque       
lineament yell1 whistle1 shriek1 and    
chatter4 ,great and gorgeous parrots of 
rare species flutter and scream1 and    
blinking owls screw their heads aside as
 we pass4 ,but the cause in chief of all
 this commotion is the presence of an   
attendant in shirt-sleeves1 who1        
carrying with him a basket1 is          
distributing therefrom certain eatables 
much coveted hereabout4 ,beaked heads   
are thrust between bars1 and many a     
long1 brown arm reaches down-ward and   
forward from the monkey-cages1 in       
perilous proximity to the eager beaks4  
,in a special cage1 standing out from   
the rest1 a beautiful black and white   
lemur sits and stretches his neck to be 
fondled as the attendant passes1 but    
shyly hides his face when we strangers  
approach him4  ,illustration3 ,,the     
,,aviary4  ,here ,mr4 ,jamrach himself  
comes to meet us--a fine old gentleman1 
whose many years and remarkable         
experiences have left but small         

impression upon him4 ,coming from       
,hamburg--where his father before him   
was a trading naturalist--he founded the
 present business in ,shadwell more than
 fifty years ago1 and here he is still  
in his daily harness1 with all the      
appearance of being quite fit for       
another half-century of work among      
snakes and tigers4 ,his two sons--one of
 whom we shall presently meet--have     
assisted him in the business all their  
lives4 ,the elder of these1 who was a   
widely-known naturalist of great        
personal popularity1 died some few years
 since4 ,mr4 ,jamrach takes us into a   
small1 dusty back room1 quaint in its   
shape and quaint in its contents4 ,arms 
of every kind which is not an ordinary  
kind stand in corners1 hang on walls1   
and litter the floors2 great two-handed 
swords of medival date and of           
uncompromisingly ,english aspect stand  
amid heaps of ,maori clubs1 ,african    
spears1 and ,malay kreeses2 on the floor
 lies1 open1 a deal box filled with     

rough sheets of tortoise-shell1 and upon
 the walls hang several pictures and    
bas-reliefs4 ,mr4 ,jamrach picks up by a
 string a dusty piece of metal1 flat1   
three-quarters of an inch thick1 and of 
an odd shape1 rather resembling a       
cheese-cutter4 ,this1 we are informed is
 a bell1 or1 perhaps more accurately1 a 
gong1 and was used on the tower of a    
,burmese temple to summon the           
worshippers4 ,reaching for a short      
knobkerry1 which bears more than one    
sign of having made things lively on an 
antipodean skull1 ,mr4 ,jamrach strikes 
the uninviting piece of metal upon the  
side in such a way as to cause it to    
spin1 and we1 for the first time1 fully 
realise what sweet music may lie in a   
bell4 ,the sound is of the most         
startling volume--as loud as that of a  
good-sized church bell1 in fact--and    
dies away very slowly and gradually in a
 prolonged note of indescribable        
sweetness4 ,the metal is a peculiar     
amalgam1 silver being the chief         

ingredient2 and oh that all ,english    
church bells--and1 for that matter1     
dinner bells--had the beautiful voice of
 this quaint bit of metal6              
,illustration3 ,a ,,queer ,,gong4  ,then
 ,mr4 ,jamrach shows us wonderful and   
gorgeous marine shells1 of extreme value
 and rarity1 and some of a species which
 he originally introduced to men of     
science1 in consequence of which it now 
bears an appalling ,latin name ending   
with jamrachus4  ,passing from the back 
of this little room1 we enter a very    
large one1 extending from the front to  
the back of the entire premises1 with a 
gallery on three sides above4 ,here we  
are joined by the younger ,mr4 ,jamrach1
 and here we stand amid the most        
bewildering multitude of bric-a-brac and
 quaint valuables ever jumbled together3
 fantastic gods and goddesses1 strange  
arms and armour1 wonderful carvings in  
ivory1 and priceless gems of old        
,japanese pottery4 ,merely to enumerate 
in the baldest way a tenth part of these

 things would fill this paper1 and      
briefly to describe a hundredth part    
would fill the magazine4 ,and when we   
express our wonder at the extent of the 
collection1 we are calmly informed that 
this is only a part--there are more     
about the building--four or five        
roomfuls or so6  ,we have come to ,st4  
,george's-street expecting to see       
nothing but a zoological warehouse1 and 
all this is a surprise4 ,that such a    
store as we now see were hidden away in 
,shadwell would have seemed highly      
improbable1 and indeed we are told that 
very few people are aware of its        
existence4 ,the museums know us1        
however1 says ,mr4 ,jamrach the younger1
 and many of their chief treasures have 
come from this place4 ,among the few    
curious visitors who have found their   
way to ,jamrach's there has been the    
,prince of ,wales1 who stayed long1 and 
left much surprised and pleased at all  
he had seen4 ,the late ,frank ,buckland1
 too1 whose whole-souled passion for    

natural history took him to this        
establishment day after day1 often for  
all day1 could rarely resist the        
fascination of the museum1 even while   
his beloved animals growled in the      
adjacent lairs4 ,the ,jamrachs do not   
push the sale of this bric-a-brac1 and  
seem to love to keep the strange things 
about them4 ,their trade is in animals1 
and their dealings in arms and          
curiosities form almost a hobby4 ,many  
of the beautiful pieces of pottery have 
stood here thirty years1 and their proud
 possessors seem in no great anxiety to 
part with them now4 ,a natural love of  
the quaint and beautiful first led ,mr4 
,jamrach to buy carvings and shells from
 the seafaring men who brought him his  
birds and monkeys1 so that these men    
soon were led to regard his warehouse as
 the regulation place of disposal for   
any new or old thing from across the    
seas2 and so sprang up this overflowing 
museum4  ,among hundreds of idols we are
 shown three which are especially       

