the only answer i got was do as i tell you or go toetceterayour own way


one hundred thousand pounds in the funds and seven thousand a year landed property were worth a trial so i booked myself per highflyer coach one frosty morning for cambridge my only solace being an occasional exchange of places with the coachman and the hope of find ing some capital skating on the classic cam waiting my arrival


the steady going hard reading chaps with pale faces and white cotton stockings gave my nerves such a shock that i positively kept two or three terms with such wonderful correctness as to get a grunt of ap proval from my uncle and what was infinitely more serviceable at all events more pleasant an increased allowance


i remember the time remarked frank and although not looked upon as a hard reader your natural talent and quickness always led us to believe that to use a college term you would cut up well


ne crede


frank


and yet youre right


cut up


i was cut up root and branch not a bit of me left big enough to make a match with


how did this happen enquired frank feeling his interest growing stronger in the story as the narrators position seemed to be not entirely dissimilar to his own while his coun tenance wore a deeper shade of thoughtfulness


you shall hear


but dont look lugubrious old fellow


i never admired the tristia


one sweet spring morning as old nick would have it for i presume that venerable bit of sable is at the bottom of all mischief thoughts of london came into my head


the roads were in beauti ful ordermy horses wanted an airingand in fact everything was propitiously inclined for tandemizing to the metropolis


off was the word and i ran up tiger accompanied in first rate style went to the opera spun round at the casino turned in at the coalhole and at four am turned into bed at my hotel bond street


capital place had a piquant breakfast at twelve washed down with hock and seltzer and set out for a reinvigorating westend drive


i was turning down the haymarket when to my inexpressible horror and consternation what should i see crossing to meet me but my dragon of a relativemy venerable uncle


to escape was impossible two market carts in front and a coal waggon behind jammed me up like a sack of wheat in a granary and i mentally gave up all hopes of my reversionary interest in the one hundred thousand ready and the seven thousand per annum


i had only one chance leftto brazen it out


up he came hissing hot like a steam engine


can i believe my eyes


harrythe studentcambridgein londontandem too


what the devil do you do here sir


i looked right and left as if it was impossible he could be addressing me


oh you dont know me your own uncle


what in the name of common sensebut youve lost that do you do here


why ant you at cambridge sirrah


at cambridge sir said i at cambridge sir he repeated mimicking my af fected astonishment inimitably why i sup pose you never were there


this is your hard reading this is the way the old fools money goes is it


really sir said i with as cool a look as i could muster up i have not the honour of your acquaintance


you certainly have the advantage of me i never set eyes on you before


l saw the storm coming frank but as his rage prevented him speaking i had time to administer the coup de grace


make no apologies sir they are unnecessary


your next rencontre will i hope be more fortunate though finding your country cousin in london is like looking for a needle in a bundle of hay


good bye old square toes


the carts in front moved on and allowed me the opportunity of moving off which i embraced very quickly and left my uncle standing on the pavement in a perfect paroxysm of rage


i know the old gentlemans obstinacy too well to suppose he would allow dirt to be thrown in his eyes persian fashion and that he would be down at the seat of classic knowledge as fast as post horses could carry him was as certain as that i must he there before him or cut off with a shilling


back i dashed to college with that peculiar species of care which horace places behind the horseman


and what a journey


a heavy rain had fallen in the night and the roads were wretched the traces broketurnpike gates were shutdroves of sheep and carts im peded my progress but in spite of all these obstacles i reached the college in less than six hours


i had just time to slip into my aca demic costumegive instructions to my porter strew my books about in learned confusion and put on a wornout air though by the way frank that was natural at the moment when my uncle drove up to the gate


porter i want to see mr mordaunt said he is he in his rooms


yes sir saw him take a load of books in just now


ah in deed reads hard no doubt


certainly sir said my william wearing himself to death sir never stirs out for necessary exercise sir


you scoundrel cried the irate old gentleman how dare you


you know hes not in col lege


not in college


as i hope


none of your hopes or fears for me


show me his rooms


if six hours ago i did not see him in londonsee himhes seen nearly the last of me


he had now reached my rooms and never shall i forget his look of astonishmentof amazement bordering on incredulity when i calmly came forward and welcomed him to cam bridge


he told me the whole story of meeting a scoundrel in the haymarket as like me as one pea was to another who disowned him and passed a joke upon him


the old gentleman talked himself into admirable humour and affairs were getting on swimmingly when my unlucky fate gained the ascendant


my infernal tiger frank never keep a tiger unless you cut his claws bustled into the room before i was aware and handing me a purse said please sir you left this in the tandem today


it was all over my uncle bounded up like a cracker and flew off like a skyrocket


i had nothing left but to stripe the tiger which i did till his howls be came so unbearable i was forced to kick him out of my den


and did you never see your uncle again enquired frank


not a vestige of him


the following morning while i was looking at the fire and fancying all sorts of grim visages were scowling at me a paper missive was put into my hands


it ran thusyou graceless scamp no more college expences london debauchery and tandem driving out of my pocket


as i find you are not flt for the woolsack go to the devil was scratch ed out australia and fit yourself for the wool pack


a cheque for five hundred pounds will enable you to do the latter and i only consider it a cheap way of getting rid of a dear bargain


old squaretoes


and you took him at his word said frank


of course


packed up my traps marched forth without beat of drum and on reaching london found the infernal newspaper chaps had got hold of the story and that in all probability i should find myself immortalized by appearing in them first and afterwards be dished up in a dramatic form for the benefit of pleasure hun ters


nice treat


on monday will be produced at the lyceum theatre a new farce called uncle and nephew or the plucked student


spoony mordaunt by mr charles matthews


capital joke no doubt but i couldnt stand it


so i turned my back on the white cliffs of albion andhere i am


yet surely he will relent nor let the com mittal of a venial offence bar all passage to his better feelings remarked frank


relent


oh yes when i become chief justice here or tumble over a gold mine or meet with any extraordinary slice of luck which will render his pecuniary aid a matter of little importance


but after all im sorry the thing happened as i think the old fellow really liked me and he certainly did me many a kind turn when i had none to help me


this thought often haunts me and i fancy myself a most ungrate ful scamp


but added he gaily lets have your story


have you dined though


no replied frank when i fortunately met you i had only left the vessel in which i ar rived yesterday in search of some place where my sister fanny and myself may sojourn for a time in this land of strangers


fanny exclaimed harry in high glee


what


the llttle blue eyed girl with auburn ringlets white book muslin frock and pink sash whom i danced with and made desperate love to five years ago


the same replied frank mournfully and yet how different


the gay child is changed into a sad and sorrowing woman the springtide which opened so fairly has already experienced the cold and bitter hand of winter


we have both suffered deeplypainfully


mordaunt glanced at the mourning suit of his friend and gathered from that a portion of his tale


with the consideration which is the marked characteristic of a sensitive mind he forbore any further questioning upon a point which might renew sad recollections or reopen a wound imperfectly healed


leaving time to develope the remainder of the story he proffered his services to find out the needed domicile and invited frank to dine with him


frank gladly accepted the offer being anxious to acquire some knowledge of sydney society and the cus toms of the colony


tftus from a fife drama by the authoress of gertrude chapter i the world is full of cares whereer we tread from pole to pole the selfsame cares are spread


i do not take up my pen to write my life todetail the events of each day or eten of each year there will be lapses of ma years the occurrences of which i shall suffer to fall into oblivion they have their record in my own heart but they are made up of trifles


yet are there trifles


do not great events spring from minor ones as the grandest building rises stone by stone


my motherhow naturally that idea first presents itself in retrospec tively viewing the pastmy mother was a woman of great natural endow ments and descended from an ancient and once influential family but a fall ing race to those of her generation had descended only the remembrance of greatness and power and a high mid noble mind


my father was a genius in the truest sense of the word


to him knowledge ajpeaed intuitive effects were produced wit lout exertion or application


alas


too early his abilities were noticed and wrought his ruin


they who professed to be his friends led him from his home and familythe wife of the literary man is in a great measure overlooked and my mother while she rejoiced in her husbands triumphs and gloried in his rare abilities found her home desolate


dinners evening parties picnics claimed his attention he neglected the employment of literature and he had no private fortune


poverty crept into his deserted home while he was the courted and flattered of the great and wealthy


the choicest of wines always were freely circulated at these meetings and as my father tasted them and warming into excitement bound every ones attention by his eloquence he forgot all things but his triumphs the narrow boundary of moderation was overstepped and a few years found hm a wretched and deserted drunkard


they who had led him on to ruin forsook him


his mind was vitiated his talents cor rupted coarse satire or imbecile wit had usurped the place of his former brilliant conversational powers and polite society passed him by and


for got his existence with an exclamation of poor fellow


he was a matt of great promise it is a pity he forgot himself so


i reached eighteen and saw the sod which had been spread over a heartbroken mother disturbed to admit the remains of the prematurely aged victim of intemperance


the parish authorities had buried him and i stood pensive and alone


for years i had supported myself by my needle going from house to house to work for the neighbouring gentry


in the nurseries where i had sat working i had gleaned from the lessons of the children much informa tion which with the instructions of my mother and my own unceasing application had secured to me an education far beyond my ostensible station in society


i was pronounced j a strange girl no one understood me j or sought to do so


i was silent re served and morbidly sensitive


there would be breaks i said in my lifes history such a one now occurs and i resume my narrative a year subsequently


