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diff --git a/31394.txt b/31394.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ca2ebe2 --- /dev/null +++ b/31394.txt @@ -0,0 +1,13272 @@ +Project Gutenberg's A Week's Tramp in Dickens-Land, by William R. Hughes + +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: A Week's Tramp in Dickens-Land + +Author: William R. Hughes + +Illustrator: F. G. Kitton + +Release Date: February 25, 2010 [EBook #31394] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A WEEK'S TRAMP IN DICKENS-LAND *** + + + + +Produced by Chris Curnow, Emmy and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +A WEEK'S TRAMP + +IN + +DICKENS-LAND + +[Illustration: The Marshes, Cooling.] + + + + +A WEEK'S TRAMP + +IN + +DICKENS-LAND + +TOGETHER WITH + +=Personal Reminiscences of the 'Inimitable Boz'= + +THEREIN COLLECTED. + +BY + +WILLIAM R. HUGHES, F.L.S. + + _WITH MORE THAN A HUNDRED + ILLUSTRATIONS BY F. G. KITTON + AND OTHER ARTISTS._ + + LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED. + BOSTON: ESTES AND LAURIAT. + 1891. + + + + + RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED, + LONDON & BUNGAY. + + + + + [_All Rights reserved._] + + + + + + TO + + MY WIFE AND DAUGHTERS, + + EMILY AND EDITH, + + I DEDICATE + + THIS RECORD OF "A WEEK'S TRAMP," + + TO REMIND THEM OF + + THE MANY PLEASANT READINGS FROM DICKENS + + WE HAVE ENJOYED TOGETHER + + AT HOME. + + + + +PREFACE. + + + * * * * * + +"'I should like to show you a series of eight articles, Sir, that have +appeared in the Eatanswill Gazette. I think I may venture to say that +you would not be long in establishing your opinions on a firm and solid +basis, Sir.' + +"'I dare say I should turn very blue long before I got to the end of +them,' responded Bob. + +"Mr. Pott looked dubiously at Bob Sawyer for some seconds, and turning +to Mr. Pickwick said:-- + +"'You have seen the literary articles which have appeared at intervals +in the Eatanswill Gazette in the course of the last three months, and +which have excited such general--I may say such universal--attention and +admiration?' + +"'Why,' replied Mr. Pickwick, slightly embarrassed by the question, 'the +fact is, I have been so much engaged in other ways, that I really have +not had an opportunity of perusing them.' + +"'You should do so, Sir,' said Pott with a severe countenance. + +"'I will,' said Mr. Pickwick. + +"'They appeared in the form of a copious review of a work on Chinese +metaphysics, Sir,' said Pott. + +"'Oh,' observed Mr. Pickwick--'from your pen I hope?' + +"'From the pen of my critic, Sir,' rejoined Pott with dignity. + +"'An abstruse subject I should conceive,' said Mr. Pickwick. + +"'Very, Sir,' responded Pott, looking intensely sage. 'He _crammed_ for +it, to use a technical but expressive term; he read up for the subject, +at my desire, in the _Encyclopaedia Britannica_.' + +"'Indeed!' said Mr. Pickwick; 'I was not aware that that valuable work +contained any information respecting Chinese metaphysics.' + +"'He read, Sir,' rejoined Mr. Pott, laying his hand on Mr. Pickwick's +knee, and looking round with a smile of intellectual superiority, 'he +read for metaphysics under the letter M, and for China under the letter +C; and combined his information, Sir!' + +"Mr. Pott's features assumed so much additional grandeur at the +recollection of the power and research displayed in the learned +effusions in question, that some minutes elapsed before Mr. Pickwick +felt emboldened to renew the conversation." + + * * * * * + +The above perennial extract from the immortal _Pickwick Papers_ suggests +to some extent the nature of the contents of this Volume. It is the +record of a pilgrimage made by two enthusiastic Dickensians during the +late summer of 1888, together with "combined information,"--not indeed +"crammed" from the ninth edition just completed of the valuable work +above referred to, but gathered mostly from original sources,--respecting +the places visited, the characters alluded to in some of the novels, +personal reminiscences of their Author, appropriate passages from his +works (for which acknowledgments are due to Messrs. Chapman and Hall), +and some little mention of the thoughts developed by the associations of +"Dickens-Land." + +Although the pilgrimage only extended to a week, and every spot referred +to (save one) was actually visited during that time, it is but right to +state that on three subsequent occasions the author has gone over the +greater part of the same ground--once in the early winter, when the blue +clematis and the aster had given place to the yellow jasmine and the +chrysanthemum; once in the early spring, when those had been succeeded +by the almond-blossom and the crocus; and again in the following year, +when the beautiful county of Kent was rehabilitated in summer clothing, +thus enabling him to verify observations, to correct possible errors +arising from first impressions, and to gain new experiences. + +As our head-quarters were at Rochester, and most of the city and other +parts were taken at odd times, it has not been found practicable to +preserve in consecutive chapters a perfect sequence of the records of +each day's tramp, although they appear in fairly chronological order +throughout the work. "A preliminary tramp in London" will possibly be +dull to those familiar with the great Metropolis, but it may be useful +to foreign tramps in "Dickens-Land." + +Availing myself of the privilege adopted by most travellers at home and +abroad, I have made occasional references to the weather. This is +perhaps excusable when it is remembered that the year 1888 was a very +remarkable one in that respect, so much so indeed, that the writer of a +leading article in _The Times_ of January 18th, 1889, in commenting on +Mr. G. J. Symons' report of the British rainfall of the previous year, +remarked that "seldom within living memory had there been a twelve-month +with more unpleasantness in it and less of genial sunshine." We were +specially favoured, however, in getting more "sunshine" than +"unpleasantness," thus adding to the enjoyment of our never-to-be-forgotten +tramp. + +Upwards of three years have elapsed since this book was commenced, and +the limited holiday leisure of a hard-working official life has +necessarily prevented its completion for such a lengthened period, that +it has come to be pleasantly referred to by my many Dickensian friends +as the "Dictionary," in allusion to the important work of that nature +contemplated by Dr. Strong, respecting which (says David Copperfield) +"Adams, our head-boy, who had a turn for mathematics, had made a +calculation, I was informed, of the time this Dictionary would take in +completing, on the Doctor's plan, and at the Doctor's rate of going. He +considered that it might be done in one thousand six hundred and +forty-nine years, counting from the Doctor's last, or sixty-second, +birthday." + +My hearty and sincere acknowledgments are due to the publishers, Messrs. +Chapman and Hall, not only for the very handsome manner in which they +have allowed my book to be got up as regards print, paper, and execution +(to follow the model of their Victoria Edition of _Pickwick_ is indeed +an honour to me), but especially for their great liberality in the +matter of the Illustrations, which number more than a hundred. These +were selected in conference by Mr. Fred Chapman, Mr. Kitton, and myself, +and include about fifty original drawings by Mr. Kitton, from sketches +specially made by him for this work. Of the remainder, six are from +Forster's _Life of Dickens_, fifteen from Langton's _Childhood and Youth +of Charles Dickens_, seven from _Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil_, ten +from the Jubilee Edition of _Pickwick_, and five from Rimmer's _About +England with Dickens_. A few interesting fac-similes of handwriting, +etc., have also been introduced. Surely such an eclectic series of +Dickens Illustrations has never before been presented in one volume. + +To Messrs. Chapman and Hall, Mr. Robert Langton, F.R.H.S., Messrs. Frank +T. Sabin and John F. Dexter, Messrs. Macmillan and Co., and Messrs. +Chatto and Windus (the proprietors of the above-mentioned works), the +author's acknowledgments are also due, and are hereby tendered. Mr. +Stephen T. Aveling has kindly supplied an illustration of Restoration +House as it appeared in Dickens's time, and Mr. William Ball, J.P., +generously commissioned a local artist to make a sketch of the Marshes, +which forms the frontispiece to the book, and gives a good idea of the +"long stretches of flat lands" on the Kent and Essex coasts. + +To those friends whom we then met for the first time, and from whom we +subsequently received help, the author's most cordial acknowledgments +are due, and are also tendered, for kind information and assistance. +They are a goodly number, and include Mr. A. A. Arnold, Mr. Stephen T. +Aveling, Mr. William Ball, J.P., Mr. James Baird, Mr. Charles Bird, +F.G.S., Major and Mrs. Budden, Mr. W. J. Budden, Mr. R. L. Cobb, Mr. J. +Couchman, The Misses Drage, Mrs. Easedown, Mr. Franklin Homan, Mr. James +Hulkes, J.P., and Mrs. Hulkes, Mr. Apsley Kennette, Mrs. Latter, Mr. J. +Lawrence, Mr. C. D. Levy, Mr. B. Lillie, Mr. J. E. Littlewood, Mr. J. N. +Malleson, Rev. J. J. Marsham, M.A., Mrs. Masters, Mr. Miles, Mr. W. +Millen, Mr. Geo. Payne, F.S.A., Mr. William Pearce, Mr. George Robinson, +Mr. T. B. Rosseter, F.R.M.S., Dr. Sheppard, Mr. Henry Smetham, Dr. +Steele, M.R.C.S., Mr. William Syms, Mrs. Taylor, Miss Taylor, Mr. W. S. +Trood, Major Trousdell, Rev. Robert Whiston, M.A., Mr. W. T. Wildish, +Mr. Humphrey Wood, Mr. C. K. Worsfold, and Mrs. Henry Wright. The late +Mr. Roach Smith, F.S.A., took much interest in my work and gave valuable +assistance. Mr. Luke Fildes, R.A., and Mrs. Lynn Linton generously +contributed very interesting information. The Right Honourable the Earl +of Darnley, Mr. Henry Fielding Dickens, Mr. W. P. Frith, R.A., and Lady +Head, also kindly answered enquiries. + +Miss Hogarth has at my request very kindly consented to the publication +of the original letters of the Novelist--about a dozen--now printed for +the first time. + +My sincere thanks are due to Mr. E. W. Badger, F.R.H.S., the friend of +many years, for valuable help. + +To my old friend and fellow-tramp, Mr. F. G. Kitton, with whose memory +this delightful excursion will ever be pleasantly connected, my warmest +thanks are due for reading proofs and for much kind help in many ways. +"He wos werry good to me, he wos." As Pip wrote to another "Jo," "WOT +LARX" we did have. + +Last, but not least, my cordial thanks are due to Mr. Charles Dickens +for much kind information and valuable criticism. + +So long as readers continue to be, so long will our great English +trilogy of cognate authors, Shakespeare, Scott, and Dickens, continue to +be read. Indeed as regards Dickens, a writer in _Blackwood_, June, 1871 +(and _Blackwood_ was not always a sympathetic critic), said:--"We may +apply to him, without doubt, the surest test to which the maker can be +subject: were all his books swept by some intellectual catastrophe out +of the world, there would still exist in the world some score at least +of people, with all whose ways and sayings we are more intimately +acquainted than with those of our brothers and sisters, who would owe to +him their being. While we live Sam Weller and Dick Swiveller, Mr. +Pecksniff and Mrs. Gamp, the Micawbers and the Squeerses, can never +die. . . . They are more real than we are ourselves, and will outlive +and outlast us, as they have outlived their creator. This is the one +proof of genius which no critic, not the most carping or dissatisfied, +can gainsay." + +So long also, the author ventures to think, will pilgrimages continue to +be made to the shrines of Stratford-on-Avon, Abbotsford, and Gad's Hill +Place, and to their vicinities. The modest aim of this Volume is, that +it may add a humble unit in helping to keep _his_ memory green, and that +it may be a useful and acceptable companion to pilgrims, not only of our +own country, but also from that still "Greater Britain," where "All the +Year Round" the name of Charles Dickens is almost a dearer "Household +Word" than it is with us. + + WILLIAM R. HUGHES. + + WOOD HOUSE, HANDSWORTH WOOD, + near BIRMINGHAM. + _30th September, 1891._ + + + + +CONTENTS. + + + CHAP. PAGE + + PREFACE vii + + I. INTRODUCTORY 1 + + II. A PRELIMINARY TRAMP IN LONDON 7 + + III. ROCHESTER CITY 51 + + IV. ROCHESTER CASTLE 98 + + V. ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL 111 + + VI. RICHARD WATTS'S CHARITY, ROCHESTER 142 + + VII. AN AFTERNOON AT GAD'S HILL PLACE 161 + + VIII. CHARLES DICKENS AND STROOD 211 + + IX. CHATHAM:--ST. MARY'S CHURCH, ORDNANCE TERRACE, + THE HOUSE ON THE BROOK, THE MITRE HOTEL, AND + FORT PITT. LANDPORT:--PORTSEA, HANTS 251 + + X. AYLESFORD, TOWN MALLING, AND MAIDSTONE 288 + + XI. BROADSTAIRS, MARGATE, AND CANTERBURY 317 + + XII. COOLING, CLIFFE, AND HIGHAM 349 + + XIII. COBHAM PARK AND HALL, THE LEATHER BOTTLE, SHORNE, + CHALK, AND THE DOVER ROAD 376 + + XIV. A FINAL TRAMP IN ROCHESTER AND LONDON 405 + + INDEX 427 + + + + +LIST + +OF + +ILLUSTRATIONS + +[Illustration] + +[Illustration] + + + PAGE + + THE MARSHES, COOLING _Frontispiece_ + _F. G. Kitton_ (from a Sketch by _E. L. Meadows_) + + HEADPIECE, "HUMOUR" (From two Statuettes of "Mr. Pickwick" + and "Sam Weller" in Crown Derby Ware) + Engraved by _R. Langton_ xvii + + THE GOLDEN CROSS _Herbert Railton_ 10 + + YOUNG DICKENS AT THE BLACKING WAREHOUSE _F. Barnard_ 12 + + FOUNTAIN COURT, TEMPLE _C. A. Vanderhoof_ 16 + + STAPLE INN, HOLBORN " " 21 + + BARNARD'S INN _Herbert Railton_ 23 + + DICKENS'S HOUSE, FURNIVAL'S INN " " 25 + + NO. 48, DOUGHTY STREET _J. Grego_ 28 + + TAVISTOCK HOUSE, TAVISTOCK SQUARE _J. Liddell_ 30 + + NO. 141, BAYHAM STREET _F. G. Kitton_ 37 + + NO. 1, DEVONSHIRE TERRACE _D. Maclise, R.A._ 40 + + FAC-SIMILE OF LETTER, CHARLES DICKENS 43 + + APOTHEOSIS OF "GRIP" THE RAVEN _D. Maclise, R.A._ 45 + + "MY MAGNIFICENT ORDER AT THE PUBLIC HOUSE" _Phiz_ 49 + + BULL INN, ROCHESTER--"GOOD HOUSE, NICE BEDS" _Herbert Railton_ 56 + + STAIRCASE AT "THE BULL" _F. G. Kitton_ 58 + + THE "ELEVATED DEN" IN THE BALL-ROOM, "BULL INN" _F. G. Kitton_ 61 + + OLD ROCHESTER BRIDGE _Herbert Railton_ 68 + + THE GUILDHALL, ROCHESTER _F. G. Kitton_ 71 + + THE "MOON-FACED" CLOCK IN HIGH STREET " " 72 + + IN HIGH STREET, ROCHESTER " " 73 + + EASTGATE HOUSE, ROCHESTER " " 74 + + MR. SAPSEA'S HOUSE, ROCHESTER " " 76 + + MR. SAPSEA'S FATHER (After sketch by _H. Wickham_) 77 + + RESTORATION HOUSE, ROCHESTER _F. G. Kitton_ 79 + + OLD ROCHESTER THEATRE, STAR HILL _W. Hull_ 84 + + THE CASTLE FROM ROCHESTER BRIDGE _F. G. Kitton_ 99 + + THE KEEP OF ROCHESTER CASTLE _Herbert Railton_ 101 + + INTERIOR OF ROCHESTER CASTLE _F. G. Kitton_ 105 + + ROCHESTER CASTLE AND THE MEDWAY " " 109 + + ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL " " 112 + + ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL, INTERIOR " " 115 + + THE CRYPT, ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL _Phiz_ 118 + + MINOR CANON ROW, ROCHESTER _F. G. Kitton_ 123 + + COLLEGE GATE (OR "CHERTSEY'S" GATE), ROCHESTER " " 125 + + PRIOR'S GATE, ROCHESTER " " 126 + + DEANERY GATE, ROCHESTER " " 128 + + THE VINES AND RESTORATION HOUSE, ROCHESTER " " 131 + + RESTORATION HOUSE, AS IT APPEARED IN DICKENS'S TIME + (Engraved from a Drawing by an Amateur) 133 + + ST. NICHOLAS' BURYING-GROUND _F. G. Kitton_ 136 + + MEMORIAL BRASS IN ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL 138 + + THE "SIX POOR TRAVELLERS" _F. G. Kitton_ 143 + + RICHARD WATTS'S ALMSHOUSES, ROCHESTER " " 149 + + FAC-SIMILES OF SIGNATURES OF CHARLES DICKENS AND MARK LEMON 151 + + THE "SIX POOR TRAVELLERS" FROM THE REAR _F. G. Kitton_ 153 + + A DORMITORY IN THE "SIX POOR TRAVELLERS": GALLERY LEADING + TO THE DORMITORIES _F. G. Kitton_ 154 + + SATIS HOUSE (From a Photograph) 156 + + WATTS'S MONUMENT IN ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL _R. Langton_ 157 + + ROCHESTER FROM STROOD HILL _C. Marshall_ 162 + + THE "SIR JOHN FALSTAFF" INN, GAD'S HILL _F. G. Kitton_ 164 + + GAD'S HILL PLACE " " 166 + + "THE EMPTY CHAIR." GAD'S HILL, NINTH OF JUNE, 1870 + _F. G. Kitton_ (from the Drawing by _S. L. Fildes, R.A._) 170 + + COUNTERFEIT BOOK-BACKS ON STUDY DOOR _R. Langton_ 172 + + GAD'S HILL PLACE FROM THE REAR _J. Liddell_ 177 + + "THE GRAVE OF DICK, THE BEST OF BIRDS" _F. G. Kitton_ 178 + + THE WELL AT GAD'S HILL PLACE " " 181 + + THE PORCH, GAD'S HILL PLACE _J. Liddell_ 183 + + THE CEDARS, GAD'S HILL _E. Hull_ 185 + + VIEW FROM THE ROOF OF DICKENS'S HOUSE, GAD'S HILL _F. G. Kitton_ 189 + + FAC-SIMILES OF _GAD'S HILL GAZETTE_ AND FINAL NOTICE 199-203 + + TEMPLE FARM, STROOD _F. G. Kitton_ 213 + + AT TEMPLE FARM, STROOD " " 214 + + CRYPT, TEMPLE FARM " " 215 + + THE "CRISPIN AND CRISPIANUS," STROOD " " 218 + + OLD QUARRY HOUSE, STROOD " " 236 + + FRINDSBURY CHURCH " " 239 + + ROCHESTER FROM STROOD PIER " " 245 + + ST. MARY'S CHURCH, CHATHAM _W. Dadson_ 256 + + NO. 11, ORDNANCE TERRACE, CHATHAM _E. Hull_ 259 + + THE HOUSE ON THE BROOK, CHATHAM " 260 + + GILES'S SCHOOL, CHATHAM " 261 + + MITRE INN, CHATHAM " 263 + + NAVY-PAY OFFICE, CHATHAM " 275 + + FORT PITT, CHATHAM _Herbert Railton_ 277 + + BIRTHPLACE OF CHARLES DICKENS, PORTSEA (From a Photograph) 281 + + ST. MARY'S CHURCH, PORTSEA _R. Langton_ 285 + + AYLESFORD _F. G. Kitton_ 289 + + AYLESFORD BRIDGE " " 291 + + THE HIGH STREET, TOWN MALLING _Herbert Railton_ 293 + + COB TREE HALL _F. G. Kitton_ 297 + + CRICKET GROUND, TOWN MALLING " " 302 + + THE MEDWAY AT MAIDSTONE " " 307 + + CHILLINGTON MANOR HOUSE, MAIDSTONE " " 310 + + KIT'S COTY HOUSE " " 312 + + KIT'S COTY HOUSE AND "BLUE BELL" " " 315 + (From the Painting by Gegan) + HOP-PICKING IN KENT _F. G. Kitton_ 319 + + "BLEAK HOUSE," BROADSTAIRS " " 328 + + OLD LOOK-OUT HOUSE, BROADSTAIRS " " 332 + + THE "FALSTAFF," WESTGATE, CANTERBURY " " 335 + + THE "DANE JOHN" FROM THE CITY WALL, CANTERBURY " " 337 + + BELL HARRY TOWER, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL " " 339 + + SCENE OF THE MARTYRDOM, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL " " 341 + + "BITS" OF OLD CANTERBURY _C. A. Vanderhoof_ 342 + + "THE LITTLE INN," CANTERBURY _F. G. Kitton_ 345 + + GRAVES OF THE COMPORT FAMILY, COOLING CHURCHYARD " " 353 + + COOLING CHURCH _C. A. Vanderhoof_ 355 + + GATEWAY, COOLING CASTLE _F. G. Kitton_ 359 + + CLIFFE CHURCH " " 361 + + COBHAM HALL _Herbert Railton_ 381 + + DICKENS'S CHALET, NOW IN COBHAM PARK _J. Liddell_ 384 + + THE "LEATHER BOTTLE," COBHAM _F. G. Kitton_ 387 + + THE OLD PARLOUR OF THE "LEATHER BOTTLE" _E. Hull_ 389 + + COBHAM CHURCH _Herbert Railton_ 390 + + SHORNE CHURCH _F. G. Kitton_ 392 + + CURIOUS OLD FIGURE OVER THE PORCH, CHALK CHURCH _F. G. Kitton_ 394 + + "THERE'S MILESTONES ON THE DOVER ROAD" " " 400 + + DOORWAY, ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL " " 407 + + FAC-SIMILES OF CHARLES DICKENS'S HANDWRITING 1837, 1850, + 1854, 1870 418-20 + + THE GRAVE IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY _F. G. Kitton_ 425 + + TAILPIECE, "PATHOS" (From two Plaques of the "Old Man" + and "Little Nell" in Wedgwood Ware) Engraved by _R. Langton_ xx + +[Illustration] + +[Illustration] + + + + +A WEEK'S TRAMP + +IN + +DICKENS-LAND. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +INTRODUCTORY. + + "So wishing you well in the way you go, we now + conclude with the observation, that perhaps you'll + go it."--_Our Mutual Friend._ + + +AMONG the many interesting books that have been published relating to +Charles Dickens since his death, more than twenty years ago (it seems +but yesterday to some of his admirers), there are at least half a dozen +that describe the "country" peopled by the deathless characters created +by his genius. + +Probably the pioneer in this class of literature was that comprehensive +work, _Dickens's London, or London in the Works of Charles Dickens_, by +my friend, that thorough Dickensian, Mr. T. Edgar Pemberton, 1876; this +was followed by a very readable volume, _In Kent with Charles Dickens_, +by Thomas Frost, 1880; then came a dainty tome from Boston, U.S.A., +entitled, _A Pickwickian Pilgrimage_, by John R. G. Hassard, 1881. +Afterwards appeared _The Childhood and Youth of Charles Dickens_, by +Robert Langton, 1883, beautifully illustrated by the late William Hull +of Manchester, the author, and others--a work developed from the +_brochure_ by the same author, _Charles Dickens and Rochester_, 1880, +which has passed through five editions. Next to Forster's _Life of +Dickens_, Mr. Robert Langton's larger work undoubtedly ranks--especially +from the richness of the illustrations--as a very valuable original +contribution to the biography of the great novelist. Another handsome +volume, containing the illustrations to a series of papers in +_Scribner's Monthly_--written by B. E. Martin--entitled _About England +with Dickens_, came from the pen of Mr. Alfred Rimmer, 1883, and +included additional illustrations drawn by the author, C. A. Vanderhoof, +and others. Yet another little _brochure_ recently appeared, called +_London Rambles en zigzag with Charles Dickens_, by Robert Allbut, 1886. +Lastly, there was published in the Christmas Number of _Scribner's +Magazine_, 1887, an article, "In Dickens-Land," by Edward Percy Whipple, +in which this veteran and appreciative critic of the eminent English +writer's works points out that, "In addition to the practical life that +men and women lead, constantly vexed as it is by obstructive facts, +there is an interior life which they _imagine_, in which facts smoothly +give way to sentiments, ideas, and aspirations. Dickens has, in short, +discovered and colonized one of the waste districts of 'Imagination,' +which we may call 'Dickens-Land,' or 'Dickens-Ville,' . . . better known +than such geographical countries as Canada and Australia, . . . and +confirming us in the belief of the _reality_ of a population which has +no _actual_ existence." + +It must not be assumed that the above list exhausts the literature on +the subject of "Dickens-Land," many references to which are made in such +high-class works as Augustus J. C. Hare's _Walks in London_, and +Lawrence Hutton's _Literary Landmarks of London_. + +Since the above was written, a very interesting and prettily illustrated +article has appeared in the _English Illustrated Magazine_ for October, +1888, entitled "Charles Dickens and Southwark," by Mr. J. Ashby-Sterry, +who is second to none as an enthusiastic admirer and loyal student of +Dickens. There is also a paper in _Longman's Magazine_ for the same +month, by the delightful essayist A. K. H. B., called "That Longest +Day," in which there are several allusions to Dickens and +"Dickens-Land." It, however, lacks the freshness of his earlier +writings. Surely he must have lost his old love for Dickens, or things +must have gone wrong at the Ecclesiastical Conference which took place +at Gravesend on "That Longest Day." Altogether it is pitched in a minor +key. + +None of these contributions (with the exception of Mr. Langton's book), +interesting as they are, and indispensable to the collector, attempt in +any way to give personal reminiscences of Charles Dickens from friends +or others, nor do they in any way help to throw light on his everyday +life at home, beyond what was known before. + +The circumstances narrated in this work do not concern the imaginary +"Dickens-Land" of Mr. Whipple, but refer to the actual country in which +the imaginary characters played their parts, and to that still more +interesting actual country in which Dickens lived long and loved +most--the county of Kent. + +On Friday, 24th August, 1888, two friends met in London--one of them, +the writer of these lines, a Dickens collector of some years' +experience; the other, Mr. F. G. Kitton, author of that sumptuous work, +_Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil_; both ardent admirers of "the +inimitable 'Boz,'" and lovers of nature and art. + +We were a sort of self-constituted roving commission, to carry into +effect a long-projected intention to make a week's tramp in +"Dickens-Land," for purposes of health and recreation; to visit Gad's +Hill, Rochester, Chatham, and neighbouring classical ground; to go over +and verify some of the most important localities rendered famous in the +novels; to identify, if possible, doubtful spots; and to glean, under +whatever circumstances naturally developed in the progress of our tramp, +additions in any form to the many interesting memorials already +published, and still ever growing, relating to the renowned novelist. +The idea of recording our reminiscences was not a primary consideration. +It grew out of our experiences, generating a desire for others to become +acquainted with the results of our enjoyable peregrinations; and the +labour therein involved has been somewhat of the kind described by Lewis +Morris:-- + + "For this of old is sure, + That change of toil is toil's sufficient cure." + +We mixed with representatives of the classes of domestics, labourers, +artizans, traders, professional men, and scientists. Many of those whom +we met were advanced in years,--several were octogenarians,--and there +is no doubt that we have been the means of placing on record here and +there an interesting item from the past generation (mostly told in the +exact words of the narrators) that might otherwise have perished. This +is a special feature of this work, which makes it different from all +the preceding. In every instance we were received with very great +kindness, courtesy, and attention. The replies to our questions were +frank and generous, and in several cases permission was accorded us to +make copies of original documents not hitherto made public. + +Considering that almost every inch of ground connected with Dickens has +been so thoroughly explored, we were, on the whole, quite satisfied with +our excursion: "the results were equal to the appliances." + +By a coincidence, the month which we selected (August) was Dickens's +favourite month, if we may judge from the opening sentences of the +sixteenth chapter of _Pickwick_:-- + + "There is no month in the whole year, in which + nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in + the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and + May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms + of this time of year are enhanced by their + contrast with the winter season. August has no + such advantage. It comes when we remember nothing + but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling + flowers--when the recollection of snow, and ice, + and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as + completely as they have disappeared from the + earth,--and yet what a pleasant time it is. + Orchards and cornfields ring with the hum of + labour; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of + rich fruit which bow their branches to the ground; + and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving + in every light breath that sweeps above it, as if + it wooed the sickle, tinges the landscape with a + golden hue. A mellow softness appears to hang over + the whole earth; the influence of the season seems + to extend itself to the very wagon, whose slow + motion across the well-reaped field, is + perceptible only to the eye, but strikes with no + harsh sound upon the ear." + +By another coincidence, the day which we selected to commence our tramp +was Friday--the day upon which most of the important incidents of +Dickens's life happened, as appears from frequent references in +Forster's _Life_ to the subject. + +Provided with a selection of books inseparably connected with the +subject of our tour, including, of course, copies of _Pickwick_, _Great +Expectations_, _Edwin Drood_, _The Uncommercial Traveller_, Bevan's +_Tourist's Guide to Kent_, one or two local Handbooks, one of Bacon's +useful cycling maps, with a sketch map of the geology of the district +(which greatly helped us to understand many of its picturesque effects, +and was kindly furnished by Professor Lapworth, LL.D., F.R.S., of the +Mason College, Birmingham), and with a pocket aneroid barometer, which +every traveller should possess himself with if he wishes to make +convenient arrangements as regards weather, we make a preliminary tramp +in London. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +A PRELIMINARY TRAMP IN LONDON. + + "We Britons had at that time particularly settled + that it was treasonable to doubt our having and + our being the best of everything: otherwise, while + I was scared by the immensity of London, I think I + might have had some faint doubts whether it was + not rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and + dirty."