noteworthy4 ,the first is a splendid    
life-sized ,buddha--a work of surprising
 grace and art4 ,the god is represented 
as sitting1 his back being screened by a
 great shell of the purest design4 ,the 
whole thing is heavily gilt1 and is set1
 in places1 with jewels4 ,every line is 
a line of grace1 and the features1 while
 of a distinct ,hindoo cast1 beam with a
 most refined mildness4 ,what monetary  
value ,mr4 ,jamrach sets on this we do  
not dare to ask2 and1 indeed1 we are now
 placed before the second of the        
three--a ,vishnu carved in alto-relievo 
of some hard black wood4 ,this is a     
piece of early ,indian art1 and it has a
 history4 ,it was fished up some twenty 
years ago from the bottom of the river  
,krishna1 where it had been reverently  
deposited by its priests to save it from
 insult and mutilation at the hands of  
the invading ,mohammedan2 and there it  
had lain for eight hundred years4 ,it is
 undamaged1 with the exception that the 
two more prominent of the four arms are 

broken off2 and that it has escaped the 
insult which its devout priests feared  
is testified by the fact that the       
nose--straight1 delicate1 and almost    
,european in shape--has not been broken4
 ,it is an extremely rare thing for a   
,vishnu free from this desecration--a   
fatal one in the eyes of worshippers--to
 be seen in this country4 ,above the    
head are carved medallions representing 
the ten incarnations of the god1 for the
 last of which mighty avatars millions  
still devoutly wait in mystic ,india2   
while here1 in ,ratcliff-highway1 after 
all its dark adventures1 and after its  
eight centuries of immersion below the  
,krishna1 stands the embodiment of the  
god himself1 mildly serene and meekly   
dignified4  ,illustration3 ,a ,,friendly
 ,,deity4  ,the third of these gods is  
quite a different person4 ,there is     
nothing resembling beauty--either of    
conception or workmanship--about him4   
,he is very flat-chested1 and his form  
is faithfully represented in the        

accompanying illustration2 without an   
illustration he would be indescribable4 
,the head is very small1 and grotesquely
 carved1 with a large boar's tusk       
projecting from the jaw4 ,the trunk and 
limbs1 however1 are the parts of        
interest2 they consist of an entire     
human skin stretched on a sort of flat  
wooden framework1 and partly stuffed    
with dried grasses4 ,the skin is a light
 brown1 leathery looking stuff1 with    
here and there a small crack4 ,the legs 
are clothed with loose blue trousers1   
which appear to be of dungaree1 or a    
similar material1 and the complete deity
 came from the ,friendly ,islands some  
time since4 ,just at his feet lie1 in an
 open packing box1 certain mummified    
heads1 some bearing unmistakable marks  
of hard knocks1 all having been1 no     
doubt1 among the most cherished         
possessions of the gentleman who had    
separated them from the shoulders upon  
which they originally grew4  ,of heads  
and skulls we see many1 and among them  

the skull of an undoubted cannibal--a   
thing of very peculiar conformation4    
,and so we go on from room to room1     
where the sunlight peeps in with        
difficulty1 and paints with light and   
shadow the memorials of savage art1     
warfare and worship1 as well as many    
exquisite specimens of porcelain and    
metal work from ,japan and ,florence4   
,we see the garment of cowtails which   
,ketchwayo wore when taken prisoner1 and
 we see a testimony to the guile of the 
wily ,maori in an axe made of iron only1
 but painted and got up to exactly      
resemble greenstone4 ,the reason of the 
disguise becomes apparent when it is    
explained that for the genuine          
greenstone article of this pattern a    
collector will gladly pay a hundred     
pounds1 while the metal imitation is    
worth its weight as old iron1 and no    
more4 ,we see two pairs of magnificent  
china vases five or six feet high1 the  
like of which it would be difficult to  
find offered for sale anywhere4 ,another

 pair1 which had stood here for thirty  
years1 were bought only a week or two   
back by a visitor of title with a cheque
 of three figures--a bargain which the  
buyer jumped at4 ,we are shown old      
,satsuma ware of wondrous delicacy and  
richness1 commanding something more than
 its weight in sovereigns in the market4
 ,we see grand old repouss work in very 
high relief4 ,we linger over a singular 
old ,japanese medicine cabinet1 the     
outside of which is covered with        
hundreds of little silver charms1       
against as many varieties of            
disease--each charm a quaintly-wrought  
oval or scarabus4 ,we examine two       
immense ,japanese vases of copper1 each 
six feet high1 and of the most elaborate
 workmanship1 the design revealing here 
and there1 in a surprising manner1      
elementary forms and principles usually 
supposed to be wholly and originally    
,greek4 ,there are stone weapons1 bronze
 weapons1 steel weapons1 and wooden     
weapons of every outlandish sort1 and   

musical instruments such as one sees    
represented on ,egyptian sculptures4    
,there are many things bought at the    
sale of the effects of the late king of 
,oude1 an enthusiastic old gentleman    
whose allowance from the ,british       
,government was a lac of rupees a month1
 and who managed to spend it all1 and   
more than all1 on curiosities and works 
of art1 so that his funeral was followed
 by a sale on behalf of his creditors4  
,among the old king's treasures in this 
place are seven small figures1 of a     
dancing bear1 a buck antelope1 a        
gladiator1 a satyr riding a furious     
bull1 another riding a camel1 an armed  
man on a rhinoceros1 and a monkey       
mounted on a goat1 respectively4 ,each  
of these little figures is built up of  
innumerable smaller figures of beasts1  
birds1 and fishes1 fighting and preying 
upon each other1 not one speck of the   
whole surface belonging to the main     
representation1 while1 nevertheless1 the
 whole produces the figure complete with