i had left eng land and voyaged to australia and now on a warm december evening was approaching the residence of my paternal uncle lieutenant varden


my letter written from sydney to an nounce myself as one of the three hundred emigrants on board of the wanderer had been replied to by an invitation to become the guest of my uncle and ly a cheque the meajis were furnished to perform the journey paxtly by mail but towards the latter part i had been met by my relative and now on that december evening was seated by his side in his gig


we had been silent for some time my whole attention was riveted upon the being who should arbitrate between me and fateno not fate that is the idea of the heathen but whom provi dence had suffered to be the instrument


of either sorrow or comfort


i had now travelled with him for two days and had sought to trace a resemblance to his brother either such as i remem bered him in years long past or latterly but he was totally unlike the elegant lithe figure of the one was replaced in the other by a sturdy and portly build the delicate features and dark eye flashing with constantly changing images and emotions like the coruscations of light were utterly wanting


the hair on the brow was long and grey imparting a heavy and severe expression to the countenance and the skin was florid and weather beaten his manner was bluff yet kindly


we were already upon lieutenant yardens property and he now broke the silence to saypointing before us that etheline is my house there wheye the trees are i looked in the direction


the part of the country was not heavily timbered and a plain of some miles extended before us the trees he indi cated were at the further extremity and a thin column of blue smoke marked the situation of the dwelling


i had not spoken


are you not pleased to be at your journeys end


you are going home you know you must fill poor marys place the boys and i have been in sad want of a little petticoat govern ment i suspect he laughed and i returned a low thank you in reply to his remark about its being my home


it might be


my residence but i had already felt that in the life of the mind and spirit we must always remain strangers


the short space was soon traversed the horse knew that his stable was near and pressed forward and we stood before a long low wooden building little beyond a hut in archi tective character excepting in its superior size


the rooms did not communicate with each otier but opened by a door on to the grassless space in front of the cottage


the small windows each contained four panes of glass and the bark on the roof was kept in its place by means of heavy logs slung across the roof by strips of raw hide


within there was some good furniture which from rough rather than long use was shabby and broken


in the principal room we found the lieutenants eldest son


he was no boy but at least eightandtwenty


he received me with politeness and cordiality and i read at once that his mind was of a different order to his fathers


he was reading when we entered and soon resumed his oc cupation till interrupted by mr var dens making some inquiries respecting a trial and from his replies i learned that the lieutenant and his son were magistrates


where is prince suddenly demanded the old man


he was a witness and i left him at whites an expression of disgust spread over his features and the other swore a practice to which he was addicted


but miss varden is fatigued


hannah


my cousin called the domestic and bade her conduct me to the room prepared for me


for some days all was novelty but the human studies chiefly inter ested me


prince was some six years his brothers junior and totally unlike him his head and face were large and heavy his figure thin and even aged looking and his manners mingled doggishness and weakness


i yet wanted the clue to fathom aright his emaciated appearance and peculiar temper


i shrunk in spirit from him with loathing but he made more at tempts to entertain me than the others


my uncle told me i was at home


he told the servants that i was to be mistress and he gave me the keys and then left me to find my own amusements and joys


he was however kind to me and treated me as if i was an old inmate of his dwelling and had grown up there


angas was an enigma to me


he was saluted as the master his father as the old master the other simply as prince


he spoke little but what he did say evinced a mind of great power and careful cultivation


he spent his leisure hours in his own room where he had shelves filled with books and much of his time was devoted to his duties


as a magis trate he exerted considerable influence in the district and was universally respected


his manners were suffi ciently cold to be austere and reserved to be peculiar


our visitors were few chiefly gentlemen two or three ladies who resided on the stations near came to see me


i was no beauty and i knew that my visitors would pronounce me such however their attentions pleased me and i erinced my satisfaction


they had lived many years remote from the worldits ordinary topics of conversation were strange to them dress parties concerts were themes unknown and thrown more on their mental resources i found some had benefited but i was yet too perfectly strange to be really interested in their anecdotes of persons i had never seen nor heard of or of public affairs in a country yet to me unknown


some spoke to me of their husbands horses and the capabilities of their runs with these i had even less sympathy because my habit of studying human nature gave me an interest in anything where humanity was the theme


life in such localities is peculiar


its many enjoyments i could not partake ofthe sorrows of my childhood had sunk into my soul i was the drunkards child


a heavy cloud had ever rested upon me and eclipsed the sun of pleasurelightly is it said of the intemperate fi he is no ones enemy but his own


he is every ones enemy he ruins not only the fortune but the happiness of all connected with him


a sin against the most high which is patronised among the great and fostered in the halls of the elegant and refined


after the first call i saw no more of these females and as i could not ride on horseback and my uncles gig was out of repair i had no means of leaving home


mrs varden had been dead some years and her sons till their education was completed had been at school near sydney and then with their father at the station


he had not resided there previous to his wifes decease but after that event he had broken up his home given up some trifling government appointments he held and rarely left the cattle run


i have said that the dwelling was rude and humble but it accorded with the life led by its inmates


between visits to the court the post office and the neighbours lieutenant varden passed his days


angas had entered with more energy into public movements and overlooked their own affairs and prince had from his schooldays subsided into the com panion of stockmen


to be continued in our next


chapter vii


a brief chapter introducing a great actor on the worlds stage


love is of rapid growth


those who have fol lowed us through this work will have discovered without the aid of a powerful telescope that harry mordaunt and fanny earle only required further intimacy to ripen an attachment which was already germinated in their hearts


con stant opportunities were afforded them of meet ing in migration lodge and frequently it hap pened that they were left alone


then it was they spoke of the past and the future on the present they dared not touch


if the subject were accidentally mentioned timidity and irre solutions stole over both the surest sign of the state of their feelings and that mysterious free masonry which invariably discloses lovers se crets to each other showed them their relative positions


yet neither had breathed a word of love


mordaunt though impetuous was gene rous and highminded and he restrained himself from declaring an attachment until he was en abled to place fanny above the frowns of the world nor would she all ioving and gentle howsoever have consented to become a clog upon him or embarrass his career in life


thus stood matters between them when kitely volunteered his services to place mor daunt in a position to join an expedition which was about to proceed to the golden regions


she loves him soliloquized kitely there fore i hate him


he is an impediment and must be removed


the brother is already mine to be crushed at leisure


if i mistake not and seldom do i err in reading character this young spark may be as easily extinguished


a little birdlime and he is caught at once


he has principle virtue honourfaugh


how one sickens at the terms


well i can ape them and it will require a keener eye than his to de tect the spurious coin


a little money and he is under the thumbhawk kitelys thumb


a curdling smile crept over his countenance there is a deadly pressure it many a bank rupt fortune and broken heart could be evi dence of this


so well did the designing man play his cards that mordaunt accepted a sum of money from him sufficient to enable him to move one stage on the road to fortune and for which he in sisted upon giving kitely certain promises to pay although the latter asserted his strong dis inclination to receive them


he was perfectly satisfied with mr mordaunts word he could not suspect mr mordaunts honour harry de clined to borrow the money upon any other terms and so the bills were given and carefully placed amongst innumerable paper securities in the iron chest of hawk kitely esq


oh could that iron chest have spoken what tales could it not have told of the iron heart of its master


what histories of scattered families and deso late homes of ruined hopes and blighted hap piness


within it rang the iast cry of the suicidethe scream of the widowthe faint moan of the orphan


but man of self reckless remorseless ruthlessthere is a day of reckon ing yet to comethe skeleton shall hung in thy earthly mansion and remember ere it be too late there is anhereafter


mordaunt did not lose a moment in making his preparations he had been metamorphosed by the magical wand of love from the gay and thoughtless pleasure seeker into the business man


while standing in georgestreet en gaged in jotting down certain memoranda in his pocketbook respecting purchases just com pleted he felt a hand placed upon his shoulder


turning hastily round he saw a gentleman dressed in a brown surtout coat relieved by a showy satin waistcoat hung about with massive gold chains


his fingers were covered with huge rings framed out of the same costly metal and under his arm was a gigantic faded sun burnt cotton umbrella which when spread might almost have furnished a tent for the army of xerxes


this person had small eyes pig eyes if the term may be used but they were restless and piercing they appeared to look all round you and through you at the same time and yet if you gazed at them they retired beneath their llds and shrank from scrutiny


good morning mr kephipps blandly in sinuated the gentleman from london i pre ume not long i see i trust all the family are in excellent health quite salubrious eh there must be some mistake replied mor daunt t my name is not i know it sir smith it is a most honor able name excellent family sir harrysmith for instance the great military commander sad affair that at the cape though but sir all great men must expect reverses the wheel of fortune is continually turning round


but my name is not smith said harry somewhat impatiently it is mordaunt


of course


i knew that all along it was merely a joke of mine


how are you mr mor dan


your father lives in the city road lon don capital pencil maker mordans superla tives warranted never to wear out you see i pa tronize the firm


the gentleman pulled out of his pocket several pencil cases bearing the stamp of that celebrated name


in case you are not furnished with these valuable articles allow me to suggest one for your waistcoat pocket i guarantee it to write of itself and pick your teeth after meals it is constructed upon the purely selfacting principle and its mark defies all the indiarubber of the world except this


and here the gentleman pro duced from another pocket a sample of the only mordan lead eradication