--_Great Expectations._ + + +SOME sixty or seventy years must have elapsed since Dickens (through the +mouthpiece of Pip, as above) recorded his first impressions of London; +and although he lived in it many years, and in after life he loved to +study its people in every stratum of society and every phase of their +existence, it seems doubtful, apart from these studies, whether he ever +really liked London itself, for in the _Uncommercial Traveller_, on "The +Boiled Beef of New England," in describing London as it existed +subsequently, he contrasts it unfavourably in some respects, not only +with such continental cities as Paris, Bordeaux, Frankfort, Milan, +Geneva, and Rome, but also with such British cities as Edinburgh, +Aberdeen, Exeter, and Liverpool, with such American cities as New York, +Boston, and Philadelphia, and with "a bright little town like Bury St. +Edmunds." Nevertheless, it is indubitable that his writings, beyond +those of any other author, have done wonders to popularize our +knowledge of London,--more particularly the London of the latter half of +the last and the first half of the present century,--and that those +writings have given it a hold on our affections which it might not +otherwise have acquired. In almost all his works we are introduced to a +fresh spot in the Metropolis, perhaps previously known to us, but to +which the fidelity of his descriptions and the reality of the characters +peopling it, certainly give a historical value never before understood +or appreciated. In _The Life of Charles Dickens_, written by his devoted +friend, John Forster, may be found a corroboration of this view:-- + +"There seemed," says this biographer, "to be not much to add to our +knowledge of London until his books came upon us, but each in this +respect outstripped the other in its marvels. In _Nickleby_, the old +city reappears under every aspect; and whether warmth and light are +playing over what is good and cheerful in it, or the veil is uplifted +from its darker scenes, it is at all times our privilege to see and feel +it as it absolutely is. Its interior hidden life becomes familiar as its +commonest outward forms, and we discover that we hardly knew anything of +the places we supposed that we knew the best." + +What Scott did for Edinburgh and the Trossachs, Dickens did for London +and the county of Kent. His fascination for the London streets has been +dwelt on by many an author. Mr. Frank T. Marzials says in his +interesting _Life of Charles Dickens_:-- + +"London remained the walking-ground of his heart. As he liked best to +walk in London, so he liked best to walk at night. The darkness of the +great city had a strange fascination for him. He never grew tired of +it." + +Mr. Sala records that he had been encountered "in the oddest places and +in the most inclement weather: in Ratcliff Highway, on Haverstock Hill, +on Camberwell Green, in Gray's Inn Lane, in the Wandsworth Road, at +Hammersmith Broadway, in Norton Folgate, and at Kensal New Town. A +hansom whirled you by the 'Bell and Horns' at Brompton, and there was +Charles Dickens striding as with seven-leagued boots, seemingly in the +direction of North End, Fulham. The Metropolitan Railway disgorged you +at Lisson Grove, and you met Charles Dickens plodding sturdily towards +the 'Yorkshire Stingo.' He was to be met rapidly skirting the grim brick +wall of the prison in Coldbath Fields, or trudging along the Seven +Sisters' Road at Holloway, or bearing under a steady press of sail +through Highgate Archway, or pursuing the even tenor of his way up the +Vauxhall Bridge Road." + +That his feelings were intensely sympathetic with all classes of +humanity there is amply evidenced in the following lines, written so far +back as 1841, which Master Humphrey, "from his clock side in the chimney +corner," speaks in the last page before the opening of _Barnaby +Rudge_:-- + + "Heart of London, there is a moral in thy every + stroke! as I look on at thy indomitable working, + which neither death, nor press of life, nor grief, + nor gladness out of doors will influence one jot, + I seem to hear a voice within thee which sinks + into my heart, bidding me, as I elbow my way among + the crowd, have some thought for the meanest + wretch that passes, and, being a man, to turn away + with scorn and pride from none that bear the human + shape." + +On a sultry day, such as this of Friday, the 24th August, 1888, with the +thermometer at nearly 80 degrees in the shade, one needs some enthusiasm +to undertake a tramp for a few hours over the hot and dusty streets of +London, that we may glance at a few of the memorable spots that we have +visited over and over again before. This preliminary tramp is therefore +necessarily limited to visiting the houses where Dickens lived, from the +year 1836 until he finally left it in 1860, on disposing of Tavistock +House, and took up his residence at Gad's Hill Place. In our way we +shall take a few of the places rendered famous in the novels, but it +would require a "knowledge of London" as "extensive and peculiar" as +that of Mr. Weller, and would occupy a week at least, to exhaust the +interest of all these associations. + +[Illustration: The Golden Cross.] + +Our temporary quarters are at our favourite "Morley's," in Trafalgar +Square, one of those old-fashioned, comfortable hotels of the last +generation, where the guest is still known as "Mr. H.," and not as +"Number 497." And what is very relevant to our present purpose, Morley's +revives associations of the hotels, or "Inns," as they were more +generally called in Charles Dickens's early days. Strolling from +Morley's eastward along the Strand, to which busy thoroughfare there are +numerous references in the works of Dickens, we pass on our left the +Golden Cross Hotel, a great coaching-house half a century ago, from +whence the Pickwickians and Mr. Jingle started, on the 13th of May, +1827, by the "Commodore" coach for Rochester. "The low archway," against +which Mr. Jingle thus prudently cautioned the passengers,--"Heads! +Heads! Take care of your heads!" with the addition of a very tragic +reference to the head of a family, was removed in 1851, and the hotel +has the same appearance now that it presented after that alteration. The +house was a favourite with David Copperfield, who stayed there with his +friend Steerforth on his arrival "outside the Canterbury coach;" and it +was in one of the public rooms here, approached by "a side entrance to +the stable-yard," that the affecting interview took place with his +humble friend Mr. Peggotty, as touchingly recorded in the fortieth +chapter of _David Copperfield_. The two famous "pudding shops" in the +Strand, so minutely described in connection with David's early days, +have of course long been removed:-- + + "One was in a court close to St. Martin's + Church--at the back of the Church,--which is now + removed altogether. The pudding at that shop was + made of currants, and was rather a special + pudding, but was dear, two pennyworth not being + larger than a pennyworth of more ordinary pudding. + A good shop for the latter was in the + Strand,--somewhere in that part which has been + rebuilt since. It was a stout pale pudding, heavy + and flabby, and with great flat raisins in it, + stuck in whole at wide distances apart. It came up + hot at about my time every day, and many a day did + I dine off it." + +[Illustration: Young Dickens at the Blacking Warehouse.] + +Nearly opposite the Golden Cross Hotel is Craven Street, where (says Mr. +Allbut), at No. 39, Mr. Brownlow in _Oliver Twist_ resided after +removing from Pentonville, and where the villain Monks was confronted, +and made a full confession of his guilt. + +"Ruminating on the strange mutability of human affairs," after the +manner of Mr. Pickwick, we call to mind, on the same side of the way, +Hungerford Stairs, Market, and Bridge, all well remembered in the days +of our youth, but now swept away to make room for the commodious railway +terminus at Charing Cross. Here poor David Copperfield "served as a +labouring hind," and acquired his grim experience with poverty in +Murdstone and Grinby's (_alias_ Lamert's) Blacking Warehouse. Hungerford +Suspension Bridge many years ago was removed to Clifton, and we never +pass by it on the Great Western line without recalling recollections of +poor David's sorrows. + +Next in order comes Buckingham Street, at the end house of which, on the +east side (No. 15), lived Mrs. Crupp, who let apartments to David +Copperfield in happier days. Here he had his "first dissipation," and +entertained Steerforth and his two friends, Mrs. Crupp imposing on him +frightfully as regards the dinner; "the handy young man" and the "young +gal" being equally troublesome as regards the waiting. The description +of "my set of chambers" in _David Copperfield_ seems to point to the +possibility of Dickens having resided here, but there is no evidence to +prove it. At Osborn's Hotel, now the Adelphi, in John Street, Mr. Wardle +and his daughter Emily stayed on their visit to London, after Mr. +Pickwick was released from the Fleet Prison. + +Durham Street, a little further to the right, leads to the "dark +arches," which had attractions for David Copperfield, who "was fond of +wandering about the Adelphi, because it was a mysterious place with +those dark arches." He says:--"I see myself emerging one evening from +out of these arches, on a little public-house, close to the river, with +a space before it, where some coal-heavers were dancing." Nearly +opposite is the Adelphi Theatre, notable as having been the stage +whereon most of the dramas founded on Dickens's works were first +produced, from _Nicholas Nickleby_ in 1838, in which Mrs. Keeley, John +Webster, and O. Smith took part, down to 1867, when _No Thoroughfare_ +was performed, "the only story," says Mr. Forster, "Dickens himself ever +helped to dramatize," and which was rendered with such fine effect by +Fechter, Benjamin Webster, Mrs. Alfred Mellon, and other important +actors. He certainly assisted in Madame Celeste's production of _A Tale +of Two Cities_, even if he had no actual part in the writing of the +piece. + +Mr. Allbut thinks that the residence of Miss La Creevy, the good-natured +miniature painter (whose prototype was Miss Barrow, Dickens's aunt on +his mother's side) in _Nicholas Nickleby_, was probably at No. 111, +Strand. It was "a private door about half-way down that crowded +thoroughfare." + +We proceed onwards, passing Wellington Street North, where at No. 16, +the office of the famous _Household Words_ formerly stood; _All the Year +Round_, its successor, conducted by Mr. Charles Dickens, the novelist's +eldest son, now being at No. 26 in the same street. + +A little further on, on the same side of the way, and almost facing +Somerset House, at No. 332, was the office of the once celebrated +_Morning Chronicle_, on the staff of which Dickens in early life worked +as a reporter. The _Chronicle_ was a great power in its day, when Mr. +John Black ("Dear old Black!" Dickens calls him, "my first hearty +out-and-out appreciator, . . . with never-forgotten compliments . . . +coming in the broadest of Scotch from the broadest of hearts I ever +knew,") was editor, and Mr. J. Campbell, afterwards Lord Chief-Justice +Campbell, its chief literary critic. The _Chronicle_ died in 1862. + +The west corner of Arundel Street (No. 186, Strand, where now stand the +extensive premises of Messrs. W. H. Smith and Son) was formerly the +office of Messrs. Chapman and Hall, the publishers of almost all the +original works of Charles Dickens. After 1850 the firm removed to 193, +Piccadilly, their present house being at 11, Henrietta Street, Covent +Garden. They own the copyright, and publish all Dickens's works; and +they estimate that two million copies of _Pickwick_[1] have been sold in +England alone, exclusive of the almost innumerable popular editions, +from one penny upwards, published by other firms, the copyright of this +work having expired. The penny edition was sold by hundreds of thousands +in the streets of London some years ago. + +This statement will probably be surprising to the remarkable class of +readers thus described by that staunch admirer of Dickens, Mr. Andrew +Lang, in "Phiz," one of his charming _Lost Leaders_. He says:-- + +"It is a singular and gloomy feature in the character of young ladies +and gentlemen of a particular type, that they have ceased to care for +Dickens, as they have ceased to care for Scott. They say they cannot +read Dickens. When Mr. Pickwick's adventures are presented to the modern +maid, she behaves like the Cambridge freshman. 'Euclide viso, cohorruit +et evasit.' When he was shown Euclid he evinced dismay, and sneaked off. +Even so do most young people act when they are expected to read +_Nicholas Nickleby_ and _Martin Chuzzlewit_. They call these +master-pieces 'too gutterly gutter'; they cannot sympathize with this +honest humour and conscious pathos. Consequently the innumerable +references to Sam Weller, and Mrs. Gamp, and Mr. Pecksniff, and Mr. +Winkle, which fill our ephemeral literature, are written for these +persons in an unknown tongue. The number of people who could take a good +pass in Mr. Calverley's _Pickwick_ Examination Paper is said to be +diminishing. Pathetic questions are sometimes put. Are we not too much +cultivated? Can this fastidiousness be anything but a casual passing +phase of taste? Are all people over thirty who cling to their Dickens +and their Scott old fogies? Are we wrong in preferring them to _Bootles' +Baby_, and _The Quick or the Dead_, and the novels of M. Paul Bourget?" + +[Illustration: Fountain Court, Temple.] + +But this by the way. Turning down Essex Street, we visit the Temple, +celebrated in several of Dickens's novels--_Barnaby Rudge_, _A Tale of +Two Cities_, _Great Expectations_, and _Our Mutual Friend_,--but in none +more graphically than in _Martin Chuzzlewit_, in which is described the +fountain in Fountain Court, where Ruth Pinch goes to meet her lover, +"coming briskly up, with the best little laugh upon her face that ever +played in opposition to the fountain; and beat it all to nothing." And +when John Westlock came at last, "merrily the fountain leaped and +danced, and merrily the smiling dimples twinkled and expanded more and +more, until they broke into a laugh against the basin's rim, and +vanished." As we saw the fountain on the bright August morning of our +tramp, the few shrubs, flowers, and ferns planted round it gave it quite +a rural effect, and we wished long life to the solitary specimen of +eucalyptus, whose glaucous-green leaves and tender shoots seemed +ill-fitted to bear the nipping frosts of our variable climate. + +Coming out of the Temple by Middle Temple Lane, we pass on our left +Child's Bank, the "Tellson's Bank" of _A Tale of Two Cities_, "which was +an old-fashioned place even in the year 1780," but was replaced in 1878 +by the handsome building suitable to its imposing neighbours, the Law +Courts. Temple Bar, which adjoined the Old Bank, and was one of the +relics of Dickens's London, has passed away, having since been +re-erected on "Theobalds," near Waltham Cross. + +"A walk down Fleet Street"--one of Dr. Johnson's enjoyments--leads us to +Whitefriars Street, on the east side of which, at No. 67, is the office +of _The Daily News_, edited by Dickens from 21 Jany. to 9 Feby., 1846, +and for which he wrote the original prospectus, and subsequently, in a +series of letters descriptive of his Italian travel, his delightful +_Pictures from Italy_. St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet Street is supposed +to have been that immortalized in _The Chimes_. + +It was in this street many years before (in the year 1833, when he was +only twenty-one), as recorded in Forster's _Life_, that Dickens +describes himself as dropping his first literary sketch, _Mrs. Joseph +Porter over the Way_, "stealthily one evening at twilight, with fear and +trembling, into a dark letter-box in a dark office up a dark court in +Fleet Street; and he has told his agitation when it appeared in all the +glory of print:--'On which occasion I walked down to Westminster Hall, +and turned into it for half an hour, because my eyes were so dimmed with +joy and pride, that they could not bear the street, and were not fit to +be seen there.'" The "dark court" referred to was no doubt Johnson's +Court, as the printers of the _Monthly Magazine_, Messrs. Baylis and +Leighton, had their offices here. This contribution appeared in the +January number 1834 of this magazine, published by Messrs. Cochrane and +Macrone of 11 Waterloo Place. + +Turning up Chancery Lane, also celebrated in many of Charles Dickens's +novels, we leave on our left Bell Yard, where lodged the ruined suitor +in Chancery, poor Gridley, "the man from Shropshire" in _Bleak House_, +but the yard has, through part of it being required for the New Law +Courts and other modern improvements, almost lost its identity. + +On our right is Old Serjeant's Inn, which leads into Clifford's Inn, +where the conference took place between John Rokesmith and Mr. Boffin, +when the former, to the latter's amazement, said:--"If you would try me +as your Secretary." The place is thus referred to in the eighth chapter +of _Our Mutual Friend_:-- + + "Not very well knowing how to get rid of this + applicant, and feeling the more embarrassed + because his manner and appearance claimed a + delicacy in which the worthy Mr. Boffin feared he + himself might be deficient, that gentleman glanced + into the mouldy little plantation or cat preserve, + of Clifford's Inn, as it was that day, in search + of a suggestion. Sparrows were there, dry-rot and + wet-rot were there, but it was not otherwise a + suggestive spot." + +Symond's Inn, described as "a little, pale, wall-eyed, woebegone inn, +like a large dust-bin of two compartments and a sifter,"--where Mr. +Vholes had his chambers, and where Ada Clare came to live after her +marriage, there tending lovingly the blighted life of the suitor in +Jarndyce and Jarndyce, poor Richard Carstone,--exists no more. It +formerly stood on the site of Nos. 25, 26, and 27, now handsome suites +of offices. + +Lincoln's Inn, a little higher up on the opposite side of the way, +claims our attention, in the Hall of which was formerly the Lord High +Chancellor's Court, wherein the wire-drawn Chancery suit of Jarndyce and +Jarndyce in _Bleak House_ dragged its course wearily along. The offices +of Messrs. Kenge and Carboy, of Old Square, Solicitors in the famous +suit, were visited by Esther Summerson, who says:--"We passed into +sudden quietude, under an old gallery, and drove on through a silent +square, until we came to an old nook in a corner, where there was an +entrance up a steep broad flight of stairs like an entrance to a +church." Mr. Serjeant Snubbin, Mr. Pickwick's counsel in the notorious +cause of Bardell _v._ Pickwick, also had his chambers in this square. We +then enter Lincoln's Inn Fields, and pay a visit to No. 58, on the +furthest or west side near Portsmouth Street. This ancient mansion was +the residence of Dickens's friend and biographer, John Forster, before +he went to live at Palace Gate. It is minutely described in the tenth +chapter of _Bleak House_ as the residence of Mr. Tulkinghorn, "a large +house, formerly a house of state, . . . let off in sets of chambers now; +and in those shrunken fragments of its greatness lawyers lie like +maggots in nuts." The "foreshortened allegory in the person of one +impossible Roman upside down," who afterwards points to the "new +meaning" (_i. e._ the murder of Mr. Tulkinghorn) has, it is to be +regretted, since been whitewashed. On the 30th November, 1844, here +Dickens read _The Chimes_ to a few intimate friends, an event +immortalized by Maclise's pencil, and, as appreciative of the feelings +of the audience, Forster alludes "to the grave attention of Carlyle, the +eager interest of Stanfield and Maclise, the keen look of poor Laman +Blanchard, Fox's rapt solemnity, Jerrold's skyward gaze, and the tears +of Harness and Dyce." + +That celebrated tavern called the "Magpie and Stump," referred to in the +twenty-first chapter of _Pickwick_,--where that hero spent an +interesting evening on the invitation of Lowten (Mr. Perker's clerk), +and heard "the old man's tale about the queer client,"--is supposed to +have been "The old George the IVth" in Clare Market, close by. Retracing +our steps through Bishop's Court (where lived Krook the marine-store +dealer, and in whose house lodged poor Miss Flite and Captain Hawdon, +_alias_ Nemo) into Chancery Lane, we arrive at the point from whence we +diverged, and turn into Cursitor Street. Like other places adjacent, +this street has been subjected to "improvements," and it is scarcely +possible to trace "Coavinses," so well known to Mr. Harold Skimpole, or +indeed the place of business and residence of Mr. Snagsby, the +good-natured law stationer, and his jealous "little woman." It will be +remembered that it was here the Reverend Mr. Chadband more than once +"improved a tough subject":--"toe your advantage, toe your profit, toe +your gain, toe your welfare, toe your enrichment,"--and refreshed his +own. Thackeray was partial to this neighbourhood, and Rawdon Crawley had +some painful experiences in Cursitor Street. + +[Illustration: Staple Inn, Holborn.] + +Bearing round by Southampton Buildings, we reach Staple Inn,--behind the +most ancient part of Holborn,--originally a hostelry of the merchants of +the Wool-staple, who were removed to Westminster by Richard II. in 1378. +At No. 10 in the first court, opposite the pleasant little garden and +picturesque hall, resided the "angular" but kindly Mr. Grewgious, +attended by his "gloomy" clerk, Mr. Bazzard, and on the front of the +house over the door still remains the tablet with the mysterious +initials:-- + + P. + + J. T. + + 1747. + +but our enquiries fail to discover their meaning. Dickens humorously +suggests "Perhaps John Thomas," "Perhaps Joe Tyler," and under hilarious +circumstances, "Pretty Jolly too," and "Possibly jabbered thus!" They +are understood to be the initials of the treasurer of the Inn at the +date above-mentioned. It is interesting to state that the Inn has been +most appropriately restored by the enterprising Prudential Assurance +Company, who have recently purchased it; and on the seat in the centre +of the second Court (facing Holborn), under the plane trees which adorn +it, were resting a few wayfarers, who seemed to enjoy this thoughtful +provision made by the present owners. We can picture in one of the +rooms on the first floor of P. J. T.'s house (very memorable to the +writer of these lines, some brief part of his early life having been +passed there), the conference described in the twentieth chapter of +_Edwin Drood_, between Mr. Grewgious and his charming ward,--so aptly +pourtrayed by Mr. Luke Fildes in his beautiful drawing, "Mr. Grewgious +experiences a new sensation,"--as well as all the other scenes which +took place here. + +[Illustration: Barnard's Inn] + +Turning into Holborn through the Archway of Staple Inn, and stopping for +a minute to admire the fine effect of the recently restored +fourteenth-century old-timbered houses of the Inn which face that +thoroughfare, a few steps lower down take us to Barnard's Inn, where Pip +in _Great Expectations_ lodged with his friend Herbert Pocket when he +came to London. Dickens calls it, "the dingiest collection of shabby +buildings ever squeezed together in a rank corner as a club for +tom-cats." Simple-minded Joe Gargery, who visited Pip here, persisted +for a time in calling it an "hotel," and after his visit thus recorded +his impressions of the place:-- + + "The present may be a werry good inn, and I + believe its character do stand i; but I wouldn't + keep a pig in it myself--not in the case that I + wished him to fatten wholesome and to eat with a + meller flavour on him." + +A few plane trees--the glory of all squares and open spaces in London, +where they thrive so luxuriantly--give a rural appearance to this +crowded place, while the sparrows tenanting them enjoy the sunbeams +passing through the scanty branches. + +Our next halting-place, Furnival's Inn, is one of profound interest to +all pious pilgrims in "Dickens-Land," for there the genius of the young +author was first recognized, not only by the novel-reading world, but +also by his contemporaries in literature. Thackeray generously spoke of +him as "the young man who came and took his place calmly at the head of +the whole tribe, and who has kept it." + +[Illustration: Dickens House by Furnival's Inn] + +Furnival's Inn in Holborn, which stands midway between Barnard's Inn and +Staple Inn on the opposite side of the way, is famous as having been the +residence of Charles Dickens in his bachelor days, when a reporter for +the _Morning Chronicle_. He removed here from his father's lodgings at +No. 18, Bentinck Street, and had chambers, first the "three pair back" +(rather gloomy rooms) of No. 13 from Christmas 1834 until Christmas +1835, when he removed to the "three pair floor south" (bright little +rooms) of No. 15, the house on the right-hand side of the square having +Ionic ornamentations, which he occupied from 1835 until his removal to +No. 48, Doughty Street, in March 1837. The brass-bound iron rail still +remains, and the sixty stone steps which lead from the ground-floor to +the top of each house are no doubt the same over which the eager feet +of the youthful "Boz" often trod. He was married from Furnival's Inn on +2nd April, 1836, to Catherine, eldest daughter of Mr. George Hogarth, +his old colleague on the _Morning Chronicle_, the wedding taking place +at St. Luke's Church, Chelsea, and doubtless lived here in his early +matrimonial days much in the same way probably as Tommy Traddles did, as +described in _David Copperfield_. Here the _Sketches by Boz_ were +written, and most of the numbers of the immortal _Pickwick Papers_, as +also the lesser works: _Sunday under Three Heads_, _The Strange +Gentleman_, and _The Village Coquettes_. The quietude of this retired +spot in the midst of a busy thoroughfare, and its accessibility to the +_Chronicle_ offices in the Strand, must have been very attractive to the +young author. His eldest son, the present Mr. Charles Dickens, was born +here on the 6th January, 1837. + +It was in Furnival's Inn, probably in the year 1836, that Thackeray paid +a visit to Dickens, and thus described the meeting:-- + +"I can remember, when Mr. Dickens was a very young man, and had +commenced delighting the world with some charming humorous works in +covers which were coloured light green and came out once a month, that +this young man wanted an artist to illustrate his writings; and I +remember walking up to his chambers in Furnival's Inn, with two or three +drawings in my hand, which, strange to say, he did not find suitable." + +How wonderfully interesting these "two or three drawings" would be now +if they could be discovered! Of the score or so of "Extra Illustrations" +to _Pickwick_ which have appeared, surely these (if they were such) +which Dickens "did not find suitable," combining as they did the genius +of Dickens and Thackeray, whatever their merits or defects may have +been, would be most highly prized. + +John Westlock, in _Martin Chuzzlewit_, had apartments in Furnival's Inn, +and was there visited by Tom Pinch. Wood's Hotel occupies a large +portion of the square, and is mentioned in _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ +as having been the Inn where Mr. Grewgious took rooms for his charming +ward Rosa Bud, from whence he ordered for her refreshment, soon after +her arrival at Staple Inn to escape Jasper's importunities, "a nice +jumble of all meals," to which it is to be feared she did not do +justice, and where "at the hotel door he afterwards confided her to the +Unlimited head chamber-maid." + +The Society of Arts have considerately put up on the house No. 15 one of +their neat terra-cotta memorial tablets with the following +inscription:-- + + CHARLES + DICKENS, + =Novelist=, + Lived here. + B. 1812, + D. 1870. + +We proceed along Holborn, and go up Kingsgate Street, where "Poll +Sweedlepipe, Barber and Bird Fancier," lived, "next door but one to the +celebrated mutton-pie shop, and directly opposite the original +cats'-meat warehouse." The immortal Sairey Gamp lodged on the first +floor, where doubtless she helped herself from the "chimley-piece" +whenever she felt "dispoged." Here also the quarrel took place between +that old lady and her friend Betsey Prig anent that mythical personage, +"Mrs. Harris." We pass through Red Lion Square and up Bedford Row, and +after proceeding along Theobald's Road for a short distance, turn up +John Street, which leads into Doughty Street, where, at No. 48, Charles +Dickens lived from 1837 to 1839. The house, situated on the east side of +the street, has twelve rooms, is single-fronted, three-storied, and not +unlike No. 2, Ordnance Terrace, Chatham. A tiny little room on the +ground-floor, with a bolt inside in addition to the usual fastening, is +pointed out as having been the novelist's study. It has an outlook into +a garden, but of late years this has been much reduced in size. A bill +in the front window announces "Apartments to let," and they look very +comfortable. Doughty Street, now a somewhat noisy thoroughfare, must +have been in Charles Dickens's time a quiet, retired spot. A large pair +of iron gates reach across the street, guarded by a gate-keeper in +livery. "It was," says Mr. Marzials in his _Life of Dickens_, "while +living at Doughty Street that he seems, in great measure, to have formed +those habits of work and relaxation which every artist fashions so as to +suit his own special needs and idiosyncrasies. His favourite time for +work was the morning between the hours of breakfast and lunch; . . . he +was essentially a day worker and not a night worker. . . . And for +relaxation and sedative when he had thoroughly worn himself with mental +toil, he would have recourse to the hardest bodily exercise. . . . At +first riding seems to have contented him, . . . but soon walking took +the place of riding, and he became an indefatigable pedestrian. He would +think nothing of a walk of twenty or thirty miles, and that not merely +in the vigorous hey-day of youth, but afterwards to the very last. . . ." + +[Illustration: No. 48, Doughty Street, Mecklenburgh Square. + +_Dickens's Residence_ 1837-9.] + +It was at Doughty Street that he experienced a bereavement which +darkened his life for many years, and to which Forster thus alludes:-- + +"His wife's next younger sister Mary, who lived with them, and by +sweetness of nature even more than by graces of person had made herself +the ideal of his life, died with a terrible suddenness that for a time +completely bore him down. His grief and suffering were intense, and +affected him . . . through many after years." _Pickwick_ was temporarily +suspended, and he sought change of scene at Hampstead. Forster visited +him there, and to him he opened his heart. He says:--"I left him as much +his friend, and as entirely in his confidence, as if I had known him for +years." + +[Illustration: Tavistock House, Tavistock Square. + +_Dickens's Residence_ 1851-60.] + +Some time afterwards, we find him inviting Forster "to join him at 11 +A.M. in a fifteen-mile ride out and ditto in, lunch on the road, with a +six o'clock dinner in Doughty Street." + +Charles Dickens's residence in Doughty Street was but of short +duration--from 1837 to 1840 only; but there he completed _Pickwick_, and +wrote _Oliver Twist_, _Memoirs of Grimaldi_, _Sketches of Young +Gentlemen_, _Sketches of Young Couples_, and _The Life and Adventures of +Nicholas Nickleby_. His eldest daughter Mary was born here. + +In proper sequence we ought to proceed to Dickens's third London +residence, No. 1, Devonshire Terrace, but it will be more convenient to +take his fourth residence on our way. We therefore retrace our steps +into Theobald's Road, pass through Red Lion and Bloomsbury Squares, and +along Great Russell Street as far as the British Museum, where Dickens +is still remembered as "a reader" (merely remarking that it of course +contains a splendid collection of the original impressions of the +novelist's works, and "Dickensiana," as is evidenced by the +comprehensive Bibliography furnished by Mr. John P. Anderson, one of the +librarians, to Mr. Marzials' _Life of Dickens_), which we leave on our +left, and turn up Montague Street, go along Upper Montague Street, +Woburn Square, Gordon Square, and reach Tavistock Square, at the upper +end of which, on the east side, Gordon Place leads us into a retired +spot cut off as it were from communication with the rest of this quiet +neighbourhood. Three houses adjoin each other--handsome commodious +houses, having stone porticos at entrance--and in the first of these, +Tavistock House, Dickens lived from 1851 until 1860, with intervals at +Gad's Hill Place. This beautiful house, which has eighteen rooms in it, +is now the Jews' College. The drawing-room on the first floor still +contains a dais at one end, and it is said that at a recent public +meeting held here, three hundred and fifty people were accommodated in +it, which serves to show what ample quarters Dickens had to entertain +his friends. + +Hans Christian Andersen, who visited Dickens here in 1857, thus +describes this fine mansion:-- + +"In Tavistock Square stands Tavistock House. This and the strip of +garden in front are shut out from the thoroughfare by an iron railing. A +large garden with a grass-plat and high trees stretches behind the +house, and gives it a countrified look, in the midst of this coal and +gas steaming London. In the passage from street to garden hung pictures +and engravings. Here stood a marble bust of Dickens, so like him, so +youthful and handsome; and over a bedroom door were inserted the +bas-reliefs of Night and Day, after Thorwaldsen. On the first floor was +a rich library, with a fireplace and a writing-table, looking out on the +garden; and here it was that in winter Dickens and his friends acted +plays to the satisfaction of all parties. The kitchen was underground, +and at the top of the house were the bedrooms." + +It appears that Andersen was wrong about the plays being acted in the +"rich library," as I am informed by Mr. Charles Dickens that "the stage +was in the school-room at the back of the ground-floor, with a platform +built outside the window for scenic purposes." + +With reference to the private theatricals (or "plays," as Andersen calls +them, including _The Frozen Deep_, by Wilkie Collins, in which Dickens, +the author, Mark Lemon, and others performed, and for which in the +matter of the scenery "the priceless help of Stanfield had again been +secured"), on a temporary difficulty arising as to the arrangements, +Dickens applied to Mr. Cooke of Astley's, "who drove up in an open +phaeton drawn by two white ponies with black spots all over them +(evidently stencilled), who came in at the gate with a little jolt and a +rattle exactly as they come into the ring when they draw anything, and +went round and round the centre bed (lilacs and evergreens) of the front +court, apparently looking for the clown. A multitude of boys, who felt +them to be no common ponies, rushed up in a breathless state--twined +themselves like ivy about the railings, and were only deterred from +storming the enclosure by the Inimitable's eye." Mr. Cooke was not, +however, able to render any assistance. + +Mrs. Arthur Ryland of The Linthurst, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, +who was present at Tavistock House on the occasion of the performance of +_The Frozen Deep_, informs me that when Dickens returned to the +drawing-room after the play was over, the constrained expression of face +which he had assumed in presenting the character of Richard Wardour +remained for some time afterwards, so strongly did he seem to realize +the presentment. The other plays performed were _Tom Thumb_, 1854, and +_The Lighthouse_ and _Fortunus_, 1855. + +The following copy of a play-bill--in my collection--of one of these +performances is certainly worth preserving in a permanent form, for the +double reason that it is extremely rare, and contains one of Dickens's +few poetical contributions, _The Song of the Wreck_, which was written +specially for the occasion. + + The smallest Theatre in the World! + + TAVISTOCK HOUSE. + + _Lessee and Manager_ -- -- -- MR. CRUMMLES. + + On Tuesday evening, June 19th, 1855, will be presented, at exactly + eight o'clock, + An entirely New and Original + Domestic Melo-drama, in Two Acts, by Mr. Wilkie Collins, + now first performed, called + + THE LIGHTHOUSE. + + The Scenery painted by Mr. Stanfield, R.A. + + Aaron Gurnock, the head Light-keeper MR. CRUMMLES. + + Martin Gurnock, his son; the second + Light-keeper MR. WILKIE COLLINS. + + Jacob Dale, the third Light-keeper MR. MARK LEMON. + + Samuel Furley, a Pilot MR. AUGUSTUS EGG, A.R.A. + + The Relief of Light-keepers, by MR. CHARLES DICKENS, JUNIOR, + MR. EDWARD HOGARTH, + MR. ALFRED AINGER, and + MR. WILLIAM WEBSTER. + + The Shipwrecked Lady MISS HOGARTH. + + Phoebe MISS DICKENS, + Who will sing a new Ballad, the music by Mr. Linley, the words + by Mr. Crummles, entitled + + +THE SONG OF THE WRECK. + +I. + + "The wind blew high, the waters raved, + A Ship drove on the land, + A hundred human creatures saved, + Kneeled down upon the sand. + Three-score were drowned, three-score were thrown + Upon the black rocks wild; + And thus among them left alone, + They found one helpless child. + +II. + + A Seaman rough, to shipwreck bred, + Stood out from all the rest, + And gently laid the lonely head + Upon his honest breast. + And trav'ling o'er the Desert wide, + It was a solemn joy, + To see them, ever side by side, + The