 its every joint1 muscle1 sinew1 and    
feature4 ,and so we pass1 by innumerable
 sacred masks1 pashas' tails and        
alligators' skulls1 toward the other and
 main department of this remarkable     
warehouse--that devoted to natural      
history4  ,we cross ,britten's-court1   
where we observe a van with a small     
crowd of boys collected about it4 ,a    
crane is swung out from a high floor1   
and from the end of the dependent chain 
hangs a wooden case or cage1 violently  
agitated by the movements of the active 
inhabitant4 ,he is a black panther1 the 
most savage sort of beast with which    
,mr4 ,jamrach has to deal1 and1 as this 
one feels himself gradually rising      
through the air1 his surprise and alarm 
manifest themselves in an outburst      
strongly reminding the spectator of     
,mark ,twain's blown-up cat a-snorting1 
and a-clawing1 and a-reaching for things
 like all possessed4 ,he arrives at his 
appointed floor at last1 however1 and1  
as the cage is swung in1 the blazing    

eyes and gleaming teeth turn from our   
side toward the attendant who receives  
him4  ,the wide doors on the ground     
floor are swung open1 and we enter a    
large apartment fitted with strong      
iron-barred cages on all sides4 ,this is
 the lowest of three floors1 similarly  
fitted1 in which is carried on a trade  
in living creatures which is known from 
one end of the earth to the other4      
,jamrach's is the market for wild       
animals from all the world over1 and    
whatever a menagerie-keeper or a        
zoological collection may want1 from an 
elephant to an ,angora cat1 can be had  
in response to an order sent here4      
,whatever animal a man may have to sell1
 here he may sell it1 providing that it 
be in good and healthy condition4 ,mr4  
,jamrach has lived a lifetime among his 
beasts1 and has had his troubles and    
adventures with them4 ,one of the most  
exciting of these adventures took place 
some thirty years ago4 ,a fine1         
full-grown ,bengal tiger was deposited1 

in his rough wooden cage1 on this very  
spot at the gates1 having just been     
delivered from a ship in the docks4 ,the
 lair at the back was being prepared for
 his reception1 when1 the attention of  
,mr4 ,jamrach and his merry men being   
otherwise engaged1 ,tigris regalis set  
his hind quarters against the back of   
his temporary receptacle1 and1 using all
 his strength1 managed to burst out the 
boards4 ,then he quietly trotted out1   
and down the main street4 ,the sudden   
appearance of a full-sized tiger at     
mid-day on the pavement of              
,ratcliff-highway was the signal for a  
general skedaddle1 excepting on the part
 of a little boy of about eight years of
 age1 who1 never having seen a thing of 
the sort before1 innocently extended his
 hand and stroked the big cat4 ,a       
playful tap of the great soft paw at    
once knocked the child upon his face1   
stunned2 and1 picking him up by the     
loose part of the jacket1 the animal was
 proceeding up the next turning1 when   

,mr4 ,jamrach1 who had just discovered  
the escape1 came running up4            
,empty-handed as he was1 he sprang at   
the tiger's neck from behind1 and1      
grasping the throat with both hands1    
drove his thumbs into the soft place    
behind the jaw4 ,mr4 ,jamrach was an    
unusually powerful man--indeed1 he is no
 weakling now1 though nearer eighty than
 seventy years of age--and at his       
scientific grasp the tiger1 half choked1
 let his captive fall1 when a couple of 
heavy blows across the eyes from a      
crowbar thrust into the naturalist's    
hands by an attendant thoroughly cowed  
the great beast1 who turned tail and    
meekly trotted back straight into the   
lair prepared for him1 the door of which
 stood open for his reception4 ,the     
little boy was without a scratch2 but1  
although #ej was offered his father as  
compensation1 ,mr4 ,jamrach's           
intrepidity was rewarded by an action   
for #ejj damages4 ,in the end the       
smaller amount first offered was        

awarded1 and the loss in costs was made 
sweeter by the judge's praise of the    
defendant's prompt and courageous       
action4 ,the monetary loss had already  
been discounted by the arrival1 in hot  
haste1 the day after the accident1 of a 
showman1 who gladly paid #cjj for the   
culprit4 ,this was no bad speculation on
 his part1 it was found1 when he had    
counted up the sixpences received all   
over the country for admission to see   
the tiger that had eaten a boy alive in 
,ratcliff-highway4  ,illustration3      
,,tackling ,,the ,,tiger4  ,and so1 with
 many an anecdote of his own and his    
father's experiences in their peculiar  
business from ,mr4 ,jamrach the younger1
 we go upstairs and wander among the    
stock4 ,this1 of course1 is ever varying
 in quantity and species1 but has always
 some interesting feature4 ,we are      
introduced to a solemn monkey1 who      
salaams gravely three times1 and then   
waits to be asked to shake hands1 which 
he does with great ceremony4 ,we see    

porcupines1 black swans and antelopes1  
and we hear1 at the peril of never      
hearing anything afterwards1 the noisy  
cranes4 ,there is a ,sumatra civet cat1 
with a small1 fox-like head1 and a      
magnificent tail2 he is not cordial1 and
 snaps an awkward-looking row of sharp  
teeth at us4 ,just behind his little    
cage is a large one1 which contains a   
fine1 tall guanaco or wild llama4 ,the  
docile-looking creature moves to and fro
 behind the bars1 keeping his eye on us1
 and pursing his mouth the while4       
,suddenly ,mr4 ,jamrach says1 ,look out1
 he's going to spit6 and we all duck in 
different directions with great         
celerity--only just in time4 ,the       
intelligent quadruped has conceived a   
prejudice against the shape of          
somebody's hat1 or the colour of        
somebody's tie1 and expresses it by     
spitting1 with much force and precision1
 at the offender's face4  ,illustration3
 ,,luncheon4  ,a large increase in the  
general chatter and growl around us     