pray sir how am i to address you


en quired mordaunt coolly


as semble the great semble


few men like me i flatter myself


you dont require these articles i see


i do not mr semble all i require is just so


here it is sira bottle of the ni tropyroligneo cephalic disinfected mercurio anthropophaginic succeedaneum neversaydie fluid warranted to cure all disorders from the toe to the occiput


have you such a thing as a tight boot about you


if so try it


i have a boot said harry and a strong inclination at the present moment to apply it


dont trouble yourself sir dr abernethy in his valuable work th edition page re marks that raising the foot too high is quite as dangerous as raising the hand to the mouth too often


you understand sir


in understanding i certainly do not consider myself your match


my match


my matches you should say


no no sir they are unmatchable


you take the joke


i see by your smile you do


take a box only twelvepence only one shilling


great allowance made for a gross


but i shall not make an allowance for your gross insult mr semble and therefore if you do not instantly depart i shall decidedly give your nasal organ a ring


now sir said mr semble in a most kindly and confidential manner i can put you up to a wrinkle


i have here you see a most splendid ring made out of the great puzzlehowtofinditout creek nugget weighed seven tons pure with the exception of three grains of quartz


only ten guineasa real bargain but mind sir and here mr semble looked round as if to ascertain whether any eavesdropper was near dont men tion the price his excellency the governor general offered me double the amount sir but i rejected it we are opposed in principle sir diametrically opposed sir and as cocker says in his wonderful work upon arithmetic a man without principal cannot expect to gain interest


you catch the idea sir


mr semble said mordaunt calmly i have listened to you very attentively i have in fact much against my inclination been chained to the spot for chained to the spot sir


you shall be chained on the spot


look at this article


mr semble placed in mordaunts hands a set of glittering links about the size of a chain cable and tell me if tippoo saib the autocrat of all the russians or the stupendous greenland bear ever wore such a chain


no sir certainly not and yet i am so prepossessed in your favorso struck with your looksyour manner the human soul divine excuse the quotation


so darting from your eyes that i cannot forbear presenting it to you for for for what enquired mordaunt


fourteen pounds nineteen shillings and eleven pence three farthings and i will give you a receipt for the money drawn out and signed with one of your reverend relatives pa tent pencils


take it sir and farewell


i thank you mr semble rejoined harry returning the article with a smile for he began to see through the inimitable actor and as i am in a hurry will you allow me to say good bye


not until you buy it is not my custom to lose a customer


confound it said harry give me a bottle of your infernal pyroligneous brimstone and treacle stuff or a bundle of matches and let me off


off off said the stranger here sir is a bottle of the invaluable necromantic antedilu vial demoniac price seven and six and a box of lucifers chucked in as it were


thank you mr mordan


sold again and got the money


and now sir in return for your kind and conde scending patronage allow me to give you one piece of advice


i thankyou sirwhat is it


at present a secret said mr semble im portantly


well sir the secret you are cravingyou have an appetite for it remarked mr semble inquiringly


i have


never buy tripe on a friday


ah


hem


ha


ahem


ah rejoined mr semble majestically and as majestically stalked away


to be continued


barnab rudge


o


cllapter xlix


sthe mob had been divided from its first assem


blage into four divisions the london


the west minster thesouthwark and the scotch


each of these divisions being subdivided into various bodies and these bodies drawn up in various forms and figures the general narangement was except to the few chiefs and leaders as unintelligible as the plan of a great battle to the meanest soldier in the field


it was not without its method however for in a very short space of time pfter being put in motion the crowd had resolved itself into three great parties and were prepared as had been arranged to cross the river by different bridges and make for the house of commons in separate detachments


at the head of that division which had wvest minster bridge for its approach to the scene of action lord george gordon took his post with gashford at his right hand and sundry ruffians of most un promising appearance forming a kind of staff about im


the conduct of a second party whose route lay by blackfriars was entrusted to a committee of management including perhaps a dozen men while the third which was to go by london bridge and through the main streets in order that their numbers and their serious intentions might be the better known and appreciated by the citizens were led by simon tappertit assisted by a few subalterns selected from the brotherhood of the united bull dogs dennis the hangman hugh and some others


the word of command being given each of these great bodies took the road assigned to it and departed on its way in perfect order and profound silence


that whlich went through the city greatly exceeded the others in number and was of such prodigious etxent that when the rear began to move the front was nearly four miles in advanceiwithstsnding that the men marched three abreastand folloed very close upon each other


i h n athlnsn f ryrth


t the ulace where him and walking between that dangei


o ompanion and the hangman went barnoby


asmany a man among the thousands who looked on that day after


wards remembered well


forgetful of other things in tihe ecstacy of tilhe moment his face flushed and his eyes sparkling with delight heedless of the great banner he carred and mindlul only of its flashing in the sun and rustling in the summer breeze on lie went proud happy elated past all telling theonly light hearted undesigning creature in the whole assembly


what do you think of this asked hugh as they passed through the crowded streets and looked up at the windows which were thronged withspec tators


they have all turned out to see our flags aind streamers


eh barnaby


why barnabvs the greatest man of all the pack i li flags ile largest of the lot the brightest too


theres nothing iu the show like barnaby


all eyes are turned on him


ha hisa hat


dont make that din brother growled the hangman glancing with no very approving eyes at itarnaby as lie spoke


i hope he dont think theres nothing to be done but carrying that there piece of blue rag like a boy at a breaking up


youre ready for action i hope elh


you i mean he oadded nudgongbarnaby roughly with his elbow


what are you staring at


why dont you speak


barnaby hlad been gazing at his flag and looked vacantly from his questioner to hugh


lie dont understand your way said the latter


hile ill explain it to him


barnaby old boy attend to me


ill attend said barnaby looking anxiously round but i wish i could see her somewhere


see who demanded dennis in a gruff tone


you ant in love i hope brother


that ant the sort of thing for us you know


wve


musnt have no love here


she would be proud indeed to see me noweh hugh said barnaby


woeldnt it make her glad to see me at the head of this large show


shed cry with joy i knowshe would


where can she be


she never sees me at my best and what do i care to be gay and fine if shes not by


why what palavers this asked mr dennis with supreme disdain


we ant got no sentimen tal members among us i hope


dont be uneasy brother cried hugh li hes only talking of his mother


of his what said mr dennis with a strong oath


his nother


oand have i combined myself with this here sec tion and turned out on this here memorable day to hear men talk abouttheir motlhers i growled mr dennis with extreme disgust


tie notion of a imans sweethearts bad enough but a mans motherl and here his disgust was so extreme that he spat upon the ground and could say do more


barnabys right cried hugh with a grina and i say it


lookee bold lad


if shes not here to see its because i have provided for her and sent half adozen gentlemen every one of em with a blue flag bit not half as fine as yours to take tier in state to a grand house all hung round with gold atd silver banners and everything else you please where shell wait till you come and want for nothing


ay i said barnaby hias face beaming with delight have you indeed


thats a good hearing


lhats fine i kind hugh i but nothing to what will come bless you retorted hugh with a wink at dennis whou regarded his now companion in arms with great astonish meot


no indeed cried barnaby


nothing at all said hughi


money cocked hats and feathers red coats and gold lace allthe fine things there are ever were or will be will belong to us if we are true to that noble gentleman the best man in the worldcarry our flags for a few days and keep em safe


thats all weve got to do


is that all cried barnaby with glistening eyes as lie clutched tihe pole the tighter i war rant you i keep this one safe tllen


you have put it in good hands


you know me hugh


nobody shall wrest this flag away


well said cried hugh


ha ha


nobly said i tlhats the old stout barnaby that i have climbed and leaped with many and many a dayi knew i was not mistaken in barnaby


dont you see man he added in a whisper as lie slipped to the other side of dennis that the lads a natural and can be got to do anything if you take hitt right way letting alone the fun he is heswi a dozen men in earnest as youd find if youtlh fall witll him


leave him to me


you shall soon see ewhletler lies of use or not


smr i


dennis received these explanatory remarks with many nods and winks and softened his behavi our towards barnaby from that moment


hugh slaying his foinger on ilis nose stepped back into his former place and they proceeded in silence


it was between two and three oclock in the ifternoon when the three great parties met in west minster and uniting into one huge mass raised a tremeridois shoot


this was not only done in tokan of tlieir presence but as t signal to those on whomil


the task devolved that it was time to take polssessilon of tihe lobbies of both houses and of theylvariousavenuesof approach and of the gallery siire


io the lasstnamed place hugh and dennis still with their pupil between them rushed straight way barnaby having given his flag into the hands of one of their own party who kept them at the outer door


their folldwers pressing on from behind they were borne as on a great wave to the very doors of the gallery whence it was impossible to retreat even if they had been so inclined by reason of the throng which choked up the passages


it is a amiliar es pression in describing a great crowd that a person might have walked upon the peoples heads


in this case it was actually done for a boy who had by some means got among the concourse and was in immninent danger of suffocation climbed to the shoulders of a man beside him and walked upon the peoples hats anid headsi into the open street traversing in his passage the whole length oftwo staircases antd a long gallery


nor was the swarm without less dense for a basket which had been efossed into the crowd was jerked fromthead to head and shoulder to shoulder and went spinning oand swwhirling on above tlhem until it was lostl to view wilthout ever once falling in among them or coming snear the ground


lthrough this vast throng sprinkledl doubtless liere and there with honest zealots but composed for themosl part of the very scum and refuse of london whose growth was fostetered by bad criminal inws bad prison regulations and the worst con scelivable police suchi of the members of both houses of parliament as had not taken the precaution to be shlready at their posts were compelled to fight and force their way