sailor and the boy. + +III. + + In famine, sickness, hunger, thirst, + The two were still but one, + Until the strong man drooped the first, + And felt his labours done. + Then to a trusty friend he spake: + 'Across this Desert wide, + O take the poor boy for my sake!' + And kissed the child, and died. + +IV. + + Toiling along in weary plight, + Through heavy jungle-mire, + These two came later every night + To warm them at the fire, + Until the Captain said one day: + 'O seaman good and kind, + To save thyself now come away + And leave the boy behind!' + +V. + + The child was slumb'ring near the blaze: + 'O Captain let him rest + Until it sinks, when GOD'S own ways + Shall teach us what is best!' + They watched the whiten'd ashey heap, + They touched the child in vain, + They did not leave him there asleep, + He never woke again." + + + Half an hour for Refreshment. + + To conclude with + The Guild Amateur Company's Farce, in one act, by Mr. Crummles + and Mr. Mark Lemon; + + MR. NIGHTINGALE'S DIARY. + + Mr. Nightingale MR. FRANK STONE, A.R.A. + + Mr. Gabblewig, of the Middle Temple } + Charley Bit, a Boots } + Mr. Poulter, a Pedestrian and cold } + water drinker } MR. CRUMMLES. + Captain Blower, an invalid } + A Respectable Female } + A Deaf Sexton } + + Tip, Mr. Gabblewig's Tiger } MR AUGUSTUS EGG, A.R.A. + Christopher, a Charity Boy } + + Slap, Professionally Mr. Flormiville, } + a country actor } + Mr. Tickle, Inventor of the Celebrated } + Compounds } MR. MARK LEMON. + A Virtuous Young Person in the } + confidence of Maria } + + Lithers, Landlord of the Water-lily MR. WILKIE COLLINS. + + Rosina, Mr. Nightingale's niece MISS KATE DICKENS. + + Susan her Maid MISS HOGARTH. + + Composer and Director of the music, MR. FRANCESCO BERGER, who + will preside at the pianoforte. + + Costume makers, MESSRS. NATHAN of Titchbourne Street, Haymarket. + + Perruquier, MR. WILSON, of the Strand. + + Machinery and Properties by MR. IRELAND, of the Theatre Royal, + Adelphi. + + _Doors open at half-past seven. Carriages may be ordered at a quarter + past eleven._ + +It was from Tavistock House that Dickens received this startling message +from a confidential servant:-- + +"The gas-fitter says, sir, that he can't alter the fitting of your gas +in your bedroom without taking up almost the ole of your bedroom floor, +and pulling your room to pieces. He says of course you can have it done +if you wish, and he'll do it for you and make a good job of it, but he +would have to destroy your room first, and go entirely under the +jistes." + +The same female, in allusion to Dickens's wardrobe, also said, "Well, +sir, your clothes is all shabby, and your boots is all burst." + +[Illustration: No. 141, Bayham Street, Camden Town, + +_where the Dickens Family lived in 1823_.] + +Among the important works of Charles Dickens which were wholly or partly +written at Tavistock House are:--_Bleak House_, _A Child's History of +England_, _Hard Times_, _Little Dorrit_, _A Tale of Two Cities_, _The +Uncommercial Traveller_, and _Great Expectations_. _All the Year Round_ +was also determined upon while he lived here, and the first number was +dated 30th April, 1859. + +Tavistock House is the nearest point to Camden Town, interesting as +being the place where, in 1823, at No. 16 (now No. 141) Bayham Street, +the Dickens family resided for a short time[2] on leaving Chatham. There +is an exquisite sketch of the humble little house by Mr. Kitton in his +_Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil_, and it is spoken of as being "in +one of the then poorest parts of the London suburbs." We therefore +proceed along Gordon Square, and reach Gower Street. At No. 147, Gower +Street, formerly No. 4, Gower Street North, on the west side, was once +the elder Mr. Dickens's establishment. The house, now occupied by Mr. +Mueller, an artificial human eye-maker ("human eyes warious," says Mr. +Venus), has six rooms, with kitchens in basement. The rooms are rather +small, each front room having two windows, which in the case of the +first floor reach from floor to ceiling. It seems to be a comfortable +house, but has no garden. There is an old-fashioned brass knocker on the +front door, probably the original one, and there is a dancing academy +next door. (Query, Mr. Turveydrop's?) The family of the novelist, which +had removed from Bayham Street, were at this time (1823) in such +indifferent circumstances that poor Mrs. Dickens had to exert herself +in adding to the finances by trying to teach, and a school was opened +for young children at this house, which was decorated with a brass-plate +on the door, lettered MRS. DICKENS'S ESTABLISHMENT, a faint description +of which occurs in the fourth chapter of _Our Mutual Friend_, and of its +abrupt removal "for the interests of all parties." These facts, and also +that of young Charles Dickens's own efforts to obtain pupils for his +mother, are alluded to in a letter written by Dickens to Forster in +later life:-- + +"I left, at a great many other doors, a great many circulars calling +attention to the merits of the establishment. Yet nobody ever came to +school, nor do I ever recollect that anybody ever proposed to come, or +that the least preparation was made to receive anybody. But I know that +we got on very badly with the butcher and baker; that very often we had +not too much for dinner; and that at last my father was arrested." + +This period, subsequently most graphically described in _David +Copperfield_ as the "blacking bottle period," was the darkest in young +Charles's existence; but happier times and brighter prospects soon came +to drown the recollections of that bitter experience. + +[Illustration: No. 1, Devonshire Terrace, Regent's Park.--_Dickens's +Residence_ 1839-50.] + +Walking up Euston Road from Gower Street, we see St. Pancras Church (not +the old church of "Saint Pancridge" in the Fields, by the bye, situated +in the St. Pancras Road, where Mr. Jerry Cruncher and two friends went +"fishing" on a memorable night, as recorded in _A Tale of Two Cities_, +when their proceedings, and especially those of his "honoured parent," +were watched by young Jerry), and proceed westward along the Marylebone +Road, called the New Road in Dickens's time, past Park Crescent, +Regent's Park, and do not stop until we reach No. 1, Devonshire +Terrace. This commodious double-fronted house, in which Dickens resided +from 1839 to 1850, is entered at the side, and the front looks into the +Marylebone Road. Maclise's beautiful sketch of the house (made in 1840), +as given in Forster's _Life_, shows the windows of the lower and first +floor rooms as largely bowed, while over the top flat of one of the +former is a protective iron-work covering, thus allowing the children to +come out of their nursery on the third floor freely to enjoy the air and +watch the passers-by. In the sketch Maclise has characteristically put +in a shuttlecock just over the wall, as though the little ones were +playing in the garden. Forster calls it "a handsome house with a garden +of considerable size, shut out from the New Road by a brick wall, facing +the York Gate into Regent's Park;" and Dickens himself admitted it to be +"a house of great promise (and great premium), undeniable situation, and +excessive splendour." That he loved it well is shown by the passage in a +letter which he addressed to Forster, "in full view of Genoa's perfect +bay," when about to commence _The Chimes_ (1844); he says:--"Never did I +stagger so upon a threshold before. I seem as if I had plucked myself +out of my proper soil when I left Devonshire Terrace, and could take +root no more until I return to it. . . . Did I tell you how many +fountains we have here? No matter. If they played nectar, they wouldn't +please me half so well as the West Middlesex water-works at Devonshire +Terrace." + +Mr. Jonathan Clark, who resides here, kindly shows us over the house, +which contains thirteen rooms. The polished mahogany doors in the hall, +and the chaste Italian marble mantel-pieces in the principal rooms, are +said to have been put up by the novelist. On the ground floor, the +smaller room to the eastward of the house, with window facing north and +looking into the pleasant garden where the plane trees and turf are +beautifully green, is pointed out as having been his study. + +Mr. Benjamin Lillie, of 70, High Street, Marylebone, plumber and +painter, remembers Mr. Dickens coming to Devonshire Terrace. He did a +good deal of work for him while he lived there, and afterwards, when he +removed to Tavistock House, including the fitting up of the library +shelves and the curious counterfeit book-backs, made to conceal the +backs of the doors. He also removed the furniture to Tavistock House, +and subsequently to Gad's Hill Place. He spoke of the interest which Mr. +Dickens used to take in the work generally, and said he would stand for +hours with his back to the fire looking at the workmen. In the summer +time he used to lie on the lawn with his pocket-handkerchief over his +face, and when thoughts occurred to him, he would go into his study, and +after making notes, would resume his position on the lawn. On the next +page we give an illustration of the courteous and precise manner--not +without a touch of humour--in which he issued his orders. + +Here it was that Dickens's favourite ravens were kept, in a stable on +the south side of the garden, one of which died in 1841, it was supposed +from the effects of paint, or owing to "a malicious butcher," who had +been heard to say that he "would do for him." His death is described by +Dickens in a long passage which thus concludes:-- + + "On the clock striking twelve he appeared slightly + agitated, but he soon recovered, walked twice or + thrice along the coach-house, stopped to bark, + staggered, exclaimed, '_Holloa, old girl!_' (his + favourite expression), and died." + +[Illustration: + + 3 Hanover Terrace + Friday Tenth May, 1861. + +Mr. Lillie + +Please make the alteration in the two windows in Wellington Street, +agreeably to the estimate you have sent me, and to have the work +completed with all convenient speed. Be so good as to be careful that +the bottom sashes are capable of being easily raised and the top sashes +of being easily let down---- + + Faithfully yours + Charles Dickens] + +In an interesting letter addressed to Mr. Angus Fletcher, recently in +the possession of Mr. Arthur Hailstone of Manchester, Dickens further +describes the event:--"Suspectful of a butcher who had been heard to +threaten, I had the body opened. There were no traces of poison, and it +appeared he died of influenza. He has left considerable property, +chiefly in cheese and halfpence, buried in different parts of the +garden. The new raven (I have a new one, but he is comparatively of weak +intellect) administered to his effects, and turns up something every +day. The last piece of _bijouterie_ was a hammer of considerable size, +supposed to have been stolen from a vindictive carpenter, who had been +heard to speak darkly of vengeance down the mews." + +Maclise on hearing the news sent to Forster a letter, and a pen-and-ink +sketch, being the famous "Apotheosis." The second raven died in 1845, +probably from "having indulged the same illicit taste for putty and +paint, which had been fatal to his predecessor." Dickens says:-- + + "Voracity killed him, as it did Scott's; he died + unexpectedly by the kitchen fire. He kept his eye + to the last upon the meat as it roasted, and + suddenly turned over on his back with a sepulchral + cry of '_Cuckoo!_'" + +These ravens were of course the two "great originals" of which Grip in +_Barnaby Rudge_ was the "compound." There was a third raven at Gad's +Hill, but he "gave no evidence of ever cultivating his mind." The +novelist's remarkable partiality for ravens called forth at the time the +preposterous rumour that "Dickens had gone raving (raven) mad." + +Here Longfellow visited Dickens in 1841, and thus referred to his +visit:--"I write this from Dickens's study, the focus from which so many +luminous things have radiated. The raven croaks in the garden, and the +ceaseless roar of London fills my ears." + +[Illustration: Apotheosis of "Grip" the Raven. Drawn by D. Maclise, +R.A.] + +Dickens lived longer at Devonshire Terrace than he did at any other of +his London homes, and a great deal of his best work was done here, +including _Master Humphrey's Clock_ (I. _The Old Curiosity Shop_, II. +_Barnaby Rudge_), _American Notes_, _Martin Chuzzlewit_, _A Christmas +Carol_, _The Cricket on the Hearth_, _Dombey and Son_, _The Haunted +Man_, and _David Copperfield_. _The Battle of Life_ was written at +Geneva in 1846. All these were published from his twenty-eighth to his +thirty-eighth year; and _Household Words_, his famous weekly popular +serial of varied high-class literature, was determined upon here, the +first number being issued on 30th March, 1850. + +From Devonshire Terrace we pass along High Street, and turn into +Devonshire Street, which leads into Harley Street, minutely described in +_Little Dorrit_ as the street wherein resided the great financier and +"master-spirit" Mr. Merdle, who entertained "Bar, Bishop, and the +Barnacle family" at the "Patriotic conference" recorded in the same +work, in his noble mansion there, and he subsequently perishes "in the +warm baths, in the neighbouring street"--as one may say--in the +luxuriant style in which he had always lived. + +Harley Street leads us into Oxford Street, and a pleasant ride outside +an omnibus--which, as everybody knows, is the best way of seeing +London--takes us to Hyde Park Place, a row of tall stately houses facing +Hyde Park. Here at No. 5, (formerly Mr. Milner Gibson's town residence) +Charles Dickens temporarily resided during the winter months of 1869, +and occasionally until May 1870, during his readings at St. James's +Hall, and while he was engaged on _Edwin Drood_, part of which was +written here; this being illustrative of Dickens's power of +concentrating his thoughts even near the rattle of a public +thoroughfare. In a letter addressed to Mr. James T. Fields from this +house, under date of 14th January, 1870, he says:--"We live here +(opposite the Marble Arch) in a charming house until the 1st of June, +and then return to Gad's. . . . I have a large room here with three fine +windows over-looking the park--unsurpassable for airiness and +cheerfulness." + +A similar public conveyance takes us back to Morley's by way of Regent +Street, about the middle of which, on the west side, is New Burlington +Street, containing, at No. 8, the well-known publishing office of +Messrs. Richard Bentley and Son, whose once celebrated magazine, +_Bentley's Miscellany_, Dickens edited for a period of two years and two +months, terminating, 1838, on his resignation of the editorship to Mr. +W. Harrison Ainsworth; and we also pass lower down, at the bottom of +Waterloo Place, that most select of clubs, "The Athenaeum," at the corner +of Pall Mall, of which Dickens was elected a member in 1838, and from +which, on the 20th May, 1870, he wrote his last letter to his son, Mr. +Alfred Tennyson Dickens, in Australia; and a tenderly loving letter it +is, indicating the harmonious relations between father and son. It +expresses the hope that the two (Alfred and "Plorn") "may become +proprietors," and "aspire to the first positions in the colony without +casting off the old connection," and thus concludes:--"From Mr. Bear I +had the best accounts of you. I told him that they did not surprise me, +for I had unbounded faith in you. For which take my love and blessing." +Sad to say, a note to this (the last in the series of published letters) +states:--"This letter did not reach Australia until after these two sons +of Charles Dickens had heard, by telegraph, the news of their father's +death."[3] + +At Morley's we refresh ourselves with Mr. Sam Weller's idea of a nice +little dinner, consisting of "pair of fowls and a weal cutlet; French +beans, taturs, tart and tidiness;" and then depart for Victoria Station, +to take train by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway to Rochester. + +The weather forecast issued by that most valuable institution, the +Meteorological Office (established since Mr. Pickwick's days, in which +doubtless as a scientist and traveller he would have taken great +interest), was verified to the letter, and we had "thunder locally." On +our way down Parliament Street, we pass Inigo Jones's once splendid +Whitehall--now looking very insignificant as compared with its grand +neighbours the Government Offices opposite--remembering Mr. Jingle's +joke about Whitehall, which seems to have been Dickens's first thought +of "King Charles's head":--"Looking at Whitehall, Sir--fine +place--little window--somebody else's head off there, eh, Sir?--he +didn't keep a sharp look out enough either--eh, Sir, eh?" + +We also pass "The Red Lion," No. 48, Parliament Street, "at the corner +of the very short street leading into Cannon Row," where David +Copperfield ordered a glass of the very best ale--"The Genuine Stunning +with a good head to it"--at twopence half-penny the glass, but the +landlord hesitated to draw it, and gave him a glass of some which he +suspected was _not_ the "genuine stunning"; and the landlady coming into +the bar returned his money, and gave him a "kiss that was half-admiring +and half-compassionate, but all womanly and good [he says], I'm sure." + +[Illustration: "My magnificent order at the Public House" (_vide_ +"_David Copperfield_").] + +The Horse-Guards' clock is the last noteworthy object, and reminds us +that Mark Tapley noticed the time there, on the occasion of his last +meeting with Mary Graham in St. James's Park, before starting for +America. It also reminds us of Mr. Micawber's maxim, "Procrastination is +the thief of time--collar him;"--a few minutes afterwards we are +comfortably seated in the train, and can defy the storm, which overtakes +us precisely in the manner described in _The Old Curiosity Shop_:-- + + "It had been gradually getting overcast, and now + the sky was dark and lowering, save where the + glory of the departing sun piled up masses of gold + and burning fire, decaying embers of which gleamed + here and there through the black veil, and shone + redly down upon the earth. The wind began to moan + in hollow murmurs, as the sun went down, carrying + glad day elsewhere; and a train of dull clouds + coming up against it menaced thunder and + lightning. Large drops of rain soon began to fall, + and, as the storm clouds came sailing onward, + others supplied the void they left behind, and + spread over all the sky. Then was heard the low + rumbling of distant thunder, then the lightning + quivered, and then the darkness of an hour seemed + to have gathered in an instant." + +We pass Dulwich,--where Mr. Snodgrass and Emily Wardle were married,--a +fact that recalls kindly recollections of Mr. Pickwick and his +retirement there, as recorded in the closing pages of the _Pickwick +Papers_, where he is described as "employing his leisure hours in +arranging the memoranda which he afterwards presented to the secretary +of the once famous club, or in hearing Sam Weller read aloud, with such +remarks as suggested themselves to his mind, which never failed to +afford Mr. Pickwick great amusement." He is subsequently described as +"somewhat infirm now, but he retains all his former juvenility of +spirit, and may still be frequently seen contemplating the pictures in +the Dulwich Gallery, or enjoying a walk about the pleasant neighbourhood +on a fine day." + +Although it is but a short distance--under thirty miles--to Rochester, +the journey seems tedious, as the "iron-horse" does not keep pace with +the pleasurable feelings of eager expectation afloat in our minds on +this our first visit to "Dickens-Land"; it is therefore with joyful +steps that we leave the train, and, the storm having passed away, find +ourselves in the cool of the summer evening on the platform of Strood +and Rochester Bridge Station. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[1] In _The History of Pickwick_, a handsome octavo volume of nearly 400 +pages, just published (1891), Mr. Percy Fitzgerald, the author, who is +one of the few surviving friends of Charles Dickens, mentions the +interesting fact that there are 360 characters, 70 episodes, and 22 +inns, described in this wonderful book, written when the author was only +twenty-four. + +[2] Forster (I. 14) infers that the family removed to London in 1821, +but Mr. Langton considers (_Childhood and Youth of Charles Dickens_, +1883, pp. 62-3), from the fact of the birth of Dickens's brother Alfred +having been registered at Chatham on 3rd April, 1822, and from the +further fact of there being no record of Mr. John Dickens's recall +throughout this year to Somerset House, that the family did not remove +to London until the winter of 1822-3, and I agree with Mr. Langton. Mr. +Kitton in _Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil_, 1890, also recognizes +this period as the date of the removal of the Dickens family to London. + +[3] Mr. Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, a son of the great Novelist, is a +member of the New South Wales Parliament, having been elected in March +1889. "He stood as a Protectionist for the representation of Wilcannia, +an extensive pastoral district in the western portion of the colony. His +father, it will be remembered, was an ardent Free Trader, and could not +be prevailed upon to enter the British Parliament on any terms, and +occasionally said some severe things of our Legislative Assembly. His +two sons, Alfred Tennyson and Edward Bulwer Lytton, emigrated to +Australia some years ago, and became successful pastoralists."--_Yorkshire +Daily Post_, March 1889. A subsequent account states that Mr. Edward +Bulwer Lytton Dickens is about to retire, having been, he remarks, "out +of pocket, out of brains, out of health, and out of temper, by the +pursuit of political glory."--_Pall Mall Gazette_, March 1891. I am +since informed that Alfred is not a pastoralist, but in business, and +that Edward has not retired up to date. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +ROCHESTER CITY. + + "The silent High Street of Rochester is full of + gables, with old beams and timbers carved into + strange faces. It is oddly garnished with a queer + old clock that projects over the pavement out of a + grave red brick building, as if Time carried on + business there, and hung out his sign."--_The + Seven Poor Travellers._ + + "The town was glad with morning light."--_The Old + Curiosity Shop._ + + +MUDFOG, Our Town, Dullborough, the Market Town, and Cloisterham were the +varied names that Charles Dickens bestowed upon the "ancient city" of +Rochester. Every reader of his works knows how well he loved it in early +youth, and how he returned to it with increased affection during the +years of his ripened wisdom. Among the first pages of the first chapter +of Forster's _Life_ we find references to it:--"That childhood +exaggerates what it sees, too, has he not tenderly told? How he thought +that the Rochester High-street must be at least as wide as Regent Street +which he afterwards discovered to be little better than a lane; how the +public clock in it, supposed to be the finest clock in the world, turned +out to be as moon-faced and weak a clock as a man's eyes ever saw; and +how in its Town Hall, which had appeared to him once so glorious a +structure that he had set it up in his mind as the model from which the +genie of the Lamp built the palace for Aladdin, he had painfully to +recognize a mere mean little heap of bricks, like a chapel gone +demented. Yet, not so painfully either when second thoughts wisely came. +'Ah! who was I, [he says] that I should quarrel with the town for being +changed to me, when I myself had come back, so changed, to it? All my +early readings and early imaginations dated from this place, and I took +them away so full of innocent construction and guileless belief, and I +brought them back so worn and torn, so much the wiser and so much the +worse!'" + +It would occupy too much space in this narrative to adequately give even +a brief historical sketch of the City of Rochester, which is twenty-nine +miles from London, situated on the river Medway, and stands on the chalk +on the margin of the London basin; but we think lovers of Dickens will +not object to a recapitulation of a few of the most noteworthy +circumstances which have happened here, and which are not touched upon +in the chapters relating to the Castle and Cathedral. + +According to the eminent local antiquary, Mr. Roach Smith, F.S.A., the +name of the city has been thus evolved:--"The ceastre or chester is a +Saxon affix to the Romano-British (DU)RO. The first two letters being +dropped in sound, it became Duro or Dro, and then ROchester, and it was +the Roman station Durobrovis." The ancient Britons called it "Dur-brif," +and the Saxons "Hrofe-ceastre"--Horf's castle, of which appellation some +people think Rochester is a corruption. + +Rochester is a place of great antiquity, and so far back as A.D. 600 it +seems to have been a walled city. Remains of the mediaeval Wall exist in +very perfect condition, at the back of the Eagle Inn in High Street, and +in other parts of the city. In 676 Rochester was plundered by Ethelred, +King of Mercia; and in 884 the Danes sailed up the Medway and besieged +it, but were effectually repulsed by King Alfred. About 930, when three +Mints were established there by Athelstan, it had grown to be one of the +principal ports of the kingdom. William the Conqueror gave the town to +his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Fires in 1130 and 1137 nearly +destroyed it. + +Not a few royal and distinguished personages have visited Rochester on +various occasions, among others Henry VIII., who came there in 1522, +accompanied by the Emperor Charles V. Queen Elizabeth came in 1573, when +she stayed five days, and attended the Cathedral service on Sunday. She +came again in 1583, with the Duke of Anjou, and showed him her "mighty +ships of war lying at Chatham." King James I. also visited the city in +1604 and 1606. On the latter occasion His Majesty, who was accompanied +by Christian IV., King of Denmark, attended the Cathedral, and +afterwards inspected the Navy. Charles II. paid it a visit just before +the restoration in 1660, and again subsequently. It is believed that on +both occasions he stayed at Restoration House (the "Satis House" of +_Great Expectations_) hereafter referred to. Mr. Richard Head presented +His Majesty with a silver ewer and basin on the occasion of the +restoration. James II. came down to the quiet old city December 19th, +1688, and sojourned with Sir Richard Head for a week at a house (now No. +46 High Street), from whence he ignominiously escaped to France by a +smack moored off Sheerness. Mr. Stephen T. Aveling mentioned to us that +"it is curious that Charles the Second 'came to his own' in Rochester, +and that James the Second 'skedaddled' from the same city."[4] Her +Majesty when Princess Victoria stayed at the Bull Inn in 1836 for a +night with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, on their way from Dover to +London. It was a very tempestuous night, some of the balustrades of +Rochester Bridge having been blown into the river, and the Royal +Princess was advised not to attempt to cross the bridge. + +"On the last day of June 1667 (says Mr. W. Brenchley Rye in his pleasant +_Visits to Rochester_), Mr. Samuel Pepys, after examining the defences +at Chatham shortly after the disastrous expedition by the Dutch up the +Medway, walked into Rochester Cathedral, but he had no mind to stay to +the service, . . . 'afterwards strolled into the fields, a fine walk, +and there saw Sir F. Clarke's house (Restoration House), which is a +pretty seat, and into the Cherry Garden, and here met with a young, +plain, silly shopkeeper and his wife, a pretty young woman, and I did +kiss her!'" David Garrick was living at Rochester in 1737, for the +purpose of receiving instruction in mathematics, etc., from Mr. Colson. +In 1742, Hogarth visited the city, in that celebrated peregrination with +his four friends, and played hop-scotch in the courtyard of the +Guildhall. Dr. Johnson came here in 1783, and "returned to London by +water in a common boat, landing at Billingsgate." + +The city formerly possessed many ancient charters and privileges +granted to the citizens, but these were superseded by the Municipal +Corporations Act of 1835. + +The Guildhall, "marked by a gilt ship aloft,"--"where the mayor and +corporation assemble together in solemn council for the public +weal,"--is "a substantial and very suitable structure of brick, +supported by stone columns in the Doric order," and was erected in 1687. +It has several fine portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller and other eminent +painters, including those of King William III., Queen Anne, Sir +Cloudesley Shovell, Richard Watts, M.P., and others. The Corporation +also possess many interesting and valuable city regalia, namely, a large +silver-gilt mace (1661), silver loving-cup (1719), silver oar and +silver-gilt ornaments (typical of the Admiralty jurisdiction of the +Corporation) (1748), two small maces of silver (1767), sword (1871--the +Mayor being Constable of the Castle), and chain and badges of gold and +enamel (1875), the last-mentioned commemorating many historical +incidents connected with the city. + +Emerging from the railway station of the London, Chatham and Dover +Company at Strood, a drive of a few minutes (over the bridge) brings us +to the first object of our pilgrimage, the "Bull Inn,"--we beg pardon, +the "Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel,"--in High Street, Rochester, which +was visited by Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Winkle, and +their newly-made friend, Mr. Jingle, on the 13th May, 1827. Our cabman +is so satisfied with his fare ("only a bob's worth"), that he does not, +as one of his predecessors did, on a very remarkable occasion, "fling +the money on the pavement, and request in figurative terms to be allowed +the pleasure of fighting us for the amount," which circumstance we take +to be an improving sign of the times. + +Changed in name, but not in condition, it seems scarcely possible that +we stand under the gateway of the charming old inn that we have known +from our boyhood, when first we read our _Pickwick_, what time the two +green leaves of _Martin Chuzzlewit_ were putting forth monthly, and when +the name of Charles Dickens, although familiar, had not become the +"household word" to us, and to the world, that it is now. + +[Illustration: Bull Inn Rochester Good house Nice beds. vide Pickwick.] + +We look round for evidence--"Good house, nice beds"--"(vide _Pickwick_)" +appear on the two sign-boards fixed on either side of the entrance-gate. +Only then are we quite sure our driver has not made a mistake and taken +us to "Wright's next door," which every reader of _Pickwick_ knows, on +the authority of Mr. Jingle, "was dear--very dear--half a crown in the +bill if you look at the waiter--charge you more if you dine out at a +friend's than they would if you dined in the coffee-room--rum +fellows--very." + +Haunches of venison, saddles of mutton, ribs of beef, York hams, fowls +and ducks, hang over our heads in the capacious covered gateway; cold +viands are seen in a glass cupboard opposite, and silently promise that +some good fare, like that which regaled Mr. Pickwick and his friends, is +still to be found at the Bull. In the distance is seen the large +old-fashioned coach-yard, surrounded by odd buildings, which on market +days (Tuesdays) is crowded with all sorts of vehicles ancient and +modern. On our right is the kitchen, "brilliant with glowing coals and +rows of shining copper lying well open to view." + +By the kindness of Mr. Richard Prall, the town-clerk, beds have been +secured for us, and the landlord meets us at the door with a hearty +welcome. We are conducted to our rooms on the second floor looking +front, on reaching which a strange feeling takes possession of us. +Surely we have been here before? Not a bit of it! But the bedrooms are +nevertheless familiar to us; we see it all in a minute--the writer's +apartment is Mr. Tupman's, and his friend's is Mr. Winkle's! + +"Winkle's bedroom is inside mine," said Mr. Tupman, after that +delightful dinner of "soles, broiled fowl, and mushrooms," in the +private sitting-room at the Bull, when all the other Pickwickians had, +"after the cosy couple of hours succeeding dinner, more or less +succumbed to the somniferous influence which the wine had exerted over +them," and he and Mr. Jingle alone remained wakeful, and were discussing +the idea of attending the forthcoming ball in the evening. + +It is an unexpected and pleasant coincidence that we are located in +these two rooms, and altogether a good omen for our tramp generally. +They are numbered 13 and 19, and the reason why the numbers are not +consecutive is because 19 (Mr. Winkle's room) is also approached by a +back staircase. Mr. Pickwick's room, as befitted his years and his +dignity as G.C.M.P.C., is a larger room, and is number 17. They are all +comfortable chambers, with "nice beds." + +[Illustration: Staircase at "The Bull"] + +The principal staircase of the Bull, which is almost wide enough to +drive a carriage and four up it, remains exactly as it was in Mr. +Pickwick's days, as described by Dickens and delineated by Seymour. We +could almost fancy we witnessed the memorable scene depicted in the +illustration, where the irascible Dr. Slammer confronts the +imperturbable Jingle. The staircase has on its walls a large number of +pictures and engravings, some curious and valuable, a few of which are +of purely local interest. A series of oil paintings represent the +costumes of all nations. There is a copy of "The Empty Chair," from the +drawing of Mr. Luke Fildes, R.A., and also one of the scarce proof +lithographs of "Dickens as Captain Bobadil," after the painting by C. R. +Leslie, R.A. + +Mr. Lawrence informed us that some years ago "The Owl Club" held its +meetings at the Bull--a social club, reminding us strongly of one of the +early papers in _Bentley's Miscellany_, illustrated by George +Cruikshank, entitled the "Harmonious Owls," which has recently been +reprinted in the collection called _Old Miscellany Days_, in which +paper, by the bye, are several names from Dickens. + +In one of the cheerful private sitting-rooms, of which there are many, +we find a portrait of Dickens that is new to us. Never have we seen one +that so vividly reproduced the novelist as one of us saw him, and heard +him read, in the Town Hall at Birmingham, on the 10th of May, 1866. It +is a vignette photograph by Watkins, coloured by Mr. J. Hopper, a local +artist, representing the face of the novelist in full, wearing afternoon +dress--black coat, and white shirt-front, with gold studs--the attitude +being perfectly natural and unconstrained, and a pleasant calm upon the +otherwise firm features. The high forehead is surmounted by the +well-remembered single curl of brown hair, the sole survival of those +profuse locks which grace Maclise's beautiful portrait. The bright blue +eyes, with the light reflected on the pupils like diamonds, seem to +follow one in every direction. The lines, of course, are marked, but not +too strongly; and the faint hectic flush which was apparent in later +years--notably when we saw him again in Birmingham in 1869--shows signs +of development. The beard hides the neck, and the white collar is +conspicuous. Altogether it is one of the most successful portraits we +remember to have seen. As witness of its popularity locally, we may +mention that we saw copies of it at Major Budden's at Gad's Hill, at the +Mitre Hotel, Chatham, and at the Leather Bottle Inn, Cobham. We are also +informed that Mr. Henry Irving gave a good sum for a copy, in the spring +of last year. Mr. Lawrence, our host, by good fortune, happening to +possess a duplicate, kindly allows us the opportunity of purchasing it +("portable property" as Mr. Wemmick remarks), as an addition to our +Dickens collection which it adorns. "Beautiful!" "Splendid!" "Dickens to +the life!" are the comments of friends to whom we show it, who +personally knew, or remembered, the original. + +Here is the ball-room, entered from the first-floor landing of the +principal staircase, and the card-room adjoining, precisely as it was in +Mr. Pickwick's days:-- + + "It was a long room with crimson-covered benches, + and wax candles in glass chandeliers. The + musicians were confined in an elevated den, and + quadrilles were being systematically got through + by two or three sets of dancers. Two card-tables + were made up in the adjoining card-room, and two + pair of old ladies, and a corresponding number of + old gentlemen, were executing whist therein." + +A very little stretch of the imagination carries us back sixty years, +and, _presto!