announces the approach of an attendant  
with food4 ,the emus and cassowaries    
stretch their long necks as far between 
the bars as possible1 and the pelicans  
and cranes yell agonisingly4 ,a large   
black panther throws himself against the
 bars of his cage1 and gives voice      
unrestrainedly4 ,in contrast to these1  
the domestic cat of the establishment   
follows the man's heels1 with much      
tender purring and a sharp eye to any   
stray fallen morsel4 ,there are other   
cats here in cages--cats too valuable to
 be allowed to run loose--magnificent   
,angoras and ,carthusians1 who rub their
 heads against the wires1 and1 as we    
approach1 extend their paws in an appeal
 to be noticed and petted4  ,we are     
promised an interesting feeding sight   
downstairs1 and we descend to the ground
 floor4 ,among the more risky           
speculations of the commercial          
naturalist are the alligator and the    
crocodile4 ,they will sulk and go into a
 decline on the least provocation or    

without any provocation at all1 and1    
being expensive to begin with1 often    
prove awkward losses4 ,they almost      
invariably sulk at first1 we are told1  
and1 refusing to take food1 would be    
likely to get into a bad way unless     
cured2 and the curing of a crocodile's  
sulks is a surprising thing to see4 ,we 
find1 on reaching the ground floor1 poor
 crocodilus laid by the heels and       
perfectly helpless1 lashed immovably to 
iron rings and posts4 ,his head is      
ignominiously sat upon by a sturdy man  
in shirt-sleeves1 who presently pokes   
the end of a crowbar among the big      
teeth1 and forcibly prizes the mouth    
open into that position of comprehensive
 smile so familiar to the readers of    
children's natural history books4 ,then 
another man kneels before the           
unfortunate reptile and feeds him4 ,that
 is to say1 he takes a lump of meat     
weighing five or ten pounds or so1 and  
dexterously pitches it into the         
sophagus1 afterwards firmly and         

decisively ramming it home with a long  
pole4 ,this is the dinner of all        
naughty1 sulky crocodiles1 and1 after   
having it served in this fashion        
regularly four or five times1 the victim
 gives up sulking as a bad job4 ,he will
 have to swallow it1 one way or another1
 he argues within himself1 and in that  
case he may as well take it without     
being tied up1 and sat upon1 and        
insulted generally2 besides which1 he   
may as well enjoy the flavour as swallow
 all those eatables without tasting     
them4 ,whereupon he reforms and becomes 
a respectable crocodile1 taking regular 
meals1 and is in time promoted to the   
,zoological ,gardens1 or a respectable  
menagerie4  ,this and other things we   
see1 and we have it explained how       
dangerous animals are transferred from  
cases to permanent cages1 and back      
again4 ,to transfer a savage panther or 
tiger from a case to a cage is not      
difficult4 ,certain of the bars of the  
cage are raised1 the case is put        

opposite the opening1 and the side      
removed4 ,seeing an opening the captive 
jumps at it1 and the bars are at once   
shut down4 ,but to tempt him back again 
into a case1 when he has become to some 
extent accustomed to his quarters1 is   
not always so easy a thing4 ,carefully  
baiting the case with food usually has  
its effect1 if circumstances permit     
waiting2 but1 if not1 recourse has to be
 had to smoke4 ,a little damp straw     
thrust between the bars and lighted soon
 makes the lair uncomfortable1 and then 
ensues a scene4 ,eyes gleam1 and teeth  
gnash from obscure corners1 and         
presently1 with a bound and a yell1 the 
powerful beast dashes through the       
opening into the case1 and is secured4  
,it may be easily understood that any   
little clumsiness or mistake at the     
critical moment might lead to the case  
being overturned in the rush1 or        
improperly closed4 ,then1 with a tiger  
or black panther worked to the highest  
pitch of frenzy by the fire and smoke1  

some lively adventures would probably   
take place4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,force-,,meal ,,treatment4  ,and so we 
reach the door into ,britten's-court1   
and1 with cordial thanks to our         
entertainers for a most pleasant and    
instructive afternoon1 emerge into      
,ratcliff-highway1 with its dock        
labourers1 its sailors' boarding-houses1
 and its slop-shops4  ,illustration     
,the ,spider's ,web4  ,a ,story for     
,children3 from the ,french of ,jacques 
,normand4   ,illustration3 ,,suddenly   
,,there ,,came ,a ,,knock ,,at ,,the    
,,door4  ,at that time my aunt          
,herminie1 fatherless and motherless1   
was living in the old abbey of          
,mauvoisin1 near ,corbeil1 which was    
disaffected and had become very         
national4 ,it was during the ,reign of  
,terror1 and she was nearly twenty years
 old4 ,she was there with two old       
ladies1 ,madame ,marchal and ,madame    
,badouillet3 the former tall and thin1  
the latter little1 stout1 and one-eyed4 