tlheir carriages were slopped soand broken the wheels wrenclhed auf the glasses sih veored to atoms the panels beaten in drivers foot menand masters pulled from their seats and rolled in the mud


lords commoners and reverend bishops with little distinction of person or party were kicked and pinched and hustled passed from hand to hand through various stages of illusage and sent to their fellow senators at last with their clothes hanging in ribands about them their bag


wigs torn off themselves speechless and breathless and their persons covered with the powder which had been cuffed and beaten out of their hair


one lord was so long in the hands of the populace that the peers as a body resolved to sally forth and rescue ihim and were in the act of doing so when he happily appeared among them covered with dirt and bruises and hardly to be recognized by those who knew him best


the noise and uproar were on the increase every moment


the air was filled with execrations lboots and howlings


the mob raged and roared like a mad monster as it was unceas ingly and each new outrage served to swell its fury


to be continued


barnaby rudge


o chapter liv


rumours of the prevailing disturbances had by this time begun to be pretty generally circulated through the towns and villages round london and the tidings were everywhere received with that appetite for the marvellous and love of the terrible which have probably been among the natural characteristics of mankind since the creation of the world


these accounts however appeared to many persons at that day as they would to us at the pre sent but that we know them to be matter of history so monstrous and improbable that a great number of those who were resident at a distance and who were credulous enough on other points were really unable to bring their minds to believe that such things could be and rejected the intelligence they received on all hands as wholly fabulous and absurd


mr willetnot so much perhaps on account of his having argued and settled the matter with himself as by reason of his constitutional obstinacy was one of those who positively refused to enter tain the current topic for a moment


on this very evening and perhaps at the very time when gash ford kept his solitary watch old john was so red in the face with perpetually shaking his head in con


tradiction of his three ancient cronies and pot com panions that he was quite a phenomenon to behold and lighted up the maypole porch wherein they sat together like a monstrous carbuncle ih a fairy tale


do you think sir said mr willet looking hard at solomon daisy for it was his custom in cases of personal altercation to fasten upon the smallest man in the partydo you think sir that im a born fool


no no johnny returned solomon looking round upon the little circle of which he formed a parts we all know better than that


youre no fool johnny


no no


mr cobb and mr parkees shook their heads in unison muttering no no johnny not you i but as such compliments had usually the effect of making mr willet rather more dogged than before he surveyed them with a look of deep disdain and returned for answer thlen what do you mean by coming here and telling me that this evening youre a going to walk up to london togetheryou threeyouand have tle evidence of your own senses i ant said mr willet


putting his pipe in his mouth with an air of solemn disgust ant the evidence of my senses enough for you but we havent got it johnny pleaded parkes humbly


you havent got it sir repeated mr willet eyeing him from top to toe


you havent got it sir you have got it sir


dont i tell you that his blessed majesty king george the third would no more stand a rioting and rollicking in his streets than hed stand being crowed over by his own parliament


yes johnny but thats your sense not your senses said the adventurous mr parkes


how do you know retorted john with great dignity


youre a contradicting pretty free you are sir


how do you know which it is


im not aware i ever told you sir


mr parkes finding himself in the position of having got into metaphysics without exactly seeing his way out of them stammered forth an apology and retreated from the argument


there then ensued a silence of some ten minutes or a quarter of an hour at the expiration of which period mr willet was observed to rumble and shake with laughter and presently remarked in reference to his late adversary that he hoped lie had tackled him enough


thereupon messrs cobb and daisy laughed and nodded and parkes was looked upon as thoroughly and effectually put down


do youe suppose if all this was true that mr haredale would he constantly away from home as be is said john after another silence


do you think lie wouldnt be afraid to leave his house with them two young women in it and only a couple of meen or so ay but then you know returned solomon daisy his house is a goodish way out of london and they dosay that the rioters wont go more than two miles or three at farthest off the stones


besides you know some of the catholic gentlefolks have actually sent trinkets and suchlike down here for safety at least so the story goes


the story goes said mr willet testily


yes sir


the story goes that you saw a ghost last march but nobody believes it


well i said solomon rising to divert the attention of his two friends who tittered at this retorts believed or disbelieved its true and true or not if we mean to go to tlondon we must be going at once


so shako hands johnny and good night


i shall shake hands returned the landlord putting his into his pockets with no mattn as goes to london on such nonsensical errands


ithe three cronies were therefore reduced to the necessity of shakidg his elbows having performed that ceremony and brought from the house their hats std sticks and great coats they bade him good night and departed promising to bring on tile nmosrow full and true accounts ef the real state of the city and if it were quiet to give him the full merit of his victory


john willet looked after ther as they plodded along thle road in the rich glow of a summer evening and knocking the ashes out of his pipe laughed inwardly at their folly until his sides were sure


wvhen he had quite exhlaustled himselftwhich took some time for he laughed as slowly as ihe thought and spokehe sat himself comfortably with his back to the house put his legs upon the bench then big apron over iis face and fell sound asleep


how long he slept matters not but it was for no brief auace for when he awoke the rich light had faded the sombre buss of night were falling fast upon the landscape and a few bright stars were already twinkling over head


the birds were all at roost the daisies on the green hiad closed their fairy hooeds the honeysuckle twining round the porch exhaled its perfume in a twofold degree as though it lost its coyness at that silent time and loved to shed its fragrance on the night the ivy searcely stirred its deep green leaves


how tranquil and how beautiful it was


i was there no sound in thle air besides the gentle rustling of the trees and thle grasshoppers merry chirp


hark i someth ng very faint and distant and not unlike the murmuring in a sea shell now it grew louder fainter now and now it altogether died away


presently it came again subsided came once more grew louder fainter swelled into a roar


it was on the road ad varied with its windings all at once it burst with a distinct sound the voices and the tramping feet of many men


it is questionable whether old john willet even then would have thought of the rioters but for the cries of his cook and housemaid who ran scream


ing up stairs and locked themselves intoone of the old garrets shrieking dismally when they had done so by way of rendering their place of refuge per fiectly secret and secure


tlhese two females did afterwards depone that mr willet in his conster nation uttered but one word and called that up the stairs in a stentorian voice six distinct times


but as this word was a monosyllable which however inoffensive when applied to the quadruped it denotes is highly reprehensible when used in connection with females of unimpeachable character many persons were inclined to believe that the young women laboured under some hallucination caused by excessive fear and that their ears deceived them


be this as it may john willet in whom the very uttermost extent of dullheaded perplexity supplied the place of courage stationed himself in the porch and waited for their coming up


once it dimly occursed to him that there wasa kind of door to the house which had a lock and bolts and at the same time some shadowy idea of shutters to the lower windows flitted through his brain


but he stood stock still looking down the road in the direction in which the noise was rapidly advancing and did not so much as take his hands out of his pockets


hie had not to wait long


a dark mass looming through a cloud of dust soon became visible the mob quickened their pace shouting and whooping like savages they came rushing on pellmell and in a few seconds he was bandied from hand to hand in the heart of a crowd of men


halloa i cried a voice he knew as the man who spoke came cleaving through the throng


where is he


give him to me


dont hurt him


how now old jack


ha ha ha


mlr


willet looked at him and saw it was hugh but he said nothing and thought nothing


these lads are thristy and must drink i cried hugh thrusting him back towards the house


bustle jack bustle


show us the best the very best the overproof that you keep for your own drinking jack i john faintly articulated tihe words whos to pay


he says whos to pay i cried hugh with a roar of laughter which was loudly echoed by the crowd


then turning to john he added pay i why nobody


john stared round at the mass of faces some grin ning some fierce some lighted up by torches some indistinct some dusky and shadowy some looking at him some at his house some at each other and while he was as he thought in the very act of doing so found himself without any consciousness of having moved in the bar sitting down in an arm chair and watching the destruction of his property as if it were some queer play or entertainment of an astonishing and stupefying nature but having no reference to himself that he could make out at all


yes here was the bar the bar that the boldest never entered without special invitation the sane tuary the mystery the hallowed ground here it was crammed with men clubs sticks torches and pistols filled with a deafening noise oaths shouts screams hootings changed all at once into a bear garden a madhouse an infernal temple men dart


ing in and out by door and window smashing the glass turning the taps drinking liquor out of china punchbowls sitting astride of casks smoking private and personal pipes cutting down the sacred grove of lemons hacking and hewing at the celebrated cheese breaking open inviolable drawers putting things into their pockets which didnt belong to them dividing his own money before his own eyes wantonly wasting breaking pulling down and tearing up nothing quiet nothing private men everywhere above below overhead in the bedrooms in the kit chenin the yard in the stables clambering inat win dows when there were doors wide open dropping out of windows when the stairs were handy leaping over tihe banisters into chasms of passages new faces and figures presenting themselves every instant some yelling some singing some fighting some breaking glass and crockery some laying the dust with the liquor they couldnt drink some ringing the bells till they pulled them down others beating them with pokers till they beat them into fragments more meit stillmore more moreswarming on like insects noise smoke light darkness frolic anger laughter groans plunder fear and ruin i nearly all the time while john looked on at this bewildering scene hugh kept near him and though he was the loudest wildest most destructive villain there he saved his old masters bones a score of times


nay even when mr tappertit excited by liquor came tup and in assertion of his prerogative politely kicked john willet on the shins hugh bade him return the compliment and if old john had had sufficient presence of mind to understand this whispered direction and to profit by it he might no doubt under hughs protectien have done so with impunity