_ the ball-room stands before us, with the wax candles +lighted, and the room filled with the _elite_ of Chatham and Rochester +society, who, acting on the principle of "that general benevolence which +was one of the leading features of the Pickwickian theory," had given +their support to that "ball for the benefit of a charity," then being +held there, and which was attended by Mr. Tracy Tupman, in his new +dress-coat with the P. C. button and bust of Mr. Pickwick in the centre, +and by Mr. Jingle, in the borrowed garments of the same nature belonging +to Mr. Winkle. + +"P. C.," said the stranger.--"Queer set out--old fellow's likeness and +'P. C.'--What does 'P. C.' stand for? 'Peculiar Coat,' eh?" Imagine the +"rising indignation" and impatience of Mr. Tupman, as with "great +importance" he explains the mystic device! + +[Illustration: The "Elevated Den" in the Ball Room: ("Bull" Inn)] + +Everybody remembers how, declining the usual introduction, the two +entered the ball-room _incog._, as "Gentlemen from London--distinguished +foreigners--anything;" how Mr. Jingle said in reply to Mr. Tupman's +remark, "Wait a minute--fun presently--nobs not come yet--queer +place--Dock-yard people of upper rank don't know Dock-yard people of +lower rank--Dock-yard people of lower rank don't know small +gentry--small gentry don't know tradespeople--Commissioner don't know +anybody." + +The "man at the door,"--the local M.C.,--announces the arrivals. + +"Sir Thomas Clubber, Lady Clubber, and the Miss Clubbers!" +"Commissioner--head of the yard--great man--remarkably great man," +whispers the stranger in Mr. Tupman's ear. + +"Colonel Bulder, Mrs. Colonel Bulder, and Miss Bulder," are announced. +"Head of the garrison," says Mr. Jingle. "They exchanged snuff-boxes +[how old-fashioned it appears to us who don't take snuff], and looked +very much like a pair of Alexander Selkirks--Monarchs of all they +surveyed." + +More arrivals are announced, and dancing begins in earnest; but the most +interesting one to us is Dr. Slammer--"a little fat man, with a ring of +upright black hair round his head, and an extensive bald plain on the +top of it--Dr. Slammer, surgeon to the 97th, who is agreeable to +everybody, especially to the Widow Budger.--'Lots of money--old +girl--pompous doctor--not a bad idea--good fun,' says the stranger. +'I'll dance with her--cut out the doctor--here goes.'" Then comes the +flirtation, the dancing, the negus and biscuits, the coquetting, the +leading of Mrs. Budger to her carriage. The volcano bursts with terrific +energy. . . . + +"'You--you're a shuffler, sir,' gasps the furious doctor, 'a poltroon--a +coward--a liar--a--a--will nothing induce you to give me your card, +sir?'" and in the morning comes the challenge to the duel. It all passes +before our delighted mental vision, as we picture the circumstances +recorded in the beloved _Pickwick_ of our youth upwards. + +Here also is the bar, just opposite the coffee-room, where the "Tickets +for the Ball" were purchased by Mr. Tupman for himself and Mr. Jingle at +"half a guinea each" (Mr. Jingle having won the toss), and where Dr. +Slammer's friend subsequently made inquiry for "the owner of the coat, +who arrived here, with three gentlemen, yesterday afternoon." We find it +to be a very cosy and comfortable bar-room too, wherein we subsequently +enjoy many a social pipe and pleasant chat with its friendly +frequenters, reminding us of the old tavern-life as described in Dr. +Johnson's days. + +The coffee-room of the Bull, in which we take our supper, remains +unaltered since the days of the Pickwickians. It is on the left-hand +side as we enter the hotel from the covered gateway--not very large, but +warm and comfortable, with three windows looking into the High Street. +Many scenes in the novels have taken place in this memorable +apartment--in fact, it is quite historical, from a Dickensian point of +view. + +Here it was that the challenge to the duel from Dr. Slammer to Mr. +Winkle was delivered; and, when Mr. Winkle appeared, in response to the +call of the boots, that "a gentleman in the coffee-room" wanted to see +him, and would not detain him a moment, but would take no denial, "an +old woman and a couple of waiters were cleaning the coffee-room, and an +officer in undress uniform was looking out of the window." Here also the +Pickwickians assembled on that eventful morning when the party set out, +three in a chaise and one on horseback, for Dingley Dell, and +encountered such dire mishaps. "Mr. Pickwick had made his preliminary +arrangements, and was looking over the coffee-room blinds at the +passengers in the High Street, when the waiter entered, and announced +that the chaise was ready--an announcement which the vehicle itself +confirmed, by forthwith appearing before the coffee-room blinds +aforesaid." Subsequently, as they prepare to start, "'Wo-o!' cried Mr. +Pickwick, as the tall quadruped evinced a decided inclination to back +into the coffee-room window." + +It is highly probable that the descriptions of "the little town of Great +Winglebury," and "the Winglebury Arms," in "The Great Winglebury Duel" +of the _Sketches by Boz_, one of the earliest works of the novelist, +refer to the city of Rochester and the Bull Inn, for they fit in very +well in many respects, although it _is_ stated therein that "the little +town of Great Winglebury is exactly forty-two miles and three-quarters +from Hyde Park Corner." + +The Blue Boar mentioned in _Great Expectations_--one of the most +original, touching, and dramatic of Dickens's novels--is indubitably the +Bull Hotel. Although there is an inn in High Street, Rochester, called +the Blue Boar, its description does not at all correspond with the text. +We find several instances like this, where, probably for purposes of +concealment, the real identity of places and persons is masked. + +Our first introduction to the Blue Boar is on the occasion of Pip's +being bound apprentice to Joe Gargery, the premium for whom was paid out +of the twenty-five guineas given to Pip by Miss Havisham. Pip's sister +"became so excited by the twenty-five guineas, that nothing would serve +but we must have a dinner out of that windfall at the Blue Boar, and +that Pumblechook must go over in his chaise cart, and bring the Hubbles +and Mr. Wopsle." The dinner is duly disposed of, and although poor Pip +was frequently enjoined to "enjoy himself," he certainly failed to do +so on this occasion. "Among the festivities indulged in rather late in +the evening," says Pip, "Mr. Wopsle gave us _Collins's Ode_, and 'threw +his blood-stain'd sword in thunder down,' with such effect, that a +waiter came in and said 'The Commercials underneath sent up their +compliments, and it wasn't the Tumblers' Arms!'" from which we gather +that the said dinner took place in a private sitting-room (No. 3) over +the commercial room, on the opposite side of the gateway to the +coffee-room. + +It will be remembered that on Pip's attaining "the second stage of his +expectations," Pumblechook had grown very obsequious and fawning to +him--pressed him to take refreshment, as who should say, "But, my dear +young friend, you must be hungry, you must be exhausted. Be seated. Here +is a chicken had round from the Boar, here is a tongue had round from +the Boar, here's one or two little things had round from the Boar that I +hope you may not despise. 'But do I,' said Mr. Pumblechook, getting up +again the moment after he had sat down, 'see afore me him as I ever +sported with in his times of happy infancy? And may I--_may_ I--?' This +'May I?' meant might he shake hands? I consented, and he was fervent, +and then sat down again." + +Returning to the coffee-room, we discover it was the identical apartment +in which the unexpected and very peculiar meeting took place between Pip +and "the spider," Bentley Drummle, "the sulky and red-looking young man, +of a heavy order of architecture," both "Finches of the Grove," and +rivals for the hand of Estella. Each stands shoulder to shoulder against +the fire-place, and, but for Pip's forbearance, an explosion must have +taken place. + +Through the same coffee-room windows, poor Pip looks under the reverses +of his great expectations in consequence of the discovery and subsequent +death of his patron. The "servile Pumblechook," who appears here +uninvited, again changes his manner and conduct, becoming ostentatiously +compassionate and forgiving, as he had been meanly servile in the time +of Pip's new prosperity, thus:--"'Young man, I am sorry to see you +brought low, but what else could be expected! what else could be +expected! . . . This is him . . . as I have rode in my shay-cart; this +is him as I have seen brought up by hand; this is him untoe the sister +of which I was uncle by marriage, as her name was Georgiana M'ria from +her own mother, let him deny it if he can.' . . ." + +Dickens takes leave of the Blue Boar, in the last chapter of the work, +in these words:-- + + "The tidings of my high fortunes having had a + heavy fall, had got down to my native place and + its neighbourhood, before I got there. I found the + Blue Boar in possession of the intelligence, and I + found that it made a great change in the Boar's + demeanour. Whereas the Boar had cultivated my good + opinion with warm assiduity when I was coming into + property, the Boar was exceedingly cool on the + subject now that I was going out of property. + + "It was evening when I arrived, much fatigued by + the journey I had so often made so easily. The + Boar could not put me into my usual bedroom, which + was engaged,--probably by some one who had + expectations,--and could only assign me a very + indifferent chamber among the pigeons and + post-chaises up the yard. But, I had as sound a + sleep in that lodging as in the most superior + accommodation the Boar could have given me, and + the quality of my dreams was about the same as in + the best bedroom." + +The visitors' book in the coffee-room, at the Bull--we never shall call +it "The Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel"--abounds with complimentary +remarks on the hospitable treatment received by its guests; and there +are several poetical effusions, inspired by the classic nature of +"Dickens-Land." One of these, under date of the 18th September, 1887, is +worth recording:-- + + "The man who knows his Dickens as he should, + Enjoys a double pleasure in this place; + He loves to walk its ancient streets, and trace + The scenes where Dickens' characters have stood. + He reads _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ + In Jasper's Gatehouse, and, with Tope as guide, + Explores the old cathedral, Durdles' pride; + Descends into the Crypt, and even would + Ascend the Tower by moonlight, thence to see + Fair Cloisterham reposing at his feet, + And passing out, he almost hopes to meet + Crisparkle and the white-haired Datchery. + The gifted writer 'sleeps among our best + And noblest' in our Minster of the West; + Yet still he lives in this, his favourite scene, + Which for all time shall keep his memory green." + +[Illustration: Old Rochester Bridge] + +We follow Mr. Pickwick's example as regards early rising, and, taking a +turn before breakfast, find ourselves on Rochester Bridge. Nature has +not much changed since the memorable visit of that "truly great man," +who in the original announcement of _The Pickwick Papers_ is stated with +his companions to have "fearlessly crossed the turbid Medway in an open +boat;" but the march of civilization has effaced the old bridge, and lo! +three bridges stand in the place thereof. The beautiful stone structure +(temp. Edward III.) which Mr. Pickwick leant over, having become +unsuitable, was blown up by the Royal Engineers in 1856, and a handsome +iron bridge erected in its place. The debris was removed by Mr. J. H. +Ball, the contractor, who presented Dickens with one of the balustrades, +others having been utilized to form the coping of the embankment of the +esplanade under the castle walls. The iron bridge was built by Messrs. +Fox and Henderson, the foundations being laid in 1850. The machinery +constituting "the swing-bridge or open ship canal (fifty feet wide) at +the Strood end is very beautiful; the entire weight to be moved is two +hundred tons, yet the bridge is readily swung by two men at a capstan." +So says one of the Guide Books, but as a matter of fact we find that it +is not now used! The other two bridges (useful, but certainly not +ornamental) belong to the respective railway companies which have +systems through Rochester, and absolutely shut out every prospect below +stream. What _would_ Mr. Pickwick say, if his spirit ever visited the +ancient city? Nevertheless, we realize for the first time, with all its +freshness and beauty (although perhaps a little marred by the smoke of +the lime-kilns, and by the "Medway coal trade," in which it will be +remembered Mr. Micawber was temporarily interested, and which "he came +down to see"), the charm of the prospect which Dickens describes, and +which Mr. Pickwick saw, in the opening of the fifth chapter of the +immortal _Posthumous Papers_:-- + + "Bright and pleasant was the sky, balmy the air, + and beautiful the appearance of every object + around, as Mr. Pickwick leant over the balustrades + of Rochester Bridge, contemplating nature, and + waiting for breakfast. The scene was indeed one, + which might well have charmed a far less + reflective mind, than that to which it was + presented. + + "On the left of the spectator lay the ruined wall, + broken in many places, and in some, overhanging + the narrow beach below in rude and heavy masses. + Huge knots of sea-weed hung upon the jagged and + pointed stones, trembling in every breath of wind; + and the green ivy clung mournfully round the dark + and ruined battlements. Behind it rose the ancient + castle, its towers roofless, and its massive walls + crumbling away, but telling us proudly of its old + might and strength, as when, seven hundred years + ago, it rang with the clash of arms, or resounded + with the noise of feasting and revelry. On either + side, the banks of the Medway, covered with + corn-fields and pastures, with here and there a + windmill, or a distant church, stretched away as + far as the eye could see, presenting a rich and + varied landscape, rendered more beautiful by the + changing shadows which passed swiftly across it, + as the thin and half-formed clouds skimmed away in + the light of the morning sun. The river, + reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened + and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on; and the + oars of the fishermen dipped into the water with a + clear and liquid sound, as their heavy but + picturesque boats glided slowly down the stream." + +It was over the same old bridge that poor Pip was pursued by that +"unlimited miscreant" Trabb's boy in the days of his "great +expectations." He says:-- + + "Words cannot state the amount of aggravation and + injury wreaked upon me by Trabb's boy, when, + passing abreast of me, he pulled up his + shirt-collar, twined his side hair, stuck an arm + akimbo, and smirked extravagantly by, wriggling + his elbows and body, and drawling to his + attendants: 'Don't know yah; don't know yah, 'pon + my soul, don't know yah!' The disgrace [continues + Pip] attendant on his immediately afterwards + taking to crowing and pursuing me across the + bridge with crows, as from an exceedingly dejected + fowl who had known me when I was a blacksmith, + culminated the disgrace with which I left the + town, and was, so to speak, ejected by it into the + open country." + +There is generally a stiff breeze blowing on the bridge, and the fact +may probably have suggested to the artist the positions of the +characters in the river scene, one of the plates of _Edwin Drood_, where +Mr. Crisparkle is holding his hat on with much tenacity. One other +reference to the bridge occurs in the _Seven Poor Travellers_, where +Richard Doubledick, in the year 1799, "limped over the bridge here with +half a shoe to his dusty foot on his way to Chatham." + +After a Pickwickian breakfast in the coffee-room of "broiled ham, eggs, +tea, coffee, and sundries," we take a stroll up the High Street. We do +not know what the feelings of other pilgrims in "Dickens-Land" may have +been on the occasion of a first visit, but we are quite sure that to us +it is a perfect revelation to ramble along this quaint street of "the +ancient city," returning by way of Star Hill through the Vines, all +crowded with associations of Charles Dickens. _Pickwick_, _Great +Expectations_, _Edwin Drood_, and many of the minor works of the eminent +novelist, had never before appeared so clear to us--they acquire new +significance. The air is full of Dickens. At every corner, and almost at +the door of every house, we half expect to be met by one or other of +the characters who will claim acquaintance with us as their friends or +admirers. We are simply delighted, and never tire of repeating our +experience in the pleasant summer days of our week's tramp in +"Dickens-Land." + +[Illustration: The Guildhall: Rochester] + +[Illustration: The "Moonfaced" Clock in High Street] + +[Illustration: In High Street: Rochester] + +[Illustration: Eastgate House] + +Starting from the Bull, and walking along the somewhat narrow but +picturesque street towards Chatham,--"the streets of Cloisterham city +are little more than one narrow street by which you get into it and get +out of it: the rest being mostly disappointing yards with pumps in them +and no thoroughfare--exception made of the Cathedral close, and a paved +Quaker settlement, in color and general conformation very like a +Quakeress's bonnet, up in a shady corner,"--we pass in succession the +Guildhall, the City Clock, Richard Watts's Charity, the College Gate +(Jasper's Gatehouse), Eastgate House (the Nuns' House), and, nearly +opposite it, the residence of Mr. Sapsea, which, as we ourselves +discover, was also the residence of "Uncle Pumblechook." The latter +buildings are about a quarter of a mile from Rochester Bridge, and are +splendid examples of sixteenth-century architecture, with carved +oaken-timbered fronts and gables and latticed bay-windows. Eastgate +House--the "Nuns' House" of _Edwin Drood_, described as "a venerable +brick edifice, whose present appellation is doubtless derived from the +legend of its conventual uses"--is especially beautiful, and its +"resplendent brass plate on the trim gate" is still so "shining and +staring." The date, 1591, is on one of the inside beams, and the fine +old place abounds with quaint cosy rooms with carved oak mantel-pieces, +and plaster enrichments to the ceilings, as well as mysterious back +staircases and means of exit by secret passages. Charles II. is said to +have been entertained here by Colonel Gibbons, the then owner, when he +visited Chatham and inspected the _Royal George_; but this has been +recently disputed. For many years during this century, the house has +been occupied as a Ladies' School, and the old pianos used for practice +by the pupils are there still, the keys being worn into holes. We wonder +whether Rosa Bud and Helena Landless ever played on them! Looking round, +we half expect to witness the famous courting scene in _Edwin Drood_, +and afterwards "the matronly Tisher to heave in sight, rustling through +the room like the legendary ghost of a dowager in silken skirts, [with +her] 'I trust I disturb no one; but there _was_ a paper-knife--Oh, +thank you, I am sure!'" An excellent local institution, called "The +Rochester Men's Institute," has its home here. The house has been +immortalized by Mr. Luke Fildes in one of the illustrations to _Edwin +Drood_ ("Good-bye, Rosebud, darling!"), where, in the front garden, the +girls are cordially embracing their charming school-fellow, and Miss +Twinkleton looks on approvingly, but perhaps regretfully, at the +possible non-return of some of the young ladies. Mrs. Tisher is saluting +one of the girls. There is a gate opening into the street, with the lamp +over it kept in position by an iron bracket, just as it is now, heaps of +ladies' luggage are scattered about, which the housemaid and the +coachman are removing to the car outside; and one pretty girl stands in +the gateway waving a farewell to the others with her handkerchief. + +We feel morally certain that Eastgate House is also the prototype of +Westgate House in the _Pickwick Papers_, although, for the purposes of +the story, it is therein located at Bury St. Edmund's. The wall +surrounding the garden is about seven feet high, and a drop from it into +the garden would be uncommonly suggestive of the scene which took place +between Sam Weller and his master in the sixteenth chapter, on the +occasion of the supposed intended elopement of one of the young ladies +of Miss Tomkins's Establishment--which also had the "name on a brass +plate on a gate"--with Mr. Charles FitzMarshall, _alias_ Mr. Alfred +Jingle. The very tree which Mr. Pickwick "considered a very dangerous +neighbour in a thunderstorm" is there still--a pretty acacia. + +[Illustration: Mr. Sapsea's House.] + +[Illustration: Mr. Sapsea's Father.] + +The house opposite Eastgate House was of course Mr. Sapsea's +dwelling--"Mr. Sapsea's premises are in the High Street over against +the Nuns' House. They are of about the period of the Nuns' House, +irregularly modernized here and there." A carved wooden figure of Mr. +Sapsea's father in his rostrum as an auctioneer, with hammer poised in +hand, and a countenance expressive of "Going--going--gone!" was many +years ago fixed over a house (now the Savings Bank) in St. Margaret's, +Rochester, and was a regular butt for practical jokes by the young +officers of the period, although they never succeeded in their attempts +to pull it down. To us the house appears to be an older building than +Eastgate House, with much carved oak and timber work about it, and in +its prime must have been a most delightful residence. The lower part is +now used as business premises, and from the fact that it contains the +little drawers of a seedsman's shop, it answers very well to the +description of Mr. Pumblechook's "eminently convenient and commodious +premises"--indeed there is not a little in common between the two +characters. "Mr. Pumblechook's premises in the High Street of the market +town [says Pip] were of a peppercorny and farinaceous character, as the +premises of a corn chandler and seedsman should be. It appeared to me +that he must be a very happy man indeed to have so many little drawers +in his shop; and I wondered when I peeped into one or two of the lower +tiers, and saw the tied-up brown paper packets inside, whether the +flower seeds and bulbs ever wanted of a fine day to break out of those +jails, and bloom." Part of these premises is used as a dwelling-house, +and Mr. Apsley Kennette, the courteous assistant town-clerk, to whom we +were indebted for much kind attention, has apartments on the upper +floors of the old mansion, the views from which, looking into the +ancient city, are very pretty. There is a good deal of oak panelling and +plaster enrichment about the interior, restored by Mr. Kennette, who in +the course of his renovations found an interesting wall fresco. + +He has had painted most appropriately in gilt letters over the +mantel-piece of his charming old panelled chamber of carved and polished +oak (with its quaint bay-window looking into the street) the pathetic +and sombre lines of Dante Gabriel Rossetti:-- + + "May not this ancient room thou sitt'st in dwell + In separate living souls for joy or pain; + Nay, all its corners may be painted plain, + Where Heaven shows pictures of some life spent well; + And may be stamped a memory all in vain + Upon the site of lidless eyes in Hell." + +[Illustration: Restoration House.] + +The beautiful residence in Maidstone Road, formerly Crow Lane, opposite +the Vines, called Restoration House, is the "Satis House" of _Great +Expectations_--"Miss Havisham's up-town." "Everybody for miles round had +heard of Miss Havisham up-town as an immensely rich and grim lady, who +lived in a large and dismal house barricaded against robbers, and who +led a life of seclusion." There is a veritable Satis House as well, on +the opposite side of the Vines alluded to elsewhere. Restoration House, +now occupied by Mr. Stephen T. Aveling, is a picturesque old +Elizabethan structure, partly covered with ivy, having fine oak +staircases, floors, and wainscoted rooms. Charles II. lodged here in +1660, and he subsequently presented to his host, Sir Francis Clarke, +several large tapestries, representing pastoral scenes, which the +present owner kindly allowed us to see. The tapestry is said to have +been made at Mortlake. It was the usual present from royalty in those +days--just as Her present Majesty now gives an Indian shawl to a +favoured subject. Like many houses of its kind, it contains a secret +staircase for escape during times of political trouble. + +Mr. Aveling very kindly placed at our disposal the manuscript of an +interesting and "true ghost story" written by him relating to +Restoration House, which is introduced at the end of this chapter. + +Many names in Dickens's novels and tales appear to us as old friends, +over the shops and elsewhere in Rochester. Looking through the list of +Mayors of the city from 1654 to 1887, we notice nearly twenty of the +names as having been given by Dickens to his characters, viz. Robinson, +Wade, Brooker, Clarke, Harris, Burgess, Head, Weller, Baily, Gordon, +Parsons, Pordage, Sparks, Simmons, Batten, Saunders, Thomson, Edwards, +and Budden. The name of Jasper also occurs as a tradesman several times +in the city, but we are informed that this is a recent introduction. In +the Cathedral burying-ground occur the names of Fanny Dorr_ett_ and +Richard Pordage. Dartle, we were informed, is an old Rochester name. + +The population of the "four towns" of Rochester, Strood, Chatham, and +New Brompton, at the census of 1891, was upwards of 85,000. The +principal industries of Rochester are lime and cement making, "the +Medway coal trade," and boat and barge building. + +Rochester is very well off for educational institutions. In addition to +the Board schools, there is the King's (or Cathedral) Grammar School +founded by Henry VIII., a handsome building in the Vines. The tuition +fee commences at L15 per annum for boys under 12, and there is a +reduction made when there are brothers. There are two or three annual +competitive Scholarships tenable for a period of years, and there are +also two Exhibitions of L60 a year to University College, Oxford. There +is also Sir J. Williamson's Mathematical School in the High Street, +founded in 1701, having an income of L1500 a year from endowments, and +the teaching, which has a wide range, includes physical science. The +fees are very small, commencing at about L5 per annum, and there are +foundation Scholarships and "Aveling Scholarships" to the value of L20 +per annum. + +In addition to the famous Richard Watts's Charity, which is described in +another chapter, the city possesses several other important charities, +viz.:--St. Catherine's Charity on Star Hill, founded by Simon Potyn in +1316, which provides residences for sixteen aged females, with stipends +varying from L24 to L28 each; St. Bartholomew's Hospital in New Road, +which was founded in 1078 by Bishop Gundulph for the benefit of lepers +returning from the Crusades (the present Hospital was erected in 1858, +and is supported by voluntary contributions); Sir John Hawkins's +Hospital for decayed seamen in Chatham, founded in 1592, and provides +for twelve inmates with their wives; and Sir John Hayward's Charity on +the Common, founded in 1651, which provides an asylum for twelve poor +and aged females, parishioners of St. Nicholas. + +Not least noteworthy among the numerous objects of interest in the +"ancient city" are the beautiful gardens belonging to several of the +houses in the High Street, particularly those of Mr. Syms and Mr. +Wildish. The fresh green turf, the profusion of flowers, and the rich +growth of foliage and fruit, quite surprise and delight the stranger. +Mr. Stephen T. Aveling's garden is a marvel of beauty to be seen in a +town. "The Cloisterham gardens blush with ripening fruit." + +Some of the old-fashioned cries of street hawkers, as "hot rolls," +"herrings," "watercresses," and the like, similar to those in the London +of Charles Dickens's early days, still survive at Rochester, and are +very noticeable and quaint in the quiet morning. + +As illustrative of the many changes which have been brought about by +steam, even in the quiet old city of Rochester, Mr. Syms called +attention to the fact that fifty years ago he could count twenty-eight +windmills on the surrounding heights, but now there are scarcely a dozen +to be seen. + +In Rochester we heard frequent mention of "Gavelkind," one of the +ancient customs of Kent, whereby the lands do not descend to the eldest +son alone, but to the whole number of male children equally. Lambarde, +the eminent lawyer and antiquary (born 1536), author of _A Perambulation +of Kent_,[5] says:--"I gather by _Cornelius Tacitus_, and others, that +the ancient Germans, (whose Offspring we be) suffered their lands to +descend, not to their eldest Sonne alone, but to the whole number of +their male Children: and I finde in the 75th Chapter of _Canutus_ Law (a +King of this Realm before the Conquest), that after the death of the +Father, his Heires should divide both his goods, and his lands