,one evening--but it will be better to  
let ,aunt ,herminie tell the tale       
herself4 ,i fancy ,i can hear her now1  
relating this story which excited me so1
 the story which ,i was continually     
asking her to repeat4  ,the story8 ,you 
wish me to repeat it once more1 my      
child8 ,well1 it was in those days4     
,that evening we were sitting by the    
fire3 ,madame ,marchal and ,i were      
chatting1 ,madame ,badouillet had fallen
 asleep4 ,it was about ten o'clock2     
outside it was very windy--blowing hard4
 ,oh6 ,i remember it well4 ,suddenly1   
there came a knock at the door4  ,i must
 tell you first of all that a troop of  
soldiers1 about a hundred1 had arrived  
during the day4 ,the officer in command1
 a big red-headed fellow1 had shown us a
 paper1 an order to billet them4 ,they  
had taken up their quarters in the      
chapel1 and had passed the day there1   
eating1 drinking1 singing1 and playing  
cards4 ,they made a dreadful din4 ,they 
all calmed down when evening came1 and  

were all sleeping in groups4  ,you will 
understand1 little one1 that it was not 
very reassuring for three lone women to 
be near such people4 ,madame ,marchal's 
husband was away1 ,madame ,badouillet   
was a widow1 and ,i an orphan2 so we    
bolted ourselves in the little room on  
the ground floor which was situated     
between the high road and the chapel1   
and that's where we were when the knock 
came1 as ,i have just told you4  ,madame
 ,badouillet woke up with a jump1 and we
 all three looked straight at each other
 with frightened eyes4 ,a moment passed 
and there was another knock--louder this
 time4 ,we had a good mind to sham      
deafness1 as you may imagine1 but joking
 was dangerous in those days4 ,if you   
refused hospitality to patriots1 you    
were regarded as a suspect1 as they     
called it1 and then--the guillotine6 ,it
 was all over with you in no time4      
,madame ,marchal began to recite her    
prayers2 ,madame ,badouillet shook in   
every limb2 besides1 ,i was the         

youngest1 so ,i ought to open the door4 
,i found some men at the door1 with     
large hats1 making quite a black group  
on the road-way4 ,they looked harassed1 
and their boots were covered with dust4 
,my first impulse was to shut the door  
in their faces1 but one of them made a  
step forward1 stretched out his hand1   
and said in a low1 shaking voice3--     
,shelter1 citoyenne1 give us shelter for
 the night4 ,we are dropping with       
fatigue--have pity upon us6 ,and these  
last words were repeated in a murmur by 
the group of men4  ,who are you8        
,fugitives--deputies of the ,gironde--we
 are pursued1 save us6  ,they were      
,girondins6 ,you will know one day1 my  
child1 what that meant4 ,it is enough   
now for you to know that they were poor 
fellows flying from ,paris1 pursued by  
the ,montagnards1 that is1 by their     
enemies4  ,wretched men1 ,i replied1 go 
away6 ,the chapel is full of soldiers4  
,if you come in you are lost6  ,they    
hesitated a moment2 then a pale young   

man1 quite a youth1 who was leaning upon
 the arms of two of his comrades1       
murmured feebly3  ,walk again6 ,i cannot
 go a step farther4 ,go on1 comrades2   
save yourselves and leave me here4 ,i   
prefer to die6  ,they were brave        
fellows1 those ,girondins4 ,they would  
not hear of abandoning the poor young   
fellow4  ,is there no other place but   
the chapel where we could rest for two  
hours--just for two hours only8 asked   
the one who had already spoken to me4   
,none but this room1 ,i answered1       
standing a little aside2 and the chapel 
has no way out but that door 7,i pointed
 to the middle door71 so the soldiers   
pass through here to enter or go out4   
,let them see you1 and you are lost6    
,great dejection was apparent in the    
face of the poor man4 ,i could see it   
plainly1 for it was a clear night and as
 light as day4  ,illustration3 ,,have   
,,pity ,,upon ,,us6  ,adieu1 citoyennes1
 he said simply4 ,the district is full  
of people who are pursuing us4 ,pray    

that we may escape them6 ,then1 turning 
to his companions1 he said in a low     
voice1 ,onward6  ,well1 my child1 ,i was
 quite upset2 my heart was rent at the  
sight of their distress4 ,i understood  
all that they had suffered1 and all they
 would yet suffer4 ,i looked at their   
drooping shoulders1 at their bruised    
feet4 ,certainly1 by sending them away  
,i was shielding us three from danger1  
because in helping them ,i was making   
myself their accomplice1 and exposing   
myself and my companions to severe      
punishment4 ,yes1 ,i understood all     
that1 but pity conquered prudence2 a    
kind of fever seized me1 and just as    
they were moving away--  ,listen1 ,i    
whispered to them2 there might perhaps  
be a way to help you1 but it would be   
very risky1 very daring4  ,they drew    
near eagerly1 anxiously1 with heads bent
 forward4 ,behind me ,i could hear the  
trembling voices of ,madame ,badouillet 
and ,madame ,marchal as they whispered  
to each other1 ,what is she talking     

about8 ,what is she saying8 ,but that   
mattered little to me4  ,at the other   
end of the chapel1 above the altar1 ,i  
continued1 there is a granary for       
storing fodder4 ,once there1 you would  
be all right1 but to get there----4     
,speak1 speak6  ,you would have to      
follow a narrow passage1 a sort of      
overhanging cornice1 the whole length of
 the wall--and just over the sleeping   
soldiers4 ,if they hear the least noise1
 should one of them wake up----6  ,who  
will lead us8  ,i will6  ,i have already
 told you1 my child1 that ,i was in a   
fever1 that ,i was no longer master of  
myself2 ,i was acting as if in a dream4 
,to save them had become my sole aim4   
,they took counsel briefly among        
themselves1 while ,madame ,badouillet   
continually pulled at my skirts and     
called me mad4 ,oh6 ,i remember it all  
as if ,i were going through it now6     
,thanks1 citoyenne1 for your devotion4  
,we will accept the offer6  ,i left the 
door and they entered noiselessly1 on   