at length the band began to reassemble outside the house and to call to those within to join them for they were losing time


these murmurs in


creasing and attaining a very high pitch hugh and some of those who yet lingered in the bar and who plainly were the leaders of the troop took counsel together apart as to what was to be done with john to keep him quiet until their chligwell work was over


some proposed to set the itouse on fire and leave himn in it others that he should be reduced to a state of temporary insensibility by knocking on trhe head others thlat ihe should be sworn to sit where he was until tomorrow at thre same hiour others again that he should be gagged and taken off with them under a sullicient guard


all these proposi tions being overruled it was concluded at last to bind hrin in his chair and the word was passed for dennis


lookee here jack i said hugh striding up to hiim were going to tie you hand and foot but otlrerwise you wont be hurt


dye hear jolhn willet looked at another man as if he didnt know which was the speaker and muttered something about an ordinary every sunday at two oclock


you wont be hurt i tell you jackdo you ilear me roared thugh impressing tire assurance upon him bymeans of a heavy blow on the back


hes so dead scared hes woolgatherlng i think


ha ha


i give him a drop of something to drink hiere


lland over one of you


a glass of liquor being passed forward hughl poured the contents down old johns throat


mr wlllet feebly smacked his lips thrust his hand into iis pocket and inquired what was to pay adding as hire looked vacantly round that he believed there was a trifle of broken glass hes out of iis senses for the time its my belief said hugh after shaking him without any visible effect upon his system until his keys rattled in hiis pocket


wheres that dennis


lthe word was again passed and presently mr densnis with a long cord bound about his middle something after the manner of a frlar came hurrying in attended by a bodyguard of half a dozen men come i be alive herel cried hughl stamping his foot upion the ground


make hiastel dennis with a wink and a nod unwound the cord from about his person and raising his eyes to trhe ceiling looked all over it and round the walls and cornice with a curious eye then shook hiis head


move man cant youl i cried hugh with another impatient stamp of his foot


are we to wait here till the cry has gone for ten miles round and our works interrupted i its all very fine talking brother answered dennis stepping towards him but unless and here he whispered in his ear unless we do it over the door it cant be done at all in this here room


what cant hugh demanded


what cant i retorted dennis


why the old man cant


why you werent going to hang him cried hugh


no brother i returned the hangman with a stare


what else


hugh made no answer but snatching the rope from his companions hand proceeded to bind old john himself but his very first move was so bungling asd unskilful that mr dennis entreated almost with tears in his eyes that he might be per mitted to perform the duty


hugh consenting he achieved it in a twinkling


there l he said looking mournfully at john willet who displayed no more emotion in his bonds than he had shown out of them


thats what call pretty and workmanlike


hes quite a picter now


but brother just a word with younow that hes ready trussed as one may say wouldnt it be better for all parties if we was to work him off


it would read uncommon well in the newspapers it would indeed


the public would think a great deal more on us i hugh inferring what his companion meant rather from his gestures titan his technical mode of express


ing himself to which as he was ignorant of ihis calling he wanted the clue rejected this proposition for tlhe second time and gave the word forward i which was echoed by a hundred voices from without


to the warren i shouted dennis as he ran out followed by the rest


a witnesss house my lads i a loud yell followed and the whole throng hur ried off mad for pillage and destruction


lhugh lingered behind for a few moments to stimulate him self with more drink and to set all the taps running a few of which had accidentally been spared then glancing round the despoiled and plundered room through whose shattered window the rioters had thrust the mlaypole itselffor even that had been sawn downlighted a torch clapped the mute and motionless john willet on the back and waving it above his head and uttering a fierce shout hastened after his companions


to be continued


a voyage from sydney to south australia and back again with mems social political agricultural moral and mining


chapter iv


in proceeding to an inspection of the town of adelaide i soon found that i could not do bet ter than rely entirely upon myself


i had not accompanied my companion further than about half way down the street viz to bentham nealess corner or to the exchangefor they are both in one spot when i lost him in a kind of whirlwind of business which plucked him from my side and left me for the rest of the day to my own resources


a very interesting corner is this


take your stand here and you may at any time before noon meet with or easily ascertain the exact whereabout of almost any man of business in the place


here you may learn the latest news from the port or the mines and here also you may almost any morning behold plying his business one of the most interesting of auctioneers burly in his person sound in his lungs and compared with whose general professional demeanour our own stubbsis a decidedly retiring and somewhat nervous character


bentham neales the ade laide auctioneer has always plenty of mining shares to dispose of and if you only buy what he recommends you are a made man


he seems to have dedicated his life towards the advancement of the fortunes and the allevia tion of the poverty of his fellowcreatures


if the sisters of charity were ever to take any brothers into their pious connexion this great and philanthropic man would not be long out of it


nevertheless like every other remarkable character of the same kind who has ever lived the philanthropic howard the good clarkson or the pious wilberforcebentham neales is certainly not properly appreciated in his own country


people have been heard to intimate that he sells mining shares for his own benefit and not merely for the en richment of others and this although he is constantly telling those who resort to him that it is quite indifferent to him whether they take the shares or not


why is it sighed we to ourselves as we stood in this excellent mans auctionroom and heard him pour forth his profuse strains of goodwill towards men that in all time our wretched race have turned upon and persecuted their benefactors


what original diabolical element is it in our vicious nature which thus always impels us to return evil for good


we found we were about as successful in answering these selfquestionings as other moral philosophers had been before us and therefore as we had a good deal of work upon our hands we contented ourselves with determining so far as our own practice went to do justice on all occasions towards a great character and involuntarily sighing to our selves benevolence thy name is bentham neales we pensively walked out of the auction room for the purpose of surveying the town


the capital of south australia is divided into north and south adelaide by a queer looking crack or fissure in the earth with here and there a wet hole in it playfully called the river torrens


in summer it appears that this river is never more than a series of water holes separated by long intervals of the dry bed of the creek or crack but i believe that in winter the holes sometimes combine them selves into a ditch and rush along in such style as to secure for themselves the reputation of a river during all the rest of the year for people had not done speaking of it in this cha racter even when i was there


there is even a tradition in the town that one or two ingenious persons have succeeded in drowning themselves in the torrens and to assist the imaginations of the residents bridges are built over it which however we never used as we found it more convenient to walk straightforward over the nearest dry part which lay in our way


it appeared to me that the colonists did not upon the whole like to hear light or irreverent cri ticism on this unimpressive feature of the landscape for they always spoke of it them selves with respectful gravity a friend dined with us one day who had come over from north adelaide to our inn on the south


on his rising in the evening to depart we pressed his further stay i really cannot said he thank you for you know


i have to cross the water before i can got home


hindleystreet in adelaide is what george street is in sydney the chief business thorough fare


indeed it is almost the only street in which for any considerable distance there are continuous rows of buildings and even here they succeed each other in every variety of size shape and material from the weather boarded cottage up to ambitious attempts at stone and stucco fronted with plate glass and exhibiting here and there faint efforts at archi tectural adornment


in all the other streets the buildings are every now and then in terrupted by considerable spaces of vacant ground as in the less frequented thorough fares of sydney


there are indeed whole squares and streets with scarcely a house in them


whilst taking a pleasant walk as we thought in the suburbs we were suddenly pulled up by a fingerpost which informed us that we were in grote street and grotestreet as per map is about the centre of the town and did not contain that i could see a single brick


building however is going on very rapidly so that the supply of houses is fast adjusting itself to the additional demand arising out of the great num ber of immigrants who are now flocking to the colony


there are not a great number of private houses at adelaide that can bear a comparison with many of the best houses in and in the neighbourhood of sydney but to this re mark the adelaidonians would justly oppose the commentary well but sydney is sixty years old whilst our town can scarcely be called a sixth part of that age


bearing this fact in mind adelaide appears to me to be the more extraordinary growth of the two for there are certainly many good houses fit for a gentlemans family and many more are in course of erection


these are chiefly to be found in north adelaideacross the water the woolloomooloo of the south australian capital although they are by no means con fined to that polite portion of the town


the bank of south australia is quite as handsome a building as any used for a similar purpose in sydney and by the bye is managed by a very gentlemanly and superior man whom we encountered and conversed with mr edward stephens who is extremely active in ad vancing the interests of the colony


there is another banking establishment in the town which you might when off your guard easily take for a lollypop shop or a small store if you were not struck respectful by an announcement thereon painted in long letters a trifle smaller than the building itself that this little fiercelooking bit of red brick wall is nothing less than the bank of aus tralasia


the residence of his excellency governor robe although not yet nearly finished according to the original design stands in a tolerable garden and is a greatly superior house to the one so lately tenanted by the governors of new south wales


the legis lative council chamber on the other hand might be taken for an insolvent methodist chapeltoo trim and prim and uniformly red in its bricks for a barn too mean for a church too demure for a theatre and too melancholy even for a private madhouse


as the sessions had lately commenced i walked to the door this was about three oclock pm and seeing it open and no one to oppose my ad mission i entered and found myself in a most wretched attempt at a lobby which was merely a thin chop cut off from the main building


seeing a narrow staircase to the right and left of this counterfeit lobby i struck up one side at a venture and following it to the top came out upon a small gallery in which was seated one reporter who stared to see me walking in as the audience for besides ourselves not a soul was present in the gal lery