amongst +them. Now, for as much as all the next of the kinred did this inherit +together, I conjecture, that therefore the land was called, either +_Gavelkyn_ in meaning, _Give all kyn_, because it was given to all the +next in one line of kinred, or _Give all kynd_, that is, to all the male +Children: for _kynd_ in Dutch signifieth yet a male Childe." The learned +historian suggests a second possible origin of this curious custom from +the writ called "Gavelles," to recover "the rent and service arising out +of these lands." + +The remarkable custom of "Borough English," whereby the youngest son +inherits the lands, also survives in some parts of the county of Kent. + +Mr. Robert Langton has done good service by giving in his delightful +book, _The Childhood and Youth of Charles Dickens_, an illustration by +Mr. W. Hull, of the old Rochester Theatre, which formerly stood at the +foot of Star Hill, and in which Jingle and Dismal Jemmy--"rum +fellow--does the heavy business--no actor--strange man--all sorts of +miseries--dismal Jemmy, we call him on the circuit"--were to play on the +morrow after the duel. It exists no more, for the Conservative +Association has its club-house and rooms on the site of the building. +The theatre is referred to in _Edwin Drood:_--"Even its drooping and +despondent little theatre has its poor strip of garden, receiving the +foul fiend, when he ducks from its stage into the infernal regions, +among scarlet beans or oyster-shells, according to the season of the +year." And again in _The Uncommercial Traveller_, on "Dullborough +Town," when the beginning of the end had appeared:-- + +[Illustration: Old Rochester Theatre, Star Hill.] + + "It was To Let, and hopelessly so, for its old + purposes; and there had been no entertainment + within its walls for a long time, except a + Panorama; and even that had been announced as + 'pleasingly instructive,' and I knew too well the + fatal meaning and the leaden import of those + terrible expressions. No, there was no comfort in + the Theatre. It was mysteriously gone, like my own + youth. Unlike my own youth, it might be coming + back some day; but there was little promise of + it." + +We did not stay at the Bull during the whole of our visit, comfortable +lodgings in Victoria Street having been secured for us by the courtesy +of Mr. Prall, the landlady of which, from her kindness and consideration +for our comfort, we are pleased to recognize as a veritable "Mrs. +Lirriper." + + * * * * * + +Among many reminiscences of Charles Dickens obtained at Rochester, the +following are the most noteworthy:-- + +We had an interesting chat with Mr. Franklin Homan, Auctioneer, +Cabinet-maker, and Upholsterer of High Street, Rochester. Our informant +did a good deal of work for Charles Dickens at Gad's Hill Place, and +remarked "he was one of the nicest customers I ever met in my life--so +thoroughly precise and methodical. If anything had to be done, he knew +exactly what he wanted, and gave his instructions accordingly. He +expected every one who served him to be equally exact and punctual." + +The novelist wrote to Mr. Homan from America respecting the furnishing +of two bedrooms, describing in detail how he wished them fitted up--one +was maple, the other white with a red stripe. These rooms are referred +to in another chapter. The curtains separating them from the +dressing-rooms were ordered to be of Indian pattern chintz. When Dickens +came home and saw them complete, he said, "It strikes me as if the room +was about to have its hair cut,--but it's my fault, it must be altered;" +so crimson damask curtains were substituted. + +In the little billiard-room near the dining-room was a one-sided couch +standing by the window, which did not seem to please the master of Gad's +Hill Place. He said to Mr. Homan one day, "Whenever I see that couch, it +makes me think the window is squinting." The result was that Mr. Homan +had to make a window-seat instead. + +On one occasion, when our informant was waiting in the dining-room for +some orders from Miss Hogarth, he saw Dickens walking in the garden with +a lady, to whom he was telling the story of how as a boy he longed to +live in Gad's Hill Place, and determined to purchase it whenever he had +an opportunity. + +Mr. Homan mentioned that the act drop painted by Clarkson Stanfield, +R.A., for _The Lighthouse_ and the scene from _The Frozen Deep_, painted +by the same artist, which adorned the hall at Gad's Hill Place, and +which fetched such enormous sums at the sale, were technically the +property of the purchaser of Tavistock House, but he said, "Perhaps you +would like to have them, Mr. Dickens," and so they continued to be the +property of the novelist. + +The valuation for Probate was made by Mr. Homan, and he subsequently +sold for the executors the furniture and other domestic effects at Gad's +Hill Place. The art collection was sold by Messrs. Christie, Manson, and +Woods. There was a very fine cellar of wine, which included some magnums +of port of rare vintage. Mr. Homan purchased a few bottles, and gave one +to a friend, Dr. Tamplin of London, who had been kind to his daughter. +At a dinner-party some time afterwards at the Doctor's, a connoisseur +being present, the magnum in question was placed on the table, the +guests being unaware from whence it came. Reference was made to the +choice quality of the wine. "Yes," said the connoisseur, "it _is_ +good--very fine. I never tasted the like before, except once at Gad's +Hill Place." + +Mr. Homan recollects seeing among the plate two oak cases which were not +sold, containing the silver figures for dining-table emblematic of +spring, summer, and autumn. These were the presents of a Liverpool +admirer who wished to remain anonymous. The incident is alluded to in +Forster's _Life_, the correspondent being described as "a self-raised +man, attributing his prosperous career to what Dickens's writings had +taught him at its outset of the wisdom of kindness and sympathy for +others, and asking pardon for the liberty he took in hoping that he +might be permitted to offer some acknowledgment of what not only had +cheered and stimulated him through all his life, but had contributed so +much to the success of it." The letter enclosed L500, but Dickens +declined this, intimating to the writer that if he pleased to send him +any small memorial in another form, he would be glad to receive it. + +The funeral was conducted by Mr. Homan, who mentioned that Dickens's +instructions in his Will were implicitly followed, as regards privacy +and unostentation. It was an anxious time to him, in consequence of the +changes which were made in the arrangements, the interment being first +suggested to take place at St. Nicholas's Cemetery, then at Shorne, then +at Rochester Cathedral, and finally at Westminster Abbey. The mourners, +together with the remains, travelled early in the morning by South +Eastern Railway from Higham Station to Charing Cross, where a +procession, consisting of three mourning-coaches and a hearse, was +quietly formed. There was neither show nor public demonstration of any +kind. On reaching Westminster Abbey, about half-past nine o'clock, the +procession was met by Dean Stanley in the Cloisters, who performed the +funeral service. A journalist being by accident in the Abbey at the time +of the funeral, Mr. Homan remarked that he became almost frantic when he +heard who had just been buried, at having missed such an opportunity. + +Mr. Homan possesses several souvenirs of Gad's Hill Place, presented to +him by the family, including Charles Dickens's walking-stick, and +photographs of the interior and exterior of the house and the chalet. + + * * * * * + +We were courteously received by the Rev. Robert Whiston, M.A., who +resides at the Old Palace, a beautiful seventeenth-century house, +abounding with oak panelling and carving, on Boley Hill, bequeathed in +1674, by Mr. Richard Head, after the death of his wife, to the then +Bishop of Rochester and his successors, who were "to hold the same so +long as the church was governed by Protestant Bishops." This residence +was sold by permission of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, together +with the mansion at Brinley, in order to help to pay for the new palace +of Danbury in Essex. + +Mr. Whiston was a friend of Charles Dickens, and is one of the oldest +inhabitants of Rochester. He was formerly Head-Master of the Cathedral +Grammar, or King's, School of Henry VIII., an office which he resigned +in 1877. Many years previously, Mr. Whiston published _Cathedral Trusts +and their Fulfilment_, which ran through several editions, and was +immediately followed by his dismissal from his mastership, on the ground +that he had published "false, scandalous, and libellous" statements, and +had libelled "the Chapter of Rochester and other Chapters, and also the +Bishop." Much litigation followed--appeals to the Court of Chancery, +the Court of Queen's Bench, and Doctors' Commons, which resulted in his +replacement in office; and then a second dismissal, followed by his +pleading his own cause for five days at Doctors' Commons against eminent +counsel, and after three years of litigation he was fully reinstated in +his office. The result at Rochester, for which Mr. Whiston contended, +was "an increase of L19 for each of the twenty scholars, and of L35 for +each of the four students, a total of L520 a year, and the restoration +of the six bedesmen of the Cathedral, with L14 13_s._ 4_d._ a year each, +who had disappeared since 1810, making altogether L608 a year." Reforms +were effected at other cathedrals, and handsome testimonials--one from +Australia--were presented to Mr. Whiston. + +A characteristic paper, entitled "The History of a certain Grammar +School," in No. 72 of _Household Words_, dated 9th August, 1851, gives a +sketch of Mr. Whiston's labours, and of the reforms which he effected. +He is thus referred to:-- + +"But the Reverend Adolphus Hardhead was not merely a scholar and a +schoolmaster. He had fought his way against disadvantages, had gained a +moderate independence by the fruits of early exertions and constant but +by no means sordid economy; and, while disinterested enough to +undervalue abundance, was too wise not to know the value of money. He +was an undoubted financialist, and never gave a farthing without doing +real good, because he always ascertained the purpose and probable effect +of his charity beforehand. While he cautiously shunned the idle and +undeserving, he would work like a slave, with and for those who would +work for themselves; and he would smooth the way for those who had in +the first instance been their own pioneers, and would help a man who +had once been successful, to attain a yet greater success." + +Anthony Trollope, in _The Warden_, also thus refers to this +gentleman:--"The struggles of Mr. Whiston have met with sympathy and +support. Men are beginning to say that these things must be looked +into." + +_Punch_ has also immortalized Mr. Whiston, for in the issue of 29th +January, 1853, there is a burlesque account with designs of "A stained +glass window for Rochester Cathedral." The design is divided into +compartments; each containing a representation in the mediaeval fashion +of a "Fytte" in "Ye Gestes of Maister Whyston ye Confessour." + +Mr. Whiston had dined at Gad's Hill several times, and said that nothing +could be more charming than Dickens's powers as a host. Some years after +his death, by a fortunate circumstance, a large parcel of letters, +written by the novelist, came into the hands of Mr. Whiston, who had the +pleasure of handing them to Miss Hogarth and Miss Dickens, by whom they +were published in the collection of letters of Charles Dickens. + + * * * * * + +Thomas Millen of Rochester informed us that he knew Charles Dickens. His +(Millen's) father was a hop-farmer, and about the years 1864-5 lived at +Bridgewood House, on the main road from Rochester to Maidstone. One +afternoon in the autumn, Dickens, accompanied by Miss Hogarth and his +daughters, Mary and Kate, drove along the road, and stopped to admire a +pear tree which was covered with ripe fruit. Millen happened to be in +the garden at the time, and while noticing the carriage, Dickens spoke +to him, and referred to the very fine fruit. Millen said, "Will you +have some, sir?" to which Dickens replied, "Thank you, you are very +good, I will." He gave him some pears and some roses. Dickens then said, +"You have not the pleasure of knowing me, and I have not the pleasure of +knowing you. I am Charles Dickens; and when you pass Gad's Hill, I shall +take it as a favour if you will look in and see my place." Millen +replied, "I feel it to be a great honour to speak to you, sir. I have +read most of your works, and I think _David Copperfield_ is the +master-piece. I hope to avail myself of your kind invitation some day." +Dickens laughed, wished Millen "Good-day," and the carriage drove on +towards Maidstone. + +"Some little time after," said Millen, "I was going to visit an uncle at +Gravesend, and drove over with a one-horse trap by way of Gad's Hill. As +I came near the place, I saw Mr. Dickens in the road. He said, 'So you +are here,' and I mentioned where I was going. He took me in, and we went +through the tunnel, and by the cedars, to the chalet, which stood in the +shrubbery in front of the house. He showed me his work there--a +manuscript on the table, and also some proofs. They were part of _Our +Mutual Friend_, which was then appearing in monthly numbers; and on that +morning a proof of one of the illustrations had arrived from Mr. Marcus +Stone. It was the one in which 'Miss Wren fixes her idea.' I was then +about sixteen or seventeen, and Dickens said, 'You are setting out in +life; mind _you_ always fix your idea.' He asked me what I was going to +be, and I said a farmer. He said, 'Better be that than an author or +poet;' and after I had had two glasses of wine, he bade me 'good-bye.'" + + * * * * * + +We were kindly favoured with an interview by the Misses Drage, of No. 1 +Minor Canon Row, daughters of the late Rev. W. H. Drage, who was Curate +of St. Mary's Church, Chatham, from 1820 to 1828, and lived during that +time in apartments at No. 3 Ordnance Terrace, next door to the Dickens +family. Afterwards their father was Vicar of St. Margaret's, Rochester, +for many years, and resided in their present home. About the year 1850, +the Vicar, being interested in the daughter of one of his parishioners, +whom he was anxious to get admitted into a public institution in +London--a penitentiary or something of the kind--wrote to Miss (now the +Baroness) Burdett Coutts, who was a patroness or founder, or who +occupied some position of influence in connection therewith. In answer +to the reverend gentleman's application, a letter was received from +Charles Dickens, then residing at Devonshire Terrace, who appeared to be +associated with Miss Burdett Coutts in the management of the +institution, proposing to call at Minor Canon Row on a certain day and +hour. The letter then concluded with these remarkable words:--"I trust +to my childish remembrance for putting your initials correctly." + +The letter was properly addressed "The Rev. _W. H._ Drage," and it is +interesting to record this circumstance as showing Dickens's habitual +precision and excellent memory. The future novelist was about eleven +years old when he left Chatham (1823), consequently a period of +twenty-seven years or more must have elapsed since he knew his father's +neighbour as Curate there; yet, notwithstanding the multiplicity and +diversity of his occupations during the interim, his recollection after +this long period was perfectly accurate. + +It is scarcely necessary to add that the interview took place (probably +Dickens came down from London specially), and that the Vicar obtained +admission for his _protegee_. The younger Miss Drage, who was in the +room at the time of Dickens's visit, particularly noticed what a +beautiful head the novelist's was, and in her enthusiasm she made a +rough sketch of it while he was talking to her father. + +In conversation with the present Mr. Charles Dickens on a subsequent +occasion regarding this circumstance, he informed me that there was an +institution of the kind referred to, "A Home," at Shepherd's Bush, in +which his father took much interest. Forster also says in the _Life_ +that this Home "largely and regularly occupied his time for several +years." + + * * * * * + +We heard from a trustworthy authority, _Y. Z._, at Rochester, some +particulars respecting an interesting custom at Gad's Hill Place. On New +Year's Eve there was always a dinner-party with friends, and a dance, +and games afterwards. Some of the games were called "Buzz," "Crambo," +"Spanish Merchant," etc. Claret-cup and other refreshments were +introduced later, and at twelve o'clock all the servants came into the +entrance-hall. Charles Dickens then went in, shook hands with them all +round, wished them a Happy New Year ("A happy new year, God bless us +all"), and gave each half-a-sovereign. This custom was maintained for +many years, until a man-servant--who used to travel with +Dickens--disgracefully betrayed his trust,--robbed his master, in +fact,--when it was discontinued, and the name of the man who had thus +disgraced himself was never allowed to be mentioned at Gad's Hill. + +The same authority spoke of the long walks that Dickens regularly took +after breakfast--usually six miles,--but he gave these up after the +railway accident at Staplehurst, which, it will be remembered, +occurred, on the "fatal anniversary," the 9th June, 1865. During one of +these walks, he fell in with a man driving a cart loaded with manure, +and had a long chat with him, the sort of thing he frequently did (said +our informant) in order to become acquainted with the brogue and +feelings of the working people. When Dickens went on his way, one of the +man's fellow-labourers said to him, "Do you know that that was Charles +Dickens who spoke to you?" "I don't know who it was," replied the man, +"but he was a d----d good fellow, for he gave me a shilling." + +Our informant also referred to a conversation between Dickens and some +of his friends at Gad's Hill, respecting the unhappy marriages of +actors. Twenty such marriages were instanced, and out of these only two +turned out happily. He said that Charles Dickens at home was a quiet, +unassuming man. He remembers on one occasion his saying, in relation to +a war which was then going on, "What must the feelings of a soldier be, +when alone and dying on the battle-field, and leaving his wife and +children far away for ever?" + + * * * * * + + +A TRUE GHOST STORY RELATING TO MISS HAVISHAM'S HOUSE. + + "I live in an old red-brick mansion, nearly + covered with ivy--one of those picturesque + dwellings with high-pitched roofs and ornamental + gables, which were scattered broadcast over + England in the days of good Queen Bess. Every + stranger looking at it exclaims, 'That house must + have a history and a ghost!' Many a story has been + told of the ghost which has from time to time been + seen, or said to have been seen, within its walls; + and many a servant has, from fear, refused service + in this so-called haunted house. + + "On the 28th May, one thousand six hundred and + sixty, Charles the Second sojourned and slept + here. This being the eve of 'The Restoration,' a + new name was given to the then old house, which + name it has since retained. Charles, having + knighted the owner (Sir Francis Clarke), departed + early the next morning for London. + + "There are secret passages _in_ the house, and, + under ground, _from_ the house. From the room in + which the king slept, a secret passage through one + of the lower panels of the wainscot, leads to + various parts of the house. This passage is so + well concealed that I occupied the house some + years before it was discovered. I had occasion to + make a plan of the house, and the inside and + outside not agreeing, disclosed the space occupied + by the unexplored passage. The jackdaws had + forestalled me in my discovery, and had had + undisturbed possession for two centuries, having + got access through a hole under the eaves of the + roof. They had deposited _several bushels_ of + sticks. They had not been the only tenants, as + skeletons and mummies of birds, etc., were also + found. + + "I came into possession of this old house in + December 1875, and on the 27th of April, 1876, + slept in it for the first time. At ten o'clock on + that night, my family retired to rest; having some + letters to write, I sat up later. At a quarter to + twelve, I was startled by a loud noise--a sort of + rumbling sound, which appeared to proceed from the + hall. I left my writing and went to the hall, and + found that the noise proceeded from the staircase, + but I could see nothing unusual. + + "The staircase is one of those so often described + as being 'wide enough to drive a carriage and pair + up,' with massive oak posts and balustrades. The + walls are covered with tapestry, given to the + house by 'The Merry Monarch,' after his visit. An + oak chest or two, and some high-backed chairs on + the landings, picture to one a suitable habitation + for a ghost. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I had + no belief in ghosts, and commenced an + investigation of this extraordinary noise. + + "Could it be rats, or mice, or owls? No; the noise + was ten times louder than could possibly proceed + from these creatures; besides, I knew there were + no rats in the house. The clever builder of the + house had filled all the space between the + ceilings and floors with silver sand, which + rendered it impossible for a rat or mouse to make + passages. To prick a hole in a ceiling is to have + a continuous stream of sand run down, as from an + hour-glass. + + "The noise was repeated, but much louder (two + drum-sticks upon a large drum would not have made + more noise), and I was able to localize it, still + I could see nothing. I thought some one had fallen + on the stairs, and I shouted 'Who is there?' A + reply came 'Hush!'--first softly, and then very + loud--too loud for a human voice. As no person was + visible, I was puzzled, and went up-stairs by a + back staircase, and ascertained that none of my + family had left their bedrooms, and that certainly + no trick was being played me. + + "The same rumbling, rolling sound was repeated; + and as I stood on the top of the great staircase, + I felt a little uncomfortable, but not frightened. + The noise seemed to proceed from a large carved + oak coffer or chest (as old as the house), which + stood on a landing, about half-way up the stairs. + I approached the chest, and from it appeared to + come again the word 'Hush!' Could it be the wind + whistling through a crack? No; it was far too loud + for any such explanation. I opened the lid of the + chest and found it empty. Again the noise, now + from _under_ the chest. I was just strong enough + to move the chest; I turned it over and slid it + down the stairs on to the next landing. Again the + noise, and again the 'Hush!' which now appeared to + come from the floor where the coffer had stood. + + "I felt I would rather have had some one with me + to assist in my investigation, and to join me in + making the acquaintance of the ghost; but, + although my sensations were probably the most + uncomfortable I ever experienced, I was + determined, if possible, to unearth the mystery. + + "The light was imperfect, and I went to another + part of the house for a candle to enable me to + examine the floor. In my absence the noise was + repeated louder than ever, and not unlike distant + thunder. On my return, I was saluted with 'Hush!' + which I felt convinced came from a voice + immediately under the floor. By the light of the + candle I examined the dark oak boards, and + discovered what appeared to be a trap door about + two feet six inches square. The floor at some time + had been varnished, and the cracks, or joints of + the trap, had been filled and sealed with the + varnish. I now hoped I had found the habitation of + my troublesome and noisy guest. I procured a + chisel and cut the varnished joint, and found that + there was a trap door, as I supposed. By the aid + of a long screwdriver I was able to move the door, + but at that moment a repetition of the noise, + immediately under me, made me hesitate for a + moment to try and raise it. With feelings better + imagined than described, I raised the lid, and + looked into a dark chasm. All was still, and I + heard the cathedral bell tolling the hour of + midnight. A long African spear was in the corner + near me, and I struck this into the opening. I + tied a string to the candlestick to lower it into + the opening, but at this moment I was startled, + and was for the first time nervous, or I may say, + frightened; but this had better remain for another + chapter. + + "So far I have not in the smallest degree + exaggerated or overdrawn any one of the matters I + have recounted. Every word has been written with + the greatest care to truth and accuracy. + + "S. T. A." + + + + * * * * * + +To cut our ghost story short, without adding another chapter, Mr. +Aveling, on looking into the dark chasm by the meagre light of the +lowered candle, beheld, to his amazement, the reflection of his own face +in the water of a large cistern underneath the staircase, the house +having formerly been supplied from the "large brewery" a short distance +off. The unearthly noise was no doubt caused by air in the pipes, +through which the water rushed when suddenly turned on by the brewers, +who were working late at night. In _Great Expectations_ it is stated +that:--"The brewery buildings had a little lane of communication with +it" [the courtyard of Satis House], "and the wooden gates of that lane +stood open" [at the time of Pip's first visit, when Estella showed him +over the premises], "and all the brewery beyond stood open, away to the +high enclosing wall; and all was empty and disused. The cold wind seemed +to blow colder there, than outside the gate; and it made a shrill noise +in howling in and out at the open sides of the brewery, like the noise +of wind in the rigging of a ship at sea." + +FOOTNOTES: + +[4] Mr. Aveling subsequently informed me that the vessel in which the +king took his departure continued to be used in the Royal Navy for many +years as a lighter--its name being altered to the "Royal Escape." +Afterwards it was used as a watch-vessel in the Coastguard service at +Chatham, and was eventually broken up at Sheerness Dockyard so recently +as 1876. + +[5] "A Perambulation of Kent: Conteining the Description, Hystorie, and +Customes of that Shire. Written in the yeere 1570 by William Lambarde of +Lincoln's Inne Gent." + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +ROCHESTER CASTLE. + + "I took up my hat, and went out, climbed to the + top of the old Castle, and looked over the windy + hills that slope down to the Medway."--_The Seven + Poor Travellers._ + + +TO the lover of Dickens, both the Castle and Cathedral of Rochester +appeal with almost equal interest. The Castle, however, which stands on +an eminence on the right bank of the river Medway, close to the bridge, +claims prior attention, and a few lines must therefore be devoted to an +epitome of its history in the ante-Pickwickian days. + +Tradition says that the first castle was erected by command of Julius +Caesar, when Cassivelaunus was Governor of Britain, "in order to awe the +Britons." It was called the "Castle of the Medway," or "the Kentishmen's +Castle," and it seems, with other antagonisms, to have awed the +unfortunate Britons pretty effectively, for it lasted until decay and +dissolution came to it and to them, as to all things. It was replaced by +a new castle built by Hrofe (509), which in its turn succumbed to the +ravages of time. + +[Illustration: The Castle from Rochester Bridge] + +Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester (1077), whose name still survives here and +there in connection with charities and in other ways in the "ancient +city," appears to be entitled to the credit of having commenced to build +the present massive square Tower or Keep, the surviving portion of a +magnificent whole, sometimes called "Gundulph's Tower," "towards which +he was to expend the sum of sixty pounds," and this structure ranks as +one of the most perfect examples of Norman architecture in existence. +Other authorities ascribe the erection to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl +of Kent, half-brother to William the Conqueror, who is described by +Hasted as "a turbulent and ambitious prelate, who aimed at nothing less +than the popedom." Later, in the reign of William Rufus, it was +accounted "the strongest and most important castle of England." It was +so important that Lambarde, in _A Perambulation of Kent_, says:--"It was +much in the eie of such as were authors of troubles following within +the realme, so that from time to time it had a part almost in every +Tragedie." + +Mr. Robert Collins, in his compact and useful _Visitors' Handbook of +Rochester and Neighbourhood_, quoting from another ancient historian, +says that "In 1264, King Henry III. [who in 1251 held a grand tournament +in the Castle] 'commanded that the Shyriffe of Kent do set aboute to +finish and complete the great Tower which Gundulph had left imperfect.'" +About 1463, Edward IV. repaired part of the Castle, after which it was +allowed to fall into decay. The instructions to the "shyriffe" were no +doubt necessary; for although L60 would probably go a great way in the +time of Bishop Gundulph, the modern aesthetic builder would do very +little indeed for that sum, towards the erection of such an impregnable +fortress as Rochester Castle, the walls of which vary from eight to +thirteen feet in thickness, whatever his progenitor may have done in +1077. + +The Keep--the last resort of the garrison when all the outworks were +taken--is considered so beautiful that it is selected, under the article +"Castle" in the last edition of the _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, as an +illustration of Norman architecture, showing "an embattled parapet often +admitting of chambers and staircases being constructed," and showing +also "embattled turrets carried one story higher than the parapet." +There is also a fine woodcut of the Castle at p. 198 of vol. v. of that +work. + +The Keep is seventy feet square and a hundred feet high, built of the +native Kentish ragstone and Caen stone; and the adamantine mortar or +cement used in its construction was made with sand, evidently procured +at the seaside some distance from Rochester, for it contains remains of +cardium, pecten, solen, and other marine shells, which would not be +found in river sand. Mr. Roach Smith suggested that probably the sand +may have been procured from "Cockle-shell Hard," near Sheerness. He +called our attention to the fact that in Norman mortar sand is +predominant, and in Roman mortar lime or chalk. + +[Illustration: Rochester Castle] + +The roof and the chambers are gone,--the Keep remains as a mere +shell,--and where bishops, kings, and barons came and went, flocks of +the common domestic pigeon, in countless numbers, fly about and make +their home and multiply. One almost regrets the freedom which these +graceful birds possess, although to grudge freedom to a pigeon is like +grudging sunshine to a flower. But though the damage to the walls is +really trifling, as they will stand for centuries to come, still the +litter and mess which the birds naturally make is considerable and +unsightly, and decidedly out of keeping in such a magnificent ruin. The +pigeons exhibit what takes place when a species becomes dominant to the +exclusion of other species, as witness the pest of the rabbits in New +Zealand. With profound respect to his Worship the Mayor and the +Corporation of Rochester, to whom the Castle and grounds now belong, the +writer of these lines, as a naturalist, ventures to suggest that the +Castle should be left to the jackdaws, its natural and doubtless its +original tenants, which, although of higher organization, have been +driven out by superior numbers in the "struggle for existence," and for +whom it is a much more appropriate habitat in keeping with all +traditions; and further, that the said pigeons be forthwith made into +pies for the use and behoof of the deserving poor of the ancient city of +Rochester. + +Mention has been made of the fact that the Castle and grounds are the +property of the Corporation of Rochester. They were acquired by purchase +in 1883 from the Earl of Jersey for L8,000, and the occasion was +celebrated by great civic rejoicings.