tip-toe4 ,there were about a dozen2     
their clothes were torn and their       
fatigue was extreme4 ,i told my two     
companions to keep watch at the door of 
the chapel1 and turned at once to the   
fugitives4  ,you see those steps leading
 to the ledge8 ,i asked them4 ,well1 ,i 
am going to ascend them4 ,when ,i reach 
the top ,i will open the door and look  
into the interior of the chapel1 and if 
the moment is favourable ,i will give   
you a sign4 ,you will then ascend and   
follow me along the wall to the granary4
 ,once there--if ,god allows us to get  
there6--you will rest yourselves4 ,i    
will come to you when the soldiers are  
gone--they ought to leave at daybreak4  
,you understand8  ,all this was uttered 
rapidly in a low voice2 then1           
positively1 ,i felt as if ,i were lifted
 from the ground1 as if impelled by some
 superior will4 ,i felt deep            
commiseration for these men1 unknown to 
me only a few minutes before2 ,i felt a 
protecting sentiment towards them which 

elated me4 ,to save them ,i would have  
thrown myself in front of the cannon's  
mouth1 or have rushed upon the bayonet's
 point4 ,and ,i1 mite that ,i was1      
seemed suddenly endowed with            
extraordinary strength and energy4      
,madame ,badouillet was right1 ,i was   
positively mad4  ,i mounted the stairs1 
opened the door just a little1 and      
looked in4 ,the soldiers were asleep in 
groups1 their heads resting on their    
knapsacks1 their forms making dark spots
 on the white stones of the chapel4     
,occasionally one would turn over with a
 grunt4 ,a slight murmur of breathing   
came from this human mass4 ,in the      
corners the guns were stacked2 outside1 
the wind howled in fury4 ,a ray of light
 from the moon shone through a side     
window1 lighting up one side of the     
nave1 while the other side--luckily1 the
 side where the ledge was--remained     
quite dark4 ,to get to the door of the  
granary--dimly visible1 like a dark     
spot1 along the narrow ledge1 along the 

wall at about twenty feet from the      
sleepers--would be the work of a few    
seconds in reality1 yet these few       
seconds would seem an age4  ,and now    
came the reaction2 the excitement of the
 first few minutes was over1 and a      
dreadful feeling of depression came over
 me as ,i saw myself face to face with  
the reality1 and understood the almost  
childish temerity of my plan4 ,i was    
seized with a mad desire to tell the    
,girondins that it was impossible to do 
it2 that the soldiers were waking up2   
that they must fly at once4 ,then ,i    
became ashamed of my cowardice1 and1    
turning towards the men who were        
watching me from below with uneasy      
glances1 ,i gave the sign to ascend4    
,they obeyed1 and the first one was soon
 by my side4 ,i made a sign to keep     
silence--as if they needed it1 poor     
men6--then ,i stepped upon the ledge4   
,what a journey it was6 ,i shall never  
forget it4 ,i can feel myself now1      
moving forward on tip-toe1 my left hand 

lightly touching the cold wall1 my right
 hand in space1 fearing every instant to
 lose my balance1 or to knock against   
some stone1 some little heap of dirt and
 pieces of wall1 the falling of which   
would have roused the soldiers who were 
sleeping below1 so close to us4 ,and    
behind me ,i can still feel the dumb    
presence of those creatures who were    
following me1 risking their life with   
mine4 ,we glided along the ledge like a 
troop of sleep-walkers1 holding our     
breath1 treading with extraordinary     
carefulness1 the eyes of each one fixed 
upon the one who preceded him1 all      
making with beating hearts for that     
little door which grew larger as we     
approached it--and it was ,i who was    
leading them6  ,having reached this     
exciting point1 ,aunt ,ninie stopped and
 looked at me to judge the effect4 ,she 
ought to have been pleased1 for ,i was  
sitting on the edge of my chair1 my eyes
 out of my head1 with open mouth1       
listening with never-failing interest to

 a story which ,i had heard so many     
times4 ,what then8 ,i asked4            
,illustration3 ,,we ,,glided ,,along    
,,the ,,ledge4  ,at length1 after a few 
minutes1 terribly long minutes they     
seemed1 ,i reached the goal4 ,i seized  
the key which was still in the door1    
turned it1 pushed the door--and then ,i 
thought we were lost6  ,nobody had had  
occasion to go to the granary for a long
 time1 so that the hinges had become    
rusty2 and as ,i pushed it open it gave 
out a creaking sound1 which went all    
over the chapel1 and sent an icy chill  
through me4  ,what's the matter up      
there8 growled a soldier1 with an oath4 
,i stood up straight1 all of a shake1   
and ,i perceived the fugitives1 pale1   
motionless1 and standing as closely as  
possible to the wall4 ,it seemed as if  
our last hour had come4 ,luckily1 it was
 very windy1 as ,i have said1 and at    
that very instant a strong gust shook   
the roof of the chapel4  ,go to sleep1  
and rest easy1 you great fool6 ,it's the

 wind6 answered another voice4  ,the    
first soldier listened again for a brief
 space1 then stretched himself1 and went
 to sleep4 ,we were saved--at least for 
the moment4  ,the door was only half    
open1 but it was enough to enable us to 
squeeze in4 ,this ,i did when silence   
was completely restored below1 and the  
others followed one by one1 easily      
enough generally1 without being obliged 
to open the door any further4 ,this was 
very important1 for another creak would 
certainly have done for us4  ,you cannot
 imagine the joy and gratitude of those 
men when once they were all gathered in 
the granary4 ,they wept1 went down on   
their knees1 and kissed the hem of my   
dress4 ,one would have thought that ,i  
had finally saved them2 but1 alas6 the  
danger was still there1 terrible and    
threatening4  ,rest1 ,i said to them2   
stretch yourselves upon the straw4 ,here
 you are fairly safe--for the time      
being1 at least4 ,as soon as they are   
gone you will have nothing more to fear1