pursuing my investigations and looking down into the body of the house at rather a sharp angle of vision i discovered eight south australian legislatorsbeing the whole legis lative assembly of the provincefour on either side of an official looking table at one end of which sate one a stout and comely looking englishman whom i knew from a portrait i had seen of him to be governor robe


the members governor included were very quiet quiet as conspiratorsand were engaged in passing the clauses of some law apparently adapted from the new south wales impound ing act for regulating the extravagancies of stray cattle in and about the streets of ade laide


one rather lymphatic looking legislator made a drowsy but elaborate exposure of some artful old cow apparently well known about town who had acquired the art of lifting up peoples gate latches with her horn and who seemed to require a clause or two for herself


the members were all colloquial in their style at which however i was by no means sur prised for it certainly is not easy to rise to the oratorical with an audience of eight and one reporter who is calmly cutting lead pencils all the time for the debate which is not to come whilst the governor evidently thought the whole thing as slow as i did


half an hour of this i stood with great perseverance at the end of which time seeing that the house could not go far wrong for i thought i saw a volume of friend callaghans acts lying on the table as a sort of young colonial legis lators vade mecum and therefore creaking my boots as little as possible as i evacuated the gallery in favour of the reporter i once more regained the open air and took to the town


american notes for general circulation


by charles dickens


chapter vi


new york


the beautiful metropolis of america is by no means so clean a city as boston but many of its streets have the same characteristics except that the houses are not quite so freshooloured the signboards not quite so gaudy the gilded letters not quite so golden the bricks not quite so red the stone not quite so white the blinds and area railings not quite so green the knobs and plates upon the street doors not quite so bright and twinkling


there are many byestreets almost as neutral in clean co lours and positive in dirty ones as bye streets in london and there is one quarter commonly called the five points which in respect of filth and wretchedness may be safely backed against seven dials or any other part of famed st giless the great promenade and thoroughfare as most people know is broadway a wide and bustling street which from the battery gardens to its opposite termination in a country road may be four miles long


shall we sit down in an upper floor of the carlton house hotel situated in the best part of this main artery of new york and when we are tired of looking down upon the life below sally forth arminarm and mingle with the stream


warm weather


the sun strikes upon our heads at this open window as though its rays were concentrated through a burningglass but the day is in its zenith and the season an unusual one


was there ever such a sunny street as this broadway


the pavement stones are polished with the tread of feet until they shine again the red bricks of the houses might be yet in the dry hot kilns and the roofs of those omnibuses look as though if water were poured on them they would hiss and smoke and smell like half quenched fires


no stint of omnibuses here


half a dozen have gone by within as many minutes


plenty of hackney cabs and coaches too gigs phaetons large wheeled tilburies and private carriages rather of a clumsy make and not very different from the public vehicles but built for the heavy roads beyond the city pavement


negro coachmen and white in straw hats black hats white hats glazed caps fur caps in coats of drab black brown green blue nankeen striped jean and linen and there in that one instance look while it passes or it will be too late in suits of livery


some southern republican that who puts his blacks in uniform and swells with sultan pomp and power


yonder where that phaeton with the wellclipped pair of grays has stoppedstanding at their heads now is a yorkshire groom who has not been very long in these parts and looks sorrow fully round for a companion pair of top boots which he may traverse the city half a year without meeting


heaven save the ladies how they dress


we have seen more colours in these ten minutes than we should have seen elsewhere in as many days


what various parasols


what rain bow silks and satins


what pinking of thin stockings and pinching of thin shoos and fluttering of ribbons and silk tassels and display of rich cloaks with gaudy hooks and linings


the young gentlemen are fond you see of turning down their shirtcollars and cultivating their whiskers especially under the chin but they cannot approach the ladies in their dress or bearing being to say the truth humanity of quite another sort


byrons of the desk and counter pass on and let us see what kind of men those are behind ye those two labourers in holiday clothes of whom one carries in his hand a crumpled scrap of paper from which he tries to spell out a hard name while the other looks about for it on all the doors and windows


irishmen both


you might know them if they were masked by their longtailed blue coats and bright buttons and their drab trowsers which they wear like men well used to working dresses who are easy in no others


it would be hard to keep your model republics going without the countrymen and countrywomen of those two labourers


for who else would dig and delve and drudge and do domestic work and make canals and roads and execute great lines of internal im provement irishmen both and sorely puzzled too to find out what they seek


let us go down and help them for the love of home and that spirit of liberty which admits of honest service to honest men and honest work for honest bread no matter what it be


thats well


we have got at the right address at last though it is written in strange characters truly and might have been scrawled with the blunt handle of the spade the writer better knows the use of than a pen


their way lies yonder but what business takes them there


they carry savings to hoard up


no


they are brothers those men


one crossed the sea alone and working very hard for one halfyear and living harder saved funds enough to bring the other out


that done they worked together side by side contentedly sharing hard labour and hard living for another term and then their sisters came and then another brother and lastly their old mother


and what now


why the poor old crone is restless in a strange land and yearns to lay her bones she says among her people in the old graveyard at home and so they go to pay her passage back and god help her and them and every simple heart and all who turn to the jerusalem of their younger days and have an altarfire upon the cold hearth of their fathers


this narrow thoroughfare baking and blistering in the sun is wallstreet the stock exchange and lombardstreet of new york


many a rapid fortune has been made in this street and many a no lees rapid ruin


some of these very merchants whom you see hanging about here now have locked up money in their strongboxes like the man in the arabian nights and opening them again have found but withered leaves


below here by the the waterside where the bowsprits of ships stretch across the footway and almost thrust themselves into the windows lie the noble american vessels which have made their packet service the finest in the world


they have brought hither the foreigners who abound in all the streets not perhaps that there are more here than in other commercial cities but else where they have particular haunts and you must find them out were they per vade the town


we must cross broadway again gain ing some refreshment from the heat in the sight of the great blocks of clean ice which are being carried into shops and barrooms and the pineapples and water melons profusely displayed for sale


fine streets of spacious houses here you see


wallstreet has furnished and dismantled many of them very oftenand here a deep green leafy square be sure that is a hospitable house with inmates to be affectionately remembered always where they have the open door and pretty show of plants within and where the child with laughing eyes is peeping out of window at the little dog below


you wonder what may be the use of this tall flagstaff in the bye street with something like li bertys headdress on its top so do i


but there is a passion for tall flagstaffs hereabout and you may see its twin bro ther in five minutes if you have a mind


again across broadway and sopassing from the manycoloured crowd and glitter ing shopsinto another long main street the bowery


a railroad yonder see where two stout horses trot along drawing a score or two of people and a great wooden ark with ease


the stores are poorer here the passengers less gayclothes ready made and meat readycooked are to be bought in these parts and the lively whirl of the carriages is exchanged for the deep rumble of carts and waggons


these signs which are so plentiful in shape like river buoys or small balloons hoisted by cords to poles and dangling there an nounce as you may see by looking up oysters in every style they tempt the hungry most at night for their dull candles glimmering inside illuminate these dainty words and make the mouths of idlers water as they read and linger


what is this dismalfronted pile of bastard egyptian like an enchanters palace in a melodrama


a famous prison called the tombs


shall we go in


so


a long narrow lofty building stove heated as usual with four galleries one above the other going round it and com municating by stairs


between the two sides of each gallery and in its centre a bridge for the great convenience of cross ing


on each at these bridges sits a man dozing or reading or talking to on idle companion


on each tier are two opposite rows of small iron doors


they look like furnace doors but are cold and black as though the fires within had all gone out


some two or three are open and women with drooping heads bent down are talking to the inmates


the whole is lighted by a skylight but it is fast closed and from the roof there dangle limp and drooping two useless windsails


a man with keys appears to show us round


a goodlooking fellow and in his way civil and obliging


are those black doors the cells


yes


are they all full


well theyre pretty nigh full and thats a fact and no two ways about it


those at the bottom are unwholesome surely


why we do only put coloured people inem thats the truth


when do the prisoners take exercise


well they do without it pretty much


do they never walk in the yard considerable seldom


sometimes i suppose well its rare they do


they keep pretty bright without it


but suppose a man were here for a twelvemonth


i know this is only a prison for criminals who are charged with grave offences while they are awaiting their trial or are under remand but the law here affords criminals many means of delay


what with motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment and what not a prisoner might be here for twelve months i take it might he not


well i guess he might


do you mean to say that in all that time he would never come out at that little iron door for exercise he might walk some perhapsnot much


will you open one of the doors


all if you like


the fastenings jar and rattle and one of the doors turns slowly on its hinges


let us look in


a small bare cell into which the light enters through a high chink in the wall


there is a rude means of washing a table and a bedstead


upon the latter sits a man of sixty reading


he looks up for a moment gives an im patient dogged shake and fixes his eyes upon his book again


as we withdraw our heads the door closes on him and is fas tened as before


this man has murdered his wife and will probably be hanged


how long has he been here


a month


when will he be tried


next term


when is that next month


in england if a man be under sentence of death even he has air and exercise at certain periods of the day


possible


with what stupendous and untrans lateable coolness he says this and how loungingly he leads on to the womens side making as he goes a kind of iron castanet of the key and the stairrail


each cell on this side has n square aperture in it


some of the women peep anxiously through it at the sound of foot steps others shrink away in shame


for what offence can that lonely child of ten or twelve years old be shut up here


oh


that boy


he is the son of the prisoner we saw just now is a witness against his father and is detained here for safe keeping until the trial thats all


