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diff --git a/24182-8.txt b/24182-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6938e79 --- /dev/null +++ b/24182-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5182 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rollo in London, by Jacob Abbott + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Rollo in London + +Author: Jacob Abbott + +Release Date: January 6, 2008 [EBook #24182] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROLLO IN LONDON *** + + + + +Produced by D. Alexander and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + + ROLLO IN LONDON + + BY + + JACOB ABBOTT. + + BOSTON: + + PUBLISHED BY TAGGARD AND THOMPSON + + M DCCC LXIV. + + Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by + + JACOB ABBOTT, + + In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of + Massachusetts. + + STEREOTYPED AT THE + BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY. + + RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: + + PRINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON + + +[Illustration: LONDON BRIDGE.] + +[Illustration: Rollo's Tour in Europe Taggard & Thompson. +Publishers--Boston.] + + + + +ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE. + + +ORDER OF THE VOLUMES + + ROLLO ON THE ATLANTIC. + ROLLO IN PARIS. + ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND. + ROLLO IN LONDON. + ROLLO ON THE RHINE. + ROLLO IN SCOTLAND. + ROLLO IN GENEVA. + ROLLO IN HOLLAND. + ROLLO IN NAPLES. + ROLLO IN ROME. + +PRINCIPAL PERSONS OF THE STORY. + +ROLLO; twelve years of age. + +MR. and MRS. HOLIDAY; Rollo's father and mother, travelling in Europe. + +THANNY; Rollo's younger brother. + +JANE; Rollo's cousin, adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Holiday. + +MR. GEORGE; a young gentleman, Rollo's uncle. + + + + +CONTENTS. + +CHAPTER + + I.--CITY AND TOWN, 13 + + II.--LONDON BRIDGE, 20 + + III.-THE RIVER, 45 + + IV.--THE POLICEMAN, 55 + + V.--LODGINGS, 66 + + VI.--BREAKFAST, 74 + + VII.--WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 80 + + VIII.--CALCULATIONS, 98 + + IX.--ST. PAUL'S, 107 + + X.--THE DOME OF ST. PAUL'S, 126 + + XI.--THE ARISTOCRACY, 142 + + XII.--A MISFORTUNE, 159 + + XIII.--PHILOSOPHY, 164 + + XIV.--THE DOCKS, 173 + + XV.--THE EMIGRANTS, 191 + + XVI.--THE TUNNEL AND THE TOWER, 214 + + + + + ENGRAVINGS. + + + LONDON BRIDGE, FRONTISPIECE. + + THE PARK, 12 + + MAP OF LONDON, 15 + + THE FIRST RAGGED SCHOOL, 43 + + SHOOTING THE BRIDGE, 50 + + THE ARREST, 58 + + BREAKFAST, 78 + + GROUND PLAN OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 84 + + ST. PAUL'S, 119 + + THE WHISPERING GALLERY, 128 + + THE LOSS MADE GOOD, 171 + + SAVED, 176 + + PLEASANT WEATHER, 196 + + THE STORM, 198 + + THE WRECK, 201 + + SHOPPING IN THE TUNNEL, 220 + + +[Illustration: THE PARK. (See Chap. XI.)] + + + + +ROLLO IN LONDON. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +CITY AND TOWN. + + +"Which London shall we visit first?" said Mr. George to Rollo. + +"Why," rejoined Rollo, surprised, "are there two of them?" + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "We may almost say there are two of them. Or, at +any rate, there are two heads to the monster, though the immense mass +forms but one body." + +While Mr. George was saying these words Rollo had been standing on the +step of the railway car and looking in at the window towards his uncle +George, who was inside. Just at this time, however, the conversation was +interrupted by the sound of the bell, denoting that the train was about +to start. So Rollo jumped down from the step and ran back to his own +car, which was a second-class car, two behind the one where Mr. George +was sitting. He had scarcely got to his seat before the whistle of the +conductor sounded and the train began to move. As it trundled along out +of the station, gradually increasing its speed as it advanced, Rollo sat +wondering what his uncle meant by the double-headed character which he +had assigned to the monstrous city that they were going to see. + +What is commonly called London does in fact consist, as Mr. George had +said, of _two_ great cities, entirely diverse from each other, and +completely distinct--each being, in its way, the richest, the grandest, +and the most powerful capital in the world. + +One of these twin capitals is the metropolis of commerce; the other is +that of political and military power. + +The first is called the City. + +The second is called the West End. + +Both together--with the immense region of densely-peopled streets and +squares which connect and surround them--constitute what is generally +called London. + +The _city_ was the original London. The West End was at first called +Westminster. The relative position of these two centres may be seen by +the following map:-- + +[Illustration] + +The city--which was the original London--is the most ancient. It was +founded long before the days of the Romans; so long, in fact, that its +origin is wholly unknown. Nor is any thing known in respect to the +derivation or meaning of the name. In regard to Westminster, the name is +known to come from the word _minster_, which means _cathedral_--a +cathedral church having been built there at a very early period, and +which, lying west of London as it did, was called the West Minster. This +church passed through a great variety of mutations during the lapse of +successive centuries, having grown old, and been rebuilt, and enlarged, +and pulled down, and rebuilt again, and altered, times and ways without +number. It is represented in the present age by the venerable monumental +pile--the burial-place of the ancient kings, and of the most +distinguished nobles, generals, and statesmen of the English +monarchy--known through all the world as Westminster Abbey. + +After a time, when England became at length one kingdom, the king built +his palace, and established his parliament, and opened his court in +Westminster, not far from the abbey. The place, being about three miles +from the city, was very convenient for this purpose. In process of time +public edifices were erected, and noblemen's houses and new palaces for +the king or for other members of the royal family were built, and shops +were set up for the sale of such things as the people of the court might +wish to buy, and streets and squares were laid out; and, in fine, +Westminster became gradually quite an extended and famous town. It was +still, however, entirely distinct from London, being about three miles +from it, farther up the river. The principal road from London to +Westminster followed the margin of the water, and was called the Strand. +Towards Westminster the road diverged from the river so as to leave a +space between wide enough for houses; and along this space the great +nobles from time to time built magnificent palaces around great square +courts, where they could ride in under an archway. The fronts of these +palaces were towards the road; and there were gardens behind them, +leading down to the water. At the foot of the garden there was usually a +boat house and a landing, where the people who lived in the palace or +their friends could embark on board boats for excursions on the Thames. + +In the mean time, while Westminster was thus becoming a large and +important town, London itself, three miles farther down the river, was +also constantly growing too, in its own way, as a town of merchants and +artisans. Other villages, too, began to spring up in every direction +around these great centres; and London and Westminster, gradually +spreading, finally met each other, and then, extending on each side, +gradually swallowed up these villages, until now the whole region, for +five or six miles in every direction from the original centres, forms +one mighty mass of streets, squares, lanes, courts, terraces, all +crowded with edifices and thronged with population. In this mass all +visible distinction between the several villages which have been +swallowed up is entirely lost, though the two original centres remain +as widely separated and as distinct as ever. The primeval London has, +however, lost its exclusive right to its name, and is now simply called +the _city_; and in the same manner Westminster is called the West End, +and sometimes the _town_; while the name London is used to denote the +whole of the vast conglomeration which envelops and includes the two +original capitals. + +The city and the West End, though thus swallowed, as it were, in the +general metropolis, are still entirely distinct. They are in fact, in +some respects, even more widely distinct from each other now than ever. +Each is, in its own way, at the head of its class of cities. The city is +the greatest and wealthiest mart of commerce in the world; while the +West End is the seat and centre of the proudest and most extended +political and military power. In fact, the commercial organization which +centres in the city, and the military one which has its head quarters +around the throne at the West End, are probably the greatest and most +powerful organizations, each of its kind, that the world has ever known. + +Mr. George explained all this to Rollo as they walked together away from +the London Bridge station, where the train in which they came in from +the south stopped when it reached London. But I will give a more +detailed account of their conversation in the next chapter. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +LONDON BRIDGE. + + +When the train stopped at what is called the London Bridge station, the +passengers all stepped out of their respective cars upon the platform. +In the English cars the doors are at the sides, and not, as in America, +at the ends; so that the passengers get out nearly all at once, and the +platform becomes immediately crowded. Beyond the platform, on the other +side, there is usually, when a train comes in, a long row of cabs and +carriages drawn up, ready to take the passengers from the several cars; +so that the traveller has generally nothing to do but to step across the +platform from the car that he came in to the cab that is waiting there +to receive him. Nor is there, as is usual in America, any difficulty or +delay in regard to the baggage; for each man's trunks are placed on the +car that he rides in, directly over his head; so that, while he walks +across the platform to the cab, the railway porter takes his trunk +across and places it on the top of the cab; and thus he is off from the +station in his cab within two minutes sometimes after he arrived at it +in the car. + +The railway porters, who attend to the business of transferring the +passengers thus from the railway carriages to those of the street, are +very numerous all along the platform; and they are very civil and +attentive to the passengers, especially to those who come in the +first-class cars--and more especially still, according to my observation +and experience, if the traveller has an agreeable looking lady under his +charge. The porters are dressed in a sort of uniform, by which they are +readily distinguished from the crowd. They are strictly forbidden to +receive any fee or gratuity from the passengers. This prohibition, +however, does not prevent their taking very thankfully the shillings or +sixpences[A] that are often offered them, particularly by Americans, +who, being strangers in the country, and not understanding the customs +very well, think that they require a little more attention than others, +and so are willing to pay a little extra fee. It is, however, contrary +to the rules of the station for the porters to receive any thing; and, +if they take it at all, they try to do it as secretly as possible. I +once knew a traveller who offered a porter a shilling openly on the +platform; but the porter, observing a policeman near, turned round with +his side to the gentleman, and, holding his hand open behind him, with +the back of it against his hip and his fingers moving up and down +briskly in a beckoning manner, said,-- + +"We are not allowed to take it, sir--we are not allowed to take it." + +[A] Whenever shillings or sixpences are mentioned in this book, English +coin is meant. As a general rule, each English denomination is of double +the value of the corresponding American one. Thus the English penny is a +coin as large as a silver dollar, and it is worth two of the American +pennies. The shilling is of the value of a quarter of a dollar; and a +sixpence is equal to a New York shilling. + + * * * * * + +As Mr. George stepped out upon the platform at the London Bridge station +his first thought was to find Rollo, who had chosen to come in a +second-class car, partly for the purpose of saving the difference in the +fare, and partly, as he said, "for the fun of it." Rollo had a regular +allowance from his father for his travelling expenses, sufficient to pay +his way in the first-class conveyances; and the understanding was, that +whatever he should save from this sum by travelling in the cheaper modes +was to be his own for pocket money or to add to his reserved funds. + +Mr. George and Rollo soon found each other on the platform. + +"Well, Rollo," said Mr. George, "and how do you like travelling cheap?" + +"Pretty well," said Rollo; "only I could not see out much; but then I +have saved six shillings in coming from Dover. That is the same as +twelve New York shillings--a dollar and a half. I can buy several pretty +things with that to carry home." + +"That's very true," said Mr. George. + +"Some time I mean to go in the fourth-class car," said Rollo. "'Tis true +we have to stand up all the time like sheep in a pen; but I shall not +care for that." + +"Well, you can try it," said Mr. George; "but now for our luggage." + +The English people always call the effects which a traveller takes with +him on the journey his luggage. + +Very soon a porter took Mr. George's trunk from the top of the car. + +"Will you have a cab, sir?" said the porter, touching his cap to Mr. +George. + +"I want to leave my trunk here for a short time under your charge," said +Mr. George. "That is a little out of the line of your duty, I know; but +I will remember that when I come for it." + +"All right, sir," said the porter, promptly, touching his cap again. + +He took up the trunk and threw it on his shoulder; and then, followed by +Mr. George and Rollo, he walked away to the luggage room. After it had +been properly deposited in its place, Mr. George and Rollo went out of +the station into the street. + +"Are not you going to ride?" said Rollo to Mr. George. + +"No," said Mr. George; "I am going to walk." + +"What's that for?" said Rollo. + +"There are two reasons," said Mr. George; "one is, I want to show you +London Bridge." + +"Well," said Rollo; "and what is the other reason?" + +"The other is," said Mr. George, "that I do not wish to have the trouble +of the luggage while I am looking out lodgings. If I go to a hotel and +leave my luggage there and take a room, and then go and look up +lodgings, we have the hotel bill to pay, without getting much benefit +from it; and, if we take the luggage on a cab, we might go to a dozen +different places before we find a room to suit us, and so have a +monstrous great cab fare to pay." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I understand. Besides, I should like to walk +through the streets and see the city." + +As our two travellers walked along towards London Bridge, Mr. George +explained to Rollo what is stated in the first chapter in respect to the +double character of London. + +"What we are coming to now, first," said he, "is the _city_--the +commercial capital of the country. In fact, it may almost be said to be +the commercial capital of the world. Here are the great docks and +warehouses, where are accumulated immense stores of merchandise from +every quarter of the globe. Here is the bank, with its enormous vaults +full of treasures of gold and silver coin, and the immense legers in +which are kept accounts with governments, and wealthy merchants, and +great capitalists all over the world. Here is the post office, too, the +centre of a system of communications, by land and sea, extending to +every quarter of the globe. + +"The chief magistrate of the city," continued Mr. George, "is called the +lord mayor. He lives in a splendid palace called the Mansion House. Then +there is the great Cathedral Church of St. Paul's, and a vast number of +other churches, and chapels, and hospitals, and schools, all belonging +to, and supported by, the commercial and business interests which +concentrate in the city. You will find a very different set of buildings +and institutions at the West End." + +"What shall we find there?" asked Rollo. + +"We shall find there," said Mr. George, "the palace of the queen; and +the houses of Parliament, where the lords and commons assemble to make +laws for the empire; and the Horse Guards, which is a great edifice that +serves as head quarters for the British army; and the Admiralty, which +is the head quarters of the navy; and the private palaces of the nobles; +and the parks and pleasure grounds that connect and surround them." + +About this time Mr. George and Rollo began to come in sight of London +Bridge; and very soon afterwards they found themselves entering upon it. +Rollo was, for a time, quite bewildered with astonishment at the +extraordinary aspect of the scene. They came out upon the bridge, from +the midst of a very dense and compact mass of streets and houses, on +what is called the Surrey side of the river; and they could see, dimly +defined through the murky atmosphere, the outlines of the city on the +other side. There were long ranges of warehouses; and innumerable +chimneys, pouring forth black smoke; and the Monument; and spires of +churches; and, conspicuous among the rest,--though half obscured by +murky clouds of smoke and vapor,--the immense dome of St. Paul's, with +the great gilded ball and cross on the top of it. + +The bridge was built of stone, on arches, and was of the most massive +and ponderous character. There was a roadway in the centre of it, on +which two continued streams of vehicles were passing--one on the left, +going into the city; and the other on the right, coming out. On each +side were broad stone sidewalks, formed of massive blocks of granite, +feeling solid and heavy under the tread as if they had been laid upon +the firm ground. These sidewalks were crowded with passengers, who were +going, some into, and some out of, the city, so as to form on each +sidewalk two continuous streams. On each side of the bridge, towards the +water, was a solid parapet, or wall. This parapet was about as high as +Rollo's shoulders. Here and there, at different places along the bridge, +were groups of people that had stopped to look over the parapet to the +river. Each group formed a little row, arranged along the parapet, with +their faces towards the water. + +"Let us stop and look over," said Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George, "not now; we will wait till we get to the middle +of the bridge." + +So they walked on. When they had proceeded a little way, they came to a +place where there was a sort of niche, or recess, in the parapet, +perhaps ten or fifteen feet long, and four or five deep, from the +sidewalk. There were stone seats extending all around the sides of this +recess; and these seats were full of boys and men, some with burdens and +some without, who had stopped and sat down there to rest. Rollo wished +to propose to Mr. George that they should stop and sit down there too; +not because he was tired, but only to see how it would seem to be seated +in such a place. He did not propose this plan, however, for he saw at a +glance that the seats were all occupied, and that there was no room. + +A little distance beyond they came to another niche, and afterwards to +another, and another. + +"These niches are over the piers of the bridge," said Mr. George, "I +suppose. Let us look over and see." + +So they stopped a moment and looked over the parapet. They beheld a +turbid and whirling stream pouring through the bridge, under the arches, +with a very rapid current, and at the instant that they looked down, +they saw the bows of a small steamboat come shooting through. The deck +of the steamer was crowded with people--men, women, and children. Some +were standing, and others were sitting on benches that were arranged +round the side and along the middle of the deck; all, however, in the +open air. + +"I wonder where that steamer is going," said Rollo. + +"Down the river somewhere," said Mr. George; "perhaps to Greenwich or +Woolwich." + +"_Up_ the river, you mean," said Rollo. "Don't you see she is going +against the current? See how swift the water runs under the arches of +the bridge!" + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "but that current is the tide, coming in from +the sea. This way is down towards the mouth of the river. See all this +shipping here! It has come up from the sea." Here Mr. George pointed +with his hand down the river, waving it from one side to the other, so +as to direct Rollo's attention to both shores, where there lay immense +forests of shipping, three or four tiers deep on each side, and +extending down the river as far as the eye could penetrate into the +thick and murky atmosphere. Besides the tiers of shipping which lay thus +along the shores of the river, there were two other ranges, each three +or four tiers wide, out in the stream, leaving a broad, open passage +between them, in the middle, and two narrower passages, one on each +side, between them and the shore. + +"It is a city of ships," said Rollo, "with streets of open water." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "it is indeed." + +The streets, as Rollo called them, of open water, were full of boats, +going and coming, and of lighters and wherries, with a steamer now and +then shooting along among them, or a large vessel slowly coming up or +going down by means of its sails. + +"This is the way _down_ the river," repeated Mr. George. "The ships have +come up as far as here; but they cannot go any farther, on account of +the bridge. Look above the bridge, and you will see that there are no +ships." So Rollo and Mr. George turned round to look up the river. They +could only catch an occasional glimpse of the river through casual +openings in the stream of carts, carriages, vans, cabs, wagons, and +omnibuses that were incessantly rolling on in opposite streams along the +roadway of the bridge. Although the view was thus obstructed, they could +easily see there were no ships above the bridge that they were standing +on. There were, however, several other bridges farther up, with a great +many boats passing to and fro among them; and, here and there, there +appeared a long and sharp-built little steamer, gliding swiftly through +the water. These steamers were painted black, and they poured forth +volumes of smoke so dark and dense from their funnels as quite to fill +the air, and make the whole prospect in that direction exceedingly murky +and obscure. + +"Let us go over to the other side of the bridge," said Rollo. + +"Not yet," said Mr. George; "but you see that there is no shipping above +the bridge. Vessels _could not_ go up above the bridge, in fact. They +could not go up, for the masts are too long to pass under the arches." + +"They might have a draw in the middle of the bridge," said Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George. "A draw will not answer, except in cases where +there is only a moderate degree of passing over a bridge, so as to allow +of an interruption for a little time without any great inconvenience. +But this bridge, you see, is perfectly thronged all the time with +continued streams of foot passengers and carriages. If a draw were to be +opened in this bridge for only ten minutes, to allow a vessel to go +through, there would be such a jam on both sides that it would take all +day to disentangle it." + +"I don't see how the little steamers get through under the bridges," +said Rollo. "The smoke-pipes are higher than the arches." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "they are. But I will show you how they manage +that by and by. There is something very curious about that. Now let us +look down the river again." + +So Rollo turned round with Mr. George, and they both looked down the +river. They saw on the left hand of the river--that is, on the London +side, the side towards which they were going--a great steamboat landing, +with several steamboats lying near it. + +"That is where the steamboats lie," said Mr. George, "that go down to +the mouth of the river, and across the sea to France, Holland, and +Germany." + +"I should like to go in one of them," said Rollo. + +"Do you see that large building just below the steamboat landing, +fronting the river?" + +"Yes," said Rollo; "what is it?" + +"It is the Custom House," said Mr. George. "Every ship that comes into +the Thames from foreign countries has to send her manifest there and pay +the duties." + +"What is a manifest?" said Rollo. + +"It is a list, or schedule," said Mr. George, "of every thing there is +contained in the cargo. The officers of the Custom House make a +calculation, by this manifest, of the amount of duties that are to be +paid to the government for the cargo, and the owners of the ship have to +pay it before they can land their goods." + +"Can we go into the Custom House and see it?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "I am sure it must be open to the public, +because all sorts of persons must have occasion to go there continually, +to transact business; but I do not suppose there would be much to see +inside. There would be a great many tables and desks, and a great many +clerks and monstrous big account books, and multitudes of people coming +and going continually; but that would be all." + +"I should like to go and see them," said Rollo. + +"Well," said Mr. George, "perhaps we will look in some time when we are +going by on our way to the Tower or to the Tunnel. But now look down +just below the Custom House and see the Tower." + +Rollo looked in the direction which Mr. George indicated; and there he +saw upon the bank of the river, a little below the Custom House, rising +above the other buildings in that quarter of the town, a large, square +edifice, with turrets at the corners. This building was surrounded with +other edifices of a castellated form, which gave the whole the +appearance of an extended fortress. + +"That," said Mr. George, "is the famous Tower of London." + +"What is it famous for?" said Rollo. + +"I can't stop to tell you about it now," said Mr. George. "It was built +originally as a sort of fort to defend the city. You see, the place +where the Tower stands was formerly the lower corner of the city; and +there was a wall, beginning at the Tower, and running back all around +the city, and so down to the water again at the upper end of it. Do you +see St. Paul's?" added Mr. George, turning half round and pointing. + +"Yes," said Rollo; "but it is pretty smoky." + +"You can see," said Mr. George, "from the position of St. Paul's, where +the old wall went. It passed some distance back from St. Paul's, and +came down to the water some distance above it. All within this wall was +the old city of London; and the Tower was built at the lower corner of +it to defend it. + +"Do you see any reason," continued Mr. George, "why they should place +the Tower at the lower end, rather than at the upper end, of the city?" + +"No," said Rollo, "I do not see any reason in particular." + +"The reason was," said Mr. George, "that what they had reason to guard +the city against was the danger of an attack from enemies coming _up_ +the river in ships from the sea; and so they placed the Tower _below_ +the city, in order to intercept them. But now the city has spread and +extended down the river far below the Tower, and back far beyond the old +wall; so that the Tower is, at the present time, in the midst of an +immense region of streets and warehouses, and it is no longer of any use +as a fortification. It is too high up." + +"What do they use it for, then?" said Rollo. + +"It is used by the government," said Mr. George, "as a sort of strong +box, to keep curiosities, treasures, and valuables of all sorts in, and +any thing else, in fact, which they wish to have in safe and secure +custody. They keep what are called state prisoners there." + +"Can we go in the Tower," said Rollo, "and see all these things?" + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "we can see the treasures and curiosities; but I +believe there are no prisoners there now." + +Just then Rollo heard a rapping sound upon the stone of the sidewalk +near him. He looked round to see what it was. There was a blind man +coming along. He had a stick in his hand, which seemed to be armed at +the lower end with a little ferule of iron. With this iron the blind man +kept up a continual rapping on the flagstones as he slowly advanced. The +iron produced a sharp and ringing sound, which easily made itself heard +above the thundering din of the carriages and vans that were rolling +incessantly over the bridge, and served as a warning to the foot +passengers on the sidewalk that a blind man was coming. Every one +hearing this rapping looked up to see what it meant; and, perceiving +that it was a blind man, they moved to one side and the other to make +way for him. Thus, though the sidewalk was so crowded that a person with +eyes could scarcely get along, the blind man, though he moved very +slowly, had always vacant space before him, and advanced without any +difficulty or danger.