 and you can go away in your turn4 ,now 
rest yourselves and sleep1 and count on 
me if any new danger menaces you4  ,i   
left them and passed through the door1  
leaving it as it was4 ,of course it     
would have been better to shut it1 but  
that was impossible on account of the   
noise it would have made4  ,my return   
journey along the ledge was performed   
without incident4 ,alone1 ,i felt       
lighter1 more skilful1 and slipped along
 like a mouse4 ,at the end of a few     
seconds ,i was back in the room1 where  
the two ladies anxiously awaited me4    
,each one received me in a different    
way4 ,madame ,marchal1 severe and sharp1
 reproached me cruelly1 saying that that
 was not the way to behave3 it was      
risking my life and theirs--that ,i     
ought to have left them outside--that ,i
 was a fool1 c4 ,madame ,badouillet1 on 
the contrary1 approved what ,i had done1
 and defended me1 saying that nobody    
could reject the prayer of the          
fugitives--it would have been infamous4 

,and this good woman pressed me to her  
heart1 and1 pleased to see me back      
again1 kissed me1 while she wiped away  
the tears from her one eye4  ,so we sat 
down again1 commenting in a low voice   
upon the unforeseen and terrible events 
which had come upon our hitherto        
peaceful existence4 ,and it was really a
 dreadful situation4 ,all these men1    
enemies1 so near to each other2 what    
might happen if the fugitives were      
discovered6 ,it was frightful1 so much  
so that ,madame ,marchal proposed that  
we should run away1 out in the night1   
across the fields to ,corbeil1 leaving  
the men to settle matters amongst       
themselves as best they could--that was 
her expression4 ,madame ,badouillet and 
,i rejected this proposal with          
indignation1 and we remained there      
whispering to each other1 and longed for
 the end of this interminable night4    
,the first streaks of dawn began to     
appear1 and we felt within reach of the 
moment when our anxiety would end4      

,suddenly we heard the gallop of horses 
on the road-way4 ,what now8 ,we         
listened4 ,the horses stopped1 and we   
heard a noise of voices4 ,everybody     
seemed to be paying us a visit that     
night4  ,then came a knock as before2   
and1 as before1 it was ,i who opened the
 door4 ,there was a man before me1      
surrounded by several hussars who had   
dismounted4  ,illustration3 ,,it ,,was  
,i ,,who ,,opened ,,the ,,door4  ,they  
are here1 eh1 citoyenne8 asked the man1 
who was not a soldier1 but doubtless    
some ,government agent4 ,he was stout1  
and appeared out of breath through      
having come so rapidly4  ,i started1 but
 soon recovered my sang-froid4 ,here6   
,who8  ,you know well enough4 ,those    
rascally ,girondins6  ,there is nobody  
here but the soldiers who arrived       
yesterday1 as you probably know4        
,that's what we intend to find out4  ,he
 motioned to one of the men to hold his 
horse1 and dismounted painfully1 giving 
a grunt of satisfaction when he reached 

the ground4 ,he was certainly not       
accustomed to that sort of exercise4 ,he
 was attired in black1 with big boots1  
and feathers in his hat4 ,his round1    
white face seemed good-natured at first 
sight1 but the look of his little sunken
 eyes was false and cruel4  ,he entered1
 followed by two hussars1 and went      
straight towards the chapel4 ,as soon as
 he was perceived1 there was a great    
stir2 the mass of soldiers began to move
 with a noise of swords and guns upon   
the stones1 and everybody was soon on   
foot4 ,the officer in charge came       
forward and saluted the new-comer1 and  
we understood that this fat man was an  
important personage4  ,a conversation in
 a low voice took place between them4   
,standing near the door1 we tried our   
hardest to hear what was said1 but in   
vain2 we could only guess from the      
gestures that the agent was             
interrogating the captain1 and that the 
latter was replying in the negative4 ,we
 feared to see them raise their heads   

and perceive the half-opened door above4
 ,this little door seemed enormous now1 
as if everybody must see it4            
,illustration3 ,a ,,conversation ,,took 
,,place ,,between ,,them4  ,however1 it 
was not so1 for the agent1 finishing his
 conversation with the captain1 came up 
to me1 and with that cunning look which 
boded no good1 he said1 ,so you are     
quite sure1 citoyenne1 that there is    
nobody here but these men8  ,he pointed 
to the soldiers1 who were about to brush
 themselves and put themselves in order4
 ,i looked him in the face and replied1 
,nobody6  ,he put that same question to 
,madame ,badouillet1 who bravely made   
the same reply4 ,then it was ,madame    
,marchal's turn4 ,i thought she was     
going to betray us1 and ,i gave her a   
fierce look4 ,she hesitated a moment2   
then1 with her eyes on the ground1 she  
stammered1 ,i do not know--,i have been 
asleep--,i have heard nothing4  ,well1  
,i know more about it than you1 said the
 agent4 ,some peasants have assured me  