but it is a dreadful place for the child to pass the long days and nights in


this is rather hard treatment for a young witness is it not


what says our conductor


well it ant a very rowdy life and thats a fact


again he clinks his metal castanet and leads us leisurely away


i have a question to ask him as we go


pray why do they call this place


the tombs


well its the cant name


i know it is


why


some suicides happened here when it was first built


i expect it come about from that


i saw just now that that mans clothes were scattered about the floor of his cell


dont you oblige the prisoners to be or derly and put such things away


where should they put em


not on the ground surely


what do you say to hanging them up


he stops and looks round to empha size his answer why i say thats just it


when they had hooks they would hang them selves so theyre taken out of every cell and theres only the marks left where they used to be


the prisonyard in which he pauses now has been the scene of terrible per formances


into this narrow gravelike place men are brought out to die


the wretched creature stands beneath the gib bet on the ground the rope about his neck and when the sign is given a weight at its other end comes running down and swings him up into the air a corpse


the law requires that there be present at this dismal spectacle the judge the jury and citizens to the amount of twenty five


from the community it is hidden


to the dissolute and bad the thing re mains a frightful mystery between the criminal and them the prison wall is in terposed as a thick gloomy veil


it is the curtain to his bed of death his winding sheet and grave


from him it shuts out life and all the motives to unrepenting hardihood in that last hour which its mere sight and presence is often allsufficient to sustain


there are no bold eyes to make him bold no ruffians to uphold a ruffians name before


all beyond the pitiless stone wall is unknown space


let us go forth again into the cheerful streets


once more in broadway


here are the same ladies in bright colours walking to and fro in pairs and singly yonder the very same light blue parasol which passed and repassed the hotelwindow twenty limes while we were sitting there


we are going to cross here


take care of the pigs


two portly sows are trotting up behind this carriage and a select party of halfadozen gentlemenhogs have just now turned the corner


here is a solitary swine lounging home ward by himself


he has only one ear having parted with the other to vagrant dogs in the course of his city rambles


but he gets on very well without it and leads a roving gentlemanly vagabond kind of life somewhat answering to that of our clubmen at home


he leaves his lodgings every morning at a certain hour throws himself upon the town gets through his day in some man ner quite satisfactory to himself and re gularly appears at the door of his own house again at night like the mysterious master of gil blas


he is a freeand easy careless indifferent kind of pig having a very large acquaintance among other pigs of the same character whom he rather knows by sight than conversa tion as he seldom troubles himself to stop and exchange civilities but goes grunting down the kennel turning up the news and smalltalk of the city in the shape of cabbagestalks and offal and bearing no tails but his own which is a very short one for his old enemies the dogs have been at that too and have left him hardly enough to swear by


he is in every respect a republican pig going wherever he pleases and mingling with the best society on an equal if not su perior footing for every one makes way when he appears and the haughtiest give him the wall if he prefer it


he is a great philosopher and seldom moved unless by the dogs before mentioned


sometimes indeed you may see his small eye twinkling on a slaughtered friend whose carcase garnishes a butchers door post but he grunts out such is life all flesh is pork


buries his nose in the mire again and waddles down the gutter comforting himself with the reflection that there is one snout the less to antici pate stray cabbagestalks at any rate


they are the city scavengers these pigs


ugly brutes they are having for the most part scanty brown backs like the lids of old horsehair trunks spotted with unwholesome black blotches


they have long gaunt legs too and such peaked snouts that if one of them could be per suaded to sit for his profile nobody would recognise it for a pigs likeness


they are never attended upon or fed or driven or caught but are thrown upon their own resources in early life and become preter naturally knowing in consequence


every pig knows where he lives much better than anybody could tell him


at this hour just as evening is closing in you will see them roaming towards bed by scores eating their way to the last


occa sionally some youth among them who has overeaten himself or has been much worried by dogs trots shrinkingly home ward like a prodigal son but this is a rare case perfect selfpossession and self reliance and immovable composure being their foremost attributes


the streets and shops are lighted now and as the eye travels down the long thoroughfare dotted with bright jets of gas it is reminded of oxfordstreet or piccadilly


here and there a flight of broad stone cellarsteps appears and a painted lamp directs you to the bowling saloon or ten pin alley


tenpins being a game of min gled chance and skill invented when the legislature passed an net forbidding nine pins


at other downward flights of steps are other lamps marking the where abouts of oyster cellarspleasant retreats say i not only by reason of their won derful cookery of oysters pretty nigh as large as cheeseplates or for thy dear sake heartiest of greek professors


but because of all kinds of enters of fish or flesh or fowl in these latitudes the swallowers of oysters alone are not gregarious but sub duing themselves as it were to the nature of what they work in and copying the coyness of the thing they eat do sit apart in curtained boxes and consort by twos not by two hundreds


but how quiet the streets are


are there no itinerant bands no wind or stringed instruments


no not one


by day are there no punches fantoccinis dancing dogs jugglers conjurors orches trinas or even barrelorgans


yes i remember one


one barrel organ and a dancing monkeysportive by nature but first fading into a dull lumpish monkey of the utilitarian school


beyond that nothing lived no not so much as a white mouse in a twirling cage


are there no amusements


yes there is a lectureroom across the way from which that glare of light proceeds and there may be evening service for the ladies thrice a week or oftener


for the young gentlemen there is the countinghouse the store the barroom the latter as you may see through these windows pretty full


hark


to the clinking sound of hammers breaking lumps of ice and to the cool gurgling of the pounded bits as in the process of mixing they are poured from glass to glass


no amusements


what are these suckers of cigars and swallowers of strong drinks whose hats and legs we see in every possible variety of twist doing but amusing themselves


what are the fifty newspapers which those precocious urchins are bawling down the street and which are kept filed within what are they but amusements


not vapid waterish amusements but good strong stuff dealing in round abuse and blackguard names pulling off the roofs of private houses as the halting devil did in spain pimping and pandering for all degrees of vicious taste and gorging with coined lies the most voracious maw


im puting to every man in public life the coarsest and the vilest motives scaring away from the stabbed and prostrate body politic every samaritan of clear conscience and good deeds and setting on with yell and whistle and the clapping of foul hands the vilest vermin and worst birds of prey


let us go on again and passing this wilderness of an hotel with stores without its base like some continental theatre or the london opera house shorn of its colonnade plunge into the five points


but it is needful first that we take as our escort these two heads of the police whom you would know for sharp and welltrained officers if you met them in the great desert


so true it is that cer tain pursuits wherever carried on will stamp men with the same character


these two might have been begotten born and bred in bow street


we have seen no beggars in the streets by night or day but of other kinds of strollers plenty


poverty wretchedness and vice are rife enough where we are going now


this is the place these narrow ways diverging to right and left and reeking everywhere with dirt and filth


such lives as are led here hear the same fruits here as elsewhere


the coarse and bloated faces at the doors have counterparts at home and all the wide world over


de bauchery has made the very houses pre maturely old


see how the rotten beams are tumbling down and how the patched and broken windows seem to scowl dimly like eyes that have been hurt in drunken frays


many of those pigs live here


do they ever wonder why their masters walk uptight in lieu of going on all fours


and why they talk instead of grunting


so far nearly every house is a low tavern and on the bar room walls are coloured prints of washington and queen victoria of england and the american eagle


among the pigeonholes that hold the bottles are pieces of plateglass and coloured paper for there is in some sort a taste for decoration even here


and as seamen frequent these haunts there are maritime pictures by the dozen of partings between sailors and their ladyloves por traits of william of the ballad and his blackeyed susan of willwatch the bold smuggler of paul jones the pirate and the like on which the painted eyes of queen vittoria and of washington to boot rest in as strange companionship as on most of the scenes that are enacted in their wondering presence


what place is this to which the squalid street conducts us


a kind of square of leprous houses some of which are attain able only by crazy wooden stairs without


what lies beyond this tottering flight of steps that creak beneath our tread


a miserable room lighted by one dim candle and destitute of all comfort save that which may be hidden in a wretched bed


beside it sits a man his elbows on his knees his forehead hidden in his hands


what ails that man asks the foremost officer


fever he sullenly replies without looking up


con ceive the fancies of a fevered brain in such a place as this


ascend these pitch dark stairs heedful of a false footing on the trembling boards and grope your way with me into this wolf ish den where neither ray of light nor breath of air appears to come


a negro lad startled from his sleep by the officers voicehe knows it wellbut comforted by his as surance that he has not come on business officiously bestirs himself to light a candle


the match flickers for a moment and shows great mounds of dusky rags upon the ground then dies away and leaves a denser darkness than before if there can be degrees in such extremes


he stumbles down the stairs and presently comes back shading a glaring taper with his hand


then the mounds of rags are seen to be astir and rise slowly up and the floor is covered with heaps of negro women waking from then sleep then white teeth chattering and their bright eyes glistening and winking on all sides with surprise and fear like the countless repe tition of one astonished african face in some strange mirror


mount up these other stairs with no less caution there are traps and pitfalls here for those who are not so well escorted as ourselves into the housetop where the bare beams and rafters meet overhead and calm night looks down through the crevices in the roof


open the door of one of these cramped hutches full of sleeping negroes


pah


they have a char coal fire within there is a smell of singe ing clothes or flesh so close they gather round the brazier and vapours issue forth that blind and suffocate


from every corner as you glance about you in these dark retreats some figure crawls half awakened as if the judgment hour were near at hand and every obscene grave were giving up its dead