[B] + +[B] See frontispiece. + +"Think of a blind man in such a crowd as this!" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. + +"And he gets along better than any of the rest of us," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "so it seems." + +"The next time I wish to go through a crowd," said Rollo, "I mean to get +a cane, and then shut my eyes and rap with it, and every body will make +room for me." + +"Look round here a minute more," said Mr. George; "there is something +else that I wish to explain to you. You see there are no bridges below +this, though there are a great many above." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "and how do they get across the river below here? Are +there ferry boats?" + +"I think it likely there are ferry boats down below," said Mr. George. +"At any rate, there are plenty of small boats which any body can hire. +They are rowed by men called watermen. + + "'Bound 'prentice to a waterman, + I learned a bit to row.'" + +"What poetry is that?" said Rollo. + +"It is part of some old song," said Mr. George. "Look down the river and +you can see these boats cruising about among the shipping." + +"Is that the way they get across the river below here?" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "and then there is the Tunnel besides. They can +go _under_ the river through the Tunnel if they please, about a mile and +a half below here." + +"Is that the reason why they made the Tunnel," said Rollo, "because they +could not have any bridge?" + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "It would have been a great deal cheaper and +better to have made a bridge; but a bridge would have interfered with +the shipping, and so they made a tunnel underneath." + +"I never knew before," said Rollo, "why they made the Tunnel." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "that is the reason. It was a very difficult and +expensive work; but I believe it proved a failure. Very few people use +it for crossing the river, though a great many go to see it. It is a +curious place to see. But now let us go across the bridge and see what +is on the other side." + +Mr. George and Rollo had to stand several minutes on the curbstone of +the sidewalk before they could find openings, in the trains of vehicles +which were moving to and fro over the bridge, wide enough to allow them, +to pass through to the other side. At length, however, they succeeded in +getting across; and, after walking along on the upper side of the bridge +for some distance farther, until they had nearly reached the London end +of it, they stopped and looked over the parapet down to the water. + +Of course their faces were now turned _up_ the river, and the view which +presented itself was entirely different from that which had been seen +below. Immediately beneath where they were standing, and close in to the +shore of the river, they witnessed a most extraordinary spectacle, which +was formed by a group of small and smoky-looking steamers, that were +hovering in apparent confusion about a platform landing there. The decks +of the steamers were all crowded with passengers. Some of the boats were +just coming to the land, some just leaving it, and others were moored to +the platform, and streams of passengers were embarking or disembarking +from them. The landing consisted of a floating platform, that was built +over great flat-bottomed boats, that were moored at a little distance +from the bank, so as to rise and fall with the tide. There was a strong +railing along the outer edge of the platform, with openings here and +there through it for passage ways to the boats. Behind, the platforms +were connected with the shore by long bridges, having a little toll +house at the outer end of each of them, with the words, "PAY HERE," +inscribed on a sign over the window. The passengers, as they came down +from the shore, stopped at these toll houses to pay the fare for the +places to which they wished to go. The decks of the steamers, the +platforms, and all the bridges were thronged with people, going and +coming in all directions, and crowding their way to and from the boats; +and every two or three minutes a steamer, having received its load, +would push off from the platform, and paddle its way swiftly up the +river among a multitude of others that were shooting swiftly along, in +all directions, over the water. + +The volumes of dense, black smoke which rolled up from the funnels of +the steamers made the atmosphere very thick and murky; and the whole +scene, as Mr. George and Rollo looked down upon it from the parapet +above, for a time seemed almost to bewilder them. + +"Let us go down and take a sail in one of those steamers," said Mr. +George. + +"Where do they go to?" said Rollo. + +"I don't know," said Mr. George. + +"Well," said Rollo, "let us go." + +So saying, Mr. George and Rollo walked on towards the end of the bridge. +Here they found a broad stone staircase, which turned off from the great +thoroughfare, at a place near the corner of a large stone building. The +staircase was very broad and massive, and was covered with people going +up and coming down. + +"This must be a way down to the landing," said Mr. George. + +So our two travellers began to descend; and, after turning several +square corners in the staircase, they came out into the street which led +along the margin of the river, at a level of twenty or thirty feet below +the bridge. This street passed through under one of the _dry arches_ of +the bridge, as they are called; that is, one built on the sloping margin +of the shore, where no water flows. They passed across this street, and +then entered a broad passage way which led down towards the floating +platforms. There were a great many people coming and going. They stopped +at the toll house on one of the little bridges to pay the fare. + +"How much is to pay?" said Mr. George to the tollman, taking out his +purse. + +"Where do you wish to go?" said the tollman. + +"I don't know," said Mr. George, looking at Rollo; "about a mile or two +up the river." + +"To Hungerford landing?" asked the tollman. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. + +"Or Westminster?" said the tollman. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "we will go to Westminster." + +"Twopence each," said the tollman. + +So Mr. George and Rollo each laid down two pennies on the little counter +in the window sill, and the man giving them each a little paper ticket, +they passed on. + +"Now the question is," said Mr. George, "how to find out what boat we +are to get into. Here is an orange woman on the platform; I will buy a +couple of oranges of her, one for you and one for me, and then she will +be glad to tell us which is the boat." + +"She will tell us without," said Rollo. + +"As a matter of favor?" asked Mr. George. + +"Yes," said Rollo. + +"I suppose she would," said Mr. George; "but I would rather that the +obligation should be the other way." + +So Mr. George bought two oranges of the woman, and paid her a halfpenny +over and above the price of them. She seemed very grateful for this +kindness, and took great interest in showing him which of the boats he +and Rollo must take to go to Westminster. + +"There's one thing that I particularly wish to go and see," said Rollo, +"while we are in London." + +"What is that?" asked Mr. George. + +"One of the ragged schools," said Rollo. + +"What are they?" asked Mr. George. + +[Illustration: THE FIRST RAGGED SCHOOL.] + +"Why, they are schools for poor boys," replied Rollo. "I believe the +boys that go to the schools are pretty much all ragged. These schools +were begun by a cobbler. I read about it in a book. The cobbler used to +call the ragged boys in that lived about his shop, and teach them. +Afterwards other people established such schools; and now there are a +great many of them, and some of them are very large." + +"We'll go and see some of them," said Mr. George. "I should like to go +and see them very much." + +So saying Mr. George led the way to the boat that the orange woman had +pointed out as the one for Westminster; and they stepped on board, +together with a little crowd of other passengers who were going up the +river like themselves. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE RIVER. + + +Mr. George and Rollo fell into the line of people that were pressing +forward over the plank which led to the boat that the orange woman had +directed them to embark in; and they soon found themselves on board. The +boat was small and quite narrow. There was no saloon or enclosed +apartment of any kind for the passengers, nor even an awning to shelter +them from the sun or rain. There were, however, substantial settees +placed around the deck, some forward and others aft. Some of these +settees were on the sides of the steamer, by the railing, and there were +others placed back to back in the middle. There were not seats enough +for all the passengers; and thus many were obliged to stand. + +As the boat glided along swiftly over the water, Rollo gazed with wonder +and interest at the various objects and scenes which presented +themselves to view around him. The rows of dingy-looking warehouses +dimly seen through the smoke along the shores of the river; the ranges +of barges, lighters, and wherries lying at the margin of the water +below; the bridges, stretching through the murky atmosphere across the +stream, with throngs of people upon them passing incessantly to and fro; +the little steamers, long and slender, and blackened by smoke, shooting +swiftly in every direction over the surface of the water; and the spires +and domes of the city seen on every hand beyond the nearer +buildings,--attracted by turns the attention of our travellers, and +excited their wonder. + +In a very few minutes, however, after the boat had left its first +station, she seemed to be approaching another landing-place, and Rollo +was very much amused to observe how the steamer was manoeuvred in +coming up to the landing and making fast there. The pilot who had the +command of her stood upon the wheel house on one side, and gave his +orders by means of little gestures which he made with his fingers and +hand. The helmsman, who stood at the wheel in the stern, watched these +gestures, and regulated his steering by such of them as were meant for +him. There were other gestures, however, which were meant for the +engineer, who had charge of the engine. This engineer, however, could +not see the gestures of the pilot, for he was down among the machinery, +beneath the deck; and so there was a boy stationed on the deck, near an +opening which led down to where the engineer was standing; and this boy +interpreted the gestures as the pilot made them, calling out to the +engineer the import of them with a very curious drawling intonation, +which amused Rollo very much. Thus, when the steamer approached the +land, the boy, watching the fingers of the pilot, called out, with +intervals of a few seconds between each order, in a loud voice to the +engineer below, as follows:---- + +"EASE--ER-R-R!" + +Then, after two or three seconds,---- + +"STOP--ER-R-R!" + +Then again,---- + +"BACK--ER-R-R!" + +The engineer obeyed all these orders in succession as they were thus +announced to him; and the steamer was brought up very safely to the +landing, although the person who controlled her motions could not see at +all where he was going. + +When the steamer was thus, at length, moored to the landing, a number of +the passengers stepped off, and a great many others got on; and, +immediately afterwards, the cables were cast off, and the boy called +out,---- + +"START--ER-R-R!" + +The steamer then began to glide away from the landing again, and was +soon swiftly shooting over the water towards one of the arches of the +next bridge up the stream. + +"Now," said Rollo, "how are they going to get this tall smokepipe +through that bridge?" + +"You will see," said Mr. George. + +Rollo looked up to the top of the smokepipe, which seemed to be +considerably higher than the crown of the arch that the steamer was +approaching. How it could possibly pass was a mystery. The mystery was, +however, soon solved; for, at the instant that the bows of the steamer +entered under the arch, two men, taking hold of levers below, turned the +whole smokepipe back, by means of a hinge joint that had been made in +it, not far from the deck. The hinge was in the back side of the +smokepipe, and of course in bending the pipe back there was an opening +made in front; and through this opening the smoke, while the steamer was +passing through the bridge, came out in dense volumes. As soon, however, +as the arch was cleared, the pipe was brought back into its place again +by the force of great weights placed at the ends of the levers as a +counterpoise. Thus the opening below was closed, and the smoke came out +of the top of the pipe as before. + +[Illustration: SHOOTING THE BRIDGE.] + +As soon as the boat had passed the bridge, Rollo, looking forward, saw +another landing at a short distance in advance of them. + +"Here comes another landing," said Rollo. "Is this the Westminster +landing, do you think?" + +"No," said Mr. George. + +"How do you know?" asked Rollo. + +"We have not come far enough yet for the Westminster landing," said Mr. +George. + +"How shall you know when we get there?" asked Rollo. + +"I shall inquire," said Mr. George. "Besides, the Westminster landing +must be at Westminster Bridge, and Westminster Bridge is above +Hungerford Bridge; and I shall know Hungerford Bridge when I see it, for +it is an iron suspension bridge, without arches. It is straight and +slender, being supported from above by monstrous chains; and it is very +narrow, being only intended for foot passengers." + +"Well," said Rollo, "I will look out for it." + +"I meant to have asked you," said Mr. George, "while we were on London +Bridge, whether it would be best for us to take lodgings in the city or +at the West End. Which do you think?" + +"I don't know," said Rollo. "Which do you think would be best?" + +"It is more _genteel_ to be at the West End," said Mr. George. + +"I don't care any thing about that," said Rollo. + +"Nor do I much," said Mr. George. + +"I want to go," said Rollo, "where we can have the best time." + +"Yes," said Mr. George. + +"And see the most to amuse us," said Rollo. + +"I think," said Mr. George, "on the whole, that the West End will be the +best for us. There are a few great things in the city to be seen; but +the every-day walks, and little excursions, and street sights are +altogether more interesting at the West End. So we had better take our +lodgings there, and go to the city when we wish to by the omnibuses that +go down the Strand." + +"Or by these boats on the river," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "or by these boats." + +Not long after this, the steamboat came to Hungerford Bridge. Rollo knew +the bridge at once, as soon as it came into view, it was of so light and +slender a construction. Instead of being supported, like the other +bridges, upon arches built up from below, it was suspended from immense +chains that were stretched across the river above. The ends of these +chains passed over the tops of lofty piers, which were built for the +purpose of supporting them, one on each side, near the shore. The +steamer glided swiftly under this bridge, and immediately afterwards the +Westminster Bridge came into view. + +"Now," said Rollo, "we are coming to our landing." + +When the steamer at length made the landing, Rollo and Mr. George got +out and went up to the shore. They came out in a street called Bridge +Street, which led them up to another street called Whitehall. + +"Whitehall," said Mr. George, reading the name on the corner. "This must +be the street where King Charles I. was beheaded. Let me stop and see." + +So Mr. George stopped on the sidewalk, and, taking a little London guide +book out of his pocket, he looked at the index to find Whitehall. Then +he turned to the part of the book referred to, and there he found a long +statement in respect to King Charles's execution, which ended by saying, +"There cannot be a doubt, therefore, that he was executed in front of +the building which stands opposite the Horse Guards." + +"I'll inquire where the Horse Guards is," said Mr. George. + +"Where the horse guards _are_," said Rollo, correcting what he supposed +must be an error in his uncle's grammar. + +"No," rejoined Mr. George, "The Horse Guards is the name of a building." + +"Then this must be it," said Rollo, pointing to a building not far +before them; "for here are two horse guards standing sentry at the doors +of it." + +Mr. George looked and saw a very splendid edifice, having a fine +architectural front that extended for a considerable distance along the +street, though a little way back from it. There was a great gateway in +the centre; and near the two ends of the building there were two porches +on the street, with a splendidly-dressed horseman, completely armed, and +mounted on an elegant black charger, in each of them. The horse of each +of these sentries was caparisoned with the most magnificent military +trappings; and, as the horseman sat silent and motionless in the saddle, +with his sword by his side, his pistols at the holster, and his bright +steel helmet, surmounted with a white plume, on his head, Rollo thought +that he was the finest-looking soldier he had ever seen. + +"I should like to see a whole troop of such soldiers as that," said he. + +"That building must be the Horse Guards," said Mr. George; "but I will +be sure. I will ask this policeman." + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE POLICEMAN. + + +The policeman was a very well-dressed and gentlemanly-looking personage. +He was standing, at the time when Mr. George saw him, on the edge of the +sidewalk, looking at some beggar boys, who had brooms in their hands, as +if they were going to sweep the crossings. The boys, however, when they +saw that the policeman was looking at them, seemed alarmed, and one +calling to the other, said, "Joey!" and then they both ran away round a +corner. + +Mr. George advanced to the policeman, and asked him if that building was +the Horse Guards. The policeman listened to and answered his question in +a very polite and gentlemanly manner. Mr. George made several additional +inquiries in respect to the building, and received in reply to them a +great deal of useful information. Rollo stood by all the while, +listening to the conversation, and observing with the greatest interest +the details of the uniform which the policeman wore. He was dressed, +Rollo saw, in a suit of dark blue, which fitted his form very nicely. +The coat had a standing collar, and was buttoned snugly up to the chin +with bright buttons. On the collar was worked the letter and number, A +335, in white braid, which denoted the division that this officer +belonged to, and his number in the division. The hat was peculiar, too, +being glazed at the top and at the brim, and having an appearance as if +covered with cloth at the sides. The figure of the policeman was very +erect, and his air and bearing very gentlemanly, and he answered all Mr. +George's inquiries in the most affable manner. + +Every part of London is provided with policemen of this character, whose +business it is to preserve order in the streets, to arrest criminals, to +take care of lost children, to guide strangers, and to answer any +inquiries that any person may wish to make in respect to the streets, +squares, public buildings, and other objects of interest in the +metropolis. The whole number of these policemen is very great, there +being near six thousand of them in all. They are all young and active +men; and in order that they may perform their duties in an efficient +manner, they are clothed with a great deal of authority; but they +exercise their power with so much gentleness and discretion that they +are universal favorites with all the people who traverse the streets, +except, perhaps, the beggar boys and vagabonds. _They_ stand in +perpetual awe of them. + +Each policeman has his own district, which is called his _beat_; and he +walks to and fro in this beat all the time while he is on duty. There is +a station near this beat, to which he takes any delinquents or criminals +that he may have occasion to arrest, in order that they may be examined, +and, if found guilty, sent to prison. + +One day Rollo saw a policeman taking a prisoner to the station. It was a +boy about thirteen years old. The policeman walked very fast, and the +boy ran along by his side. The policeman took hold of the collar of the +boy's jacket behind with his hand, and so conducted him along. There was +a crowd of young men and boys following, some walking fast and some +running, to see what would become of the prisoner. + +Rollo was at first inclined to join this party, in order that he might +see too; but Mr. George thought it would be better not to do so. Rollo +then began to pity the poor prisoner boy very much, in view of the +expression of dreadful terror and distress which his countenance had +worn when he passed by him, and he was very anxious to know what he had +been doing. He accordingly stopped to ask an orange woman, who stood +with a basket of oranges near a post at a corner. + +[Illustration: THE ARREST.] + +"He has been beating and abusing a little boy," said the woman, "and +spilling all his milk." + +"Come, Rollo," said Mr. George, "we must go along." + +Rollo would have liked very much to have inquired further into this +transaction; but he relinquished the idea, in compliance with his +uncle's wish. He found, however, that his sympathy for the poor +prisoner, as is usual in such cases, was very much diminished by knowing +the offence of which he had been guilty. + +Rollo had an opportunity to experience the advantages of the London +system of police three or four days after this, in an emergency, which, +as I am now speaking of the policemen, I will mention here. He had been +to see the British Museum with his uncle George, and had undertaken to +find his way back to the lodgings in Northumberland Court alone, his +uncle having had occasion at that time to go in another direction. The +distance from the museum to Northumberland Court was only about a mile; +but the intervening streets were very short, narrow, and intricate, and +were inclined towards each other at all possible angles, so that Rollo +very soon lost his way. In fact, he soon became completely turned round; +and, instead of going towards Northumberland Court, he went wandering on +in exactly a contrary direction. He turned this way and that, and looked +at the names of the streets on all the corners, in hopes to find some +one he had heard of before. Finally he became completely bewildered. + +"I shall have to give it up," said he to himself. "If it was a pleasant +day, I could go by the sun; for by keeping to the south I should, sooner +or later, come to the river." + +Unfortunately for Rollo, as is usually the case in London, the sun was +not to be seen. The sky was obscured with an impenetrable veil of smoke +and vapor. + +"I'll take a cab," said Rollo, "at the first stand, and tell the cabman +to drive me to Northumberland Court. He must find where it is the best +way he can." + +Rollo put his hands in his pockets as he said this, and found, to his +consternation, that he had no money. He had left his purse in the pocket +of another suit of clothes at home. He immediately decided that he must +give up the plan of taking a cab, since he had no money to pay for it. +This difficulty, however, was, in fact, by no means insuperable, as he +might have taken a cab, and paid the fare when he arrived at his +lodgings, by asking the man to wait at the door while he went up to get +his purse. He did not, however, think of this plan, but decided at once +that he must find some other way of getting home than by taking a cab. + +"I will ask a policeman," said he. + +So he began to look about for a policeman; and as there are so many +thousands of them on duty in London, one can almost always be very +readily found; and, when found, he is instantly known by his uniform. + +Rollo met the policeman walking towards him on the sidewalk. + +"I want to find my way to Northumberland Court," said he. "Will you be +good enough to tell me which way to go?" + +The policeman looked at Rollo a moment with a kind and friendly +expression of countenance. + +"Why, it is two miles and a half from here," said he, "at least, and a +very difficult way to find. I think you had better take a cab." + +"But I have not any money," said Rollo. + +The policeman looked at Rollo again with as near an approach to an +expression of surprise on his countenance as it is possible for a +policeman to manifest, since it is a part of his professional duty never +to be surprised at anything or thrown off his guard. Rollo was, however, +so well dressed, and was so gentlemanly in his air and bearing, that +almost any one would have wondered a little to hear him say that he had +no money. + +"I accidentally left my money all at home," said Rollo, by way of +explanation. + +"Very well," said the policeman; "come with me." + +So Rollo and the policeman walked along together. As they walked they +fell into conversation, and Rollo told the policeman who he was, and how +he came to lose his way. The policeman was very much interested when he +heard that his young friend was an American; and he asked him a great +many questions about New York and Boston. He said he had a brother in +Boston, and another in Cincinnati. + +After walking the distance of two or three blocks, the policeman +said,---- + +"This is the end of my beat. I must now put you in charge of another +officer." + +So saying, he made a signal to another policeman, who was on the +opposite sidewalk, and then going up to him with Rollo, he said,---- + +"This young gentleman wishes to go to Northumberland Court. Pass him +along. He is from America." + +So Rollo walked with the second policeman to the end of _his_ beat, +talking with him all the way about America and about what he had seen in +London. At the end of the second policeman's beat Rollo was placed in +the charge of a third policeman; and thus he was conducted all the way, +until he came in sight of Charing Cross by a succession of policemen, +without ever making it necessary for any one of them to leave his beat. +As soon as Charing Cross came into view, with the tall Nelson monument, +in Trafalgar Square, to mark it, Rollo at once knew where he was. So he +told the policeman who had him in charge there that he could go the rest +of the way alone; and so, thanking him for his kindness and bidding him +good by, he ran gayly home. + +Thus the policemen are, in many ways, the stranger's friends. They are +to be found every where; and they are always ready to render any service +which the passenger may require of them. Each one is furnished with a +baton, which is his badge of office; a rattle, with which he calls other +policemen to his aid when he requires them; a lantern for the night; and +an oilskin cape for rainy weather. In winter, too, they have greatcoats, +made in a peculiar fashion. + + * * * * * + +But to return to the Horse Guards. After Mr. George had finished his +conversation with the policeman about the Horse Guards, he said to Rollo +that he was going over to the other side of the street, in order to get +a better view of the building. So he led the way, and Rollo followed +him. When they reached the opposite sidewalk, Mr. George took his +station on the margin of it, and began to survey the edifice on the +opposite side of the street with great apparent interest. + +"I don't see any thing very remarkable about it," said Rollo. + +"It is the head quarters of the British army," said Mr. George. + +"What elegant black horses those troopers are upon!" said Rollo. + +"It is the centre of a power," said Mr. George, talking, apparently, to +himself, "that is felt in every quarter of the world." + +"I should like to have such a uniform as that," said Rollo, "and to be +mounted on such a horse; but then, I should rather ride about the city +than to stand still all the time in one of those sentry boxes." + +"About the _town_, you mean," said Mr. George. + +Rollo here observed that there was an open gateway in front of the Horse +Guards, and beyond it an arched passage, leading directly through the +centre of the building to some place in the rear of it. There were a +great many people coming and going through this passage way; so many, in +fact, as to make it evident that it was a public thoroughfare. Rollo +asked his uncle George where that passage way led to. + +"It leads to the rear of the Horse Guards," said Mr. George, "where +there is a great parade ground, and through the parade ground to Hyde +Park. I have studied it out on the map." + +"Let us go through and see the parade ground," said Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George, "not now. We had better go some morning when the +troops are parading there. We must go now and look out our lodgings." + +So Mr. George and Rollo walked on, and about half an hour afterwards Mr. +George engaged lodgings in a place near the junction of the Strand with +Charing Cross, called Northumberland Court. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +LODGINGS. + + +The whole system of providing for travellers at hotels and lodging +houses in England is entirely different from the one adopted in America. +In America all persons, in respect to the rights and privileges which +they enjoy, are, in theory, on a footing of perfect equality; and thus, +in all public resorts, such as hotels, boarding houses, public places of +amusement, and travelling conveyances, all classes mingle together +freely and without reserve. At the hotels and boarding houses, they +breakfast, dine, and sup together at the public tables; and even if they +have private parlors of their own, they do not, ordinarily, confine +themselves to them, but often seek society and amusement in the public +drawing rooms. At the places of amusement and in the public conveyances +they all pay the same price, and are entitled to the same privileges, +and they only get the best seats when they come early to secure them. +This, in America, is the general rule; though of course there are many +exceptions, especially in the great cities. In England it is altogether +different. There society is divided into a great many different ranks +and degrees, the people of each of which keep themselves entirely +separate and distinct from all the others. The cars of the railway +trains are divided into four or five classes, and travellers take one or +the other of them, according to their wealth or their rank, and pay +accordingly. In the hotels and lodging houses every arrangement is made +to keep each guest or party of guests as separate as possible from all +the rest. There are no public tables or public drawing rooms. Each +party, on its arrival at the hotel, takes a suit of rooms, consisting, +at least, of a sitting room and bed room, and every thing that they +require is served to them separately there, just as if there were no +other guests in the house. It is the same with the boarding houses, or +lodging houses as they are commonly called. Each boarder has his own +apartment, and whatever he calls for is sent to him there. He pays so +much a day for his room or rooms, and then for his board he is charged +for every separate article that he orders; so that, so far as he takes +his meals away from his lodgings, either by breakfasting or dining, or +taking tea at the houses of friends, or at public coffee rooms, he has +nothing to pay at his lodging house excepting the rent of his rooms. + +There are a great many of these lodging houses about London. They are +found on all the side streets leading off from all the great +thoroughfares. They are known, generally, by a little card in the +window, with the words, "FURNISHED APARTMENTS," written upon it. Mr. +George and Rollo found lodgings, as was stated in the last chapter, in a +house of this kind, situated in Northumberland Court. + +Northumberland Court is so named from its being situated on a part of +what were formerly the grounds of the town mansion of the famous dukes +of Northumberland. I have already stated, some chapters back, that in +former times the English nobles built magnificent houses on the great +banks of the Thames, between the road called the Strand, which led from +Westminster towards London, and the banks of the river. Since the days +when these mansions were erected, the whole space around them, between +the Strand and the river, has become completely filled with streets, +squares, courts, and lanes, the names of which were often derived from +those of the families on whose grounds they were built. The court where +Mr. George and Rollo found their lodgings was called Northumberland +Court for this reason. The entrance to it was under an archway a few +steps beyond the great Northumberland House itself--a massive and +venerable edifice, that is still standing. In fact, the Duke of +Northumberland resides in it, when he is in town, to this day. + +Mr. George and Rollo noticed the front of Northumberland House as they +passed it, on the day when they were looking out for lodgings, as +described in the last chapter, and, very soon coming to the archway +which led into the court, they stopped to look in. There was a small +iron gate across the entrance to the archway, but it was open. + +"This is a cunning-looking place," said Mr. George; "let us look in." + +So he and Rollo walked in under the archway. + +"This is a snug place," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "this is just the place for us. We will look +around and find the best house, and then knock at the door and look at +the rooms." + +So, after walking up and down the court once, Mr. George made his +selection, and knocked at the door with a long double rap, such as is +usually given by gentlemen. + +Very soon a pleasant-looking servant girl opened the door. Mr. George +told her that they had come to look at the rooms; whereupon the girl +invited them to walk in, and led the way up stairs. + +This conversation took place while they were going up stairs; and just +as they reached the head of the stairs, Mr. George asked the girl what +her name was. She said it was Margaret. + +Mr. George said he wished to have a sitting room and bed room. He did +not care, he said, if there were two bed rooms, if they were small. The +girl said there was a sitting room and two bed rooms on the first floor, +all connected together. + +Margaret then led the way into the sitting room. It looked very snug and +comfortable; though, compared with the bright and cheerful appearance of +New York rooms, it had rather a dark and dingy appearance. The paper was +dark, the paint was dark, and the furniture darker still. There was a +sofa on one side of the room, and two or three comfortable arm chairs. +There was a round table in the middle of the floor, and several other +smaller tables in different places about the room. There was a +sideboard, also, with a clock and various ornaments upon it. There was a +mirror over the mantle shelf, and another between the windows; and +various engravings, in frames that had evidently once been gilt, were +hanging about the walls. + +"Well," said Mr. George, as he looked about the room, "I don't know but +that this will do for us, Rollo. What do you think?" + +"I like it pretty well," said Rollo. + +"Now let us see the bed rooms, Margaret," said Mr. George. + +So Margaret led the way across the little entry to one of the bed rooms. +The room had the same dingy appearance that had been observed in the +sitting room, but it was abundantly furnished with every thing necessary +for such an apartment. Margaret led the way through this bed room to a +smaller one, which was so situated that it communicated both with the +large bed room and the sitting room. + +"Ah," said Mr. George, "this is just the place for you, Rollo." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I shall like it very much." + +"What is the price of these three rooms?" said Mr. George, turning to +Margaret. + +"Twenty-seven shillings a week, sir, if you please," said Margaret. + +"Twenty-seven shillings a week," said Mr. George, repeating the words to +himself in a musing manner. "That must be about a dollar a day, +reckoning four shillings to the dollar. Well, Rollo, I think you and I +can afford to pay half a dollar a piece for our rooms, considering that +it is London." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I think we can." + +"We will take the rooms, then," said Mr. George, turning to Margaret. + +"Very well, sir," said Margaret; "as you go down stairs I will speak to +my mistress." + +So Margaret led the way down stairs, and Mr. George and Rollo followed. +At the foot of the stairs they were met by the landlady, who came out +from a basement room to see them. Mr. George told the landlady that they +would take the rooms; and he handed her his card, in order that she +might know his name. + +"And perhaps, sir," said she, "you would be willing to make a deposit in +advance." + +"Certainly," said Mr. George. + +"Because sometimes," said the landlady, "a gentleman engages rooms, and +then something happens to prevent his coming, and so we lose all our +trouble of putting them in order for him, and, perhaps, lose the +opportunity of renting them to another lodger besides." + +"Certainly," said Mr. George. "It is perfectly right you should have a +deposit. How much shall it be?" + +"Perhaps you would be willing to leave five shillings with me," said +the landlady; "that would be sufficient." + +Mr. George expressed himself entirely satisfied with this arrangement, +and, giving the landlady five shillings, he went away, saying that he +and Rollo would return in the course of a couple of hours with their +luggage. He then went out into the street, called a cab from off the +stand in front of Morley's Hotel, drove down the Strand to the city, +through the city to London Bridge, and over the bridge to the railway +station. The porter brought out his luggage and put it upon the top of +the cab; and then Mr. George and Rollo got in, and the cabman drove them +back again to the West End. The luggage was carried up to their rooms; +and thus our two travellers found themselves regularly installed in +their London lodgings. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +BREAKFAST. + + +"Now, Rollo," said Mr. George, "ring the bell, and we will see what +Margaret can let us have for breakfast." + +It was Sunday morning, a day or two after Mr. George and Rollo arrived +in London. Mr. George had been sitting at a small table at one of the +windows, writing a letter, and Rollo had been sitting at the other +window, amusing himself, sometimes by looking at the pictures in a book, +and at others by watching the little scenes and incidents which were +continually occurring at the doors of the houses on the opposite side of +the court below. + +In obedience to his uncle's request, Rollo pulled one of the bellropes +which hung by the side of the fire. A minute or two afterwards +Margaret's gentle tap was heard at the door. + +"Come in," said Mr. George. + +Margaret opened the door and came in. + +"Well, Margaret," said Mr. George, "what can you let us have for +breakfast this morning?" + +"You can have whatever you like," said Margaret. + +The English waiters and servant girls always say you can have whatever +you like; but it does not always prove in the end that the promise can +be realized. + +"Can you let us have a fried sole?" asked Mr. George. + +"Why, no, sir," said Margaret, "not Sunday morning. You see, sir, they +don't bring round the soles Sunday morning." + +"Muffins, then," said Mr. George. + +"Nor muffins either," replied Margaret. "We can't get any muffins Sunday +morning." + +"Well," said Mr. George, "what can you get us most conveniently?" + +"That's just as you like, sir," said Margaret. "You can have whatever +you like." + +"Why, no," said Mr. George; "for you just said we could not have soles +or muffins." + +"Well, sir," said Margaret, innocently, "that's because it is Sunday +morning, and they don't bring round soles or muffins Sunday morning." + +Mr. George began to perceive by this time that his principles of logic +and those of Margaret were so entirely different from each other that +there was no possibility of bringing any discussion to a point; and he +very wisely gave up the contest, telling Margaret that she might let +them have a cup of coffee, and any thing else she pleased. + +"You can have a mutton chop, sir," said Margaret, "and rolls." + +"Very well," said Mr. George; "that will be just the thing." + +So Margaret went down to prepare the breakfast; and Mr. George, taking +his seat on the sofa, began to turn over the leaves of his guide book, +to see if he could find out what time the service commenced in +Westminster Abbey. + +"Uncle George!" said Rollo, "look here! See this strange-looking boy +coming into the court!" + +"How does he look?" asked Mr. George. + +"He looks very poor," said Rollo, "and miserable, and his head is as big +as a bushel basket! He is going to sing," Rollo added. "Hark!" + +Mr. George listened, and heard the voice of a child, beginning to sing a +plaintive ballad, in the court below. + +"Come and see him," said Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George; "I don't wish to see him. You may throw him out a +penny, if you choose." + +"Well," said Rollo, "as soon as he has finished his song." + +So Rollo waited till the boy had finished singing his song; and then, +lifting up the window a little way, he threw a penny to him, shooting it +out through the crack. Mr. George heard the chink of the penny as it +fell upon the pavement below. + +"He sees it!" said Rollo. "He is picking it up. He made me a bow!" + + * * * * * + +About this time Margaret came in and spread the cloth for breakfast. +Soon afterwards she brought the breakfast up. She, however, brought only +one cup for the coffee, having taken Mr. George's order, to let them +have a cup of coffee, somewhat too literally. The truth is, that +inasmuch as, at the English lodging houses, every thing that is called +for is charged separately, the servants are, very properly, quite +careful not to bring any thing unless it is distinctly ordered, lest +they might seem to wish to force upon the traveller more than he desired +to pay for. + +[Illustration: BREAKFAST.] + +Margaret was, however, it appears, a little uncertain in this case; for +she asked Mr. George, as she put the waiter on the table, whether he +meant to have two cups brought, or only one. He told her two; and so she +went down and brought another, taking the coffee pot down with her, +too, in order to add to it a fresh supply of coffee. In due time every +thing was ready; and Mr. George and Rollo, drawing their chairs up to +the table, had an excellent breakfast, all by themselves. Mr. George +remained quietly in his seat at the table all the time while eating his +breakfast; but Rollo was continually getting up and going to the window +whenever he heard the footsteps of any one coming into the court or +going out, or the sound of the knocker or of the bell at any of the +opposite doors. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +WESTMINSTER ABBEY. + + +"Now, Rollo," said Mr. George, after they had finished breakfast, "the +great church of the city is St. Paul's, and that of the West End is +Westminster Abbey. I have an idea of going to church this morning at the +Abbey, and this afternoon at St. Paul's." + +Rollo was well pleased with this arrangement; and soon afterwards he and +his uncle sallied forth, and took their way along Whitehall. + +Whitehall is a sort of continuation of the Strand, leading, as it does, +along the Thames, at a little distance from the bank of the river. It is +bordered on both sides by magnificent public edifices, such as the Horse +Guards, the Admiralty, Westminster Hall, the Houses of Parliament, and +the Treasury. Conspicuous among these and other similar edifices, and in +the midst of paved courts and green gardens, stands the venerable group +of buildings famed through all the world as Westminster Abbey. + +Mr. George and Rollo, when they approached the abbey, saw a current of +people moving towards the building. These people turned off from the +sidewalk to a paved alley, which led along a sort of court. This court +was bounded by a range of ordinary, but ancient-looking, houses on one +side, and a very remarkable mass of richly-carved and ornamented Gothic +architecture, which evidently pertained to the abbey, on the other. On +the wall of the row of houses was a sign, on which were inscribed the +words, "TO THE POET'S CORNER." + +"This must be the way," said Mr. George to Rollo. + +So Mr. George and Rollo fell into the current, and walked up the alley. +They came, at length, to a low-arched door in the wall of a building, +which, from the massive stone buttresses that supported it, and the rich +carvings and sculptures which were seen about the doors and windows, and +the antique and timeworn appearance which was exhibited in every feature +of it, was evidently a part of the abbey. + +"This is the place," said Mr. George to Rollo, "there is no doubt." + +Mr. George entered at the door, followed by Rollo, and they were ushered +at once into a scene of the most extraordinary and impressive character. +They found themselves in the midst of a splendid panorama of columns, +statues, monuments, galleries, and ranges of arches and colonnades, +which seemed to extend interminably in every direction, and to rise to +so vast a height that the eye seemed to be lost in attempting to reach +the groins and arches in which they terminated above. Here and there, at +various places more or less remote, were to be seen windows of stained +glass, through which beams of colored light streamed down through groups +of columns, and over the carved and sculptured ornaments of screens and +stalls, and among innumerable groups and figures of monumental marble. + +The place where Mr. George and Rollo entered the church was in the south +transept, as it is called; that is, in the southern arm of the cross +which is formed by the ground plan of the church. Almost all the +cathedral churches of Europe are built in the general form of a cross, +the length of which lies always to the east and west. + +The main body of the church is called the nave; the head of the cross is +the chancel; the two arms are the north and south transepts; and the +space formed by the intersection of the cross is called the choir. It is +in the choir, usually, that congregations assemble and the service is +performed, the whole church being usually too large for this purpose. +The space necessary for the use of the congregations is separated from +the rest of the floor by splendidly-carved and ornamented partitions, +which rise to a height of twenty or thirty feet above the floor--the +whole height of the church being often more than one hundred. These +partitions are called screens. But in order that the reader may +understand all this more perfectly, and also obtain a more full and +correct idea of the interior of the abbey, I give, on the adjoining +page, a ground plan of the edifice, which shows very distinctly its +general form, and the relative position of the various parts of it above +referred to. Near the margin of the drawing, on the right-hand side of +it, is seen the passage way leading to the Poet's Corner, where Mr. +George and Rollo came in. On the side which was upon their right hand as +they came in you see the ground plan of the great buttresses which +stand here against the wall of the church. On their left hand is the +octagon-shaped building, called the Chapter House. This building was +originally designed for the meetings of the body of ecclesiastics +connected with the cathedral.[C] In the corner between the Chapter House +and the church you can see the door opening into the church, where Mr. +George and Rollo came in. On entering they found themselves at A, which +is called the Poet's Corner, from the fact that the monuments of +Shakspeare, Dryden, Thomson, Goldsmith, and most of the other poets that +are interred or commemorated in the abbey, are placed here. + +[C] Such a body of ecclesiastics is called a _chapter_. + +The part A, as you see from the plan, is separated from the main portion +of the south transept by a range of columns. These columns rise to a +vast height in reaching the ceiling above. Of course only the places +where the columns stand, and the forms of the bases of them, are marked +on the plan. In other parts of the floor of the church, as, for example, +in the north transept, and along each side of the nave and choir, are +other ranges of columns, some square at the base, and others round. You +will observe, too, that the rows of columns which stand on each side of +the nave and choir separate the central part of the church from what are +called the aisles; for the word _aisle_, as applied to a European +cathedral, does not denote, as in America, a passage way between two +rows of seats, or pews, but the spaces outside of the ranges of columns, +which extend up and down the body of the church, on each side of the +nave and choir. + +The aisles, as may be seen by the plan, are not so wide as the nave and +choir. There is another thing also to be noted respecting them that is +quite important, though it cannot be seen in the plan--and that is, that +they are not so high, the roof being carried up to a greater height in +the centre of the church--that is, over the nave and choir--than it is +at the sides over the aisles. Thus these ranges of columns not only +divide different portions of the floor from each other below, but they +also separate roofs of different altitudes above. + +But let us return to Mr. George and Rollo. We left them in the Poet's +Corner, at A. As they looked through the columns near them, they saw the +congregation filling the whole central part of the church. + +"Let us go up and find a seat," said Mr. George. + +So Mr. George led the way between the columns into the south transept. +You can see exactly where they went by looking at the plan. This +transept was filled with settees, which were placed in two ranges, with +a passage way in the middle between them. The front settees were filled +with people, and over the heads of them Mr. George could see that there +were other ranges of settees in the north transept and the choir. There +were various desks, and pulpits, and oratories, and carved stalls, and +canopies to be seen in the interior, and many separate compartments of +seats, some enclosed by ancient carved oak railings, and others with +large worsted ropes, of a dark-brown color, drawn across the entrance to +them. Above, clusters of columns and tall pinnacles, rising from +canopies and screens, ascended high into the air; and between and beyond +them were to be seen gorgeous windows of colored glass, of the most +antique and timeworn appearance, and of enormous size. Over the heads, +too, of the congregation of living worshippers, and mingled with them in +various recesses and corners, were to be seen numberless groups and +statues of marble. These statues were, in fact, so mingled with the +worshippers, that, in surveying the assemblage, it seemed, in some +cases, difficult for a moment to distinguish the living forms of the +real men from cold and lifeless effigies of the dead. + +Rollo and Mr. George advanced up the passage way as far as they could; +and then, Mr. George making a signal for Rollo to follow him, they sat +down on one of the benches where there was a vacancy, and began to +listen to the music. This music came from an immense organ which was +placed over the screen marked S on the plan, which, as you see, +separates the nave from the choir. The tones of the organ were very deep +and loud, and the sound reverberated from the arches and columns, and +from the vaulted roofs above, in a very sublime and impressive manner. + +"Can't we go up a little nearer?" said Rollo. + +"We cannot get _seats_ any nearer," said Mr. George. + +The seats, in fact, that were in front appeared to be entirely full, and +several persons were standing in the passage way. Just then a gentleman +and lady came up the passage way to the end of the seat where Mr. George +and Rollo were sitting. Mr. George and Rollo moved in to make room. They +sat down in the space which was thus made for them, without, however, +acknowledging Mr. George's politeness even by a look. + +"Cannot we go up a little nearer?" said the lady. + +"We cannot get _seats_ any nearer," said the gentleman. "The seats above +here seem to be all full." + +The lady did not appear, however, to be satisfied, but began to look +anxiously about among the benches nearer to the choir in search of some +vacant seat. The choir itself appeared to be full, and the entrance to +it was closed by one of the worsted ropes above referred to, and was +guarded, moreover, by two vergers, dressed in an antique and picturesque +costume. + +"Edward," said the lady in a moment to the gentleman by her side, who +appeared to be her husband, "I see a place where I can get a seat." + +So she rose and walked up the passage way, followed by the gentleman. +She went to one of the forward settees, where there were some ladies +sitting who were not very close together, and asked them to move in, so +as to make room for her. She then crowded into the space which was thus +made, and looked up to her husband with an expression of great +satisfaction on her countenance. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "now she is satisfied. A woman never cares how +long her husband stands in aisles and passages, so long as she has a +good seat herself." + +Mr. George was not a great admirer of the ladies, and he often +expressed his opinion of them in a very ungallant and in quite too +summary a manner. What he said in this case is undoubtedly true of some +ladies, as every one who has had occasion to witness their demeanor in +public places must have observed. But it is by no means true of all. + +In this particular instance, however, it must be confessed that Mr. +George was in the right. The gentleman looked round, when he found his +wife was seated, to see whether the place he had left was still vacant; +but it was occupied; and so he remained standing in the passage way, by +the side of his wife, during all the service. It was very plain, +however, that this circumstance gave his wife no concern whatever. She +seemed to consider it a matter of course that, provided the lady in such +cases was seated, the gentleman might stand. + +In the mean time, Mr. George and Rollo remained in the seat they had +taken. The service appeared to them very complicated. The different +portions of it were performed by different clergymen, who were dressed +in white robes, and adorned with the various other insignia of +sacerdotal rank. The places, too, in which they stood, in performing +their ministrations, were continually changed, each clergyman being +escorted with great ceremony to the desk or pulpit at which he was to +perform his part by a verger, who was clothed in an antique dress, and +bore an ornamented rod in his hand--the emblem of his office. + +In one place there was a choir of singing boys, all dressed in white, +who chanted the responses and anthems. The other parts of the service +were cantilated, or _intoned_, as it is called, in a manner which seemed +to Mr. George and Rollo very extraordinary. In fact, the whole scene +produced upon the minds of our travellers the effect, not of a religious +service for the worship of God, but of a gorgeous, though solemn, +dramatic spectacle. + +When, at length, the service was ended and the benediction was +pronounced, the congregation rose; but Mr. George perceived that those +who were in the part of the church near them did not turn and go back +towards the Poet's Corner, where they had come in, but stood and looked +forward towards the choir, as if they were expecting to advance in that +direction. + +"Let us wait a minute," said Mr. George, "and see what they will do." + +In a few minutes the verger removed the worsted cords by which the +passage ways in and through the choirs had been closed, and then there +commenced a general movement of the congregation in that direction. The +people, as they walked along, paused to look at the monuments that were +built in the walls; at the statues and groups of allegorical figures +that were placed here and there in niches and recesses; at the oak +carvings in the screens; the canopies and the stalls; at the +stained-glass windows, with the gorgeous representations which they +contained of apostles and saints; and at all the other architectural and +sculptured wonders of the place. + +The congregation passed out from the choir into the nave through a sort +of gateway in the screen beneath the organ, at the place marked O in the +plan; and then, spreading out on each side, they passed between the +columns into the aisles, and thus moved slowly down the nave and the +aisles, surveying the monuments and sculptures as they proceeded. They +did not stop long at any place, but moved on continually, though slowly, +as if it were not the custom to walk about much for the purpose of +viewing the abbey on Sunday. + +All this part of the church was entirely open, there being no pews or +seats, nor any fixtures of any kind, except the sepulchral monuments at +the sides. The floor was of stone, the pavement being composed, in a +great measure, of slabs carved with obituary inscriptions, some of which +were very ancient, while others were quite modern. The whole atmosphere +of the church seemed cold and damp, as if it were a tomb. + +Rollo's attention was strongly attracted by the monuments that they +passed by in their walk. Many of the sculptures were larger than life, +and they were represented in various attitudes, and with various +accompanying symbols, according to the character or position in life of +the men whose exploits were commemorated by them. There were effigies of +modern men, studying books, or working with mathematical instruments, or +looking attentively at globes. There were rude sculptures of crusaders, +lying