that the ,girondins came in here1 that  
they have passed the night here1 and    
that they are here still4 ,is it true8  
,we all were silent4  ,now just think   
well about it1 citoyennes4 ,you know    
what you are exposing yourselves to by  
hiding these traitors8  ,it was         
terrifying to be thus questioned in the 
midst of men who were watching us       
closely1 and whose looks seemed to      
pierce our very souls4 ,i felt that     
,madame ,marchal was giving way1 that   
all was lost4 ,her lips moved1 she was  
about to speak4 ,i did not give her the 
time to do so1 and putting a bold face  
on the matter1 ,i replied3  ,since you  
doubt us1 citoyen1 search the place4 ,i 
will lead you wherever you like4  ,he   
hesitated1 thrown off the scent by my   
effrontery1 and ,i thought he was going 
to give up all idea of pursuit1 when a  
voice cried1 ,it is my opinion that if  
any little plot has been contrived1 it  
has been done up there4  ,a soldier1    
doubtless the one who had woke up in the

 night1 pointed with an evil look to the
 ledge and the granary door4 ,all eyes  
were raised1 and my legs trembled under 
me4 ,i thought of the unfortunate men   
who were behind that door1 without      
weapons1 without any possible means of  
defence1 listening to what was said4 ,i 
cursed myself for having yielded to     
their prayer1 and having sheltered them4
 ,outside they would have been in just  
as great danger1 but it would not have  
been my fault4 ,they could have fought1 
run away1 anything2 but there they were 
through my fault6 ,it was horrible1 and 
,i thought ,i should go mad4  ,after    
questioning the soldier--oh1 ,i could   
have killed him1 the wretch6--the agent 
turned towards me4  ,well1 citoyenne1 as
 you propose it1 you shall act as our   
guide4 ,lead us to that door up there2  
it's a granary1 ,i suppose8  ,i nodded4 
,i could not speak1 my throat was too   
dry4  ,a few men follow me6 ,on6  ,that 
was a most terrible moment1 my child4 ,i
 had to summon all my strength to keep  

from swooning4 ,i drew myself up1       
however1 and went towards the stair-case
 which led to the ledge1 that stair-case
 which ,i had ascended with the         
fugitives a few hours before4 ,the agent
 came next1 then the captain and several
 soldiers4  ,what could ,i hope for in  
obeying the order8 ,it would require a  
miracle to save the ,girondins4 ,but ,i 
had fought it out to that point1 and ,i 
would fight it out to the end4 ,and1    
frankly speaking1 ,i scarcely knew what 
,i was doing1 ,i was acting             
unconsciously--,i had been told to go   
there1 and ,i was going1 that's all6  ,i
 soon reached the ledge1 the agent      
following painfully on account of his   
corpulence4 ,he seemed1 moreover1 very  
clumsy1 and his fat body embarrassed him
 much4 ,when he reached the top of the  
staircase and saw the ledge1 on which ,i
 had already advanced a step or two1 he 
hesitated4  ,oh6 oh6 it is very narrow6 
he murmured4  ,then he saw that all the 
soldiers were looking at him from below1

 and1 stung by their looks1 he followed 
me slowly1 supporting himself against   
the wall1 stepping with infinite        
caution4 ,really1 if the situation had  
not been so dreadful it would have been 
grotesque4  ,illustration3 ,,look6      
,,spiders ,,webs6  ,two questions swam  
in my head4 ,what should ,i do8 ,should 
,i run rapidly forward and join the     
unfortunate men and die with them8 ,or  
should ,i throw myself down on the      
stones and kill myself8  ,still1 ,i went
 on slowly1 slowly1 expecting every     
minute to see the door shut by the poor 
fellows as a frail and useless obstacle 
to a certain capture2 and ,i was so     
interested in their fate that ,i forgot 
my own danger4  ,we had reached the     
centre of the ledge when suddenly the   
agent stopped1 and1 turning towards     
those who followed1 said3 ,look6        
spiders' webs6 and he pointed to the    
entrance of the granary4  ,and1 in fact1
 by a providential chance1 a large      
spider's web1 torn when ,i opened the   

door1 had remained hanging on the       
woodwork2 and the insect had1 during the
 few hours of the night1 partly repaired
 the damage4 ,the fresh threads crossed 
the whole space of the opening1 and     
nobody could imagine for a moment that  
men had passed through that space that  
very night without breaking the whole of
 the web4 ,yes1 my child1 a spider1 a   
simple spider1 had done it4 ,but one    
cannot help thinking that the good ,god 
had something to do with it4  ,it is    
useless to go further1 said the agent4  
,between you and me ,i believe the fat  
fellow was not sorry at heart1 for he   
was dreadfully afraid of rolling down   
below1 and pride alone had sustained    
him4  ,there is little need to say more4
 ,the ,girondins were saved1 and ,i with
 them4 ,the agent went off1 followed by 
his hussars2 and the other soldiers     
marched away soon afterwards4  ,as soon 
as the chapel was empty ,i ran to the   
granary4 ,it is not necessary to tell   
you with what protestations of gratitude

 ,i was received4 ,one second more1 and1
 as ,i had expected1 they would have    
shut the door1 which would have been    
fatal2 but ,providence willed it        
otherwise4  ,we gave them something to  
eat1 and they remained all the day with 
us2 for it would have been imprudent to 
have left before night4 ,when night came
 they left us1 after having thanked me  
much more than ,i deserved4 ,i had done 
my duty--nothing more4  ,we followed    
them with our eyes upon the road as long
 as we could4 ,then they disappeared in 
the darkness4  ,did they escape8 ,were  
they discovered1 and killed on their    
way8 ,i have never heard4 ,but ,i have  
rejoiced all my life that ,i1 delicate  
as ,i am1 was able to go through so much
 without breaking down4 ,madame         
,badouillet and ,madame ,marchal were   
both ill afterwards4  ,and that is my   
story4  ,illustration