where dogs would howl to lie women and men and boys slink off to sleep forcing the dislodged rats to move away in quest of better lodgings


here too are lanes and alleys paved with mud kneedeep underground cham bers where they dance and game the walls bedecked with rough designs of ships and forts and flags and american eagles out of number ruined houses open to the street whence through wide gaps in the walls other ruins loom upon the eye as though the world of vice and misery had nothing else to show hideous tene ments which take their name from robbery and murder all that is loathsome droop ing and decayed is here


our leader has his hand upon the latch of almacks and calls to us from the bottom of the steps for the assembly room of the five point fashionables is approached by a descent


shall we go in


it is but a moment


heyday


the landlady of almacks thrives


a buxom fat mulatto woman with sparkling eyes whose head is daintily ornamented with a handkerchief of many colours


nor is the landlord much be hind her in his finery being attired in a smart blue jacket like a ships steward with a thick gold ring upon his little finger and round his neck a gleaming golden watchguard


how glad is he to see us


what will we please to call for


a dance


it shall be done directly sir a regular breakdown the corpulent black fiddler and his friend who plays the tambourine stamp upon the boarding of the small raised or chestra in which they sit and play a lively measure


five or six couple come upon the floor marshalled by a lively young negro who is the wit of the assembly and the greatest dancer known


he never leaves off making queer faces and is the delight of all the rest who grin from ear to ear incessantly


among the dancers are two young mulatto girls with large black drooping eyes and headgear after the fashion of the hostess who are as shy or feign to be as though they never danced before and so look down before the visitors that their partners can see nothing but the long fringed lashes


but the dance commences


every gentleman acts as long as he likes to the opposite lady and the opposite lady to him and all are so long about it that the sport begins to languish when suddenly the lively hero dashes into the rescue


instantly the fiddler grins and goes at it tooth and nail there is new energy in the tambourine new laughter in the dancers new smiles in the landlady new confidence in the landlord new brightness in the very can dles


single shuffle double shuffle cut and crosscut snapping his fingers rolling his eyes turning in his knees presenting the backs of his legs in front spinning about on his toes and heels like nothing but the mans fingers on the tambourine dancing with two left legs two right legs two wooden legs two wire legs two spring legsall sorts of legs and no legswhat is this to him


and in what walk of life or dance of life does man ever get such stimulating applause as thunders about when having danced his partner off her feet and himself too he finishes by leap ing gloriously on the barcounter and calling for something to drink with the chuckle of a million counterfeit jim crows in one inimitable sound


the air even in these distempered parts is fresh after the stifling atmosphere of the houses and now as we emerge into a broader street it blows upon us with a purer breath and the stars look bright again


here are the tombs once more


the city watch house is a part of the building


it follows naturally on the sights we have just left


let us see that and then to bed


what


do you thrust your common offenders against the police discipline of the town into such holes as these


do men and women against whom no crime is proved lie here all night in perfect darkness surrounded by the noisome vapours which encircle the flagging lamp you light us with and breathing this filthy and offensive stench


why such inidecent and disgusting dungeons as these cells would bring disgrace upon the most despotic empire in the world


look at them manyou who see them every night and keep the keysdo you see what they are


do you know how drains are made below the streets and wherein these human sewers differ except in being always stagnant


well he dont know


he has had fiveandtwenty young women locked up in this very cell at one time and youd hardly realise what handsome faces there were among em


in gods name


shut the door upon the wretched creature who is in it now and put its screen before a place quite unsur passed in all the vice neglect and devilry of the worst old town in europe


are people really left all night untried in those black stiesevery night


the watch is set it seven in the evening


the magistrate opens his court at five in the morning


that is the earliest hour at which the first prisoner can be released and if an officer appear against him he is not taken out till nine oclock or ten


but if any one among them die in the interval as one man did not long ago


then he is halfeaten by the rats in an hours time as that man was and there an end


what is this intolerable tolling of great bells and clashing of wheels and shouting in the distance


afire


and what that deep red light in the opposite direction


another fire


and what these charred and blackened walls we stand before


a dwelling where a fire has been


it was more than hinted in an official report not long ago that some of these conflagrations were not wholly accidental and that speculation and enterprise found a field of exertion even in flames but be this as it may there was a fire last night there are two tonight and you may lay an even wager there will be at least one tomorrow


so carrying that with us for our comfort let us say good night and climb up stairs to bed


one day during my stay in new york i paid a visit to the different public insti tutions on long island


one of them is a lunatic asylum


the building is hand some and is remarkable for a spacious and elegant staircase


the whole structure is not yet finished but it is already one of considerable size and extent and is capable of accommodating a very large number of patients


i cannot say that i derived much com fort from the inspection of this clarity


the different wards might have been cleaner and better ordered i saw nothing of that salutary system which had im pressed me so favourably elsewhere and everything had a lounging listless mad house air which was very painful


the moping idiot cowering down with long dishevelled hair the gibbering maniac with his hideous laugh and pointed finger the vacant eye the fierce wild pace the gloomy picking of the hands and lips and munching of the nails there they were all without disguise in naked ugliness an horror


in the diningroom a bare dull dreary place with nothing for the eye to rest on but the empty walls a wo man was locked up alone


she was bent they told me on committing suicide


if anything could have strengthened her in her resolution it would certainly have been the insupportable monotony of such an existence


the terrible crowd with which these halls and galleries were filled so shocked me that i abridged my stay within the shortest limits and declined to see that portion of the building in which the re fractory and violent were under closer restraint


i have no doubt that the gen tleman who presided over this establish ment at the time i write of was competent to manage it and had done all in his power to promote its usefulness but will it be believed that the miserable strife of party feeling is earned even into this sad refuge of afflicted and degraded humanity


will it be believed that the eyes which are to watch over and control the wanderings of minds on which the most dreadful visi tation to which our nature is exposed has fallen must wear the glasses of some wretched side in politics


will it be believed that the governor of such a house as this is appointed and deposed and changed perpetually as parties fluctuate and vary and as then despicable weathercocks are blown this way or that


a hundred times in every week some new most paltry ex hibition of that narrowminded and inju nous party spirit which is the simoom of america sickening and blighting every thing of wholesome life within its reach was forced upon my notice but i never turned my back upon it with feelings of such deep disgust and measureless con tempt as when i crossed the threshold of this madhouse on long island


at a short distance from this building is another called the alms house that is to say the workhouse of new york


this is a large institution also lodging i believe when i was there nearly a thousand poor


it was badly ventilated and badly lighted was not too clean and impressed me on the whole very uncom fortably


but it must be remembered that new york as a great emporium of commerce and as a place of general resort not only from all parts of the states but from most parts of the world had always a large pauper population to provide for and labours therefore under peculiar difficulties in this respect


nor must it be forgotten that new york is a large town and that in all large towns a vast amount of good and evil is intermixed and jumbled up together


in the same neighbourhood is the long island farm where young orphans are nursed and bred


i did not see it but i believe it is well conducted and i can the more easily credit it from knowing how mindful they usually are in america of that beautiful passage in the litany which remembers all sick persons and young children


i was taken to these institutions by water in a boat belonging to the long island jail and rowed by a crew of pri soners who were dressed in a striped uni form of black and buff in which they looked like faded tigers


they took me by the same conveyance to the jail itself


it is an old prison and quite a pioneer establishment on the plan i have already described


i was glad to hear this for it is unquestionably a very different one


the most is made however of the means it possesses and it is as well regulated as such a place can be


the women work in covered sheds erected for that purpose


if i remember right there are no shops for the men but be that as it may the greater part of them labour in certain stone quarrries near at hand


the day being very wet indeed this labour was suspended and the pri soners were in their cells


imagine these cells some two or three hundred in num ber and in every one a man locked up this one at his door for air with his hands thrust through the grate this one in bed in the middle of the day re member and this one flung down in a heap upon the ground with his head against the bars like a wild beast


make the rain pour down outside in torrents


put the everlasting stove in the midst hot and suffocating and vaporous as a witchs cauldron


add a collection of gentle odours such as would arise from a thousand mildewed umbrellas wet through and a thousand buckbaskets full of half washed linenand there is the prison as it was that day


the prison for the state at sing sing is on the other hand a model jail


that and mount auburn are the largest and best examples of the silent system


in another part of the city is the refuge foi the destitute an institution whose ob ject is to reclaim youthful offenders male and female black and white without dis tinction to teach them useful trades ap prentice them to respectable masters and make them worthy numbers of society


its desin it will be seen is similar to that at boston and it is a no less meritorious and admirable establishment


a suspicion crossed my mind during my inspection of this noble charity whether the super intendent had quite sufficient knowledge of the world and worldly characters and whether he did not commit a great mistake in treating some young girls who were to all intents and purposes by their years and their past lives women as though they were little children which certainly had a ludicrous effect in my eyes and or i am much mistaken in theirs also


as the in stitution however is always under the vigi lant examination of a body of gentlemen of great intelligence and experience it cannot fail to be well conducted and whether i am right or wrong in this slight particular is unimportant to its deserts and character which it would be difficult to estimate too highly


in addition to these establishments there are in new york excellent hospi tals and schools literary institutions and libraries an admirable fire department as indeed it should be having constant practice and charities of every sort and kind


in the suburbs there is a spacious cemetery unfinished yet but every day improving


the saddest tomb i saw there was the strangers grave


dedicated to the different hotels in this city


there are three theatres