[6] The Corporation are not only to +be congratulated on the wisdom of their purchase ("a thing of beauty is +a joy for ever"), but also on the excellent manner in which the grounds +are maintained--pigeons excepted. The gardens, with closely-cut lawns, +abound with euonymus, laurustinus, bay, and other evergreens, together +with many choice flowers. The single red, or Deptford pink (_Dianthus +Armeria_), grows wild on the walls of the Castle. There is a tasteful +statuette of her Majesty, under a Gothic canopy, near the entrance, +which records her Jubilee in 1887. The inscriptions on three of the four +corners are appropriately chosen from Lord Tennyson's _Carmen +Saeculare_:-- + + To commemorate the + + =Jubilee of Queen Victoria=, + + 1887. + + L. LEVY, MAYOR. + + "Fifty years of ever-broadening commerce!" + + "Fifty years of ever-brightening science!" + + "Fifty years of ever-widening empire!" + +There is free admission to the grounds through a handsome modern Norman +gateway, but a trifling charge of a few pence is made for permission to +enter the Keep, which has convenient steps ascending to the top. From +the summit of the Keep, there are magnificent views of the valley of the +river Medway, the adjacent hills, Rochester, Chatham, and the vicinity. +The Cathedral, Jasper's Gatehouse, and Restoration House, are also +noteworthy objects to the lover of Dickens. As Mr. Philips Bevan says, +and as we verified, the views inside at midday, when the sun is +streaming down, are "very peculiar and beautiful." + +Dickens's first and last great works are both associated with the +Castle, and it is referred to in several other of his writings. We can +fancy, more than sixty years ago, the eager and enthusiastic +Pickwickians, in company with their newly-made acquaintance, Mr. Alfred +Jingle, seated outside the four-horse coach,--the "Commodore," driven +possibly by "Old Chumley,"--dashing over old Rochester Bridge, to "the +lively notes of the guard's key-bugle," when the sight of the Castle +first broke upon them. + + "'Magnificent ruin!' said Mr. Augustus Snodgrass, + with all the poetic fervour that distinguished + him, when they came in sight of the fine old + Castle. + + "'What a study for an antiquarian!' were the very + words which fell from Mr. Pickwick's mouth, as he + applied his telescope to his eye. + + "'Ah, fine place!' said the stranger, 'glorious + pile--frowning walls--tottering arches--dark + nooks--crumbling staircases--'" + +Little did poor Mr. Winkle think that within twenty-four hours _his_ +feeling of admiration for Rochester Castle would be turned into +astonishment, for does not the chronicle say that "if the upper tower of +Rochester Castle had suddenly walked from its foundation and stationed +itself opposite the coffee-room window [of the Bull Hotel], Mr. Winkle's +surprise would have been as nothing compared with the perfect +astonishment with which he had heard this address" (referring of course +to the insult to Dr. Slammer, and the challenge in the matter of the +duel). + +It was on the occasion of "a visit to the Castle" very soon afterwards +that Mr. Winkle confided in, and sought the good offices of, his friend +Mr. Snodgrass, in the "affair of honour" which was to take place at +"sunset, in a lonely field beyond Fort Pitt." Poor fellow! how eagerly +he tried, under a mask of the most perfect candour, and how miserably +he failed, to arouse the energies of his friend to avert the impending +catastrophe. + +[Illustration: INTERIOR OF ROCHESTER CASTLE] + + "'Snodgrass,' he said, stopping suddenly, 'do + _not_ let me be baulked in this matter--do _not_ + give information to the local authorities--do + _not_ obtain the assistance of several peace + officers to take either me or Doctor Slammer of + the 97th Regiment, at present quartered in Chatham + Barracks, into custody, and thus prevent this + duel;--I say, do _not_.' + + "Mr. Snodgrass seized his friend's hand as he + enthusiastically replied, 'Not for worlds!' + + "A thrill passed over Mr. Winkle's frame, as the + conviction that he had nothing to hope from his + friend's fears, and that he was destined to become + an animated target, rushed forcibly upon him." + +The state of the case having been formally explained to Mr. Snodgrass, +they make arrangements, hire "a case of satisfaction pistols, with the +satisfactory accompaniments of powder, ball, and caps," and "the two +friends returned to their inn." The next ground which they traversed +together to pursue the subject was at Fort Pitt. We will follow them +presently. + +In _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ there is no direct reference to the +Castle itself, but the engraving of it, with the Cathedral in the +background, after the pretty sketch by Mr. Luke Fildes, R.A., will ever +be associated with that beautiful fragment. + +Another reference is contained in the preface to _Nicholas Nickleby_, +where Dickens says:--"I cannot call to mind now how I came to hear about +Yorkshire schools when I was a not very robust child, sitting in +by-places near Rochester Castle, with a head full of 'Partridge,' +'Strap,' 'Tom Pipes,' and 'Sancho Panza.'" + +A sympathetic notice of the Castle is also contained in the _Seven Poor +Travellers_. It begins:-- + + "Sooth to say, he [Time] did an active stroke of + work in Rochester in the old days of the Romans, + and the Saxons, and the Normans, and down to the + times of King John, when the rugged Castle--I will + not undertake to say how many hundreds of years + old then--was abandoned to the centuries of + weather which have so defaced the dark apertures + in its walls, that the ruin looks as if the rooks + and daws had picked its eyes out." + +And this, the most touching reference of all, occurs in "One Man in a +Dockyard," contributed by Dickens[7] to _Household Words_ in 1851:-- + + "There was Rochester Castle, to begin with. I + surveyed the massive ruin from the Bridge, and + thought what a brief little practical joke I + seemed to be, in comparison with its solidity, + stature, strength, and length of life. I went + inside; and, standing in the solemn shadow of its + walls, looking up at the blue sky, its only + remaining roof, (to the disturbance of the crows + and jackdaws who garrison the venerable fortress + now,) calculated how much wall of that thickness + I, or any other man, could build in his whole + life,--say from eight years old to eighty,--and + what a ridiculous result would be produced. I + climbed the rugged staircase, stopping now and + then to peep at great holes where the rafters and + floors were once,--bare as toothless gums now,--or + to enjoy glimpses of the Medway through dreary + apertures like sockets without eyes; and, looking + from the Castle ramparts on the Old Cathedral, and + on the crumbling remains of the old Priory, and on + the row of staid old red-brick houses where the + Cathedral dignitaries live, and on the shrunken + fragments of one of the old City gates, and on the + old trees with their high tops below me, felt + quite apologetic to the scene in general for my + own juvenility and insignificance. One of the + river boatmen had told me on the bridge, (as + country folks do tell of such places,) that in the + old times, when those buildings were in progress, + a labourer's wages 'were a penny a day, and enough + too.' Even as a solitary penny was to their whole + cost, it appeared to me, was the utmost strength + and exertion of one man towards the labour of + their erection." + +Dickens always took his friends to the Keep of Rochester Castle. He +naturally considered it as one of the sights of the old city. It was +equally attractive to his friends, for a curious adventure is recorded +in Forster's _Life_, in connection with a visit which the poet +Longfellow made there in 1842, and which he recollected a quarter of a +century afterwards, and recounted to Forster during a second visit, +together with a curious experience in the slums of London with Dickens. +The first of these adventures is thus described by Forster:--"One of +them was a day at Rochester, when, met by one of those prohibitions +which are the wonder of visitors and the shame of Englishmen, we +overleapt gates and barriers, and setting at defiance repeated threats +of all the terrors of law, coarsely expressed to us by the custodian of +the place, explored minutely the castle ruins." Happily such a +circumstance could not now take place, for, by the present excellent +regulations of the Corporation of the city of Rochester, every visitor +can explore the Castle and grounds to his heart's content. + +On arriving at either railway station, Strood or Rochester Bridge, the +Castle is the first object to claim attention. Our attention is +constantly directed to it during our stay in the pleasant city; it is a +landmark when we are on the tramp; and it is the last object to fade +from our view as we regretfully take our departure. + + * * * * * + +My fellow-tramp favours me with the following note:-- + + +THE DEDICATION OF ROCHESTER CASTLE TO THE PUBLIC. + +"I well remember the day of public rejoicing in the picturesque city of +Rochester, on the occasion of the ceremony of formally presenting the +old Castle and grounds to the inhabitants. I had received instructions +from the manager of the _Graphic_ newspaper to make sketches of the +principal incidents in connection with the day's proceedings, and I +reached my destination just in time to obtain from the authorities some +idea of the nature of those proceedings. With this object in view, I +made my way through the surging crowd to the Guildhall, where, in one of +the Corporation rooms, I found a large assembly of local magnates in +official attire, including the Mayor, who was vainly endeavouring to +properly adjust his sword, an operation in which I had the honour of +assisting, much to his Worship's satisfaction, I hope. + +[Illustration: Rochester Castle and the Medway] + +"The streets of Rochester were thronged with excited people, and the +houses were gaily decked with flags and bunting. When everything was +ready, an imposing procession was formed, and proceeded to the Castle +grounds, preceded by a military band; on arriving there, an address was +read from the pagoda to an attentive audience, the subsequent +proceedings being enlivened by musical strains. + +"It had been announced that, in the evening, the old Keep would be +illuminated by the electric light, and I made a point of being present +to witness the unusual sight. The night was very dark, and the ivy-clad +ruin could barely be distinguished; presently, a burst of music from the +band was immediately followed by a remarkably strong beam of light, +which shot into the darkness with such effect as to fairly startle those +present. Then it rested on the grey walls of the huge pile, bathing in +brightness the massive stones and clinging ivy, the respective colours +of each being vividly apparent. But the most striking feature was yet to +come. The hundreds of pigeons which inhabited the nooks and crannies of +the old Keep, being considerably alarmed by this sudden illumination of +their domain, flew with one accord round and round their ancient +tenement, now in the full blaze of light, now lost in the inky darkness +beyond, and fluttering about in a state of the utmost bewilderment. +Methinks even Mr. Pickwick, had he been present in the flesh, would have +been equally amazed at this remarkable spectacle." + + F. G. K. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[6] Mr. Kitton was, by an interesting coincidence, present at the +ceremony above referred to, and he has kindly given his impressions +thereon, which appear at the end of this chapter. + +[7] This was a joint article; the description of the works of the +dockyard being by R. H. Horne, and that of the fortifications and +country around by Charles Dickens. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL. + + "That same afternoon, the massive grey square + tower of an old Cathedral rises before the sight + of a jaded traveller. The bells are going for + daily Vesper Service, and he must needs attend it, + one would say, from his haste to reach the open + Cathedral door. The choir are getting on their + sullied white robes, in a hurry, when he arrives + among them, gets on his own robe, and falls into + the procession filing in to Service. Then, the + Sacristan locks the iron-barred gates that divide + the Sanctuary from the Chancel, and all of the + procession having scuttled into their places, hide + their faces; and then the intoned words, 'WHEN THE + WICKED MAN--' rise among the groins of arches and + beams of roof, awakening muttered + thunder."--_Edwin Drood._ + + +THE readers of Dickens are first introduced to Rochester Cathedral, in +the early pages of the immortal _Pickwick Papers_, by that audacious +_raconteur_, Mr. Alfred Jingle:-- + + "Old Cathedral too--earthy smell--pilgrims' feet + worn away the old steps--little Saxon + doors--confessionals like money-takers' boxes at + theatres--queer customers those monks--Popes, and + Lord Treasurers, and all sorts of old fellows, + with great red faces, and broken noses, turning up + every day--buff jerkins + too--matchlocks--sarcophagus--fine place--old + legends too--strange stories: capital." + +But it was through the medium of _Edwin Drood_, and under the masked +name of Cloisterham, that all the novel-reading world beyond the +"ancient city" first recognized Rochester Cathedral--and indeed the +ancient city too--as having been elevated to a degree of interest and +importance far beyond that imparted to it by its own venerable history +and ecclesiastical associations, numerous and varied as they are. The +early portion of the story introduces us to Cloisterham in imperishable +language:-- + +[Illustration: Rochester Cathedral] + + "An ancient city Cloisterham, and no meet + dwelling-place for any one with hankerings after + the noisy world. . . . A drowsy city Cloisterham, + whose inhabitants seem to suppose, with an + inconsistency more strange than rare, that all its + changes lie behind it, and that there are no more + to come. . . . In a word, a city of another and a + bygone time is Cloisterham, with its hoarse + cathedral bell, its hoarse rooks hovering about + the cathedral tower, its hoarser and less distinct + rooks in the stalls far beneath. . . ." + +The particulars in this chapter mainly relate to _The Mystery of Edwin +Drood_, which Longfellow thought "certainly one of Dickens's most +beautiful works, if not the most beautiful of all," but a few words may +not be inappropriate respecting some of the principal events connected +with the Cathedral. It was founded[8] A.D. 604, by Ethelbert, King of +Kent, and the first bishop of the See (Bishop Justus) was ordained by +Augustine, the Archbishop of the Britons. The See of Rochester is +therefore, with the exception of Canterbury, at once the most ancient +and also the smallest in England. + +The Cathedral, as well as the city, suffered from the attacks of +Ethelred, King of Mercia, and in 1075, "when Arnot, a monk of Bec, came +to the See, it was in a most deplorable condition." Bishop Gundulph, who +succeeded him, and by whose efforts the Castle was erected, replaced the +old English church by a Norman one (1080), and made other improvements. +The Cathedral suffered from fire in 1138 and 1179. Its great north +transept was built in 1235, and the great south transept in 1240. In +1423, the parish altar of St. Nicholas, in the nave, was removed to a +new Church for the citizens on the north side of the Cathedral. In 1470, +the great west window was inserted. The Norman west front has a richly +sculptured door of five receding arches, containing figures of the +Saviour and the twelve apostles, and statues of Henry I. and his Queen, +Matilda. There are monuments in the Cathedral to St. William of Perth, a +baker of that town, who was murdered near here by his servant, on his +way to the Holy Land (1201), and was canonized, to Bishop Gundulph, +Bishop John de Sheppey, Bishop de Merton (the founder of Merton College, +Oxford), and to many others. + +According to Mr. Phillips Bevan, "the chapter-house is remarkable for +its magnificent Decorated Door (about 1344), of which there is a +fac-simile at the Crystal Palace. The figures represent the Christian +and the Jewish Churches, surrounded by Fathers and Angels. The figure at +the top is the pure soul for whom the angels are supposed to be +praying." + +Various alterations and additions have been made from time to time, the +last of which appears to be the central tower, which is terribly mean +and inappropriate, and altogether out of place with the ancient +surroundings. It was built by Cottingham in 1825. + +We pass, at various times, several pleasant hours in the Cathedral and +its precincts, admiring the beautiful Norman work, and recalling most +delightful memories of Charles Dickens and his associations therewith. + +[Illustration: Rochester Cathedral Interior] + +Among the many friends we made at Rochester, was Mr. Syms, the +respected Manager of the Gas Company, and an old resident in the city. +To this gentleman we are indebted for several reminiscences of Dickens +and his works. He fancies that _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ owed its +origin to the following strange local event that happened many years +ago. A well-to-do person, a bachelor (who lived somewhere near the site +of the present Savings Bank in High St., Rochester, Chatham end), was +the guardian and trustee of a nephew (a minor), who was the inheritor of +a large property. Business, pleasure, or a desire to seek health, took +the nephew to the West Indies, from whence he returned somewhat +unexpectedly. After his return he suddenly disappeared, and was supposed +to have gone another voyage, but no one ever saw or heard of him again, +and the matter was soon forgotten. When, however, certain excavations +were being made for some improvements or additions to the Bank, the +skeleton of a young man was discovered; and local tradition couples the +circumstance with the probability of the murder of the nephew by the +uncle. + +Mr. Syms thought that the "Crozier," which is probably a set off to the +"Mitre," the orthodox hotel where Mr. Datchery put up with his +"portmanteau," was probably the city coffee-house, an old hotel of the +coaching days, which stood on the site now occupied by the London County +Bank. "It was a hotel of a most retiring disposition," and "business was +chronically slack at the 'Crozier,'" which probably accounts for its +dissolution. Another suggestion is that the "Crozier" may have been "The +Old Crown," a fifteenth-century house, which was pulled down in 1864. He +could not identify the "Tilted Wagon," the "cool establishment on the +top of a hill." + +It is generally admitted that "Mr. Thomas Sapsea, Auctioneer, &c.," was +a compound of two originals well known in Rochester--a Mr. B. and a Mr. +F., who had many of the characteristics of the quondam Mayor of +Cloisterham. Mr. Sapsea's house is the fine old timbered building +opposite Eastgate House, which has been previously alluded to. + +The "Travellers' Twopenny" of _Edwin Drood_, where Deputy, _alias_ +Winks, lodged, Mr. Syms thought to have been a cheap lodging-house well +known in that locality, which stood at the junction of Frog Alley and +Crow Lane, originally called "The Duck," and subsequently "Kitt's +Lodging-house." But, like less interesting and more important relics of +the past, this has disappeared, to make way for modern improvements. It +had been partly burnt down before. To satisfy ourselves, we go over the +ground, which is near Mr. Franklin Homan's furniture establishment. + +We are reminded, in reference to _Edwin Drood_, that the chief tenor +singer never heads the procession of choristers. That place of honour +belongs to the smaller boys of the choir. An enquiry from us, as to what +was the opinion of the townsfolk generally respecting Dickens, elicited +the reply that they thought him at times "rather masterful." + +We are most attentively shown over the Cathedral and its surroundings by +Mr. Miles, the venerable verger. This faithful and devoted official, who +began at the bottom of the ladder as a choir boy in the sacred edifice +at the commencement of the present century, is much respected, and has +recently celebrated his golden wedding. Few can therefore be more +closely identified with the growth and development of its current +history. Pleasant and instructive it is to hear him recount the many +celebrated incidents which have marked its progress, and to see the +beautiful memorials of past munificence or affection erected by friends +or relatives, which he lovingly points out. It is in no perfunctory +spirit, or as mere matter of routine, that he performs his office: we +really feel that he takes a deep interest in his task, which makes it a +privilege to walk under his guidance through the historic building, and +into its famous crypt, so especially associated with Jasper and Durdles. + +[Illustration: The Crypt, Rochester Cathedral.] + +We enter "by a small side door, . . . descend the rugged steps, and are +down in the crypt." It is very spacious, and vaulted with stone. Even by +daylight, here and there, "the heavy pillars which support the roof +engender masses of black shade, but between them there are lanes of +light," and we walk "up and down these lanes," being strangely reminded +of Durdles as we notice fragments of old broken stone ornaments +carefully laid out on boards in several places. Formerly there were +altars to St. Mary and St. Catherine in the crypt or undercroft, but Mr. +Wildish's local guide-book says:--"They seem not to have been much +frequented; consequently these saints were not very profitable to the +priests." + +We "go up the winding staircase of the great tower, toilsomely turning +and turning, and lowering [our] heads to avoid the stairs above, or the +rough stone pivot around which they twist." About ninety steps bring us +on to the roof of the Cathedral over the choir, and then, keeping along +a passage by the parapet, we reach the belfry, and from thence go on by +ladder to the bell-chamber, which contains six bells--dark--very--long +ladders--trap-doors--very heavy--almost extinguish us when lowering +them--more ladders from bell-chamber to roof of tower. The parapet of +the tower is very high; we can just see over it when standing on a +narrow ledge near the top-coping of the leaded roof. There are a number +of curious carved heads on the pinnacles of the tower, and the parapet, +to our surprise, appears to be about the same height as the top of the +Castle Keep. A panoramic view of Cloisterham presents itself to our view +(alas! not by moonlight, as in the story), "its ruined habitations and +sanctuaries of the dead at the tower's base; its moss-softened, +red-tiled roofs and red-brick houses of the living, clustered beyond." + +We are anxious to go round the triforium, but there is no passage +through the arches; it was closed, we are told, at the time of the +restoration, about fifteen years ago, when the walls of the Cathedral +were pinned for safety. The verger, on being asked, said he did not call +to mind that Dickens ever went round the triforium or ascended the +tower. If this is so, then much of the wonderful description of that +"unaccountable sort of expedition," in the twelfth chapter of _Edwin +Drood_, must have been written from imagination. + +As it is Sunday, and as the summer is nearly over, Mr. Miles, with a +feeling akin to that which George Eliot has expressed regarding +imperfect work:-- + + "but God be praised, + Antonio Stradivari has an eye + That winces at false work and loves the true,"-- + +apologetically explains that one-half the choir are absent on leave, and +perhaps we shall not have the musical portion of the service conducted +with that degree of efficiency which, as visitors, we may have expected. +Nevertheless we attend the afternoon service; and Mendelssohn's glorious +anthem, "If with all your hearts," appeals to us with enhanced effect, +from the exquisite rendering of it by the gifted pure tenor who takes +the solo, followed by the delicate harmonies of the choir, as the sound +waves carry them upwards through and around the arches, and from the +sublime emotions called into being by the impassioned appeal of the +Hebrew prophet. + +We study "the fantastic carvings on the under brackets of the stall +seats," and examine the lectern described as "the big brass eagle +holding the sacred books upon his wings," and in imagination can almost +call up the last scene described in _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_, where +Her Royal Highness, the Princess Puffer, "grins," and "shakes both fists +at the leader of the choir," and "Deputy peeps, sharp-eyed, through the +bars, and stares astounded from the threatener to the threatened." + +Upon being interrogated as to whether he knew Charles Dickens, our guide +immediately answers with a smile--"Knew him! yes. He came here very +often, and I knew him very well. The fact is, they want to make me out +to be 'Tope.'" And indeed there appears to be such a relevancy in the +association, that we frequently find ourselves addressing him as "Mr. +Tope," at which he good-humouredly laughs. He further states that +Dickens was frequently in Rochester, and especially so when writing +_Edwin Drood_, and appeared to be studying the Cathedral and its +surroundings very attentively. + +The next question we put is:--"Was there ever such a person as Durdles?" +to which he replies, "Of course there was,--a drunken old German +stonemason, about thirty years ago, who was always prowling about the +Cathedral trying to pick up little bits of broken stone ornaments, +carved heads, crockets, finials, and such like, which he carried about +in a cotton handkerchief, and which may have suggested to Dickens the +idea of the 'slouching' Durdles and his inseparable dinner bundle. He +used to work for a certain Squire N----." His earnings mostly went to +"The Fortune of War,"--now called "The Life-Boat,"--the inn where he +lodged. + +Mr. Miles does not remember the prototypes of any other "cathedraly" +characters--Crisparkle and the rest--but he quite agrees with the +general opinion previously referred to as to the origin of Mr. Sapsea. +He considers "Deputy" (the imp-like satellite of Durdles and the +"Kinfreederel") to be decidedly a street Arab, the type of which is more +common in London than in Rochester. He thinks that the fact of the rooms +over the gatehouse having once been occupied by an organ-blower of the +Cathedral may have prompted Dickens to make it the residence of the +choir-master. He also throws out the suggestion that the discovery in +1825 of the effigy of Bishop John de Sheppey, who died in 1360, may +possibly have given rise to the idea of the "old 'uns" in the crypt, the +frequent object of Durdles's search, _e.g._ "Durdles come upon the old +chap (in reference to a buried magnate of ancient time and high degree) +by striking right into the coffin with his pick. The old chap gave +Durdles a look with his open eyes as much as to say, 'Is your name +Durdles? Why, my man, I've been waiting for you a Devil of a time!' and +then he turned to powder. With a two-foot rule always in his pocket, and +a mason's hammer all but always in his hand, Durdles goes continually +sounding and tapping all about and about the Cathedral; and whenever he +says to Tope, 'Tope, here's another old 'un in here!' Tope announces it +to the Dean as an established discovery." + +[Illustration: Minor Canon Row: Rochester] + +On the south side of the Cathedral is the curious little terrace of +old-fashioned houses, about seven in number, called "Minor Canon +Row"--"a wonderfully quaint row of red-brick tenements" (Dickens's name +for it is "Minor Canon Corner"),--chiefly occupied by the officers and +others attached to the Cathedral. Here it was that Mr. Crisparkle dwelt +with his mother, and where the little party was held (after the dinner +at which Mr. Luke Honeythunder, with his "Curse your souls and +bodies--come here and be blessed" philanthropy, was present, and caused +"a most doleful breakdown"), which included Miss Twinkleton, the +Landlesses, Rosa Bud, and Edwin Drood, as shown in the illustration, "At +the Piano." The Reverend Septimus Crisparkle's mother, who is the +hostess (and celebrated for her wonderful closet with stores of pickles, +jams, biscuits, and cordials), is beautifully described in the story:-- + + "What is prettier than an old lady--except a young + lady--when her eyes are bright, when her figure is + trim and compact, when her face is cheerful and + calm, when her dress is as the dress of a china + shepherdess: so dainty in its colours, so + individually assorted to herself, so neatly + moulded on her? Nothing is prettier, thought the + good Minor Canon frequently, when taking his seat + at table opposite his long-widowed mother. Her + thought at such times may be condensed into the + two words that oftenest did duty together in all + her conversations: 'My Sept.'" + +The backs of the houses have very pretty gardens, and, as evidence of +the pleasant and healthy atmosphere of the locality, we notice beautiful +specimens of the ilex, arbutus, euonymus, and fig, the last-named being +in fruit. The wall-rue (_Asplenium ruta-muraria_) is found hereabout. +There, too, is a Virginia creeper, but we do not observe one growing on +the Cathedral walls, as described in _Edwin Drood_. Jackdaws fly about +the tower, but there are no rooks, as also stated. Near Minor Canon Row, +to the right of Boley Hill (or "Bully Hill," as it is sometimes called), +is the "paved Quaker settlement," a sedate row of about a dozen houses +"up in a shady corner." + +"Jasper's Gatehouse" of the work above mentioned is certainly an object +of great interest to the lover of Dickens, as many of the remarkable +scenes in _Edwin Drood_ took place there. It is briefly described as "an +old stone gatehouse crossing the Close, with an arched thoroughfare +passing beneath it. Through its latticed window, a fire shines out upon +the fast-darkening scene, involving in shadow the pendent masses of ivy +and creeper covering the building's front." There are _three_ Gatehouses +near the Cathedral, a fact which proves somewhat embarrassing to those +anxious to identify the original of that so carefully described in the +story. A short description of these may not be uninteresting. + +[Illustration: College Gate--(or Chertsey's Gate) Rochester.] + +[Illustration: Prior's Gate: Rochester] + +(A) "College Yard Gate," "Cemetery Gate," and "Chertsey's Gate," are the +respective names of what we know as "Jasper's Gatehouse." It is a +picturesque stone structure, weather-boarded above the massive archway, +and abuts on the High Street about a hundred yards north of the +Cathedral. Some of the old houses near have recently been demolished, +with the result that the Gatehouse now stands out in bold relief against +the main thoroughfare of the city. No "pendent masses of ivy" or +"creeper" cover it. The Gate was named "Chertsey" after Edward Chertsey, +a gentleman who lived and owned property near in the time of Edward IV., +and the Cathedral authorities still continue to use the old name, +"Chertsey's Gate." The place was recently the residence of the +under-porter of the Cathedral, and is now occupied by poor people. There +are four rooms, two below and two above. + +(B) "Prior's Gate" is a castellated stone structure partly covered with +ivy, standing about a hundred yards south of the Cathedral, and is not +now utilized in any way. There is only one room, approached by a winding +staircase or "postern stair." The Gate was formerly used as a school for +choristers, until the new building of the Choir School was opened in +Minor Canon Row about three years ago. + +(C) The "Deanery Gatehouse" is the name of a quaint and very cosy old +house, having ten rooms, some of which, together with the staircase, are +beautifully panelled; its position is a little higher up to the eastward +of the College Yard Gate, and adjoining the Cathedral, while a gateway +passage under it leads to the Deanery. The house was formerly the +official residence of the Hon. and Reverend Canon Hotham, who was +appointed a Canon in residence in 1808, and lived here at intervals +until about 1850, when the Canonry was suppressed. Of all the +Gatehouses, this is the only one suitable for the residence of a person +in Jasper's position, who was enabled to offer befitting hospitality to +his nephew and Neville Landless. Formerly there was an entrance into the +Cathedral from this house, which is now occupied by Mr. Day and his +family, who kindly allowed us to inspect it. We were informed that +locally it is sometimes called "Jasper's Gatehouse." The interior of the +drawing-room on the upper floor presents a very strong resemblance to +Mr. Luke Fildes's illustration, "On dangerous ground." Accordingly, to +settle the question of identity, I wrote to Mr. Fildes, whose +interesting and courteous reply to my inquiries is conclusive. Before +giving it, however, I may mention that my fellow-tramp, Mr. Kitton, +suggested, more particularly with reference to another illustration in +_Edwin Drood_, viz., "Durdles cautions Mr. Sapsea against boasting," +that, for the purposes of the story, the Prior's Gate is placed where +the College Yard Gate actually stands. + +[Illustration: Deanery Gate. Rochester] + + + "11, MELBURY ROAD, KENSINGTON, W. + "_25th October, 1890._ + + "DEAR SIR, + + "The background of the drawing of 'Durdles + cautioning Sapsea,' I believe I sketched from what + you call A., _i. e._ The College Gate. I am almost + certain it was not taken from B., the Prior's. + + "The room in the drawing, 'On dangerous ground,' + is imaginary. + + "I do not believe I