upon their backs on slabs of stone, their faces and forms +blackened by time, their noses and ears broken off, and sometimes with +an arm or a foot wanting. Then, as a contrast to these, there were +beautiful representations of ships and sea fights, all exquisitely +chiselled in the whitest of marble. There were angels and cherubs in +every imaginable form and position, and countless other varieties of +statues, bas reliefs, and inscriptions, which excited in Rollo, as he +walked among them, a perpetual sentiment of wonder. + +"Cannot we walk about here a little while," said Rollo, "and look at +these images more?" + +"No," said Mr. George, "not to-day. It seems not to be the usage." + +"I do not see any harm in it," said Rollo. "It is just like walking in a +burying ground." + +"True," said Mr. George; "but it seems not to be the usage. We will come +some other day." + + * * * * * + +Rollo and Mr. George did come another day, and then they walked about +entirely at their ease, and examined as many of the monuments, and +deciphered as many of the ancient inscriptions, as they pleased. They +also walked about to visit what are called the chapels. The chapels in a +European cathedral are small recesses, opening from the main church, and +separated from it by an iron railing, or a screen, or something of that +sort. They are ornamented in various ways, and contain various +monuments, and in Catholic cathedrals are used often for special +services of religious worship. You will see the places of the chapels in +Westminster Abbey by referring again to the plan on page 82. Most of +them are built around the head of the cross. There are six small +ones,--three on each side,--marked B, C, D, F, G, I, and another at the +head--the largest and most splendid of all. This last is called Henry +VII.'s Chapel. The tombs of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth are in this +chapel, one on each side of it, as marked in the plan. The names of the +other chapels are as follows: B, St. Benedict's; C, St. Edmond's; D, +St. Nicholas's; F, St. Paul's; G, St. John the Baptist's. + +There is also another chapel in the centre, which is, in some respects, +the most interesting of all. It is marked H on the plan. Here the bodies +of a great number of the ancient kings of England are interred. + + * * * * * + +As Rollo and Mr. George walked about among these monuments and +tombstones, now that there was no congregation of worshippers present to +give a living character to the scene, the whole aspect and feeling of +the chapels and aisles through which they wandered seemed cold, and +damp, and subterranean, so as to impress them continually with the idea +that they were in chambers consecrated, not to the living, but to the +dead. In fact, Westminster Abbey, whatever may have been its original +design, is now little else than a tomb--a grand and imposing, but damp +and gloomy, tomb. It is so completely filled in every part with funeral +monuments that the whole aspect and character of it are entirely +changed; so that, from being a temple consecrated to the service of God, +it has become a vast sepulchre, devoted almost wholly to commemorating +the glory of man. + +Mr. George did not go to St. Paul's that afternoon to church, as he had +at first intended. He said that one such display as he had witnessed at +Westminster Abbey was spectacle enough for one Sunday. He accordingly +determined to postpone his visit to the great cathedral of the city till +the next day; and on that afternoon he took Rollo to a small dissenting +chapel in the vicinity of their lodgings, where the service consisted of +simple prayers offered by the pastor as the organ of the assembled +worshippers, of hymns sung in concert by all the congregation, and of a +plain and practical sermon, urging upon the hearers the duty of +penitence for sin, and of seeking pardon and salvation through a +spiritual union with Jesus the Redeemer. + +"Well," said Mr. George to Rollo, as he came out of the chapel when the +congregation was dismissed, "the service at the abbey, with all those +chantings and intonations of the performers, and all the ceremonies, and +dresses, and solemn paradings, makes a more imposing spectacle, I grant; +but it seems to me that the service that we have heard this afternoon is +modelled much more closely after the pattern of the meeting which Jesus +held with his disciples the night before he was betrayed. At any rate, +it satisfies much more fully, as it seems to me, the spiritual +hungerings and thirstings of the human soul." + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +CALCULATIONS. + + +"Now, Rollo," said Mr. George, after breakfast Monday morning, "we will +go into the city and see St. Paul's this morning. I suppose it is nearly +two miles from here," he continued. "We can go down in one of the +steamers on the river for sixpence, or we can go in an omnibus for +eightpence, or in a cab for a shilling. Which do you vote for?" + +"I vote for going on the river," said Rollo. + +"Now I think of it," said Mr. George, "I must stop on the way, just +below Temple Bar; so we shall have to take a cab." + +Temple Bar is an old gateway which stands at the entrance of the city. +It was originally a part of the wall that surrounded the city. The rest +of the wall has long since been removed; but this gateway was left +standing, as an ancient and venerable relic. The principal street +leading from the West End to the city passes through it under an +archway; and the sidewalks, through smaller arches, are at the sides. +The great gates are still there, and are sometimes shut. The whole +building is very much in the way, and it will probably, before long, be +pulled down. In America it would be down in a week; but in England there +is so much reverence felt for such remains of antiquity that the +inconvenience which they produce must become very great before they can +be removed. + +Mr. George and Rollo took a cab and rode towards the city. Just after +passing Temple Bar, Mr. George got out of the cab and went into an +office. Rollo got out too, and amused himself walking up and down the +sidewalk, looking in at the shop windows, while Mr. George was doing his +business. + +When Mr. George came out Rollo had got into the cab again, and was just +at that moment giving a woman a penny, who stood at the window of the +cab on the street side. The woman had a child in her arms. + +When Rollo first saw the woman, she came up to the window of the +cab--where he had taken his seat after he had looked at the shop windows +as much as he pleased--and held up a bunch of violets towards him, as if +she wished him to buy them. Rollo shook his head. The woman did not +offer the violets again, but looked down towards her babe with an +expression of great sadness in her face, and then looked imploringly +again towards Rollo, without, however, speaking a word. + +Rollo put his hand in his pocket and took out a penny and gave it to +her. The woman said "Thank you," in a faint tone of voice, and went +away. + +It was just at this moment that Mr. George came out to the cab. + +"Rollo," said Mr. George, "did not you know it was wrong to give money +to beggars in the streets?" + +"Yes," said Rollo; "but this time I could not resist the temptation, she +looked so piteously at her poor little baby." + +Mr. George said no more, but took his seat, and the cab drove on. + +"Uncle George," said Rollo, after a little pause, "I saw some very +pretty gold chains in a window near here; there was one just long enough +for my watch. Do you think I had better buy it?" + +"What was the price of it?" asked Mr. George. + +"It was marked one pound fifteen shillings," said Rollo; "that is about +eight dollars and a half." + +"It must be a very small chain," said Mr. George. + +"It _was_ small," said Rollo; "just right for my watch and me." + +"Well, I don't know," said Mr. George, in a hesitating tone, as if he +were considering whether the purchase would be wise or not. "You have +got money enough." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "besides my credit on your book, I have got in my +pocket two sovereigns and two pennies, and, besides that, your due bill +for four shillings." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "I must pay that due bill." + +What Rollo meant by a due bill was this: Mr. George was accustomed to +keep his general account with Rollo in a book which he carried with him +for this purpose, and from time to time he would pay Rollo such sums as +he required in sovereigns, charging the amount in the book. It often +happened, however, in the course of their travels, that Mr. George would +have occasion to borrow some of this money of Rollo for the purpose of +making change, or Rollo would borrow small sums of Mr. George. In such +cases the borrower would give to the lender what he called a due bill, +which was simply a small piece of paper with the sum of money borrowed +written upon it, and the name of the borrower, or his initials, +underneath. When Mr. George gave Rollo such a due bill for change which +he had borrowed of him, Rollo would keep the due bill in his purse with +his money until Mr. George, having received a supply of change, found it +convenient to pay it. + +The due bill which Rollo referred to in the above conversation was as +follows:-- + +[Illustration: Four shillings. G. H.] + +Mr. George adopted the plan of giving or receiving a due bill in all +cases where he borrowed money of Rollo or lent money to him, in order to +accustom Rollo to transact all his business in a regular and methodical +manner, and to avoid the possibility of any mistake or any difference of +opinion between them in respect to the question whether the money was +actually borrowed, or whether it had not been repaid. I strongly +recommend to all the readers of this book to adopt some such plan as +this in all their pecuniary transactions with others, whether they are +great or small, and to adhere to it very rigidly. This rule is +especially important when the parties having pecuniary transactions with +each other are friends; and the more intimate their friendship is, the +more important is this rule. + +It is true, it would not be polite and proper for you to _ask_ for such +a memorandum of a friend to whom you casually lend some small sum, but +you can always _offer_ it when you borrow; and in all cases, where you +have frequent dealings of this kind with any person, you can agree upon +this plan beforehand, as a general rule. + +But let us return to Rollo and the watch chain. + +"Well," said Mr. George, after some hesitation, "I am by no means sure +that it would not be a good plan for you to buy the watch chain. A gold +chain is an article of permanent and intrinsic value. It will last a +very long time. Perhaps you would get as much enjoyment from it as from +any thing you could buy with that money. At any rate, the money is your +own; you have saved it from your travelling expenses by your prudence +and economy; and it is right for you to expend it as you take a fancy. +If you take a fancy to the chain, I do not know why it would not be a +good purchase." + +"I think I should like the chain very much," said Rollo. + +"Let us see," said Mr. George, in a musing sort of tone; "there is +another way to look at these questions. What is the interest of eight +dollars and a half?" + +"I don't know," said Rollo. "How much is it?" + +"Let me see," said Mr. George; "seven times six are forty-two--say +fifty; and then we must add something for wear, and tear, and +depreciation. I should think," he added, after a moment's reflection, +"that the chain would cost you about sixty cents a year, as long as you +keep it." + +"How so?" said Rollo. + +"Why, the money that you will pay for it will produce about fifty cents +a year, if you keep it at interest; and of course, if you buy a chain +with the money, you stop all that income." + +"Yes," said Rollo, "I understand that for the fifty cents: and now for +the other ten. You said sixty cents." + +"Why, the chain will be gradually wearing out all the time, while you +use it," said Mr. George, "and I estimated that it would lose about ten +cents a year. That makes up the sixty." + +"Yes," said Rollo, "I suppose it would." + +"You see," continued Mr. George, "that the little links and rings, where +the chief wear comes, will gradually become thinner and thinner, and at +last the time would come when you could not use it for a chain any +longer. You would then have to sell it for old gold; and for that +purpose it would not be worth, probably, more than half what you now +give for it. + +"So you see," continued Mr. George, "you would lose the interest on the +money you pay for the chain every year; and besides that, you would lose +a portion of the chain itself. When you have money safely invested at +interest, you have the interest every year, and at the end of the term +you have your capital restored to you entire. But in such a purchase as +this, you are sure, in the end, to sink a portion of it by wear, and +tear, and depreciation; and this circumstance ought always to be taken +into account." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "that is very true." + +"Making such a calculation as this," continued Mr. George, "will often +help us determine whether it is wise or not to make a purchase. The +question is, whether you would get as much pleasure from the possession +and use of this chain as sixty cents a year would come to." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I think I should." + +"That would be five cents a month," said Mr. George. + +"Yes," repeated Rollo; "I think I should." + +"And one cent and a quarter a week," added Mr. George. "Do you think you +would get pleasure enough out of your chain to come to a cent and a +quarter a week?" + +"Yes," said Rollo, confidently; "I am _sure_ I should." + +"I think it very likely you would," said Mr. George; "and if so, it +would be a wise purchase." + +It was not necessary absolutely that Rollo should obtain his uncle +George's approval of any plan which he might form for the expenditure of +his surplus funds, since it was Mr. Holiday's plan that Rollo should +spend his money as he chose, provided only that he did not buy any thing +that would either be injurious or dangerous to himself, or a source of +annoyance to others. Now, in respect to the chain, Rollo knew very well +himself that it was not liable to either of these objections, and that +he was consequently at liberty to purchase it if he thought best. In the +conversation, therefore, described above, his object was not so much to +obtain his uncle's consent that he should make the purchase as to avail +himself of his uncle's opinion and judgment in the case, in order to +enable him to judge wisely himself. + +"I _think_," said he, at length, in announcing to his uncle his +decision, "that it will be a good plan for me to buy the chain; but I +will not be in haste about it. I will wait a day or two. I may possibly +see something else that I shall like better." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +ST. PAUL'S. + + +Mr. George and Rollo, just before they reached St. Paul's, had a very +unexpected addition made to their party. The person was no other than +Rollo's mother. + +Rollo's father and mother had come from Paris to London the day before, +though Rollo had not expected them so soon as this. It might have been +supposed that in making the tour they would keep in company with Mr. +George and Rollo all the time; but this was not the plan which they +adopted. Mr. Holiday's health was still quite feeble, and he wished to +travel in a very quiet and easy manner. Mr. George and Rollo, on the +other hand, were full of life and spirits. They wished to go every +where, and to see every thing, and had very little fear of either +fatigue or exposure. + +"It will be better, therefore," said Mr. Holiday, "that we should act +independently of each other. You may go your way, and we will go ours. +We shall meet occasionally, and then you can relate us your adventures." + +In accordance with this plan, Rollo's father and mother remained in +Paris a few days after Mr. George and Rollo had left that city; and now +they had just arrived in London. Jane came with them. And now it +happened, by a very remarkable coincidence, that Mr. George and Rollo +met them in St. Paul's Churchyard when they were going to visit the +cathedral. + +St. Paul's Churchyard is a street. It surrounds the yard in which St. +Paul's stands, and is bordered on the outer side by ranges of +magnificent shops and houses. Thus the street has buildings on one side, +and the monstrous iron palisade which forms the enclosure of St. Paul's +on the other, all around it. + +The yard in which St. Paul's stands is in general of an oval form, +though not regularly so. One side curves a great deal, while the other +side is nearly straight. The street, of course, corresponds with the +outline of the yard, being nearly straight on one side of the church, +and quite of a crescent form on the other--being shaped thus somewhat +like a bow. They call the curved side of the street the Bow, and the +straight side the String. The Bow is on the south side of the church, +and the String is on the north side. + +Some of the most splendid shops in London are situated in this street, +particularly in the part of it called the String. There are shops for +the sale of books and engravings, of millinery of all kinds, of laces +and embroideries of every sort, of caps and bonnets, and of silver plate +and jewelry. It seems a little strange to the visitor to see so great a +display of such vanities as these in a street called a Churchyard; but +there are a great many such apparent inconsistencies between the names +and uses of the streets in London. + +It was in St. Paul's Churchyard that Rollo met his mother. The cab which +he and his uncle were in had stopped opposite the great gate which led +to the church. Rollo stepped out first; and while he was waiting for his +uncle George, he saw his mother just coming out of one of the shops on +the other side. + +"Why, uncle George!" said he; "there's mother!" + +So saying, he ran across the street to meet his mother. + +Mrs. Holiday was overjoyed to see Rollo coming; so was Jennie, who was +sitting all the time in the carriage with Mr. Holiday. After some +conversation on other subjects, Rollo told his mother that he and Mr. +George were going to see St. Paul's. + +"_I_ might go too," said his mother. + +"Yes, mother!" said Rollo, eagerly. "Do, mother!" + +"I _would_ go," said Mr. Holiday. "It will be a very good opportunity +for you--the best you will have, in fact; for I shall not be able to go +up so many stairs myself. Jennie can go home with me." + +Jennie did not like this part of the proposal, but seemed very desirous +to go with her mother. + +"Why, Jennie!" said her mother. "I do not think you could climb so high. +I don't think you know how high it is." + +"Ah, yes, mother," said Rollo, "she can climb very well; besides, I can +help her if she gets tired." + +It was finally agreed that Jennie should go too; and so the whole party, +excepting Mr. Holiday, walked across the street and began to ascend the +great flight of circular steps which led to the door in the north +transept of the church, that being the door at which strangers and +visitors are usually admitted. + +On entering the church, they found themselves ushered into an interior +so vast in extent, and so lofty in height, as to overwhelm them with +wonder. They walked along over the smooth stone pavement towards the +centre of the cross, and there stood and looked up into the dome, which +swelled in a vast concave far up over their heads, like a sky of stone. +The ceiling of the dome was divided into compartments, which were +covered with paintings. These paintings had become a good deal faded and +decayed; and on one side of the dome, nearly two hundred feet above +where the party was standing, there was a platform hanging in the air, +with workmen and artists upon it repainting the figures. From the place +where he now stood, however, Rollo could only see the under side of this +platform and some of the ropes by which it was suspended. + +"Do you see that gallery," said Mr. George to Rollo, pointing upwards, +"which runs all around just under the dome?" + +"I see a small railing, or balustrade," said Mrs. Holiday. + +"There is a gallery there," said Mr. George, "eight or ten feet wide, +though we do not see the width of it very distinctly here. And the +railing, or balustrade, which looks so small here, we shall find is not +very small when we come to get up to it." + +"Can we get up there?" said Mrs. Holiday. + +"Yes," replied Mr. George. "That must be the celebrated whispering +gallery." + +"How do you know?" asked Rollo. + +"I have read descriptions of it in books," said Mr. George. "They said +that the whispering gallery was a gallery passing entirely around the +centre of the church, over the choir, and just under the dome; and so +that must be it. All that is the dome that rises above it." + +"Let us go up there, then," said Rollo. + +The party walked about the floor of the church a few minutes longer, +though they found but little to interest them in what they saw except +the vastness of the enclosed interior and the loftiness of the columns +and walls. There were several colossal monuments standing here and +there; but in general the church had a somewhat empty and naked +appearance. The immense magnitude, however, of the spaces which the +party traversed, and the lofty heights of the columns, and arches, and +ceilings which they looked up to above, filled them with wonder. + +At length, near the foot of a staircase, in a sort of corner, they found +a man in a little office, whose business it was to sell to visitors +tickets of admission, to enable them to view such parts of the church, +especially those situated in the upper regions of it, as it would not be +proper to leave entirely open to the public. For these places attendants +are required, to guard the premises from injury, as well as to show the +visitors the way they are to go and to explain to them what they see; +and for this a fee is charged, according in tariff, which is set down in +the guide books thus:---- + + + COST OF ADMISSION. + + _s. d._ + + Whispering, Stone, and Golden Galleries, 0 6 + + Ball, 1 6 + + Library, Great Bell, Geometrical Staircase, and Model + Room, 0 6 + + Clock, 0 2 + + Crypt and Nelson's Monument, 0 6 + ---- + 3 2 + +Mr. George knew in general that this was the arrangement for showing the +church to visitors; but he had not examined the tariff particularly to +know what the prices were which were charged for the several parts of +the show. He did not care particularly about this, however, for he meant +to see all. + +Accordingly, when the party came up to the little office where the man +sold the tickets, and the man asked them how much they wished to see, +Mr. George turned to Mrs. Holiday, saying,-- + +"We wish to see all, I suppose, do we not?" + +"Yes," said Mrs. Holiday; "let us see all there is to be seen." + +"Then it will be nine shillings and sixpence," said the ticket man; +"three shillings and twopence each for the three. I shall not charge for +the young lady. I presume, moreover," he added, with a smile, "that she +will not wish to go up into the ball." + +So Mr. George took out his purse, and Mrs. Holiday took out hers at the +same time. + +"I will pay," said Mr. George. + +"We will all pay," said Mrs. Holiday. "The easiest way to keep our +accounts is for each to pay as we go." + +So Mrs. Holiday, Mr. George, and Rollo paid each three shillings and +twopence, and the man gave them a variety of tickets in return. + +"_Those_," said he, "are for the gallery," pointing out the tickets at +the same time as he presented them; "and _those_ are for the ball. +_These_ are for the crypt. You keep these till you get down stairs." + +Rollo wondered what the crypt could be; but, as he considered the whole +party as now under Mr. George's guidance, he thought he would not +inquire, but wait until he should see. + +There are several different staircases in St. Paul's by which one can +ascend to the upper portions of the edifice. Our party began immediately +to mount by one which commenced very near to the place where they had +bought their tickets. The stairs were circular, being built in a sort of +round tower which stood in the angle of the cross. + +Rollo took Jane by the hand and went before, while Mr. George and Mrs. +Holiday followed. + +"Round and round, round and round, higher and higher above the ground," +said Rollo to Jennie. + +"Go slowly," said Mr. George, "or else you will get very tired before +you get to the top." + +"The stairs are very easy," said Mrs. Holiday. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "they are very easy indeed." + +The stairs were, indeed, very easy--the steps being very broad, and the +"rise," as it is called, of each one being very small. Rollo and Jennie +went on very gayly; and, as they kept about half a turn, of the +staircase in advance, they were generally just out of sight of Mr. +George and Mrs. Holiday, who followed somewhat more slowly behind. +Jennie would have been afraid to have gone thus out of sight of her +mother and uncle were it not that she could hear their voices all the +time close at hand, and their footsteps, also, on the stairs. + +From time to time, as our party ascended, they met other parties coming +down. When there were children in these descending parties, they tripped +along very lightly in coming down; but Rollo and Jennie soon found +themselves growing quite tired. So they stopped to rest. After stopping +a moment, Rollo's mind seemed to swing, like a pendulum, to the opposite +extreme. + +"Let us run, Jennie," said he, "and then we shall get up quicker." + +"No, it will tire us more to run," replied Jennie. + +"But then we shall get up all the quicker," said Rollo, "and so it will +not make any difference. We may as well work hard and have it over quick +as to work not so hard and have it last a great while." + +"Well," said Jennie, "then let us run." + +This reasoning of Rollo's was very specious and plausible, but it was +very erroneous notwithstanding; for it is found by experience that the +whole amount of fatigue which results from doing any given piece of work +is by no means the same when it is done quickly as when it is done +slowly. A horse, for example, if you allow him to jog along slowly, at +the rate of three or four miles an hour, can travel forty miles a day, +for months at a time, without growing thin; but if you drive him at the +rate of eight miles an hour, he cannot stand more than ten miles a day +for any long period. That is, he can do four times as much in amount, +with the same degree of fatigue, if you allow him to do it slowly. + +It is curious that the case is precisely the same with a steam engine. A +steamer can cross the Atlantic with a very much smaller supply of coal, +if she goes slowly, than if she goes fast. One might imagine that it +would take just twice as much coal to go ten miles an hour as would be +required to go five; but in reality it takes more than four times as +much--the higher rate of speed requiring a very disproportionate +expenditure of power. + +If, therefore, you have a long way to walk, or a high ascent to climb, +and are afraid that your strength may not hold out;-- + +Or if you have a horse to drive a long journey, and are afraid that he +will tire out before he gets to the end of it;-- + +Or if you have a steamer to propel, and are not sure that you have coal +enough to last to the end of the voyage;-- + +In these, and in all similar cases, the more slowly you go, the farther +the force you have will carry you before it becomes exhausted. + +Rollo and Jennie went on running for a few minutes, as they ascended the +staircase, round and round; but their strength was soon spent by this +violent exertion, and they sat down on the stairs entirely exhausted. +And yet they had not come up very high. The whole height of this first +staircase, which the party were now ascending, was only about as much +as a house four stories high; whereas the whole height of the church, to +the very top, is equal to that of a house--if such a house there could +be--_forty_ stories high. So that thus far they had come not one tenth +part of the way to the top. + +While Rollo and Jennie were sitting on the stairs, resting from their +fatigue, they began to hear, after a time, the voices of Mr. George and +Mrs. Holiday, ascending. + +"Are we nearly at the top?" said Rollo. + +"I don't know," said Mr. George. "Stay till you get rested, and then +follow on." + +So saying, Mr. George and Mrs. Holiday passed by, ascending the stairs +very slowly, step by step, as they had begun. + +Rollo and Jennie were not willing to be left behind; so they followed +immediately; and after a few more turns they found themselves, to their +great joy, at the top of the staircase. They came out in a large +garret-like looking room, which was over the south transept of the +church. You can see the end of the south transept in the engraving. It +is the part which you see projecting from the main body of the church on +the right, with a circular portico leading to it. There is a similar +circular portico, with circular steps outside, at the entrance to the +north transept, on the other side of the church, which, however, is not +shown in the engraving. + +[Illustration: ST PAUL'S.] + +The party passed under a great archway which led towards the centre of +the church, and presently they came to another long and garret-like +looking hall, or corridor, with great arches of masonry passing over it +from one side to the other at regular intervals along its whole length, +like the beams and rafters of wood in an ordinary garret. This great +vacant space was directly over one of the side aisles of the church.