entered any of the Gatehouses. + + "The resemblance you see in the drawing to the + room in the Deanery Gatehouse (C.), might not be + gained by actual observation of the _interior_. + + "In many instances an artist can well judge what + the interior may be from studying the _outside_. I + only throw this out to show that the artist may + not have seen a thing even when a strong + resemblance occurs. I am sorry to leave any doubt + on the subject, though personally I feel none. + + "You see I never felt the necessity or propriety + of being locally accurate to Rochester or its + buildings. Dickens, of course, meant Rochester; + yet, at the same time, he chose to be obscure on + that point, and I took my cue from him. I always + thought it was one of his most artistic pieces of + work; the vague, dreamy description of the + Cathedral in the opening chapter of the book. So + definite in one sense, yet so locally vague. + + "Very faithfully yours, + "LUKE FILDES. + + "W. R. HUGHES, ESQ." + + + +The College Yard Gate (A) must therefore be regarded as the typical +Jasper's Gatehouse, but, with the usual novelist's license, some points +in all three Gatehouses have been utilized for effect. So we can imagine +the three friends in succession going up the "postern stair;" and, +further on in the story, we can picture that mysterious "single buffer, +Dick Datchery, living on his means," as a lodger in the "venerable +architectural and inconvenient" official dwelling of Mr. Tope, minutely +described in the eighteenth chapter of _Edwin Drood_, as "communicating +by an upper stair with Mr. Jasper's," watching the unsuspecting Jasper +as he goes to and from the Cathedral. + +Chapters twelve, fourteen, and twenty-three refer to Jasper's Gatehouse, +and its proximity to the busy hum of human life, in very vivid terms, +especially chapter twelve:-- + + "Among these secluded nooks there is little stir + or movement after dark. There is little enough in + the high tide of the day, but there is next to + none at night. Besides that, the cheerfully + frequented High Street lies nearly parallel to the + spot (the old Cathedral rising between the two), + and is the natural channel in which the + Cloisterham traffic flows, a certain awful hush + pervades the ancient pile, the cloisters, and the + churchyard after dark, which not many people care + to encounter. . . . One might fancy that the tide + of life was stemmed by Mr. Jasper's own Gatehouse. + The murmur of the tide is heard beyond; but no + wave passes the archway, over which his lamp burns + red behind the curtain, as if the building were a + Lighthouse. . . . + + "The red light burns steadily all the evening in + the Lighthouse on the margin of the tide of busy + life. Softened sounds and hum of traffic pass it, + and flow on irregularly into the lonely precincts; + but very little else goes by save violent rushes + of wind. It comes on to blow a boisterous gale. . . . + John Jasper's lamp is kindled, and his Lighthouse + is shining, when Mr. Datchery returns alone + towards it. As mariners on a dangerous voyage, + approaching an iron-bound coast, may look along + the beams of the warning light to the haven lying + beyond it that may never be reached, so Mr. + Datchery's wistful gaze is directed to this beacon + and beyond. . . ." + +The sensation of calm in passing suddenly out of the busy High Street of +Rochester into the subdued precincts of the Cathedral, as above +described, is very marked and peculiar, and must be experienced to be +realized. + +Among the many interesting ancient buildings in "the lonely precincts" +may be mentioned the old Episcopal Palace of the Bishops of Rochester. +My friend Mr. George Payne, F.S.A., Hon. Sec. of the Kent Archaeological +Society, who now lives there, writes me that:--"it is impossible to say +when it was first built, but it was rebuilt _circa_ 1200, the Palace +which preceded it having been destroyed by fire. Bishop Fisher was +appointed to the See in 1504, and mainly resided at Rochester. The +learned prelate here entertained the great Erasmus in 1516, and Cardinal +Wolsey in 1527. In 1534 Bishop Fisher left Rochester never to return, +being beheaded on Tower Hill, June 22nd, 1535. The front of the Palace +has been coated with rough plaster work dusted over with broken tile, +but the rear walls are in their original state, being wholly composed of +rag, tufa, and here and there Roman tiles. The cellars are of the most +massive construction, and many of the rooms are panelled." + +[Illustration: The Vines and Restoration House] + +The Monks' Vineyard of _Edwin Drood_ exists as "The Vines," and is one +of the "lungs" of Rochester, belonging to the Dean and Chapter, by whom +it is liberally leased to the Corporation for a nominal consideration. +It was a vineyard, or garden, in the days of the monks, and is now a +fine open space, planted with trees, and has good walks and well-trimmed +lawns and borders. Remains of the wall of the city, or abbey, previous +to the Cathedral, constitute the northern boundary of "The Vines." There +are commodious seats for the public, and it was doubtless on one of +these, as represented in the illustration entitled "Under the Trees," +that Edwin Drood and Rosa sat, during that memorable discussion of their +position and prospects, which began so childlike and ended so sadly. +"'Can't you see a happy Future?' For certain, neither of them sees a +happy Present, as the gate opens and closes, and one goes in and the +other goes away." A fine clump of old elms (seven in number), called +"The Seven Sisters," stands at the east end of the Vines, nearly +opposite Restoration House, and it was under these trees that the +conversation took place. + +So curiously exact at times does the description fit in with the places, +that we notice opposite Eastgate House the "Lumps of Delight Shop," to +which it will be remembered that after the discussion Rosa Bud directed +Edwin Drood to take her. + +Dickens's last visit to Rochester was on Monday, 6th June, 1870, when he +walked over from Gad's Hill Place with his dogs; and he appears to have +been noticed by several persons in the Vines, and particularly by Mr. +John Sweet, as he stood leaning against the wooden palings near +Restoration House, contemplating the beautiful old Manor House. These +palings have since been removed, and an iron fence substituted. The +object of this visit subsequently became apparent, when it was found +that, in those pages of _Edwin Drood_ written a few hours before his +death, Datchery and the Princess Puffer held that memorable conference +there. "They have arrived at the entrance to the Monks' Vineyard; an +appropriate remembrance, presenting an exemplary model for imitation, is +revived in the woman's mind by the sight of the place," in allusion of +course to a present of "three shillings and sixpence" which Edwin Drood +gave her Royal Highness on a previous occasion to buy opium. + +[Illustration: Restoration House, Rochester, as it appeared in Dickens's +time. (From a sketch by an Amateur.)] + +The extensive promenade called the Esplanade (where in 1889 we saw the +Regatta in which, after a series of annual defeats, Rochester maintained +its supremacy), on the east side of the river Medway, under the Castle +walls, pleasantly approached from the Cathedral Close, is memorable as +having been the spot described in the thirteenth chapter where Edwin and +Rosa met for the last time, and mutually agreed to terminate their +unfortunate and ill-assorted engagement. + + "They walked on by the river. They began to speak + of their separate plans. He would quicken his + departure from England, and she would remain where + she was, at least as long as Helena remained. The + poor dear girls should have their disappointment + broken to them gently, and, as the first + preliminary, Miss Twinkleton should be confided in + by Rosa, even in advance of the reappearance of + Mr. Grewgious. It should be made clear in all + quarters that she and Edwin were the best of + friends. There had never been so serene an + understanding between them since they were first + affianced." + +We are anxious to identify Cloisterham Weir, frequently mentioned in +_Edwin Drood_, but more particularly as being the place where Minor +Canon Crisparkle found Edwin's watch and shirt-pin. The Weir, we are +told in the novel, "is full two miles above the spot to which the young +men [Edwin and Neville] had repaired [presumably the Esplanade] to +watch the storm." There is, however, no Weir nearer than Allington, at +which place the tide of the Medway stops, and Allington is a +considerable distance from Rochester, probably seven or eight miles. How +well the good Minor Canon's propensity for "perpetually pitching himself +headforemost into all the deep water in the surrounding country," and +his "pilgrimages to Cloisterham Weir in the cold rimy mornings," are +brought into requisition to enable him to obtain the watch and pin. + + "He threw off his clothes, he plunged into the icy + water, and swam for the spot--a corner of the + Weir--where something glistened which did not move + and come over with the glistening water drops, but + remained stationary. . . . He brought the watch to + the bank, swam to the Weir again, climbed it, and + dived off. He knew every hole and corner of all + the depths, and dived and dived and dived, until + he could bear the cold no more. His notion was + that he would find the body; he only found a + shirt-pin sticking in some mud and ooze." + +Our failure to identify Cloisterham Weir exhibits another instance +where, for the purposes of the story, an imaginary place is introduced. +To Mr. William Ball is due the credit for subsequently suggesting that +Snodland Brook and Snodland Weir may have possibly been in Dickens's +mind in originating Cloisterham Weir; so we tramped over to inspect +them. Near the village, the brook (or river, for it is of respectable +width) is turbid and shallow, but higher up--a mile or so--we found it +clearer and deeper, and we heard from some labourers, whom we saw +regaling themselves by the side of a hayrick, that a local gentleman had +some years ago been in the habit of bathing in the stream all the year +round. + +[Illustration: St. Nicholas' Burying Ground] + +The ancient Church of St. Nicholas (1423) is on the north side of the +Cathedral. In front of it is a narrow strip of ground, enclosed with +iron railings, formerly the burial-ground of the Church, but now +disused, referred to in _Edwin Drood_ as "a fragment of a burial-ground +in which an unhappy sheep was grazing." In this enclosure, which is +neatly kept, there are a weeping willow at each end, and in the centre +an exquisite specimen of the catalpa tree (_Catalpa syringifolia_), the +floral ornament of the Cathedral precincts. At the time of our visit it +is in perfect condition, the large cordate bright green leaves, and the +massive trusses of labiate flowers of white, yellow, and purple colours +(not unlike those of the _Impatiens noli-me-tangere_ balsam, only +handsomer) are worth walking miles to see. It is a North American plant, +and in its native country sometimes grows to a height of forty feet. +The specimen here described is about twenty feet high, and was planted +about fifteen years ago.[9] + +On the opposite side of the way is the old cemetery of St. Nicholas' +Church, originally part of the Castle moat, but which was converted to +its present purpose about half a century ago. This quiet resting-place +of the dead has intense interest for the lover of Dickens, as it was +here that he desired to be buried; and his family would certainly have +carried his wishes into effect, but that the place had been closed for +years and no further interments were allowed. Pending other arrangements +at Shorne, an admirable suggestion was made in the _Times_, which +speedily found favour with the nation in its great affection for him, +namely, that he should rest in Westminster Abbey; and, the Dean of +Westminster promptly and wisely responding to the suggestion, it was at +once carried into effect. + +As we pause, and look again and again at the sheltered nook in the old +cemetery sanctified by his memory, and adorned by rich evergreens and +other trees, among which the weeping willow and the almond are +conspicuous, we quite understand and sympathize with Dickens's love for +such a calm and secluded spot. + +The Dean and Chapter of Rochester, it will be recollected, were anxious +that the great novelist's remains should be placed in or near their +Cathedral, and that wish might have been gratified, except, as just +explained, that the public decreed otherwise. However, they sanctioned +the erection, by the executors, of a brass, which enriches the wall of +the south transept of the edifice, and which has the following +inscription:-- + +[Illustration: CHARLES DICKENS + +BORN AT PORTSMOUTH SEVENTH OF FEBRUARY 1812 DIED AT GADSHILL PLACE BY +ROCHESTER NINTH OF JUNE 1870 BURIED IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY + +TO CONNECT HIS MEMORY WITH THE SCENES IN WHICH HIS EARLIEST AND HIS +LATEST YEARS WERE PASSED AND WITH THE ASSOCIATIONS OF ROCHESTER +CATHEDRAL AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD WHICH EXTENDED OVER ALL HIS LIFE + +THIS TABLET WITH THE SANCTION OF THE DEAN AND CHAPTER IS PLACED BY HIS +EXECUTORS] + +The unfinished novel of _Edwin Drood_, which, as we have seen, is so +inseparably connected with Rochester Cathedral, has been _finished_ by +at least half a dozen authors, probably to their own satisfaction; but +it is a hard matter to the reader to struggle through any one of them. +However, there is a little _brochure_ in this direction which we feel +may here be appropriately noticed. It is called, _Watched by the Dead: A +Loving Study of Charles Dickens's half-told Tale_, 1887, and was written +by R. A. Proctor, F.R.A.S., the Astronomer, whose untimely death from +fever in America was announced after our return from our week's tramp. +The author had evidently studied the matter both lovingly and +attentively, and starts with the assumption that it is an example of +what he calls "Dickens's favourite theme," which more than any other had +a fascination for him, and was apparently regarded by him as likely to +be most potent in its influence on others. It was that of "a wrong-doer +watched at every turn by one of whom he has no suspicion, for whom he +even entertains a feeling of contempt," and Mr. Proctor has certainly +evolved a very suggestive and not improbable conclusion to the story. +Instances of Dickens's favourite theme are adduced from _Barnaby Rudge_, +where Haredale, unsuspected, steadily waits and watches for Rudge, +till, after more than twenty years, "At last! at last!" he cries, as he +captures his brother's murderer on the very spot where the murder had +been committed; from _The Old Curiosity Shop_, where Sampson and Sally +Brass are watched by the Marchioness--their powerless victim as they +supposed, and by whom their detection is brought about; from _Nicholas +Nickleby_, where Ralph Nickleby is watched by Brooker; and from _Dombey +and Son_, where Dombey is watched by Carker, and he in turn is watched +by good Mrs. Brown and her unhappy daughter. Instances of this kind also +appear in _David Copperfield_, _Bleak House_, and _Little Dorrit_. + +Reasoning from similar data, Mr. Proctor concludes that Jasper was +watched by Edwin Drood in the person of Datchery, and thus he was to +have been tracked remorselessly "to his death by the man whom he +supposed he had slain." The _denouement_ as regards the other characters +seems also not improbable. Rosa Bud was to have married Lieutenant +Tartar, and Crisparkle, Helena Landless. Neville was to have died, but +not before he had learned to understand the change which Edwin's +character had undergone. As to Edwin Drood himself, "purified by trial, +strengthened though saddened by his love for Rosa," Edwin would have +been one of those characters Dickens loved to draw--a character entirely +changed from a once careless, almost trivial self, to depth and +earnestness. "All were to join in changing the ways of dear old +Grewgious from the sadness and loneliness of the earlier scenes" in the +story, "to the warmth and light of that kindly domestic life for which, +angular though he thought himself, his true and genial nature fitted him +so thoroughly." This attempt to solve _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ will +amply repay perusal. It was probably one of the last works of this very +able and versatile author. + + * * * * * + +It is right to state that Mr. Luke Fildes, R.A., the illustrator of _The +Mystery of Edwin Drood_, with whom we have had the pleasure of an +interview, entirely rejects this theory. He does not favour the idea +that Datchery is Edwin Drood; his opinion is that the ingenuous and +kind-hearted Edwin, had he been living, would never have allowed his +friend Neville to continue so long under the grave suspicion of murder. +Nay more: he is convinced that Dickens intended that Edwin Drood should +be killed by his uncle; and this opinion is supported by the fact of the +introduction of a "large black scarf of strong close-woven silk," which +Jasper wears for the first time in the fourteenth chapter of the story, +and which was likely to have been the means of death, _i. e._ by +strangulation. Mr. Fildes said that Dickens seemed much surprised when +he called his attention to this change of dress--very noticeable and +embarrassing to an artist who had studied the character--and appeared as +though he had unintentionally disclosed the secret. He further stated +that it was Dickens's intention to take him to a condemned cell in +Maidstone or some other gaol, in order "that he might make a drawing," +"and," said Dickens, "do something better than Cruikshank;" in allusion, +of course, to the famous drawing of "Fagin in the condemned cell." +"Surely this," remarked our informant, "points to our witnessing the +condemned culprit Jasper in his cell before he met his fate."[10] + +Mr. Fildes spoke with enthusiasm of the very great kindness and +consideration which he received from Dickens, and the pains he took to +introduce his young friend to the visitors at Gad's Hill, and in London +at Hyde Park Place, who were his seniors. He was under an engagement to +visit Dickens,--had his portmanteau packed in fact, almost ready to +start on his journey--when he saw to his amazement the announcement of +his death in the newspapers--and it was a very great shock to him. Not +long afterwards, Mr. Fildes said, the family, with much kind +thoughtfulness, renewed the invitation to him to stay a few days at +Gad's Hill Place, and during that time he made the imperishable drawing +of "The Empty Chair." + +Bearing in mind the above circumstances coming from so high an +authority, a missing link has been supplied, but--_The Mystery of Edwin +Drood_ is still unsolved! + +FOOTNOTES: + +[8] It is interesting to record that the foundations of this Church were +met with for the first time, in restoring the west front of the +Cathedral, in 1889. + +[9] This was written in 1888; on a subsequent visit to Rochester we were +sorry to find that the frost had made sad havoc with this beautiful +tree. + +[10] Mr. Charles Dickens informs me that Mr. Fildes is right, and that +Edwin Drood was dead. His (Mr. Dickens's) father told him so himself. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +RICHARD WATTS'S CHARITY, ROCHESTER. + + "Strictly speaking, there were only _six_ Poor + Travellers; but being a Traveller myself, though + an idle one, and being withal as poor as I hope to + be, I brought the number up to seven. . . . I, for + one, am so divided this night between fact and + fiction, that I scarce know which is which."--_The + Seven Poor Travellers._ + + +THE most unique Charity ever described in fiction, or founded on fact, +well deserves a few pages to be devoted to a record of its interesting +history and present position. We therefore occupy a short time in +examining it on Thursday morning, before our visit to the Marshes. + +[Illustration: The "Six Poor Travellers"] + +Except for _The Seven Poor Travellers_, which was the title of the +Christmas Number of _Household Words_ issued in 1854, it is possible +that few beyond "the ancient city" would ever have heard, or indeed have +cared to hear, anything about the Worshipful Master Richard Watts or his +famous Charity; now, as all the world knows, it is a veritable +"household word" to readers and admirers of Dickens. In the narrative, +he, as the first Traveller, is supposed to have visited Rochester, and +passed the evening with the six Poor Travellers, and thus to have made +the seventh. After hearing the story of the Charity "from the decent +body of a wholesome matronly presence" (this was Mrs. Cackett, a former +matron, who is said to have been very much astonished at her appearance +in the drama of _The Seven Poor Travellers_, which she subsequently +witnessed at the Rochester Theatre), he obtains permission to treat the +Travellers to a hot supper. The inn at which the first Traveller stayed +was doubtless our old acquaintance, the Bull, "where the window of his +adjoining bedroom looked down into the Inn yard, just where the lights +of the kitchen redden a massive fragment of the Castle wall." Here was +brewed the "wassail" contained in the "brown beauty," the "turkey" and +"beef" roasted, and the "plum-pudding" boiled. As Mr. Robert Langton +says, "the account of the treat to the poor Travellers is of course +wholly fictitious, although it is accepted as sober truth by many +people, both in Rochester and elsewhere." + +It is not our purpose to criticize the seven pretty stories which make +up this Christmas Number, part of the first of which only relates to +Watts's Charity; but we will venture to affirm that the concluding +portion of that story, referring to "Richard Doubledick," "who was a +Poor Traveller with not a farthing in his pocket, and who came limping +down on foot to this town of Chatham," is one of the most touching +instances of Christian forgiveness ever recorded, and hardened indeed +must he be who reads it with dry eyes. + +To what extent Dickens himself was affected by this beautiful tale, is +shown by the following extract from a letter addressed by him, on 22nd +December, 1854, to the late Mr. Arthur Ryland, formerly Mayor of +Birmingham, now treasured by his widow, Mrs. Arthur Ryland, who kindly +allowed a copy to be taken:-- + +"What you write with so much heartiness of my first Poor Traveller is +quite delightful to me. The idea of that little story obtained such +strong possession of me when it came into my head, that it cost me more +time and tears than most people would consider likely. The response it +meets with is payment for anything." + +It is also interesting to record that many years afterwards Mr. Ryland +read this story at one of the Christmas gatherings of the Birmingham and +Midland Institute, and subsequently received from an unknown +correspondent--Sergeant A----, of the 106th Light Infantry, then +stationed at Umballa, East Indies, who had noticed an account of the +reading in a newspaper--a letter under date of 15th July, 1870, asking +to be favoured with a copy of the story; "for," said the writer, "we +have just started a Penny Reading Society (if I may call it so), and I'm +sure that story would be the means of reclaiming many men from their +vices--I mean drinking and low company." The story was of course sent, +and Mr. Ryland subsequently communicated the circumstances to the +present Mr. Charles Dickens, who replied--"I wish my dear father could +have seen the sergeant's letter; it would have pleased him, I am sure." + +As we proceed along the High Street, on the north side towards Chatham, +a walk of only a few yards from the Bull brings us to a curious Tudor +stone-built house of two stories, with latticed windows and +three-pointed gables. Under a lamp in the centre, which is over the +"quaint old door"--the door-sill itself being (as is usual with some old +houses) a little below the street, so that we drop by a step or two into +the entrance-hall--is a tablet containing the following inscription:-- + + (CENTRE.) + RICHARD WATTS, ESQUIRE, + by his Will dated 22nd August, 1579, + founded this Charity + for Six Poor Travellers, + who, not being Rogues or Proctors, + May receive gratis for one Night + Lodging, Entertainment, + and Fourpence each. + +"In testimony of his munificence, in honour of his memory, and +inducement to his example, the Charitable Trustees of this City and +Borough have caused this stone to be renewed and inscribed, A.D. 1865." + +And on the left and right-hand sides respectively of the preceding +appear smaller tablets, with the following inscriptions:-- + + (LEFT.) + The Charitable Trustees + of this City and + Borough appointed + by the Lord High + Chancellor, + 16 December, 1836, + are to see + this Charity + executed. + + (RIGHT.) + Pagitt _Arms._[Illustration] Somers + Thomas Pagitt, + second husband of + Mary, Daughter of + Thomas Somers + of Halstow, + Widow of Richard Watts, + Deceased A.D. 1599. + +We enter the old-fashioned little parlour, or office, on the left-hand +side, "warm in winter and cool in summer. It has a look of homely +welcome and soothing rest. It has a remarkably cosy fireside, the very +blink of which, gleaming out into the street upon a winter's night, is +enough to warm all Rochester's heart." The matron receives us politely, +and shows us two large books of foolscap size with ruled columns, one of +these containing a record of the visitors to the Charity, and the other +a list of the recipients thereof. A little pleasantry is caused by one +of us entering his name in the wrong book, but this mistake is promptly +rectified by the matron, who informs us that we are scarcely objects for +relief as "Poor Travellers." She then kindly repeats to us the two +legends respecting the origin of the Charity, the first of which is +tolerably well known, but the other is less familiar. Before recording +these, it may be well to give an extract from the will of Master Richard +Watts (a very curious and lengthy document), which was industriously +hunted up by the late Mr. Charles Bullard, author of the _Romance of +Rochester_, and by him contributed to the _Rochester and Chatham +Journal_, of which it fills a whole column. + +The will (dated, as previously stated, August 22nd, 1579) directs, +_inter alia_, that "First the Alms-house already erected and standing +beside the Markett Crosse, within the Citty of Rochester aforesaid, +which Almshouses my Will Purpose and Desire is that there be reedified +added and provided with such Roomes as be there already provided Six +Severall Roomes with Chimneys for the Comfort placeing and abideing of +the Poore within the said Citty, and alsoe to be made apt and convenient +places therein for Six good Matrices or Flock Bedds and other good and +sufficient Furniture to harbour or lodge in poore Travellers or +Wayfareing Men being noe Common Rogues nor Proctors, and they the said +Wayfareing Men to harbour and lodge therein noe longer than one Night +unlesse Sickness be the farther Cause thereof and those poore Folkes +there dwelling shall keepe the House sweete make the Bedds see to the +Furniture keepe the same sweete and courteously intreate the said poore +Travellers and to every of the said poore Travellers att their first +comeing in to have fourpence and they shall warme them at the Fire of +the Residents within the said House if Need be." + +The reason for the exception in the testator's will as regards rogues is +sufficiently obvious, and therefore all the point of this singular +bequest lies in the word "Proctors." Who were they? One of the legends +has it that the obsolete word "Proctors" referred to certain sturdy +mendicants who swarmed in the south of England, and went about +extracting money from the charitable public under the pretence of +collecting "Peter's Pence" for the Pope; or, as the compiler of Murray's +_Handbook to the County of Kent_ suggests, "were probably the bearers of +licences to collect alms for hospitals," etc. Possibly the worthy Master +Richard Watts objected to the levying of this blackmail; or he may in +his walks have been subjected to the proctors' importunities, and +consequently in his will rigorously debarred them in all futurity from +any share in his Charity. + +The other legend is that Master Watts, being grievously sick and sore to +die, sent for his lawyer, who in those days acted as proctor as +well,--Steerforth in _David Copperfield_ calls the proctor "a monkish +kind of attorney,"--and bade him prepare his will according to certain +instructions. The will was made, but not in the manner directed, and +subsequently, on the testator regaining his health, he discovered the +fraud which the crafty lawyer or proctor had tried to perpetrate--which +was, in fact, to make himself the sole legatee. In his just indignation +he made another will, and in it for ever excluded the fraternity of +proctors from benefiting thereby. The reader is at liberty to accept +whichever of the two legends he chooses. It is right to say that Mr. +Roach Smith utterly rejects the second story. He says proctors were +simply rogues, although some of them may have been licensed. + +The following is a foot-note to Fisher's _History and Antiquities of +Rochester and its Environs_, MDCCLXXII. + +[Illustration: Watts' Almshouses: Rochester] + +"It is generally thought that the reason of Mr. Watts's excluding +proctors from the benefit of the Charity, was that a proctor had been +employed to make his will, whereby he had given all the estates to +himself; but I am inclined to believe that the word proctor is derived +from procurator, who was an itinerant priest, and had dispensations from +the Pope to absolve the subjects of this realm from the oath of +allegiance to Queen Elizabeth, in whose reign there were many such +priests." + +When the identity of Miss Adelaide Anne Procter, the gifted author of +the pure and pathetic _Legends and Lyrics_ (who had been an anonymous +contributor to _Household Words_ for some time under the _nom de plume_ +of "Mary Berwick"), became known to Charles Dickens, he sent her a +charming and kindly letter of congratulation and appreciation, dated +17th December, 1854 (just at the time that the Christmas stories of the +_Seven Poor Travellers_ were published), which thus concludes:-- + +"You have given me so much pleasure, and have made me shed so many +tears, that I can only think of you now in association with the +sentiment and grace of your verses. Pray accept the blessing and +forgiveness of Richard Watts, _though I am afraid you come under both +his conditions of exclusion_." + +[Illustration: Signatures: Charles Dickens + +Mark Lemon] + +We are informed that the original bequest of the testator was only L36 +16_s._ 8_d._ per annum, being the rent of land; but now, owing to the +improved letting of the land, for building and other purposes, the +Revenues of the Charity are upwards of L4,000 per annum. The "fourpence" +of the foundation would be equal to some three shillings and fourpence +of our money. The trustees, about sixteen in number,--one of whom has +filled the office for fifty years--have very wisely and prudently +obtained an extension of their powers; and the Court of Chancery have +twice (in 1855 and 1886) sanctioned schemes for the administration of +the funds, which have largely benefited Rochester in many ways. As +witness of this, there are a series of excellent almshouses on the +Maidstone Road (which cost about L6,000), with appropriate +entrance-gates and gardens, endowed for the support and maintenance of +townsmen and townswomen. We subsequently go into several of the rooms, +all beautifully clean, and in most cases tastefully decorated by the +inmates with a few pictures, prints, and flowers, and find that the +present occupants are ten almsmen and six women. We have a chat with one +of the almsmen,--a hearty old man, once the beadle of St. Margaret's +Church,--who rejoices in the name of Peter Weller, and whom we find to +be well up in his _Pickwick_. There are a resident head-nurse and three +other resident nurses in the establishment, who occasionally go out to +nurse the sick in the city. In addition to these almshouses, a handsome +new hospital has been erected in the New Road, and partly endowed +(L1,000 a year) out of the funds. Contributions are also made annually +from the same source towards the support of the Public Baths, and for +apprenticing deserving lads. Such is the development of this remarkable +Charity. + +The matron calls our attention to many interesting names in the +Visitors' book. Under date of the 11th May, 1854, are the signatures, in +good bold writing, of Charles Dickens and Mark Lemon; and in subsequent +entries, extending over many years, appear the names of Wilkie Collins, +W. H. Wills, W. G. Wills, Walter Besant, Thomas Adolphus Trollope, J. +Henry Shorthouse, Augustus J. C. Hare, and other well-known +_litterateurs_. As usual, there are also numerous names of Americans, +including those of Miss Mary Anderson and party. + +There are many curious remarks recorded in this book, such as an entry +dated 26th June, 1857, which says:--"Tossed