[D] + +[D] The reader will recollect, from the description of Westminster +Abbey, that the central part of the body of the church is called the +_nave_, and that the parts of each side of the nave, beyond the ranges +of columns that border it on the north and on the south, are called the +_aisles_, and that the aisles are not so high usually as the nave. The +long, vacant space which our party was now traversing was directly over +the south aisle. They were coming _towards_ the spectator, in the view +of the church represented in the engraving. You see two towers in the +front of the building shown in the engraving. The one on the right hand +is on the south, and is called the clock tower. The other tower, which +is on the north, is called the belfry. The party were coming along over +the south aisle and south transept towards this south tower. If you read +this explanation attentively, comparing it with the engraving, and +compare the rest of the description with the engraving, you will be able +to follow the party exactly through the whole of their ascent. + +"What a monstrous long garret!" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "and there is something very curious about this +garret, as you call it, which I will explain to you some other time." + +Rollo was very willing to have this explanation postponed; for his +attention was just now attracted by some curious-looking tools, +consisting of axes, hammers, and saws, which were arranged in a very +symmetrical manner, in a sort of circle, on the wall near him. There +were two or three men in this part of the building, and one of them came +forward to show this party which way they were to go. Rollo asked this +man what these tools were for. He said they were to be used in case of +fire. + +The tools were very antique and venerable in their form, and looked as +if they might have been hanging where they were untouched for centuries. + +"Yes," said Rollo; "and there are some buckets, too, for the same +purpose." + +So saying, he pointed to a row of buckets which he saw hanging along the +wall on the other side. + +"Yes," said Jennie; "and there is a little fire engine." + +The man who had undertaken to guide them now led the way, and the party +followed him, till they came to the clock tower, which is the one that +is seen in the engraving in the front of the building, towards the +right. Then he conducted them, after passing through various galleries +and chambers, to a large and handsome room, with a table and some chairs +in the middle of it, and carved bookcases filled with very +ancient-looking books all round the sides. As soon as the party had all +entered the room the guide turned round towards them, and, in a very +formal and monotonous manner, like a schoolboy reciting a speech which +he had committed to memory for a declamation, made the following +statement:-- + + "This room is the library room of the dean and chapter. It is fifty + feet long and forty feet wide. The floor is of oak. It is made of + two thousand three hundred and seventy-six square pieces, curiously + inlaid, without a nail or a peg to fasten them together." + +After looking about for a little time in this room, in which, after all, +there was nothing very remarkable or interesting except the idea that it +was situated in one of the towers of St. Paul's, the party were +conducted across the end of the church towards the other tower seen in +the engraving; that is, the tower on the left, which is used as a +belfry. In passing through from one of these towers to the other, the +party traversed a sort of gallery which was built here across the end of +the church, and which afforded a very commanding view of the whole +interior of the edifice. The whole party stopped a moment in this +gallery to look down into the church below. They could see through the +whole length of it, five hundred feet; and Rollo and Jennie were very +much amused at the groups of people that were walking about here and +there, like mites, on the marble floor. They could see, at a great +distance, the place where the transepts crossed the main building; but +of course they could not see far into the transepts. In the same manner +they could see the beginning of the dome; but they could not see very +far up into it, the view being cut off by the vaulted roof of the nave, +which was nearer. + +After this our party went to see various other curious places in and +near these two great towers. One of these places was called the model +room, where there is a very large model of a plan for a church which Sir +Christopher Wren, the architect who built St. Paul's, first designed. By +most good judges, it is thought to be a better design than the one which +was finally adopted. There were, besides this, various other curious +models and old relics in this room. + +The party also went up into the clock tower, by means of a very narrow, +steep, and winding staircase, where there was only room for one to go at +a time. The steps were of stone, but they were greatly worn away by the +footsteps of the thousands of visitors that had ascended them. + +There was a woman at the top of the stairs who had the charge of the +clock room. This woman showed the party the wheels of the clock, which +were of prodigious magnitude.[E] There were three bells--two that were +called the small bells, though they were really very large, and one +which was called the large bell. This last, Rollo said, was a monster. + +[E] The works of this clock are on such a scale that the pendulum is +fourteen feet long, and the weight at the end weighs more than one +hundred pounds. The minute hand is eight feet long, and weighs +seventy-five pounds. + +"The small bells," said the woman, pointing up to the bells, which Rollo +and Jennie saw far above their heads, in the midst of a maze of beams +and rafters, "chime the quarter hours. The great bell strikes the hours, +and tolls in case of the death of any member of the royal family." + +"I don't see any thing very remarkable about them," said Rollo to his +mother. "They are only three common bells." + +"No," replied Mrs. Holiday, "the things themselves that are to be seen +are nothing. It is only the curious places that we climb up to to see +them, and the thought that we are in the veritable old St. Paul's." + +After having talked some little time with the woman about the clock and +the bells, and about the visitors that come from day to day to see +them, the party descended again, by the dark and narrow stairway, to +the great corridor by which they came to this part of the church, in +order to visit the parts of the edifice connected with the dome and +cupola, which are, in some respects, more interesting than all the rest. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +THE DOME OF ST. PAUL'S. + + +The dome of St. Paul's rises above the centre of the church, over the +intersection of the arms of the cross. There are, in fact, two domes--an +interior and an exterior one; and there are three galleries connected +with them which strangers visit. The first of these galleries is an +interior one. It passes round the church on the inside, just at the base +of the interior dome. Our party were going first to visit this gallery. + +They accordingly walked back through the whole length of the long +corridor described at the close of the last chapter, and then turned in +towards the centre of the building through a sort of passage way leading +to a door which was pointed out to them by the guide. On entering this +door, they found themselves ushered at once into the whispering gallery. +This they found was a vast circular gallery, extending all round the +interior of the church, directly under the dome. + +"Ah," said Mr. George, "here we are in the whispering gallery!" + +There was a man standing just inside the door. He accosted the party as +soon as they came in. + +"Ladies and gentlemen," said he, "this is the whispering gallery. If you +will pass round to the other side of it, and put your ears against the +wall, I will show you the effect." + +So, Mr. George leading the way, and the others following, they all +passed round the gallery towards the other side. The gallery was not +very wide, the space being only sufficient for two or three persons to +walk abreast. There was a high balustrade on the edge of it, and on the +other side a continuous seat against the wall. First Rollo and Jennie, +running forward a little way, sat down on the seat to try it. Then, +going forward again a little in advance of Mr. George and Mrs. Holiday, +they stopped to look over the balustrade. Rollo could look over it down +upon the floor of the church far below. Jennie was not tall enough to +look over the balustrade, and so she looked through. + +"There!" said Rollo to Jennie, pointing down; "there's the place where +we stood when we looked up to this whispering gallery at the time we +first came in." + +The party went on until they had walked half round the gallery and were +exactly opposite the man who was standing at the door where they had +entered. Here Mr. George stopped and sat down upon the seat. + +[Illustration: THE WHISPERING GALLERY.] + +"Come," said he, "we must all sit down on this seat and put our ears +against the wall." + +Mrs. Holiday and the children did as Mr. George had directed, and +listened. The man at the door, then putting his mouth to the wall, +began to speak in a low tone,--almost in a whisper, in fact,--saying +something about the building of the church; and though he was at a great +distance from them,--so far, that if he had been in the open air it +would have been necessary for him to have called out in a very loud +voice to make them hear,--yet every word and syllable of his whisper was +distinctly audible, the sound being brought round in some mysterious +manner along the smooth surface of the wall. + +"It is very extraordinary!" said Mrs. Holiday. + +"It is, indeed!" said Mr. George. + +Rollo himself, however, did not seem to be so much interested in this +acoustic phenomenon as his uncle had been. His attention was attracted +to the spectacle of the workmen, who were employed in repainting the +inner surface of the dome, and whom he could now see at their work on +the staging which he had looked up to from below. One side of the +staging--the side towards the wall--was supported by a cornice, which it +rested upon there. The other side--the side that was towards the centre +of the dome--was suspended by ropes and pulleys, which came down through +the lantern from a vast height above. + +There was a ladder, the foot of which rested on this staging, the top +of it being placed against the surface of the dome above. There was a +man upon this ladder, near the top of it, at work on the ceiling, and +two or three assistants on the staging at the foot of it. + +Rollo and Jennie gazed some time with great wonder and awe at this +spectacle, picturing to their imaginations the scene which would ensue +if the ropes from the lantern above, by which the staging was suspended, +were to break and let the staging, the ladders, and the men all down to +the pavement below. + +Presently Rollo and Jane, on looking up, found that Mr. George and Mrs. +Holiday were going back; so they made haste to follow them. On their way +towards the door they met other parties coming in to see the whispering +gallery. They themselves went out; and, following the directions of the +guide, they began to ascend again, by various intricate and winding +staircases, to higher parts of the building still. After ascending to +the height of four or five stories more, the party came to another +gallery, which was, however, outside of the church instead of within it. +This outer gallery is called the stone gallery; it is so called to +distinguish it from another outer gallery, still higher up, called the +golden gallery. You can see the places of both these galleries by +looking at the engraving, as they are both outside of the building. The +stone gallery is below the dome. You can see the balustrade surrounding +it, just above the head of the statue which stands on the pediment in +the centre of the building. There is a row of columns above this gallery +which supports an entablature above them, that forms the base of the +dome. + +As soon as the party came out into the open air they began to realize +how high they had ascended; for they found, on looking down into the +neighboring streets, that the tops of the chimneys of the six-story +houses there were far below them. And yet, as you will see by looking at +the engraving, they had not, thus far, ascended more than half way to +the top of the building. + +The party walked round the stone gallery, looking off over the roofs of +the houses in the city on every side. They could see the river, the +bridges, vast ranges of warehouses, and long streets, with tiny +omnibuses and carts creeping slowly along them, and men, like mites, +moving to and fro along the sidewalks. They could see tall chimneys, +too, pouring forth columns of smoke, and steeples and spires of +churches, far below them. + +"How high we are!" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mrs. Holiday; "I am high _enough_. I do not wish to go any +higher." + +In fact, it was somewhat frightful to be so high. It even made Mr. +George dizzy to look down from so vast an elevation. + +"Are we above, or below, the dome?" said Mrs. Holiday. + +"We are above the inner dome," said Mr. George, "but below the outer +one." + +"I thought they were both the same," said Mrs. Holiday. "I thought the +inner dome was the under side of the outer one." + +"It ought to be," said Mr. George; "but it is not so in St. Paul's. +There is a great space between, filled with masonry and carpentry." + +Here Mr. George led the way up a flight of stone steps that ascended +from the gallery to a door leading into the interior of the church +again. When they had all entered they looked up and saw above and around +them the commencement of a perfect maze of beams, piers, walls, +buttresses, and braces, all blackened by the smoky London atmosphere, +and worn and corroded by time. What was near of this immense +complication was dimly seen by the faint light which made its way +through the narrow openings which were left here and there in nooks and +corners; but the rest was lost in regions of darkness and gloom, into +which the eye strove in vain to penetrate. + +This was the space between the inner and the outer dome. The walls which +were seen were part of an immense cone of masonry which was built in the +centre to sustain the whole structure. The lantern above, with the ball +and cross surmounting it, rests on the top of this cone. The outer dome +is formed around the sides of it without. This outer dome is made of +wood; and the immense system of beams and braces which our party saw in +the darkness around them were parts of the framework by which it is +supported. + +As our party came into this frightful-looking den of darkness and +terror, they found themselves at the foot of a steep, but pretty broad +and straight, flight of steps, that seemed to lead up into the midst of +the obscure and gloomy maze, though the eye could follow it only for a +short distance. + +Mrs. Holiday hung back. She was evidently disinclined to go any farther. + +"It is not worth while for us to go any farther is it?" said she, +timidly. + +"That is just as you please," said Mr. George. "It is rather frightful, +I admit." + +"Ah, yes, mother," said Rollo; "let us go up a little higher." + +"No," said Jennie; "I don't want to go up any more. It frightens me." + +Mrs. Holiday would have made great efforts to overcome her fears, out of +regard to Rollo's wishes, if he had been there alone; but balanced +between his desires to proceed and Jennie's fears, she seemed to be at a +loss. She stood at the foot of the stairs, looking anxious and +undecided. + +Rollo began to go up the staircase. + +"Take care, Rollo!" said his mother. + +"There is no danger," said Rollo. "There is an excellent railing. I am +only going up a little way to see how far these straight stairs go. + +"I can see the top!" said he again, presently. "It is only a little way, +and there is a good broad landing here. Come, Jennie! come up!" + +"Would you go?" said Mrs. Holiday, looking to Mr. George. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "if you feel inclined. My rule always is, to +allow the lady to do just as she pleases in going into places where she +is afraid." + +"I wish other gentlemen would always adopt that rule," said Mrs. +Holiday. + +"Do you think there is any danger?" asked Mrs. Holiday. + +"No," said Mr. George; "I am _sure_ there cannot be any danger. The way +up here is as public as almost any part of London; and people are going +up and coming down continually, and no accidents are ever heard of. In +fact, we know that the authorities would not admit the public to such a +place until they had first guarded it at every point, so as to make it +perfectly safe." + +"Then," said Rollo, who had stood all this time listening on the stairs, +"why don't you advise mother to come right up?" + +"Because," said Mr. George, "she might suffer a great deal from fear, +though she might not meet with any actual harm, or even fall into any +real danger. I don't wish to have her suffer, even from fear." + +"We might go up to the top of this first flight," said Mrs. Holiday. "I +believe I can see the top of it." + +Mr. George found, on looking up, that he could distinctly see the +landing at the top of this first flight of steps, his eyes having now +become somewhat accustomed to the dim light of the place. He fully +approved of the plan of going up this flight, and he offered Mrs. +Holiday his arm to assist her in the ascent. + +"No," said she; "I would rather that you would help Jennie. I will take +hold of the baluster, if you will lead Jennie." + +This arrangement was adopted, and the whole party soon reached the first +landing in safety. + +In making this ascent, Mrs. Holiday found her fears diminishing rather +than increasing, which was owing partly to the fact that, as her eyes +became accustomed to the place, she began to discern the objects around +her; so she went timidly on, Mr. George preceding her, and encouraging +her from time to time by cheering words, up a series of staircases, +which twisted and turned by the most devious windings and zigzags, +wherever there appeared to be the most convenient openings for them +among the timbers and the masonry. The party stopped from time to time +to rest. At every such halt Mrs. Holiday seemed half discouraged, and +paused to consider anew the question, whether she should go on any +farther, or return. Mr. George left her entirely at liberty every time +to decide the question just as she pleased; and she always finally +concluded to go on. + +Thus they continued to ascend for more than a hundred feet above the +stone gallery; and at length they came out upon another outside gallery, +which is formed around the top of the dome, at the foot of what is +called the lantern. You can see the place of this gallery in the +engraving; though it is so high that the gallery itself, though +surrounded by a massive balustrade, can scarcely be discerned. A person +standing there would be wholly invisible. This is called the golden +gallery. It receives that name from the fact that it is surrounded by a +gilded balustrade. + +Of course the view from this upper gallery was far more extended than +the one below; but our party did not enjoy it much, it made them so +giddy to look down; and although the gilded balustrade was extremely +massive, and was built into the stonework in the firmest and most solid +manner, Mrs. Holiday, and even Mr. George, were afraid to go near it; +and the idea of leaning upon it, to look over, seemed perfectly +frightful. + +There were some young men in the gallery when our party came up. They +were just preparing to continue their ascent, under the charge of a +guide, up to the cupola. The guide seemed desirous of taking all who +were going in one party. So he turned to Mr. George and said,-- + +"Do your party wish to go up into the ball?" + +Mr. George looked towards Mrs. Holiday. + +Mrs. Holiday was very unwilling to prevent Mr. George from ascending as +high as he desired, but she was afraid to go up any farther herself, and +she was unwilling to stay where she was with the children while he +should be gone. It seemed as if the whole of the lofty mass on which she +was standing was toppling, ready to fall, and that the first breath of +wind that should come would blow it down, cupola, dome, and galleries, +all together. + +"How much farther is it to the top?" said she, timidly. + +"A hundred feet," said the guide. + +Mrs. Holiday looked more alarmed than ever. + +"A hundred feet!" exclaimed Mr. George. "Why, I thought we were nearly +at the top; and yet there are a hundred feet more! A hundred feet is +equal to a house ten or twelve stories high! + +"I don't know that it is worth while for us to go up any higher," +continued Mr. George, speaking to Mrs. Holiday, "unless you wish it." + +"No," said Mrs. Holiday; "I am sure _I_ don't wish to go any higher." + +"Very well," said Mr. George to the guide; "we will not go." + +So the guide set out with the young men alone. + +"There cannot be any pleasure in it, I am sure," said Mr. George. + +"No," said Mrs. Holiday; "there is more pain than pleasure in coming up +_here_!" + +"Nor any advantage, that I can see," added Mr. George. + +"Except to be able to say," continued Mrs. Holiday, "when we get back to +America, that we have been up into the ball." + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "and that, I think, is rather a doubtful +advantage for a lady. The class of ladies that like to boast of having +gone where other ladies seldom go are generally of rather a masculine +character; and I don't think they gain a very desirable kind of +reputation by performing such exploits." + +Whether Mr. George was correct or not in this reasoning, it had the +effect of relieving Mrs. Holiday very considerably of any feeling of +disappointment she might have experienced in not having ascended to the +highest accessible point in the building; and so, after pausing a few +minutes in the golden gallery to take hurried glances at the surrounding +views and to recover breath, the party went back to the inside of the +building and commenced the descent. They stopped occasionally to sit +down and rest on the benches which they found placed at convenient +distances, in various nooks and corners, in the course of the descent. +They encountered several other parties coming up; and sometimes they +were passed by parties who were going down, and who went faster than +they. One of these parties consisted of two young men. Mr. George asked +them if they went up into the ball. They said they did. He asked them if +the ascent was very steep and difficult. + +"Yes," said one of the young men; "it made my limbs quake, I can assure +you." + +"Did you actually go into the ball?" said Mr. George. + +"Yes," said the young man. + +"How large is the space inside?" asked Rollo. + +"Large enough to hold eight men," said he. "There were six in it when we +were there, and there was room for two more." + +If you turn to the engraving, and look at the ball under the cross as it +is represented there, you will be surprised to think that it is large +enough to contain eight men; but such is the fact. It is its immense +height from the ground that makes it appear so small. + +Rollo and Jennie began to count the steps as they came down, and they +went on very patiently in this work until they got to between one +hundred and sixty and one hundred and seventy; and here, in some way or +other, they lost their reckoning, and so gave up the attempt. Rollo, +however, afterwards found from his guide book that the whole number of +steps from the ground to the ball was six hundred and sixteen. + +The party at length reached the floor of the church again in safety. +They then went down to see what was called the crypt, which they found +to be nothing more nor less than a range of subterranean chambers, +precisely like the cellars of a great house, only they were filled with +tombs, and monuments, and old effigies of dead crusaders, some standing +up and some lying down, some new and some old, some whole and others +broken to pieces. The whole place was damp, chilly, and disagreeable; +and the party were very glad to escape from it and to get back to the +light of day. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE ARISTOCRACY. + + +"What do you suppose that man is doing upon that ladder?" said Rollo to +Mr. George. + +Rollo and Mr. George were walking together in one of the streets at the +West End, near St. James's Palace, when Rollo asked this question, on +the morning of the day after they paid their visit to St. Paul's. The +man on the ladder was placing some lamps on a frame over the door of a +large and beautiful mansion, as if for an illumination. The lamps were +disposed in such a manner as to form a great star, with the letters "V. +R." on a very large scale, one on each side of it. + +"The V. R. stands for Victoria Regina," said Mr. George; "that is, +Victoria Queen." + +"Then it must be that they are going to have an illumination in honor of +the queen," rejoined Rollo. "I have seen two more of such frames putting +up before this." + +On going along a little farther, Rollo pointed out another house to Mr. +George where lamps were arranged for an illumination; and then, +presently, another. Mr. George accordingly stopped to ask a policeman +what it meant. + +"It is the queen's birthday," said the policeman; "and this evening they +illuminate the houses." + +"I'm glad of that," said Rollo. "We will come out and see; won't we, +uncle George?" + +The part of the town where Mr. George and Rollo were walking at this +time--the vicinity of St. James's Square--is the region occupied by the +palaces and mansions of some of the higher nobility of England. These +residences are built in a very open manner, standing, many of them, +apart from each other, and being in the midst of parks, gardens, +terraces, and pleasure grounds, which give to the views that are +presented to the eye of the stranger in walking among them a most +enchanting variety. As Mr. George and Rollo passed along the streets +among these residences, they soon began to observe other marks of +excitement besides the illuminations. They saw unusual numbers of +well-dressed people walking along the sidewalks; and at length, on +turning a corner, they came suddenly into a street where the margin of +the sidewalk, for a long distance, was lined with crowds of +people,--men, women, and children,--who seemed to be waiting for +something to pass by. They were, in fact, waiting to see the queen. + +As has already been said, it was the queen's birthday; and it is the +custom for the queen, on her birthday, to hold what is called "a drawing +room," in which she receives the calls and congratulations of the +nobility of England, the foreign ministers resident in London, and of +such strangers as are of sufficient distinction, in respect to their +wealth, their rank, or their fame, to entitle them to the honor of being +presented to her majesty. The queen does not receive these visits in +Buckingham Palace, which is the principal place of her residence in +London, but in St. James's Palace, which is an older edifice, formerly +the residence of the royal family, but now, since Buckingham Palace was +built, reserved for official and state purposes and occasions. St. +James's Palace is a large and irregularly-shaped building, of brick. It +has nothing special to distinguish it from the other buildings that +surround it, and which, in fact, some of them, seem to be so connected +with it, by courts, and passages, and wings, and arcades, that it is +difficult to tell where the palace begins or ends. In fact, no one would +suppose that it was a palace at all were it not for the soldiers, in red +uniforms, which are to be seen at all times walking to and fro, or +standing sentry, before their little boxes, at every door and gateway. + +Buckingham Palace, on the other hand, is farther out of town. It stands +by itself, on the margin of one of the immense parks for which London is +so famous--or, rather, on the margin of two of them. Before it is St. +James's Park, with its green fields and its winding walks, its groves +and copses of trees and shrubbery, its beds and borders of flowers, and +above all its beautiful little lake, with gayly-painted boats to sail +upon it, and flocks of ducks, and geese, and swans, of every form and +color, swimming in all directions over the surface of the water. On the +side of it is the Green Park--a broad expanse of the smoothest and +richest green, intersected with drives and walks, all crowded with +promenaders. Behind the palace is a large enclosure, which contains the +private gardens of the palace itself. These gardens are planted and +adorned in the most magnificent manner; but they are guarded on every +side by a very high wall, and by a continuous line of trees, which bear +a very dense and lofty mass of foliage, so that the public can never see +what is in them. + +Here the queen resides when she is in town, going only to the ancient +palace of St. James to attend meetings of her cabinet council, to hold +drawing rooms and levees, and to be present at other great ceremonies of +state. Whenever occasions occur on which her majesty is expected to +proceed from Buckingham Palace to St. James's, great numbers of people +usually assemble in the streets between to see the royal procession pass +by. + +Mr. George, having learned by inquiry what it was that the people were +waiting to see, determined that he and Rollo would wait too. So they +took their places in a convenient position, near a lamppost, and waited +for her majesty's coming. + +They had not been there long before a great movement among the crowd +indicated that the royal retinue was in sight; and a moment afterwards +some horsemen, elegantly dressed and caparisoned, came rapidly on, +followed by a train of two or three carriages very elegantly decorated, +and with servants in splendid liveries before and behind, and finally by +other horsemen, who brought up the rear. The whole _cortége_ went by so +rapidly that Rollo could scarcely distinguish any thing in detail. It +passed before his eyes like a gorgeous vision, leaving on his mind only +confused images of nodding plumes, beautiful horses, gay footmen and +coachmen clothed in the gayest colors, and carriages plain and simple +in style, but inexpressibly elegant and graceful in their forms and in +their motions. + +There was a moment's pause after the _cortége_ went by, which was, +however, broken at length by an exclamation of wonder and delight from +Rollo. + +"Hi--yi!" said he. "I should like to be the queen, uncle George!" + +"Should you?" said Mr. George. + +"Yes," said Rollo; "or else one of the queen's soldiers, to ride on such +elegant horses as those." + +As soon as the _cortége_ had passed, the crowd began immediately to +disperse; and yet they did not go away at once, but seemed to linger +along the sidewalks to gaze at the various single carriages which from +time to time were passing by. These carriages were all very elegant in +form and equipment, and had servants in gay liveries mounted upon them +before and behind, and they were often preceded and followed by +outriders. These equipages, as they passed to and fro along the street, +seemed strongly to attract the attention of the bystanders. The +children, particularly, stopped to gaze upon each one of them, as it +came by, with countenances full of wonder and admiration. + +"There are a great many carriages out to-day," said Mr. George. + +"And splendid carriages they are, too," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "the carriages and horses of the English +aristocracy are the finest in the world." + +Not very long after this, Mr. George and Rollo, in the course of their +walk, happened to come to a place in the street that was opposite to the +entrance to St. James's Palace, where the carriages set down the company +that were going to attend the drawing room. There were a great many +people assembled on the sidewalks all around to see the company as they +descended from their carriages. The scene, in fact, presented quite an +extraordinary spectacle. + +The carriages, which were of every form and size, arrived in very rapid +succession, and drove into a sort of court yard to the door where the +company entered. There were soldiers and policemen on duty, to prevent +the public from going into the yard. The carriages, however, as they +drove up to the door, and the company, as they descended from them, +could all be seen very distinctly from the street. There were footmen +behind most of the carriages, who, as soon as the horses drew up, +stepped down from their places and opened the carriage door. The +gentlemen and ladies were all dressed very gorgeously,--the gentlemen +being clothed in military uniforms, or robes of office, or in +embroidered and gilded court dresses,--each dress being different, +apparently, from all the rest. The liveries, too, of the coachmen and of +the footmen, and the harnesses and trappings of the horses, were all +exceedingly splendid and gay. + +Mr. George and Rollo, with some hundreds of other spectators who had +assembled to witness the scene, stood gazing upon it with great interest +for nearly an hour. When, at length, their curiosity had become in some +measure satisfied, they found that they were beginning to be very tired +of standing so long; and so they left the place, and walked away slowly +towards home. + +"What do you mean by _aristocracy_?" said Rollo to Mr. George, as they +walked along. "Does it mean the rich people?" + +"No," replied Mr. George, "not exactly that. It means rich people who +govern. In the United States there are a great many very rich people; +but they are not called an aristocracy, because they do not govern. +Every thing there is decided by voting, and every person that is a _man_ +has an equal right with all the rest to his vote; at least this is the +case in the Northern States. The rich have no more power than the rest; +so they do not constitute an aristocracy in the correct and proper +meaning of the term. An aristocracy in any country, strictly speaking, +is a class of wealthy people who govern it, or who are at least +possessed of exclusive privileges and power." + +"Suppose the class of people who govern the country should be poor," +asked Rollo; "would that be an aristocracy?" + +"Such a thing is impossible in the nature of things," said Mr. George; +"for if any one class gets the control of the government of a country, +they will of course manage it in such a way as to get the wealth and the +honors mainly to themselves. _I_ should do so. _You_ would do so. Every +body would do so. It is human nature. Beings that would not do so would +not be human." + +"And do the English aristocracy manage in that way?" asked Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "The state of the case, as I understand it, is +just this: A number of centuries ago, a certain prince from France--or +rather from Normandy, which is a part of France--came over to England +with an army and conquered the country. His name was William; and on +account of his conquest of England, he received the name of William the +Conqueror. He parcelled out a great portion of the land, and all the +offices and powers of government, among the nobles and generals that +came with him; and they and their descendants have held the property and +the power to the present day. Thus England, so far as the great mass of +the people are concerned, is to be considered as a conquered country, +and now in the possession of the conquerors. It is governed mainly by an +aristocracy which descended from, and represents, the generals that +conquered it. In fact, the highest honor which any man can claim for +himself or his family in England is to say that his ancestors came in +with the Conqueror. It is a sort of phrase." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I have heard it." + +"You must understand, however," continued Mr. George, "that not _all_ of +the present aristocracy have descended from the old generals and nobles +that came in with William. Many of those old families have become +extinct, and their places have been supplied by new nobles that have +been created from time to time by selection from the men that have most +distinguished themselves as generals or statesmen. Still these men, +however great they may be, never rise really to the same level of rank +and consideration with the others. They are called the new nobility, and +are always looked down upon, more or less, by the old families whose +ancestors 'came in with the Conqueror.' Now, these nobles and their +families, with persons connected with and dependent upon them, govern +the land. They control nearly all the elections to Parliament, both in +the Lords and in the Commons. They make peace and they make war. They +officer the army and the navy. They, or persons whom they appoint, +administer the affairs of the church and of the state, and expend the +revenues, and they make the laws. In a word, they govern the country." + +"And do they govern it well?" asked Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "admirably well--at least so far as preserving +order and protecting life and property are concerned. I don't believe +that there are any where else in the world, or ever were in any age, +thirty millions of people together, who for a hundred years at a time +enjoyed so much order, and peace, and general safety as has prevailed in +England for the last century. Every thing is admirably regulated +throughout all the ranks and departments of society, so far as these +things are concerned." + +"Then it succeeds very well," said Rollo. + +"Yes," replied Mr. George, "so far as efficiency in the government, and +order, safety, and peace in the community, are concerned, the plan +certainly succeeds admirably well. But there is another very important +point in which it seems to me it does not succeed at all." + +"What is that?" asked Rollo. + +"Why, in the division of the fruits of the labor," replied Mr. George. + +"I don't know what you mean by that," said Rollo. + +"Well, I will explain it," said Mr. George. "If we suppose that there +are thirty millions of people in Great Britain----" + +"Are there thirty millions?" said Rollo. + +"Not quite, perhaps," said Mr. George; "but I will take thirty millions +for my calculation. Now, out of thirty millions of people, including +men, women, and children, of all ages, there will be, according to the +usual proportion, about ten millions of men and women able to work, or +to superintend work. There are undoubtedly that number now engaged in +various industrial and useful occupations in England. Some are +cultivating the land, raising wheat, or other kinds of food; some are +rearing sheep or cattle; some are digging ore in the mines of Cornwall +or Wales; some are raising coal and iron ore from the immense coal and +iron mines in the northern part of the island; some are tending the +mills and machine shops and manufactories where such vast quantities of +goods are made; and some are planning or superintending these +operations, or are performing professional services of various kinds. +Now, if we suppose that the average earnings of all these people would +be a dollar a day, that would make the amount ten millions a day in all, +or three thousand millions of dollars a year, to be divided, in some way +or other, among the English people." + +"But the workmen in England don't earn a dollar a day, do they?" said +Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George; "the laborers and the operatives do not earn so +much as that, or at least they are not paid so much; but I have no doubt +but that the whole amount produced would average that. In fact, I +presume it would average more than that a great deal, and that the whole +amount produced by the annual industry of England is a great deal more +than three thousand millions of dollars." + +"Well," said Rollo, "go on." + +"I was going to explain to you, you remember, how government, by an +aristocracy in England, operates in respect to the division of the +fruits of labor among those who produce them. And the fact is, that it +operates in such a manner as to give an immensely large proportion of +the value to the aristocratic classes themselves, and an exceedingly +small portion to the people who actually do the work. + +"The difference is very great," continued Mr. George, "between England +and the United States in this respect. Go out into the country in +England, or into the manufacturing districts, and follow the people who +do the work, when at night they go to their homes, and see what sort of +houses they go to. They look picturesque and pretty, perhaps, outside, +sometimes; but within they are mere hovels. The man receives only enough +for his labor to feed and clothe him for his work. He becomes, +therefore, a mere beast of burden, and his home is only a hut to feed +and lodge him in. + +"But now go to the United States and follow almost any man whom you see +at work in the fields in Vermont or New Hampshire, when he goes to his +home, and see what you will find. There will be a comfortable house, +with several rooms. There will be a little parlor, with a carpet on the +floor and books on the table. There will be children coming home from +school, and a young woman, dressed like a lady, who has just finished +her day's work, and is, perhaps, going in the evening into the village +to attend a lecture. The reason of this difference is, as I suppose, +that in England the laws and institutions, as the aristocracy have +shaped them, are such as to give the men who do the hard work only their +food and clothing and to reserve the rest, under the name of rent, or +tithes, or taxes, to themselves and their relatives; whereas, in +America, the laws and institutions, as the _masses_ have shaped them, +are such as to give the men who _do_ the work a very much larger share +of the proceeds of it, so that they can themselves enjoy the comforts +and luxuries of life, and can cultivate their minds and educate their +children. Thus, in England, you have, on every considerable tract of +farming country, villages of laborers, which consist of mere huts, where +men live all their lives, without change, almost as beasts of burden; +and then, in some beautiful park in the centre, you have a nobleman, who +lives in the highest degree of luxury and splendor, monopolizing as it +were, in his one castle or hall, the comforts and enjoyments which have +been earned by the hundreds of laborers. In America, on the other hand, +there is no castle or hall--there is no nobleman; but the profits of the +labor are retained by those who perform it, and they are expended in +making hundreds of comfortable and well-provided homes." + +While Mr. George and Rollo had been holding this conversation, they had +been walking along through St. James's Park; and, considering the +abstract and unentertaining character of the subject, Rollo had listened +quite attentively to what his uncle had said, only his attention had +been somewhat distracted once or twice by the gambols of the beautifully +irised ducks that he had seen from time to time on the water as he +walked along the margin of it. The conversation was now, however, +interrupted by the sound of a trumpet which Rollo heard at a distance, +and which he saw, on looking up, proceeded from a troop of horsemen +coming out from the Horse Guards. Rollo immediately wished to go that +way and see them, and Mr. George consented. As they went along, Mr. +George closed his conversation on the English aristocracy by saying,-- + +"England is a delightful country for noblemen, no doubt, and an +aristocratic government will always work very well indeed for the +interests of the aristocracy themselves who exercise it, and for the +good order and safety, perhaps, of the rest of the community. A great +many weak and empty-headed women who come out to England from the great +cities in America, and see these grand equipages in London, think what a +fine thing it is to have a royal government, and wish that we had one in +America; but this is always on the understanding that they themselves +are to be the duchesses." + + * * * * * + +Mr. George was doubtless substantially correct in his explanation of +the opinion which many fashionable ladies in America are led to form in +favor of our aristocratic form of government from what they see of the +pomp and parade of the English nobility; though, in characterizing such +ladies as weak and empty headed women, he was, to say the least, rather +severe. In respect to the other question,--that is, how far the immense +inequality of the division of the annual production of the Island of +Great Britain among the people who produce it, and the consequent +extreme poverty of so large a portion of the working classes, is owing +to the laws and institutions which the aristocracy themselves have +formed,--that is a very grave one. Mr. George thought that it was owing +to those laws and institutions, and not to any thing in the natural or +physical condition of the country itself, that there was so much abject +poverty in Great Britain. + +"The soil is as fertile," said he to himself, "the mines are as rich, +the machinery is as effective, and there is as much profitable work to +be done in England as in America, and I see no reason why the whole +amount of value produced in proportion to the producers should not be as +great in one country as in the other. Consequently, if some classes +obtain more than their share, and others less, the inequality must be +the effect of the institutions and laws." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +A MISFORTUNE. + + +The queen's birthday proved to be an unfortunate day for Rollo, for he +met with quite a serious misfortune in the evening while he and Mr. +George were out looking at the illuminations. The case was this:-- + +Rollo had formed a plan for going with Mr. George in the evening to the +hotel where his father and mother were lodging, to get Jennie to go out +with them to see the illuminations. They had learned from their landlady +that the best place to see them was along a certain street called Pall +Mall, where there were a great many club houses and other public +buildings, which were usually illuminated in a very brilliant manner.[F] + +[F] These club houses are very large and splendid mansions belonging to +associations of gentlemen called _clubs_. Some of the clubs contain more +than a thousand members. The houses are fitted up in the most luxurious +manner, with reading rooms, libraries, dining rooms, apartments for +conversation, and for all sorts of games, and every thing else requisite +to make them agreeable places of resort for the members. The annual +expenditure in many of them is from thirty to fifty thousand dollars. + +It was after eight o'clock when Mr. George and Rollo went out; and as +soon as they came into the street at Trafalgar Square, they saw all +around them the indications of an extraordinary and general excitement. +The streets were full of people; and in every direction, and at +different distances from them, they could see lights gleaming in the +air, over the roofs of the houses, or shining brightly upon the heads of +the crowd in the street below, in some open space, or at some prominent +and conspicuous corner. The current seemed to be setting to the west, +towards the region of the club houses and palaces. The lights were more +brilliant, too, in that direction. So Rollo, taking hold of his uncle's +hand and hurrying him along, said,-- + +"Come, uncle George! This is the way! They are all lighted up! See!" + +For a moment Rollo forgot his cousin Jennie; though the direction in +which he was going led, in fact, towards the hotel where she was. + +The sidewalk soon became so full that it was impossible to go on any +faster than the crowd itself was advancing; and at length, when Mr. +George and Rollo got fairly into Pall Mall, and were in the midst of a +great blaze of illuminations, which were shining with intense splendor +all around them, they were for a moment, in passing round a corner, +completely wedged up by the crowd, so that they could scarcely move hand +or foot. In this jam Rollo felt a pressure upon his side near the region +of his pocket, which reminded him of his purse; and it immediately +occurred to him that it was not quite safe to have money about his +person in such a crowd, and that it would be better to give it to his +uncle George to keep for him until he should get home. + +So he put his hand into his pantaloons pocket to take out his purse; +but, to his great dismay, he found that it was gone. + +"Uncle George!" said he, in a tone of great consternation, "I have lost +my wallet!" + +"Are you sure?" said Mr. George, quietly. + +Mr. George knew very well that four times out of five, when people think +they have lost a purse, or a ring, or a pin, or any other valuable, it +proves to be a false alarm. + +Rollo, without answering his uncle's question, immediately began to feel +in all his other pockets as well as he could in the crowd which +surrounded him and pressed upon him so closely. His wallet was nowhere +to be found. + +"How much was there in it?" asked Mr. George. + +"Two pounds and two pennies," said Rollo, "and your due bill for four +shillings." + +"Are you sure you did not leave it at home?" asked Mr. George. + +"Yes," said Rollo. "I have not taken it out since this morning. I looked +it over this morning and saw all the money, and I have not had it out +since." + +"Some people think they are sure when they are not," said Mr. George. "I +think you will find it when you go home." + +Rollo was then anxious to go home at once and ascertain if his purse was +there. All his interest in seeing the illumination was entirely gone. +Mr. George made no objection to this; and so, turning off into a side +street in order to escape from the crowd, they directed their steps, +somewhat hurriedly, towards their lodgings. + +"I _know_ we shall not find it there," said Rollo, "for I am sure I had +it in my pocket." + +"It is possible that we may find it," said Mr. George. "Boys deceive +themselves very often about being sure of things. It is one of the most +difficult things in the world to know when we are sure. You may have +left it in your other pocket, or put it in your trunk, or in some +drawer." + +"No," said Rollo; "I am sure I put it in this pocket. Besides, I think I +felt the robber's hand when he took it. I felt something there, at any +rate; and that reminded me of my purse; and I thought it would be best +for me to give it to you. But when I went to feel for it, it was gone." + +Mr. George had strong hopes, notwithstanding what Rollo said, that the +purse would be found at home; but these hopes were destined to be +disappointed. They searched every where when they got home; but the +purse was nowhere to be found. They looked in the drawers, in the +pockets of other clothes, in the trunk, and all about the rooms. Mr. +George was at length obliged to give it up, and to admit that the money +was really gone. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +PHILOSOPHY. + + +Mr. George and Rollo held a long conversation on the subject of the lost +money while they were at breakfast the morning after the robbery +occurred, in the course of which Mr. George taught our hero a good deal +of philosophy in respect to the proper mode of bearing such losses. + +Before this conversation, however, Rollo's mind had been somewhat +exercised, while he was dressing himself in his own room, with the +question, whether or not his father would make up this loss to him, as +one occasioned by an accident. You will recollect that the arrangement +which Mr. Holiday had made with Mr. George was, that he was to pay Rollo +a certain sum for travelling expenses, and that Rollo was to have all +that he could save of this amount for spending money. Rollo was to pay +all his expenses of every kind out of his allowance, except that, in +case of any accident, the extra expense which the occurrence of the +accident should occasion was to be reimbursed to him by his father--or +rather by Mr. George, on his father's account. + +Now, while Rollo was dressing himself on the morning after his loss, the +question arose to his mind, whether this was to be considered as an +accident in the sense referred to in the above-named arrangement. He +concluded that Mr. George thought it was not. + +"Because," said he to himself, "if he had thought that this was a loss +which was to come upon father, and not upon me, he would have told me so +last night." + +When the breakfast had been brought up, and our two travellers were +seated at the table eating it, Rollo introduced the conversation by +expressing his regret that he had not bought the gold watch chain that +he had seen in the Strand. + +"How unlucky it was," said he, "that I did not buy that chain, instead +of saving the money to have it stolen away from me! I am _so_ sorry that +I did not buy it!" + +"No," replied Mr. George, "you ought not to be sorry at all. You decided +to postpone buying it for good and sufficient reasons of a prudential +character. It was very wise for you to decide as you did; and now you +ought not to regret it. To wish that you had been guilty of an act of +folly, in order to have saved a sovereign by it, is to put gold before +wisdom. But Solomon says, you know, that wisdom is better than gold; +yea, than much _fine_ gold." + +Rollo laughed. + +"Well," said Rollo, "at any rate, I have learned one lesson from it." + +"What lesson is that?" said Mr. George. + +"Why, to be more careful after this about my money." + +"No," replied Mr. George, "I don't think that you have that lesson to +learn. I think you are careful enough now, not only of your money, but +of all your other property. Indeed, I think you are a very careful boy; +and any greater degree of care and concern than you usually exercise +about your things would be excessive. The fact is, that in all the +pursuits and occupations of life we are exposed to accidents, +misfortunes, and losses. The most extreme and constant solicitude and +care will never prevent such losses, but will only prevent our enjoying +what we do not lose. It is as foolish, therefore, to be too careful as +it is not to be careful enough. + +"Indeed," continued Mr. George, "I think the best way is for travellers +to do as merchants do. They know that it is inevitable that they should +meet with some losses in their business; and so they make a regular +allowance for losses in all their calculations." + +"How much do they allow?" said Rollo. + +"I believe it is usually about five per cent.," said Mr. George. "They +calculate that, for every one hundred dollars that they trust out in +business, they must lose five. Sometimes small losses come along quite +frequently. At other times there will be a long period without any loss, +and then some great one will occur; so that, in one way or the other, +they are pretty sure in the long run to lose about their regular +average. So they make their calculations accordingly; and when the +losses come they consider them matters of course, like any of their +ordinary expenses." + +"That is a good plan," said Rollo. + +"I think it is eminently a good plan," said Mr. George, "for travellers. +In planning a journey, we ought always to include this item in our +calculations. We ought to allow so much for conveyance, so much for +hotel bills, and so much for losses, and then calculate on the losses +just as much as we do on the payment of the railroad fares and hotel +bills. That is the philosophy of it. + +"However," continued Mr. George, "though we ought not to allow any loss +that we may meet with to make us anxious or over-careful afterwards, +still we may sometimes learn something by it. For instance, I think it +is generally not best to take a watch, or money, or any thing else of +special value in our pockets when we go out among a crowd." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "if I had only thought to have put my purse in my +trunk when I went out, it would have been safe." + +"No," replied Mr. George; "it would not have been _safe_--that is, not +perfectly safe--even then; for a thief might have crept into the house, +and gone into your room, and opened the lock, and got out the money +while you were away." + +"But the front door is kept locked," said Rollo. + +"True," said Mr. George; "that is a general rule, I know; but it might +have been left open a few minutes by accident, so that the thief could +get in--such things do happen very frequently; or one of the servants of +the house might have got the trunk open. So that the money is not +absolutely safe if you leave it in the trunk. In fact, I think that in +all ordinary cases it is safer for me to carry my money in my pocket +than to leave it in my trunk in my room. It is only when we are going +among crowds that it is safer to leave it in our rooms; but there is no +absolute and perfect safety for it any where." + +"I don't see," said Rollo, "how they can possibly get the money out so +from a deep pocket without our knowing it." + +"It is very strange," said Mr. George; "but I believe the London +pickpockets are the most skilful in the world. Sometimes they go in +gangs, and they contrive to make a special pressure in the crowd, in a +narrow passage, or at a corner, and then some of them jam against the +gentleman they are going to rob, pretending that they are jammed by +others behind them, and thus push and squeeze him so hard on every side +that he does not feel any little touch about his pocket; or, by the time +he does feel and notice it, the purse is gone." + +"Yes," said Rollo, "that is exactly the way it was with me. + +"But there is one thing I could have done," said Rollo. "If I had put my +purse in my inside jacket pocket, and buttoned up the jacket tight, then +they could not possibly have got it." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "they have a way of cutting through the cloth +with the little sharp point of the knife which they have in a ring on +one of their fingers. With this they can cut through the cloth any where +if they feel a purse underneath, and take it out without your knowing +any thing about it till you get home." + +"I declare!" said Rollo. "Then I don't see what I could do." + +"No," replied Mr. George, "there is nothing that we can do to guard +absolutely against the possibility of losing our property when we are +travelling--or in any other case, in fact. There is a certain degree of +risk that we must incur, and various losses in one way or another will +come. All we have to do is to exercise the right degree of precaution, +neither too much nor too little, and then submit good naturedly to +whatever comes." + + * * * * * + +This is the end of the story of Rollo's being robbed, except that, the +next morning after the conversation above described was held, Rollo +found on his table, when he got up and began to dress himself, a small +package folded up in paper, with a little note by the side of it. He +opened the note and read as follows:-- + + DEAR ROLLO: From the moment that your loss was ascertained, I + determined that I would refund the amount to you, under the + authority which I received from your father to pay all expenses + which you might incur through unexpected casualties. This robbery I + consider as coming under that head; and so I refund you the + amount, and have charged it to your father. + + I did not tell you what my design was in this respect at once, + because I thought I would see how you would bear the loss on the + supposition that it was to be your own. I also wished to avail + myself of the opportunity to teach you a little of the philosophy + of the subject. And now, inasmuch as, in learning the lesson, you + have shown yourself an excellent pupil, and as you also evince a + disposition to bear the loss like a man, there is no longer any + reason for postponement; and so I replace the amount that was taken + from you by a little package which accompanies this note. + + Your affectionate uncle, + + G. H. + +[Illustration: THE LOSS MADE GOOD.] + +On opening the package, which was lying on the table by the side of his +note, Rollo found within a new wallet very much like the one which he +had lost; and in this wallet were two sovereigns, two pennies, and a new +due bill from his uncle George for four shillings. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE DOCKS. + + +One day Mr. George told Rollo that before leaving London he wished very +much to go and see the London docks and the shipping in them. + +"Well," said Rollo, "I'll go. But what are the docks?" + +It may seem surprising that Rollo should be so ready to go and see the +docks before he knew at all what they were. The truth is, what attracted +him was the word _shipping_. Like other boys of his age, he was always +ready to go, no matter where, to see ships, or any thing connected with +shipping. + +So he first said he was ready to go and see the docks, and then he asked +what they were. + +"They are immense basins," said Mr. George, "excavated in the heart of +the city, for ships to go into when they are loading or unloading." + +"I thought the ships staid in the river," said Rollo. + +"Part of them," said Mr. George; "but not all. There is not room for all +of them in the river; at least there is not room for them at the +wharves, along the banks of the river, to load and reload. Accordingly, +about fifty years ago, the merchants of London began to form companies +for the purpose of excavating docks for them. The place that they chose +for the docks was at a little distance from the river, below the city. +Their plan was to build sheds and warehouses around the docks, so as to +have conveniences for loading and unloading their ships close at hand. + +"And I want to go and see some of these docks," added he, in conclusion. + +"So do I," said Rollo. "Let us go this very day." + +Although Rollo was thus ready, and even eager, to go with his uncle to +see the docks, the interest which he felt in them was entirely different +from that which his uncle experienced. Mr. George knew something about +the construction of the works and the history of them, and he had a far +more distinct idea of the immense commerce which centred in them, and of +the influence of this commerce on the general welfare of mankind and on +the wealth and prosperity of London, than Rollo could be expected to +have. He accordingly wished to see them, in order to enjoy the emotions +of grandeur and sublimity which would be awakened in his mind by the +thought of their prodigious magnitude as works of artificial +construction, and of the widely-extended relation they sustained to the +human race, by continually sending out ships to the remote regions of +the globe, and receiving cargoes in return from every nation and every +clime. + +Rollo, on the other hand, thought little of these grand ideas. All that +he was interested in was the expectation of seeing the ships and the +sailors, and of amusing himself with the scenes and incidents which he +hoped to witness in walking along the platforms, and watching the +processes of loading and unloading the ships, or of moving them from one +place to another in the crowded basins. + +Rollo was not disappointed, when he came to visit the docks, in respect +to the interesting and amusing incidents that he expected to see there. +He saw a great many such incidents, and one which occurred was quite an +uncommon one. A little girl fell from the pier head into the water. The +people all ran to the spot, expecting that she would be drowned; but, +fortunately, the place where she fell in was near a flight of stone +steps, which led down to the water. The people crowded down in great +numbers to the steps, to help the child out. The occurrence took place +just as the men from the docks were going home to dinner; and so it +happened that there was an unusually large number of people near at the +time of the accident. + +[Illustration: SAVED.] + +The place from which the child fell was the corner of the pier head, in +the foreground of the picture, where you see the post, just beyond the +stone steps. + +There is a boat pulling off from the vessel to the rescue of the little +girl in the foreground, to the left; but its assistance will not be +required. + +Now, Rollo's chief interest in going to see the docks was the +anticipation of witnessing scenes and incidents of this and other kinds; +but Mr. George expected to be most interested in the docks themselves. + +The construction of the docks was indeed a work of immense magnitude, +and the contrivers of the plan found that there were very great +difficulties to be surmounted before it could be carried into effect. It +was necessary, of course, that the place to be selected should be pretty +low land, and near the river; for if the land was high, the work of +excavating the basins would have been so much increased as to render the +undertaking impracticable. It was found on examination that all the land +that was near the river, and also near the city, and that was in other +respects suitable for the purpose, was already occupied with streets and +houses. These houses, of course, had all to be bought and demolished, +and the materials of them removed entirely from the ground, before the +excavations could be begun. + +Then, too, some very solid and substantial barrier was required to be +constructed between the excavated basins made and the bank of the +river, to prevent the water of the river from bursting in upon the +workmen while they were digging. In such a case as this they make what +is called a coffer dam, which is a sort of dam, or dike, made by driving +piles close together into the ground, in two rows, at a little distance +apart, and then filling up the space between them with earth and gravel. +By this means the water of the river can be kept out until the digging +of the basins is completed. + +The first set of docks that was made was called the West India Docks. +They were made about the year 1800. Very soon afterwards several others +were commenced; and now there are five. The following table gives the +names of them, with the number of acres enclosed within the walls of +each:-- + + NAMES. ACRES. + West India Docks, 295 + East India Docks, 32 + St. Catharine's Docks, 24 + London Docks, 90 + Commercial Docks, 49 + +If you wish to form a definite idea of the size of these docks, you must +fix your mind upon some pretty large field near where you live, if you +live in the country, and ask your father, or some other man that knows, +how many acres there are in it. Then you can compare the field with some +one or other of the docks according to the number of acres assigned to +it in the above table. + +If you live in the city, you must ask the number of acres in some public +square. Boston Common contains forty-eight acres. + +St. Catharine's Docks contain only twenty-four acres; and yet more than +a thousand houses were pulled down to clear away a place for them, and +about eleven thousand persons were compelled to remove. + +Most of the docks are now entirely surrounded by the streets and houses +of the city; so that there is nothing to indicate your approach to them +except that you sometimes get glimpses of the masts of the ships rising +above the buildings at the end of a street. The docks themselves, and +all the platforms and warehouses that pertain to them, are surrounded by +a very thick and high wall; so that there is no way of getting in except +by passing through great gateways which are made for the purpose on the +different sides. These gateways are closed at night. + +Mr. George and Rollo, when the time arrived for visiting the docks, held +a consultation together in respect to the mode of going to them from +their lodgings at the West End. + +Of course the docks, being below the city, were in exactly the opposite +direction from where they lived--Northumberland Court. The distance was +three or four miles. + +"We can go by water," said Mr. George, "on the river, or we can take a +cab." + +"Or we can go in an omnibus," said Rollo. "Yes, uncle George," he added +eagerly, "let us go on the top of an omnibus." + +Mr. George was at first a little disinclined to adopt this plan; but +Rollo seemed very earnest about it, and finally he consented. + +"We can get up very easily," said he; "and when we are up there we can +see every thing." + +"I am not concerned about our getting up," said Mr. George. "The +difficulty is in getting down." + +However, Mr. George finally consented to Rollo's proposal; and so, going +out into the Strand, they both mounted on the top of an omnibus, and in +this way they rode down the Strand and through the heart of London. They +were obliged to proceed slowly, so great was the throng of carts, +wagons, drays, cabs, coaches, and carriages that encumbered the streets. +In about an hour, however, they were set down a little beyond the +Tower. + +"Now," said Mr. George, "the question is, whether I can find the way to +the dock gates." + +"Have you got a ticket?" asked Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George; "I presume a ticket is not necessary." + +"I presume it _is_ necessary," said Rollo. "You never can go any where, +or get into any thing, in London, without a ticket." + +"Well," said Mr. George, "we will see. At any rate, if tickets are +required, there must be some way of getting them at the gate." + +Mr. George very soon found his way to the entrance of the docks. It was +at the end of a short street, the name and position of which he had +studied out on the map before leaving home. He took care to be set down +by the omnibus near this street; and by this means he found his way very +easily to his place of destination. + +The entrance was by a great gateway. The gateway was wide open, and +trains of carts, and crowds of men,--mechanics, laborers, merchants, +clerks, and seamen,--were going and coming through it. + +"We need not have concerned ourselves about a ticket," said Mr. George. + +"No," said Rollo. "I see." + +"The entrance is as public as any street in London," said Mr. George. + +So saying, our two travellers walked on and passed within the +enclosures. + +As soon as they were fairly in, they stopped at the corner of a sort of +sidewalk and looked around. The view which was presented to their eyes +formed a most extraordinary spectacle. Forests of masts extended in +every direction. Near them rose the hulls of great ships, with men going +up and down the long plank stairways which led to the decks of them. +Here and there were extended long platforms bordering the docks, with +immense piles of boxes, barrels, bales, cotton and coffee bags, bars of +iron, pigs of lead, and every other species of merchandise heaped up +upon them. Carts and drays were going and coming, loaded with goods +taken from these piles; while on the other hand the piles themselves +were receiving continual additions from the ships, through the new +supplies which the seamen and laborers were hoisting out from the +hatchways. + +Here and there, too, the smoke and the puffing vapor of a steamer were +seen, and the clangor of ponderous machinery was heard, giving dignity, +as it were, to the bustle. + +"So, then, these are the famous London Docks," said Mr. George. + +"What a place!" said Rollo. + +"I had no idea of the vast extent and magnitude of the works," said Mr. +George. + +"How many different kinds of flags there are at the masts of the +vessels, uncle George!" said Rollo. "Look!" + +"What a monstrous work it must have been," said Mr. George, "the digging +out by hand of all these immense basins!" + +"What did they do with the mud?" asked Rollo. + +"They loaded it into scows," said Mr. George, "and floated it off, up or +down the river, wherever there were any low places that required to be +filled up. + +"When, at length, the excavations were finished," continued Mr. George, +"they began at the bottom, and laid foundations deep and strong, and +then built up very thick and solid walls all along the sides of the +basins, up to the level of the top of the ground, and then made streets +and quays along the margin, and built the sheds and warehouses, and the +work was done." + +"But then, how could they get the ships in?" asked Rollo. + +"Ah, yes," said Mr. George; "I forgot about that. It was necessary to +have passage ways leading in from the river, with walls and gates, and +with drawbridges over them." + +"What do they want the drawbridges for?" asked Rollo. + +"So that the people that are at work there can go across," said Mr. +George. "The people who live along the bank of the river, between the +basin and the bank, would of course have occasion to pass to and fro, +and they must have a bridge across the outlet of the docks. But then, +this bridge, if it were permanent, would be in the way of the ships in +passing in and out; and so it must be made a drawbridge. + +"Then, besides," continued Mr. George, "they need drawbridges across the +passage ways within the docks; for the workmen have to go back and forth +continually, in prosecuting the work of loading and unloading the ships +and in warping them in and out." + +"Yes," said Rollo. "There is a vessel that they are warping in now." + +Rollo understood very well what was meant by _warping_; but as many of +the readers of this book may live far from the sea, or may, from other +causes, have not had opportunities to learn much about the manoeuvring +of ships, I ought to explain that this term denotes a mode of moving +vessels for short distances by means of a line, either rope or cable, +which is fastened at one end outside the ship, and then is drawn in at +the other by the sailors on board. When this operation is performed in a +dock, for example, one end of the line is carried forward some little +distance towards the direction in which they wish the vessel to go, and +is made fast there to a pile, or ring, or post, or some other suitable +fixture on the quay, or on board another vessel. The other end of the +line, which has remained all the time on board the ship, is now attached +to the capstan or the windlass, and the line is drawn in. By this means +the vessel is pulled ahead. + +Vessels are sometimes warped for short distances up a river, when the +wind and current are both against her, so that she cannot proceed in any +other way. In this case the outer end of the line is often fastened to a +tree. + +In the arctic seas a ship is often warped through loose ice, or along +narrow and crooked channels of open water, by means of posts set in the +larger and more solid floes. When she is drawn up pretty near to one of +these posts, the line is taken off and carried forward to another post, +which the sailors have, in the mean time, been getting ready upon +another floe farther ahead. + +Warping is, of course, a very slow way of getting along, and is only +practicable for short distances, and is most frequently employed in +confined situations, where it would be unsafe to go fast. You would +think, too, that this process could only be resorted to near a shore, or +a quay, or a great field of ice, where posts could be set to attach the +lines to; but this, as will appear presently, is a mistake. + +The warping which had attracted Rollo's attention was for the purpose of +bringing a ship up alongside of the quay at the place where she was to +be unloaded. The ship had just come into the dock. + +"She has just come in," said Rollo, "I verily believe. I wish we had +been here a little sooner, so as to have seen her come through the +drawbridges." + +Just at this instant the rope leading from the ship, which had been +drawn very tense, was suddenly slacked on board the ship, and the middle +of it fell into the water. + +"What does that mean?" asked Rollo. + +"They are going to fasten it in a new place, I suppose," said Mr. +George. "Yes, there's the boat." + +There was a boat, with two men in it, just then coming up to the part of +the quay where the end of the line had been fastened. A man on the quay +cast off the line, and threw the end down on board the boat. The +boatmen, after taking it in, rowed forward to another place, and there +fastened it again. As soon as they had fastened it, they called out to +the men on board the ship, "HAUL AWAY!" and then a moment afterwards the +middle of the rope could be seen gradually rising out of the water until +it was drawn straight and tense as before; and then the ship began to +move on, though very slowly, towards the place where they wished to +bring her. + +"That's a good way to get her to her place," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "I don't know how seamen could manage their +vessels in docks and harbors without this process of warping." + +"I suppose they can't warp any where but in docks and harbors," said +Rollo. + +"Why not?" asked Mr. George. + +"Because," replied Rollo, "unless there was a quay or a shore close by, +they would not have any thing to fasten the line to." + +Mr. George then explained to Rollo that they could warp a vessel among +the ice in the arctic regions by fastening the line to posts set for the +purpose in the great floes. + +"O, of course they can do that," said Rollo. "The ice, in that case, is +just the same as a shore; I mean where there is not any shore at all." + +"Well," said Mr. George, "they can warp where there is not any shore at +all, provided that the water is not too deep. In that case they take a +small anchor in a boat, and row forward to the length of the line, and +then drop the anchor, and so warp to that." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I see. I did not think of that plan. But when they +have brought the vessel up to where the anchor is, what do they do +then?" + +"Why, in the mean time," said Mr. George, "the sailors in the boat have +taken another anchor, and have gone forward with it to a new station; +and so, when the ship has come up near enough to the first anchor, they +shift the line and then proceed to warp to the second." + +Rollo was much interested in these explanations; though, as most other +boys would have been in his situation, he was a little disappointed to +find himself mistaken in the opinion which he had advanced so +confidently, that warping would be impracticable except in the immediate +vicinity of the shore. Indeed, it often happens with boys, when they +begin to reach what may be called the reasoning age, that, in the +conversations which they hold with those older and better informed than +themselves, you can see very plainly that their curiosity and their +appetite for knowledge are mingled in a very singular way with the +pleasure of maintaining an argument with their interlocutor, and of +conquering him in it. It was strikingly so with Rollo on this occasion. + +"Yes," said he, after reflecting a moment on what his uncle had said, +"yes; I see how they can warp by means of anchors, where there is a +bottom which they can take hold of by them; but that is just the same as +a shore. It makes no difference whether the line is fastened to an +anchor on the bottom, or to a post or a tree on the land. One thing I am +sure of, at any rate; and that is, that it would not be possible for +them to warp a ship when it is out in the open sea." + +"It would certainly seem at first view that they could not," replied Mr. +George, quietly; "and yet they can." + +"How do they do it?" asked Rollo, much surprised. + +"It is not very often that they wish to do it," said Mr. George; "but +they _can_ do it, in this way: They have a sort of float, which is made +in some respects on the principle of an umbrella. The sailors take one +or two of these floats in a boat, with lines from the ship attached to +them, and after rowing forward a considerable distance, they throw them +over into the water. The men at the capstan then, on board the ship, +heave away, and the lines, in pulling upon the floats, pull them open, +and cause them to take hold of the water in such a manner that the ship +can be drawn up towards them. Of course the floats do not take hold of +the water enough to make them entirely immovable. They are drawn in, in +some degree, towards the ship; but the ship is drawn forward much more +towards them." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "I see that they might do it in that way. But I don't +understand why they should have any occasion to warp a ship out in the +open sea." + +"They do not have occasion to do so often," replied Mr. George. "I have +been told, however, that they resort to this method sometimes, in time +of war, to get a ship away from an enemy in a calm. Perhaps, too, they +might sometimes have occasion to do it in order to get away from an +iceberg." + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +THE EMIGRANTS. + + +While this conversation was going on Mr. George and Rollo had been +sauntering slowly along the walk, with warehouses on one side of them, +and a roadway for carts and drays on the other, between the walk and the +dock; and now all at once Rollo's attention was attracted by the +spectacle of a large ship, on the decks of which there appeared a great +number of people--men, women, and children. + +"What is that?" asked Rollo, suddenly. "What do you suppose all those +people are doing on board that ship?" + +"That must be an emigrant ship," said Mr. George. "Those are emigrants, +I have no doubt, going to America. Let us go on board." + +"Will they allow us to go?" asked Rollo, doubtfully. + +"O, yes," said Mr. George; "they will not know but that we are emigrants +ourselves, or the friends of some of the emigrants. In fact, we _are_ +the friends of some of the emigrants. We are the friends of _all_ of +them." + +So saying, Mr. George led the way, and Rollo followed up the plankway +which led to the deck of the ship. Here a very singular spectacle +presented itself to view. The decks were covered with groups of people, +all dressed in the most quaint and singular costume, and wearing a very +foreign air. They were, in general, natives of the interior provinces of +France and Germany, and they were dressed in accordance with the +fashions which prevailed in the places from which they severally came. + +The men were generally standing or walking about. Some were talking +together, others were smoking pipes, and others still were busy with +their chests and bundles, rearranging their effects apparently, so as to +have easy and convenient access to such as they should require for the +voyage. Then there were a great many groups of women and girls seated +together on benches, trunks, or camp stools, with little children +playing about near them on the deck. + +"I am very glad to see this," said Mr. George. "I have very often +witnessed the landing of the emigrants in New York at the end of their +voyage; and here I have the opportunity of seeing them as they go on +board the ship, at the beginning of it." + +"I am glad, too," said Rollo. "But look at that old woman!" + +Rollo pointed as he said this to an aged woman, whose face, which was of +the color of mahogany, was wrinkled in a most extraordinary manner, and +who wore a cap of very remarkable shape and dimensions. She had an +antique-looking book in her hands, the contents of which she seemed to +be conning over with great attention. Mr. George and Rollo looked down +upon the pages of the book as they passed, and saw that it was printed +in what might be called an ancient black-letter type. + +"It is a German book," said Rollo, in a whisper. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "I suppose it is her Bible, or perhaps her +Prayer Book." + +Near the old woman was a child playing upon the deck. Perhaps it was her +grandchild. The child had a small wagon, which she was drawing about the +deck. The wagon looked very much worn and soiled by long usage, but in +other respects it resembled very much the little wagons that are drawn +about by children in America. + +"It is just like one of our little wagons," said Rollo. + +"Yes," replied Mr. George, "of course it is; for almost all the little +wagons, as well as the other toys, that children get in America, come +from Germany." + +"Ah!" said Rollo; "I did not think of that." + +"Would you ask her to let me see her wagon?" continued Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "that is, if you can ask her in German." + +"Don't you suppose she knows English?" asked Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George, "I presume not." + +"I mean to try her," said Rollo. + +So he extended his hand towards the child; and then, smiling upon her to +denote that he was her friend, and also to make what he said appear like +an invitation, and not like a command, he pronounced very distinctly the +words, "Come here." + +The child immediately came towards him with the little wagon. + +"There!" said Rollo; "I was pretty sure that she could understand +English." + +The child did not understand English, however, after all. And yet she +understood what Rollo said; for it so happens, by a remarkable +coincidence, that the German words for "come here," though spelled +differently, sound almost precisely like the English words. Besides, the +child knew from Rollo's gesture that he wished her to come to him. + +Rollo attempted to talk with the child, but he could make no progress. +The child could not understand any thing that he said. Presently a very +pleasant-looking woman who was sitting on a trunk near by, and who +proved to be the child's mother, shook her head smilingly at Rollo, and +said, with a very foreign accent, pointing at the same time to the +child, "Not understands English." + +Mr. George then held a little conversation with this woman in German. +She told him that she was the mother of the child, and that the old +woman who was reading near was its grandmother. She had a husband, she +said, and two other children. Her husband was on the shore. He had gone +into the city to make some purchases for the voyage, and her two other +children had gone with him to see what was to be seen. + +Mr. George and Rollo, after this, walked about the deck of the ship for +some time, looking at the various family groups that were scattered here +and there, and holding conversations with many of the people. The +persons whom they talked with all looked up with an expression of great +animation and pleasure in their countenances when they learned that +their visitors were Americans, and seemed much gratified to see them. I +suppose they considered them very favorable specimens of the people of +the country which they were going to make their future home. + +I am sure that they needed all the kind words and encouraging looks that +Mr. George and Rollo bestowed upon them; for it is a very serious and +solemn business for a family to bid a final farewell to their native +land, and in many instances to the whole circle of their acquaintances +and friends, in order to cross the stormy ocean and seek a home in what +is to them an entirely new world. + +[Illustration: PLEASANT WEATHER.] + +Even the voyage itself is greatly to be dreaded by them, on account of +the inevitable discomforts and dangers of it. While the ship is lying in +the docks, waiting for the appointed day of sailing to arrive, they can +pass their time very pleasantly, sitting upon the decks, reading, +writing, or sewing; but as soon as the voyage has fairly commenced, all +these enjoyments are at once at an end; for even if the wind is fair, +and the water is tolerably smooth, they are at first nearly all sick, +and are confined to their berths below; so that, even when there are +hundreds of people on board, the deck of the ship looks very solitary. + +The situation of the poor passengers, too, in their berths below, is +very uncomfortable. They are crowded very closely together; the air is +confined and unwholesome; and their food is of the coarsest and plainest +description. Then, besides, in every such a company there will always be +some that are rude and noisy, or otherwise disagreeable in their habits +or demeanor; and those who are of a timid and gentle disposition often +suffer very severely from the unjust and overbearing treatment which +they receive from tyrants whom they can neither resist nor escape from. + +Then, sometimes, when the ship is in mid ocean, there comes on a storm. +A storm at sea, attacking an emigrant ship full of passengers, produces +sometimes a frightful amount of misery. Many of the company are +dreadfully alarmed, and feel sure that they will all certainly go to the +bottom. Their terror is increased by the tremendous roar of the winds, +and by the thundering thumps and concussions which the ship encounters +from the waves. + +[Illustration: THE STORM.] + +The consternation is increased when the gale comes on suddenly in a +squall, so that there is not time to take the sails in in season. In +such a case the sails are often blown away or torn into pieces--the +remnants of them, and the ends of the rigging, flapping in the wind with +a sound louder than thunder. + +Of course, during the continuance of such a storm, the passengers are +all confined closely below; for the seas and the spray sweep over the +decks at such times with so much violence that even the sailors can +scarcely remain there. Then it is almost entirely dark where the +passengers have to stay; for in such a storm the deadlights must all be +put in, and the hatches shut down and covered, to keep out the sea. +Notwithstanding all the precautions, however, that can possibly be +taken, the seas will find their way in, and the decks, and the berths, +and the beds become dripping wet and very uncomfortable. + +Then, again, the violent motion of a ship in a storm makes almost every +body sick; and this is another trouble. It is very difficult, too, at +such times, for so large a company to get their food. They cannot go to +get it; for they cannot walk, or even stand, on account of the pitching +and tossing of the ship; and it is equally difficult to bring it to +them. The poor children are always greatly neglected; and the mournful +and wearisome sound of their incessant fretting and crying adds very +much to the general discomfort and misery. + +It often happens, moreover, that dreadful diseases of an infectious and +malignant character break out on board these crowded ships, and +multitudes sicken and die. Of course, under such circumstances, the sick +can receive very few of the attentions that sick persons require, +especially when the weather is stormy, and their friends and +fellow-passengers, who would have been glad to have assisted them, are +disabled themselves. Then, in their dejection and misery, their thoughts +revert to the homes they have left. They forget all the sorrows and +trials which they endured there, and by the pressure of which they were +driven to the determination to leave their native land; and now they +mourn bitterly that they were induced to take a step which is to end so +disastrously. They think that they would give all that they possess to +be once more restored to their former homes. + +Thus, during the prevalence of a storm, the emigrant ship is filled +sometimes with every species of suffering. There is, however, +comparatively very little actual danger, for the ships are very strong, +being built expressly for the purpose of resisting the severest +buffetings of the waves; and generally, if there is sea room enough, +they ride out these gales in safety. Then, after repairing the damages +which their spars and rigging may have sustained, they resume their +voyage. If, however, there is not sea room enough for the ship when she +is thus caught,--that is, if the storm comes on when she is in such a +position that the wind drives her towards rocks, or shoals, or to a +line of coast,--her situation becomes one of great peril. In such cases +it is almost impossible to save her from being driven upon the rocks or +sands, and there being broken up and beaten to pieces by the waves. + +[Illustration: THE WRECK.] + +When driven thus upon a shore, the ship usually strikes at such a +distance from it as to make it impossible for the passengers to reach +the land. Nor can they long continue to live on board the ship; for, as +she strikes the sand or rocks upon the bottom, the waves, which continue +to roll in in tremendous surges from the offing, knock her over upon her +side, break in upon her decks, and drench her completely in every part, +above and below. Those of the passengers who attempt to remain below, or +who from any cause cannot get up the stairways, are speedily drowned; +while those who reach the deck are almost all soon washed off into the +sea. Some lash themselves to the bulwarks or to the masts, and some +climb into the rigging to get out of the way of the seas, if, indeed, +any of the rigging remains standing; and then, at length, when the sea +subsides a little, people put off in surf boats from the shore, to +rescue them. In this way, usually, a considerable number are saved. + +These and other dreadful dangers attend the companies of emigrants in +their attempts to cross the wide and stormy Atlantic. Still the prospect +for themselves and their children of living in peace and plenty in the +new world prompts them to come every year in immense numbers. About +eight hundred such shiploads as that which Rollo and Mr. George saw in +the London Docks arrive in New York alone every year. This makes, on an +average, about fifteen ships to arrive there every week. It is only a +very small proportion indeed of the number that sail that are wrecked on +the passage. + + * * * * * + +But to return to Mr. George and Rollo. + +After remaining on board the emigrant ship until their curiosity was +satisfied, our travellers went down the plank again to the quay, and +continued their walk. The next thing that attracted Rollo's attention +was a great crane, which stood on the quay, near a ship, a short +distance before them. + +"Ah!" said Rollo; "here is a great crane. Let us go and see what they +are hoisting." + +So Rollo hastened forward, Mr. George following him, until they came to +the crane. Four workmen were employed at it, in turning the wheels by +means of two great iron cranks. They were hoisting a very heavy block of +white marble out of the vessel. + +While Mr. George and Rollo were looking at the crane, a bell began to +ring in a little steeple near by; and all the men in every part of the +quay and in all the sheds and warehouses immediately stopped working, +put on their jackets, and began walking away in throngs towards the +gates. + +"Ah!" said Mr. George, in a tone of disappointment, "we have got here at +twelve o'clock. That was just what I wished to avoid." + +"Yes," said Rollo; "they are all going home to dinner." + +Rollo, however, soon found that all the men were not going home to +dinner, for great numbers of them began to make preparations for dining +in the yard. They began to establish themselves in little groups, three +or four together, in nooks and corners, under the sheds, wherever they +could find the most convenient arrangement of boxes and bales to serve +for chairs and tables. When established in these places, they proceeded +to open the stores which they had provided for their dinners, the said +stores being contained in sundry baskets, pails, and cans, which had +been concealed all the morning in various hiding-places among the piles +of merchandise, and were now brought forth to furnish the owners with +their midday meal. + +One of these parties, Rollo found, had a very convenient way of getting +ale to drink with their dinner. There was a row of barrels lying on the +quay near where they had established themselves to dine; and two of the +party went to one of these barrels, and, starting out the bung, they +helped themselves to as much ale as they required. They got the ale out +of the barrel by means of a long and narrow glass, with a string around +the neck of it, and a very thick and heavy bottom. This glass they let +down through the bunghole into the barrel, and then drew up the ale with +it as you would draw up water with a bucket from a well. + +Rollo amused himself as he walked along observing these various dinner +parties, wondering, too, all the time, at the throngs of men that were +pouring along through all the spaces and passage ways that led towards +the gate.[G] + +[G] It was while these workmen were going out in this way from the yard +that the incident of the little girl falling into the dock occurred, as +has been already related. + +"I did not know that there were so many men at work here," said he. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "When business is brisk, there are about three +thousand at work here." + +"How did you know?" asked Rollo. + +"I read it in the guide book," said Mr. George. + +Here Mr. George took his guide book out of his pocket, and began to read +from it, as he walked along, the following description:-- + +"'As you enter the dock, the sight of the forest of masts in the +distance, and the tall chimneys vomiting clouds of black smoke, and the +many-colored flags flying in the air, has a most peculiar effect; while +the sheds, with the monster wheels arching through the roofs, look like +the paddle boxes of huge steamers.'" + +"Yes," said Rollo; "that is exactly the way it looks." + +"'Along the quay,'" continued Mr. George, still reading, "'you see, now +men with their faces blue with indigo; and now gaugers, with their long, +brass-tipped rules dripping with spirit from the cask they have been +probing; then will come a group of flaxen-haired sailors, chattering +German; and next a black sailor, with a cotton handkerchief twisted +turban-like around his head; presently a blue-smocked butcher, with +fresh meat and a bunch of cabbages in a tray on his shoulder; and +shortly afterwards a mate, with green paroquets in a wooden cage. Here +you will see, sitting on a bench, a sorrowful-looking woman, with new, +bright cooking tins at her feet, telling you she is an emigrant +preparing for her voyage. As you pass along the quay the air is pungent +with tobacco, or it overpowers you with the fumes of rum; then you are +nearly sickened with the smell arising from heaps of hides and huge bins +of horns; and shortly afterwards the atmosphere is fragrant with coffee +and spice. Nearly every where you meet stacks of cork, or yellow bins of +sulphur, or lead-colored copper ore.'" + +"It is an excellent description," said Rollo, when Mr. George paused. + +Mr. George resumed his reading as follows:-- + +"'As you enter this warehouse the flooring is sticky, as if it had been +newly tarred, with the sugar that has leaked through the casks----'" + +"We won't go there," said Rollo, interrupting. + +"'And as you descend into these dark vaults,'" continued Mr. George, +"'you see long lines of lights hanging from the black arches, and lamps +flitting about midway.'" + +"I should like to go there," said Rollo. + +"'Here you sniff the fumes of the wine,'" continued Mr. George, "'and +there the peculiar fungous smell of dry rot. Then the jumble of sounds, +as you pass along the dock, blends in any thing but sweet concord. The +sailors are singing boisterous Ethiopian songs from the Yankee ship +just entering; the cooper is hammering at the casks on the quay; the +chains of the cranes, loosed of their weight, rattle as they fly up +again; the ropes splash in the water; some captain shouts his orders +through his hands; a goat bleats from some ship in the basin; and empty +casks roll along the stones with a hollow, drum-like sound. Here the +heavy-laden ships are down far below the quay, and you descend to them +by ladders; whilst in another basin they are high up out of the water, +so that their green copper sheathing is almost level with the eye of the +passenger; while above his head a long line of bow-sprits stretch far +over the quay, and from them hang spars and planks as a gangway to each +ship. This immense establishment is worked by from one to three thousand +hands, according as the business is either brisk or slack.'" + +Here Mr. George shut the book and put it in his pocket. + +"It is a very excellent account of it altogether," said Rollo. + +"I think so too," said Mr. George. + + * * * * * + +As our travellers walked slowly along after this, their attention was +continually attracted to one object of interest after another, each of +which, after leading to a brief conversation between them, gave way to +the next. The talk was accordingly somewhat on this wise:-- + +"O uncle George!" said Rollo; "look at that monstrous pile of buck +horns!" + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "it is a monstrous pile indeed. They must be for +knife handles." + +"What a quantity of them!" said Rollo. "I should think that there would +be knife handles enough in the pile for all creation. Where can they get +so many horns?" + +"I am sure I don't know," said Mr. George. + +So they walked on. + +Presently they came to an immense heap of bags of coffee. They knew that +the bags contained coffee by the kernels that were spread about them all +over the ground. Then they passed by long rows of barrels, which seemed +to be filled with sugar. Mr. George walked by the side of the barrels, +but Rollo jumped up and ran along on the top of them. Then came casks of +tobacco, and next bars of iron and steel, and then some monstrous square +logs of mahogany. + +Mr. George and Rollo walked on in this manner for a quarter of a mile, +and at length they came to one of the drawbridges. This drawbridge led +over a passage way which formed a communication from one basin of the +dock to another. It was a very long and slender bridge of iron, made to +turn on a pivot at one end. There was some machinery connected with it +to work it. + +"I wish they would come and turn this drawbridge away," said Rollo. "I +want to see how it works." + +"Perhaps they will after dinner," said Mr. George. + +"Let us sit down, then, here somewhere," said Rollo, "and wait." + +So Mr. George and Rollo, after crossing the drawbridge, sat down upon +some of the fixtures connected with the machinery of the bridge. + +From the place where they sat they had a good view of the whole interior +of the dock. They could see the shipping, the warehouses, the forests of +masts, the piles of merchandise, and the innumerable flags and signals +which were flying at the mast heads of the vessels. + +"It is a wonderful place," said Rollo; "but I don't understand how they +do the business here. Whom do all these goods belong to? and how do they +sell them? We have not seen any body here that looks as if he was buying +any thing." + +"No," said Mr. George. "The merchants don't come here to buy the goods. +They buy them by samples in the city. I will explain to you how they +manage the business. The merchants who own ships send them to various +parts of the world to buy what grows in the different countries and +bring it here. We will take a particular case. Suppose it is coffee, for +instance. The merchant never sees the coffee himself, perhaps. The +captain or the supercargo reports to him how much there is, and he +orders it to be stored in the warehouses here. Then he puts it into the +hands of an agent to sell. His agent is called a broker. There are +inspectors in the docks, whose business it is to examine the coffee and +send specimens of it to the broker's office in the city. It is the same +with all the other shiploads that come in. They are examined by +inspectors, specimens are taken out and sent to the city, and the goods +themselves are stored in the warehouses. + +"Now, we will suppose a person wishes to buy some of these goods to make +up a cargo. Perhaps it is a man who is going to send a ship to Africa +after elephants' tusks, and he wants a great variety of goods to send +there to pay the natives for them. He wants them in large quantities, +too, enough to make a cargo. So he makes out a list of the articles that +he wishes to send, and marks the quantities of each that he will +require, and gives the list to the agent. This agent is a man who is +well acquainted with the docks and the brokers, and knows where they +keep the specimens. He buys the articles and sends them all on board the +ship that is going to Africa, which is perhaps all this time lying close +at hand in the docks, ready to receive them. As fast as the goods are +delivered on board the African ship, the captain of it gives the agent a +receipt for them, and the latter, when he has got all the receipts, +sends them to the merchant; and so the merchant knows that the goods are +all on board, without ever having seen any of them." + +"And then he pays the agent, I suppose, for his trouble," said Rollo. + +"Of course," said Mr. George; "but this is better than for him to +attempt to do the business himself; for the agent is so familiar with +the docks, and with every thing pertaining to them, that he can do it a +great deal better than the merchant could, in half the time." + +"Yes," said Rollo, "I should think he could." + +"Then it makes the business very easy and pleasant for the merchant, I +suppose," said Mr. George. "All that he requires is a small office and a +few clerks. He sits down at his desk and considers where he will send +his ship, when he has one ready for sea, and what cargo he will send in +her; and then there is nothing for him to do about it but to make out an +inventory of the articles and send it to the agent at the docks, and the +business is all done very regularly for him. + +"Only," continued Mr. George, "it is very necessary that he should know +how to plan his voyages so as to make them come out well, with a good +profit at the end, otherwise he will soon go to ruin." + +Mr. George and Rollo sat near the drawbridge talking in this manner for +about half an hour. Then the men began to return from their dinner; and +very soon afterwards the quays, and slips, and warehouses were all alive +again with business and bustle. They then rose and began rambling about +here and there, to watch the various operations that were going on. They +saw during this ramble a great many curious and wonderful things, too +numerous to be specified here. They remained in the docks for more than +two hours, and then went home by one of the little steamers on the +river. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +THE TOWER AND THE TUNNEL. + + +The famous Tunnel under the Thames, and the still more famous Tower of +London, are very near together, and strangers usually visit both on one +and the same excursion. + +The Tower, as has already been explained, was originally a sort of +fortress, or castle, built on the bank of the river, below the city, to +defend it from any enemy that might attempt to come up to it by ships +from the sea. The space enclosed by the walls was very large; and as in +modern times many new buildings and ranges of buildings have been +erected within, with streets and courts between them, the place has now +the appearance of being a little town enclosed by walls, and surrounded +by a ditch with bridges, and standing in the midst of a _large_ town. + +Rollo and Mr. George passed over the ditch that surrounded the Tower by +means of a drawbridge. Before they entered the gateway, however, they +were conducted to a small building which stood near it, where they +obtained a ticket to view the Tower, and where, also, they were required +to leave their umbrella. This room was a sort of refreshment room; and +as they were told that they must wait here a few minutes till a party +was formed, they occupied the time by taking a luncheon. Their luncheon +consisted of a ham and veal pie, and a good drink for each of ginger +beer. + +At length, several other people having come in, a portly-looking man, +dressed in a very gay uniform, and wearing on his head a black velvet +hat adorned with a sort of wreath made of blue and white ribbons, took +them in charge to lead them about the Tower. + +This man belonged to a body that is called the Yeomen of the Guard. The +dress which he wore was their uniform. He wore various badges and +decorations besides his uniform. One of them was a medal that was given +to him in honor of his having been a soldier at the battle of Waterloo. + +Under the charge of this guide, the party, which consisted now of eight +or ten persons, began to make the tour. They passed through various +little courts and streets, which were sometimes bordered by ranges of +buildings, and sometimes by castellated walls, with sentinels on duty, +marching slowly back and forth along the parapet. + +At length their gay-looking guide led the party through a door which +opened into a very long and narrow hall, on one side of which there was +arranged a row of effigies of horses, splendidly caparisoned, and +mounted with the figures of the kings of England upon them in polished +armor of steel. The gay trappings of the horses, and the glittering +splendor of the breast-plates, and greaves, and helmets, and swords of +the men, gave to the whole spectacle a very splendid effect. The guide +walked along slowly in front of this row of effigies, informing the +party as he went along of the names of the various monarchs who were +represented, and describing the kind of armor which they severally wore. + +The armor, of course, varied very much in its character and fashion, +according to the age in which the monarch who wore it lived; and it was +very interesting, in walking down the hall, to see how military fashions +had changed from century to century, as shown by the successive changes +in the accoutrements which were observed in passing along the line of +kings. + +There were many suits of armor that were quite small, having been made +for the English princes when they were boys. Rollo amused himself by +imagining how he should look in one of these suits of armor, and he +wished very much that he could have an opportunity of trying them on. In +one place there was a battery of nine beautiful little cannons made of +brass, each about two feet long, and just about large enough in caliber +for a boy to fire. These cannons, which were all beautifully ornamented +with bas reliefs on the outside, and were mounted on splendid little +carriages, were presented to Charles II. when he was a boy; and I +suppose that he and his playmates often fired them. There were a great +many other strange and curious implements of war that have now gone +wholly out of fashion. There were all kinds of matchlocks, and guns, and +pistols, of the most uncouth and curious shapes; and shot of every +kind--chain shot, and grape shot, and saw shot; and there were bows and +arrows, and swords and halberds, and spears and cutlasses, and every +other kind of weapon. These arms were arranged on the walls in +magnificent great stars, or were stacked up in various ornamental forms +about pillars or under arches; and they were so numerous that Rollo +could not stop to look at half of them. + +After this the yeoman of the guard led his party to a great many other +curious places. He showed them the room where the crowns and sceptres of +the English kings and queens, and all the great diamonds and jewels of +state, were kept. These treasures were placed on a stand in an immense +iron cage, so that people assembled in the room around the cage could +look in and see the things, but they could not reach them to touch them. + +They were also taken to see various prison rooms and dungeons where +state prisoners were kept; and also blocks and axes, the implements by +which several great prisoners celebrated in history had been beheaded. +They saw in particular the block and the axe which were used at the +execution of Anne Boleyn and of Lady Jane Grey; and all the party looked +very earnestly at the marks which the edge of the axe had made in the +wood when the blows were given. + +The party walked about in the various buildings, and courts, and streets +of the Tower for nearly two hours; and then, bidding the yeoman good by, +they all went away. + +"Now," said Rollo, as soon as they had got out of the gate, "which is +the way to the Tunnel?" + +The Tunnel is a subterranean passage under the Thames, made at a place +where it was impossible to have a bridge, on account of the shipping. +They expected, when they made the Tunnel, that it would be used a great +deal by persons wishing to cross the river. But it is found, on trial, +that almost every body who wishes to go across the river at that place +prefers to go in a boat rather than go down into the Tunnel. The reason +is, that the Tunnel is so far below the bed of the river that you have +to go down a long series of flights of stairs before you get to the +entrance to it; and then, after going across, you have to come up just +as many stairs before you get into the street again. This is found to be +so troublesome and fatiguing that almost every one who has occasion to +go across the river prefers to cross it by a ferry boat on the surface +of the water; and scarcely any one goes into the Tunnel except those who +wish to visit it out of curiosity. + +The stairs that lead down to the passage under the river wind around the +sides of an immense well, or shaft, made at the entrance of it. When Mr. +George and Rollo reached the bottom of these stairs they heard loud +sounds of music, and saw a brilliant light at the entrance to the +Tunnel. On going in, they saw that the Tunnel itself was double, as it +consisted of two vaulted passage ways, with a row of piers and arches +between them. One of these passage ways was closed up; the other was +open, and was lighted brilliantly with gas all the way through. But what +most attracted Rollo's attention was, that the spaces between the piers +all along the Tunnel were occupied with little shops, each one having a +man, a woman, or a child to attend it. As Mr. George and Rollo walked +along, those people all asked them to stop and buy something at their +shops. There were pictures of all kinds, and little boxes, and views of +the Tunnel, with magnifying glasses to make them look real, and needle +cases, and work boxes, and knickknacks of all kinds for people to buy +and carry home as souvenirs, or to show to their friends and say that +they bought them in the Tunnel. + +[Illustration: SHOPPING IN THE TUNNEL.] + +Besides these things that were for sale, there were various objects of +interest and curiosity, such as electric machines where people might +take shocks, and scales where they might be weighed, and refreshment +rooms that were formed in the passage way that was not used for travel; +and in one place there was a little ball room arranged there, where a +party might, if they chose, stop and have a dance. + +Rollo and Mr. George walked through the Tunnel, and then came back +again. As they came back, Rollo stopped at one of the shops and bought a +pretty little round box, which he said would do for a wafer box, and +would also serve as a souvenir of his visit to the place. + +Mr. George and Rollo concluded, after ascending again to the light of +day, that they would go home by water; so they went out to the end of a +long floating pier, which was built, as it happened, exactly opposite +the entrance to the Tunnel. They sat down on a bench by a little toll +house there, to wait for a steamer going up the river. + +"It must have been just about under here," said Rollo, "that I bought my +little wafer box in the Tunnel." + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "just about." + +In a few minutes a steamer came along and took them in. She immediately +set off again; and, after passing under all the London bridges and +stopping on the way at various landings, she set them down at Hungerford +stairs, and they went to their lodgings. + + * * * * * + +Mr. George and Rollo had various other adventures in London which there +is not space to describe in this volume. Rollo did not, however, have +time to visit all the places that he wished to see; for, before he had +executed half the plans which he and his uncle George had projected, he +received a sudden summons to set out, with his father, and mother, and +Jennie, for Edinburgh. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Rollo in London, by Jacob Abbott + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROLLO IN LONDON *** + +***** This file should be named 24182-8.txt or 24182-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/1/8/24182/ + +Produced by D. 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