by, and out of the Bull with +a crumpled horn, as no one would lend me five shillings, therefore +obliged to solicit the benefit of this excellent charity." There is an +admirable testimony in Latin, by the late Bishop of Lincoln, Dr. +Wordsworth, to the usefulness of the institution, which, dated 23rd +August, 1883, is as follows:--"_Esto perpetua obstantibus Caritatis +Commissionariis._" His Lordship's remark was probably in allusion to the +fact that the Charity Commissioners were (as we were afterwards +informed) inclined, some time ago, to abolish the Charity, but this +proceeding was stoutly and successfully resisted by the trustees. But +the most gratifying records which we see in the book consist of several +entries by recipients of the Charity themselves, who have subsequently +come again after prosperous times in the capacity of visitors, and thus +testified to the benefits received. Here is one:--"Having once enjoyed +the Charity, I wish it a long life." + +[Illustration: The "Six Poor Travellers" from the Rear] + +[Illustration: A DORMITORY in the "Six Poor Travellers"] + +[Illustration: Gallery Leading to the Dormitories] + +A clerk has the responsibility of making a careful selection of six from +the number of applicants, and this appears to be no light task, inasmuch +as the "prescribed number of Poor Travellers are forthcoming every +night from year's end to year's end," and sometimes amount to fifty in a +day. In selecting the persons to be admitted, care is taken that, unless +under special circumstances, the same person be not admitted for more +than one night, and in no case for more than two consecutive nights. A +glance over the register shows that the names include almost all trades +and occupations; and, as regards the fact of a great many coming from +Kentish towns, Dartford, Greenwich, Canterbury, Maidstone, etc., we are +informed, in reply to our enquiry, that this is no criterion of the real +residence, because the place where the traveller last lodged is always +entered. The matron told us a story of a clever attempt to obtain +admission by a Poor Traveller "with a tin whistle and very gentlemanly +hands," who subsequently turned out to be a reporter from the _Echo_, in +which paper there afterwards appeared an account of the Charity, called +_On Tramp by an Amateur_. + +We are shown over the premises--scrupulously neat and clean--and observe +that there are excellent lavatories with foot-pans, and a pair of +slippers provided for each recipient. We afterwards see the six Poor +Travellers who have had their supper, and are comfortably smoking their +pipes in a snug room, and we have a pleasant and interesting chat with +them. They are much above the condition of ordinary tramps, and are +lodged in six separate bedrooms, or "dormitories" which open out of a +gallery at the back part of the building, a very curious structure, +remaining just as it was in the days of Queen Elizabeth. For supper, +each man is allowed half a pound of cooked meat, a pound of bread, and +half-a-pint of porter, and receives fourpence in money on leaving. It is +right to state that we heard complaints in the city relating to the evil +effects of a number of poor travellers being attracted to the Charity +daily, when but a few can obtain relief. + +[Illustration: Satis House.] + +Respecting the Worshipful Master Richard Watts himself very little is +known, except that he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth in 1560 to be the +surveyor and clerk of the works for the building of Upnor Castle; that +he was paymaster to the Wardens of Rochester Bridge for some years +previously; that he was recorder of Rochester, and represented the city +in Parliament from 1563 to 1571, and that he resided at "Satis House," +which stood on the site of the modern residence bearing the same name, +now occupied by Mrs. Booth, a little to the south of the Cathedral, but +which must not, however, be confounded with the Satis House of _Great +Expectations_, this latter, as has been previously explained, being +identical with Restoration House, in Crow Lane. When Queen Elizabeth +visited Rochester in 1573, Watts had the honour of entertaining Her +Majesty there, on the last day of her residence in "the ancient city"; +and to his expressions of regret at having no better accommodation to +offer, the Queen was pleased generously to reply, "Satis," by which name +the house has ever since been known. Estella, in _Great Expectations_, +gives another view of the origin of the name. She says:--"Its other +name was Satis; which is Greek, or Latin, or Hebrew, or all three--or +all one to me--for enough: but it meant more than it said. It meant, +when it was given, that whoever had this house, could want nothing else. +They must have been easily satisfied in those days, I should think." +Archbishop Longley was born there in 1794. + +[Illustration: Watts's Monument in Rochester Cathedral. + +_Over the Memorial Brass of Charles Dickens._] + +There is a monument to the proctor-hating philanthropist on the wall of +the south transept of the Cathedral over the brass to Charles Dickens, +surmounted by a very curious painted marble half-figure effigy with +flowing beard, of "worthy Master Richard starting out of it, like a +ship's figurehead." Underneath is the following epitaph:-- + + Sacred to the Memory of + =Richard Watts, Esq.=, + a principal Benefactor to this City, + who departed this life Sept. 10, 1579, at + his Mansion house on Bully Hill, called SATIS + (so named by Q. ELIZABETH of glorious memory), + and lies interr'd near this place, as by his Will doth + plainly appear. By which Will, dated Aug. 22, and + proved Sep. 25, 1579, he founded an Almshouse + for the relief of poor people and for the reception + of six poor Travelers every night, and for + imploying the poor of this City. + + * * * * * + + The Mayor and Citizens of this City, + in testimony of their Gratitude and his Merit, + have erected this Monument, A.D. 1736. + RICHARD WATTS, ESQ., + then Mayor. + +Over and over again, in the various roads and lanes which we traverse, +in the county famous for "apples, cherries, hops, and women," we have +ample opportunities of verifying the experience of Dickens, and indeed +of many other observers (including David Copperfield, who met numbers of +"ferocious-looking ruffians"), as to the prevalence of tramps, not all +of whom appear eligible as recipients of Watts's Charity! Our fraternity +seems to be ubiquitous, and had we the purse of Fortunatus, it would +hardly suffice to satisfy their requirements. What a wonderfully +thoughtful, descriptive, and exhaustive chapter is that on "Tramps" in +_The Uncommercial Traveller!_ We believe Rochester and Strood Hill must +have been in Dickens's mind when he penned it. Every species and every +variety of tramp is herein described,--The surly Tramp, The slinking +Tramp, The well-spoken young-man Tramp, The John Anderson Tramp, Squire +Pouncerby's Tramp, The show Tramp, The educated Tramp, The tramping +Soldier, The tramping Sailor, The Tramp handicraft man, Clock-mending +Tramps, Harvest Tramps, Hopping Tramps and Spectator Tramps--but perhaps +the most amusing of all is the following:-- + + "The young fellows who trudge along barefoot, five + or six together, their boots slung over their + shoulders, their shabby bundles under their arms, + their sticks newly cut from some roadside wood, + are not eminently prepossessing, but are much less + objectionable. There is a tramp-fellowship among + them. They pick one another up at resting + stations, and go on in companies. They always go + at a fast swing--though they generally limp + too--and there is invariably one of the company + who has much ado to keep up with the rest. They + generally talk about horses, and any other means + of locomotion than walking: or, one of the company + relates some recent experiences of the road--which + are always disputes and difficulties. As for + example. So as I'm a standing at the pump in the + market, blest if there don't come up a Beadle, and + he ses, 'Mustn't stand here,' he ses. 'Why not?' I + ses. 'No beggars allowed in this town,' he ses. + 'Who's a beggar?' I ses. 'You are,' he ses. 'Who + ever see _me_ beg? Did _you_?' I ses. 'Then you're + a tramp,' he ses. 'I'd rather be that than a + Beadle,' I ses. (The company express great + approval.) 'Would you?' he ses to me. 'Yes, I + would,' I ses to him. 'Well,' he ses, 'anyhow, get + out of this town.' 'Why, blow your little town!' I + ses, 'who wants to be in it? Wot does your dirty + little town mean by comin' and stickin' itself in + the road to anywhere? Why don't you get a shovel + and a barrer, and clear your town out o' people's + way?' (The company expressing the highest approval + and laughing aloud, they all go down the hill.)" + +It is worthy of consideration, and it is probably more than a mere +coincidence, to observe that some of the reforms which have been +effected in the management of the now munificent revenues of Richard +Watts's Charity were instigated as a sequence to the appearance of +Dickens's imperishable stories, published under the title of _The Seven +Poor Travellers_. The Rev. Robert Whiston, with whom we chatted on the +subject, is of opinion that the late Lord Brougham is entitled to the +credit for reforms in this and other charities. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +AN AFTERNOON AT GAD'S HILL PLACE. + + "It was just large enough, and no more; was as + pretty within as it was without, and was perfectly + arranged and comfortable."--_Little Dorrit._ + + "This has been a happy home. . . . I love + it. . . ."--_The Cricket on the Hearth._ + + +A NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN day was Saturday, the twenty-fifth of August, +1888, a day remarkable, as were many of the closing days of the summer +of that year, for its bright, sunny, and cheerful nature. The sky was a +deep blue--usually described as an Italian sky--broken only by a few +fleecy, cumulus clouds, which served to bring out more clearly the rich +colour of the background. There was a fine bracing air coming from the +north-west, for which the county of Kent is famous. Truly an enjoyable +day for a holiday! and one that Dickens himself would have loved to +describe. So after a desultory stroll about the streets of Rochester, +one of many delightful strolls, we make our first outward tramp, and +that of course to Gad's Hill. By the way, much attention has been +devoted to the consideration of the derivation of the name, "Gad's +Hill." It is no doubt a corruption of "God's Hill," of which there are +two so-called places in the county, and there is also a veritable +"God's Hill" a little further south, in the Isle of Wight. + +[Illustration: Rochester from Strood Hill.] + +Crossing Rochester Bridge, we enter the busy town of Strood, pass +through its long thoroughfare, go up the Dover Road,--which was the +ancient Roman military road afterwards called Watling Street, until a +little above Strood it turned slightly to the left, passing through what +is now Cobham Park,--and leave the windmill on Broomhill to the right. +The ground rises gently, the chalk formation being exposed here and +there in disused pits. A portion of the road higher up is cut through +the Thanet sands, which rest on the chalk. Again and again we stop, and +turn to admire the winding valley of the Medway. As we get more into the +country and leave the town behind, we find the roadsides still decked +with summer flowers, notably the fine dark blue Canterbury bell--the +nettle-leaved Campanula (_Campanula Trachelium_)--and the exquisite +light-blue chicory (_Cichorium Intybus_); but the flowers of the latter +are so evanescent that, when gathered, they fade in an hour or two. This +beautiful starlike-blossomed plant is abundant in many parts of Kent. +We pass on the right the pretty high-standing grounds of Mr. Hulkes at +the "Little Hermitage," and notice the obelisk further to the right on +still higher land, erected about fifty years ago to the memory of +Charles Larkin (a name very suggestive of "the eldest Miss Larkins") of +Rochester,--"a parish orator and borough Hampden"--by his grateful +fellow-citizens. + +A walk of less than three miles brings us to the "Sir John Falstaff"--"a +delightfully old-fashioned roadside inn of the coaching days, which +stands on the north side of the road a little below 'Gad's Hill Place,' +and which no man possessed of a penny was ever known to pass in warm +weather." + +Mr. Kitton relates in _Dickensiana_ the following amusing story of a +former waiter at the "Falstaff":-- + +"A few days after Dickens's death, an Englishman, deeply grieved at the +event, made a sort of pilgrimage to Gad's Hill--to the home of the great +novelist. He went into the famous 'Sir John Falstaff Inn' near at hand, +and in the effusiveness of his honest emotions, he could not avoid +taking the country waiter into his confidence. + +"'A great loss this of Mr. Dickens,' said the pilgrim. + +"'A very great loss to us, sir,' replied the waiter, shaking his head; +'he had all his ale sent in from this house!'" + +One of the two lime-trees only remains, but the well and bucket--as +recorded by the _Uncommercial Traveller_ in the chapter on "Tramps"--are +there still, surrounded by a protective fence. + +[Illustration: The "Sir John Falstaff" Inn, Gad's Hill.] + +We have but little time to notice the "Falstaff," for our admiring gaze +is presently fixed on Gad's Hill Place itself, the house in which +Dickens resided happily--albeit trouble came to him as to most +men--from the year 1856 till his death in 1870. Everybody knows the +story of how, as a little boy, he cherished the idea of one day living +in this house, and how that idea was gratified in after-life. It is from +the _Uncommercial Traveller_, in the chapter on "Travelling Abroad," and +the repetition is never stale. He says:-- + + "So smooth was the old high road, and so fresh + were the horses, and so fast went I, that it was + midway between Gravesend and Rochester, and the + widening river was bearing the ships, white-sailed + or black-smoked, out to sea, when I noticed by the + wayside a very queer small boy. + + "'Holloa!' said I to the very queer small boy, + 'where do you live?' + + "'At Chatham,' says he. + + "'What do you do there?' says I. + + "'I go to school,' says he. + + "I took him up in a moment, and we went on. + Presently, the very queer small boy says, 'This is + Gad's Hill we are coming to, where Falstaff went + out to rob those travellers, and ran away.' + + "'You know something about Falstaff, eh?' said I. + + "'All about him,' said the very queer small boy. + 'I am old (I am nine), and I read all sorts of + books. But _do_ let us stop at the top of the + hill, and look at the house there, if you please!' + + "'You admire that house?' said I. + + "'Bless you, sir,' said the very queer small boy, + 'when I was not more than half as old as nine, it + used to be a treat for me to be brought to look at + it. And now, I am nine, I come by myself to look + at it. And ever since I can recollect, my father, + seeing me so fond of it, has often said to me, 'If + you were to be very persevering, and were to work + hard, you might some day come to live in it.' + Though that's impossible!' said the very queer + small boy, drawing a low breath, and now staring + at the house out of window with all his might. + + "I was rather amazed to be told this by the very + queer small boy; for that house happens to be _my_ + house, and I have reason to believe that what he + said was true." + +[Illustration: Gadshill Place] + +Mrs. Lynn Linton, the celebrated novelist, who resided at Gad's Hill as +a child, has very kindly given us her personal recollections of it sixty +years ago, and of the interesting circumstances under which Charles +Dickens subsequently purchased the property;--which will be found at the +end of this chapter. + +Before seeking permission to enter the grounds of Gad's Hill Place, +which are surrounded by a high wall, and screened externally by a row of +well-topped lime-trees, we retrace our steps for a few minutes, in order +to refresh ourselves with a homely luncheon, and what Mr. Richard +Swiveller would call a "modest quencher," at the Sir John Falstaff. It +may be certain that not much time is consumed in this operation. We then +take a good look at the remarkable house opposite, the object of our +pilgrimage, which has been made well known by countless photographs and +engravings. It is a comfortable, but a not very attractive-looking +red-brick house of two stories, with porch at entrance, partly covered +with ivy. All the front windows, with the exception of the central ones, +are bayed, and there are dormer windows in the roof, which is surmounted +by a bell-turret and vane. What a strange fascination it has for +admirers of Dickens when seen for the first time! According to Forster, +in his _Life_ of the novelist, the house was built in 1780 by a +well-known local character named James Stevens, who rose to a good +position. He was the father-in-law of the late Professor Henslow, the +Botanist, of Cambridge. Dickens paid for it the sum of L1,790, and the +purchase was completed on Friday, 14th March, 1856. The present owner is +Major Austin F. Budden,[11] of the 12th Kent Artillery Volunteers, who, +we find, in the course of subsequent conversation, had also done good +municipal service, having filled the office of Mayor of Rochester for +two years,--from 1879 to 1881,--and that he was elected at the early age +of twenty-eight. + +We ring the bell at the gate which shuts the house out from view, and +are promptly answered by a pleasant-speaking housemaid, who takes our +cards on a salver, and ushers us into the library. We are requested to +enter our names in the visitors' book, and this is done with alacrity. +We are under the impression that we shall only be allowed to see the +hall and study, a privilege allowed to any visitor on presentation of a +card; but fortunately for us the courteous owner appears, and says that, +as he has half an hour to spare, he will show us entirely over the +house. He is better than his word, and we, delighted with the prospect, +commence our inspection of the late home of the great novelist with +feelings of singular pleasure, which are altogether a new sensation. Do +any readers remember, when perusing the Waverley novels in their youth, +a certain longing (as the height of their ambition, possibly gratified +in after-life) to see Abbotsford, the home of the "Wizard of the North"? +_That_ is a feeling akin to the one which possesses us on the present +occasion, a feeling of veneration almost amounting to awe as we recall, +and seem to realize, not only the presence of Charles Dickens himself, +but of the many eminent literary, artistic, and histrionic +characters--his contemporaries--who assembled here, and shared the +hospitality of the distinguished owner. "Dickens penetrates here--where +does not his genial sunshine penetrate?" + +Turning over the leaves of the visitors' book, Major Budden calls our +attention to the signatures of Americans, who constitute by far the +majority of visitors. Among the more recent appears the name of that +accomplished actress, Miss Mary Anderson--herself a great admirer of +Charles Dickens--who came accompanied by a party of friends. We also +found her name, with the same party, in the visitors' book at Richard +Watts's Charity in Rochester. Major Budden spoke also of the great +enthusiasm always exhibited by our American friends in regard to +Dickens, some of whom had told him more than once that it was the custom +to instruct their children in a knowledge of his works: they read them, +in fact, in the schools. + +The library, or study, is a very cosy little room, made famous by Mr. +Luke Fildes's picture of "The Empty Chair." It is situated on the west +side of the porch, looking to the front, with the shrubbery in the +distance; and among the most conspicuous objects contained in it are the +curious counterfeit book-backs devised by Dickens and his friends, and +arranged as shelves to fit the door of the room. They number nearly +eighty, and a selection is given below of a few of the quaintest titles, +viz.:-- + +The Quarrelly Review. 4 vols. + +King Henry the Eighth's Evidences of Christianity. 5 vols. + +Noah's Arkitecture. 2 vols. + +[Illustration: PG from the Drawing of S. L. Fildes + +"The empty chair" Gad's Hill Ninth of June 1870.] + +Chickweed. + +Groundsel (by the Author of Chickweed). + +Cockatoo on Perch. + +History of a Short Chancery Suit. 21 vols. + +Cats' Lives. 9 vols. + +Hansard's Guide to Refreshing Sleep (many volumes). + +The Wisdom of our Ancestors--I. Ignorance. II. Superstition. III. The +Block. IV. The Stake. V. The Rack. VI. Dirt. VII. Disease. + +Several of the titles were used for a similar purpose at Tavistock +House, London--Dickens's former residence. + +We cannot help, as we sit down quietly for a few minutes, wondering how +much of _Little Dorrit_, _Hunted Down_, _A Tale of Two Cities_, _Great +Expectations_, _The Uncommercial Traveller_, _Our Mutual Friend_, and +_The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ (which were all issued between 1856 and +1870) was written in this famous room, to say nothing of those heaps of +exquisite letters which so helped, cheered, interested, or amused many a +correspondent, and have delighted the public since. + +In the hall, which has the famous parquet floor laid down by Dickens, is +still hanging the framed illumination, artistically executed by Owen +Jones, and placed there immediately after Dickens became the "Kentish +freeholder on his native heath" as he called it. It is as follows:-- + + This House, + GAD'S HILL PLACE, + stands on the summit of Shakespeare's Gad's Hill, + ever memorable for its association with + Sir John Falstaff, in his noble fancy. + +[Illustration: Counterfeit Book-backs on Study Door.] + +"But, my lads, my lads, to-morrow morning by four o'clock early at Gad's +Hill. There are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and +traders riding to London with fat purses; I have vizards for you all; +you have horses for yourselves."[12] + +From the hall we enter the dining-room, a cheerful apartment looking on +to the beautiful lawn at the back, which has at the end the arched +conservatory of lilac-tinted glass at top, in which the novelist took so +much interest, and where he hung some Chinese lanterns, sent down from +London the day before his death. We are informed that in this building +he signed the last cheque which he drew, to pay his subscription to the +Higham Cricket Club. The door of the dining-room is faced with +looking-glass, so that it may reflect the contents of the conservatory. +Among these are two or three New Zealand tree-ferns which Dickens +himself purchased. In the dining-room Major Budden pointed out the exact +spot where the fatal seizure from effusion on the brain took place, on +the afternoon of Wednesday, 8th June, 1870, and where Dickens lay: +first on the floor to the right of the door on entering, and afterwards +to the left, when the couch was brought down (by order of Mr. Steele, +the surgeon of Strood, as we subsequently learned), upon which he +breathed his last. + +The drawing-room faces the front, and, like the dining-room, has been +lengthened, and opens into the conservatory. In fact, Dickens was always +improving Gad's Hill Place. There is a memorable reference to the +conservatory by Forster in the third vol. of the _Life_. He says:-- + +"This last addition had long been an object of desire with him, though +he would hardly, even now, have given himself the indulgence but for the +golden shower from America. He saw it first in a completed state on the +Sunday before his death, when his youngest daughter was on a visit to +him. + +"'Well, Katey,' he said to her, 'now you see POSITIVELY the last +improvement at Gad's Hill,' and every one laughed at the joke against +himself. The success of the new conservatory was unquestionable. It was +the remark of all around him, that he was certainly, from this last of +his improvements, drawing more enjoyment than from any of its +predecessors, when the scene for ever closed!" + +This room is a long one, and, in common with all the others, gives us, +under the auspices of the brilliantly fine day, some idea of the late +owner's love of light, air, and cheerfulness. That the situation is also +a healthy and bracing one is confirmed by the fact, that in a letter +written on board the _Russia_, bound for Liverpool, on the 26th April, +1868, after his second American tour, he speaks of having made a "Gad's +Hill breakfast." + +Our most considerate cicerone next takes us into several of the +bedrooms, these being of large size, and having a little dressing-room +marked off with a partition, head-high, so that no cubic space is lost +to the main chamber. As illustrative of Charles Dickens's care for the +comfort of his friends, it is said that in the visitors' bedrooms there +was always hot water and a little tea-table set out, so that each one +could at any time make for himself a cup of the beverage "that cheers +but not inebriates." The views from these rooms are very charming. Mr. +W. T. Wildish afterwards told us, that during the novelist's life-time, +Mr. Trood, the landlord of the Sir John Falstaff, once took him over +Gad's Hill Place, and he was surprised to find Dickens's own bath-room +covered with cuttings from _Punch_ and other comic papers. I have since +learned that this was a screen of engravings which had originally been +given him. + +The gardens, both flower and vegetable, are then pointed out--the +approach thereto from the back lawn being by means of a flight of +steps--as also the rosary, which occupies a portion of the front lawn to +the westward. The roses are of course past their best, but the trees +look very healthy. + +In the flower garden we are especially reminded of Dickens's love for +flowers, the China-asters, single dahlias, and zinnias being of +exceptional brightness. As to the violets, which are here in abundance, +both the Neapolitan and Russian varieties, the Major shows us a method +of cultivating them, first in frames, and then in single rows, so that +he can get them in bloom for nearly nine months in the year! + +Adjoining the lawn and vegetable garden is "the much-coveted meadow," +which the master of Gad's Hill obtained by exchange of some land with +the trustees of Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School at +Rochester, and in which he planted "a number of limes and chestnuts, +and other quick-growing trees." Four grass walks meet in the centre of +the vegetable garden, where there is a fine old mulberry tree. + +It is stated in Forster's _Life_ of the novelist (Vol. iii. p. 188) that +Dickens obtained the meadow by exchange of some land "with the Trustees +of Watts's Charity." But this is not right. The distinguished historian +of the Commonwealth, and the faithful friend of the novelist all through +his life, is so habitually accurate, that it is an exceptional +circumstance for any one to be able to correct him. However, I am +indebted to Mr. A. A. Arnold, of Rochester, for the following authentic +account of the transaction. + +Dickens was always anxious to obtain this meadow (which consists of +about fourteen acres), and, believing that the Trustees of Sir Joseph +Williamson's Mathematical School at Rochester were not empowered to sell +their land, he purchased a field at the back of his own shrubbery from +Mr. Brooker, of Higham, with a view--as appears from the following +characteristically courteous and business-like letter--to effect an +exchange. + + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + _Monday, Thirtieth June, 1862._ + + "GENTLEMEN, + + "Reverting to a proposal already made in general + terms by my solicitor, Mr. Ouvry, of Lincoln's Inn + Fields, to Messrs. Essel and Co., I beg to submit + my application to you in detail. + + "It is that you will have the kindness to consider + the feasibility of exchanging the field at the + back of my property here (marked 404 in the + accompanying plan), for the plot of land marked + 384 in the said plan. + + [Illustration: Gad's Hill Place from the rear.] + + "I believe it will appear to you, on inquiry, that + the land I offer in exchange for the meadow is + very advantageously situated, and is of greater + extent than the meadow, and would be of greater + value to the Institution, whose interests you + represent. On the other hand, the acquisition of + the meadow as a freehold would render my little + property more compact and complete. + + "I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, + Your faithful and obedient Servant, + CHARLES DICKENS. + + "To the Governors of + Sir Joseph Williamson's Free School, + Rochester." + +The offer fell through at the time; but it was renewed in 1868 in a +different form, and eventually the field was sold (by permission of the +Charity Commissioners) to Charles Dickens at an "accommodation" +price--L2,500--which really exceeded its actual market value. + +[Illustration: The Grave of Dick] + +But to resume our inspection. The whole of the back of the house, +looking southward, is covered by a Virginia creeper (_Ampelopsis +quinquefolia_) of profuse growth, which must be an object of singular +beauty in the autumn when the crimson tints appear. As it now stands it +is beautifully green, and there is scarcely more than a leaf or two here +and there marking autumnal decay. The two famous hawthorn trees were +blown down in a gale some years ago. + +In a quiet corner under a rose-tree (_Gloire de Dijon_), flanked by a +_Yucca_ in bloom, the bed underneath consisting of deep blue lobelia, +is a touching little memorial to a favourite canary. This consists of a +narrow little board, made like a head-stone, and set aslant, on which is +painted in neat letters the following epitaph:-- + + This is + the grave of + DICK, + the best of birds, + born + AT BROADSTAIRS, + _Midsummer_, 1851, + died + AT GAD'S HILL PLACE, + _4th October, 1866_. + +No one can doubt who was the author of these simple lines. "Dick," it +should be said, "was very dear both to Dickens and his eldest daughter," +and he has been immortalized in Forster's _Life_. There is a very +humorous account given of the attacks which the cats in the +neighbourhood made upon him, and which were frustrated by an organized +defence. The following is the passage:-- + +"Soon after the arrival of Dickens and his family at Gad's Hill Place, a +household war broke out, in which the commander-in-chief was his man +French, the bulk of the forces engaged being his children, and the +invaders two cats." Writing to Forster, Dickens says:--"'The only thing +new in this garden is that war is raging against two particularly +tigerish and fearful cats (from the mill, I suppose), which are always +glaring in dark corners after our wonderful little Dick. Keeping the +house open at all points, it is impossible to shut them out, and they +hide themselves in the most terrific manner: hanging themselves up +behind draperies, like bats, and tumbling out in the dead of night with +frightful caterwaulings. Hereupon French borrows Beaucourt's gun, loads +the same to the muzzle, discharges it twice in vain, and throws himself +over with the recoil, exactly like a clown. . . . About four pounds of +powder and half a ton of shot have been fired off at the cat (and the +public in general) during the week. The funniest thing is, that +immediately after I have heard the noble sportsman blazing away at her +in the garden in front, I look out of my room door into the +drawing-room, and am pretty sure to see her coming in after the birds, +in the calmest manner possible, by the back window.'" + +Passing on our way the large and well-lighted servants' hall, over which +is the bachelors' room,--whence in days gone by that rare literary +serial, _The Gad's Hill Gazette_,[13] issued from a little printing +press, presented by a friend to the sixth son of the novelist, who +encouraged his boy's literary tastes,--we next see the stables, as +usual, like everything else, in excellent order. A small statue of Fame +blowing her golden trumpet surmounts the bachelors' room, and looks down +upon us encouragingly. + +Our attention is then turned to the well, which is stated to be two +hundred and seventeen feet deep, in the shed, or pumping-room, over +which is the Major's mare, "Tell-tale," cheerfully doing her daily +twenty minutes' task of drawing water, which is pumped up to the cistern +on the roof for the supply of the house. There is said to be never less +than twenty feet of water in the well. + +[Illustration: The Well at Gad's Hill Place] + +It may be interesting to mention that Gad's Hill Place ("the title of my +estate, sir, my place down in Kent"), which is in the parish of Higham, +and about twenty-six miles from London, stands on an elevation two +hundred and fifty feet above mean sea-level. The house itself is built +on a bed of the Thanet sands. The well is bored right through these +sands, which Mr. W. H. Whitaker, F.R.S., of H. M. Geological Survey (who +has kindly given me some valuable information on the subject), states +"may be about forty feet thick, and the water is drawn up from the bed +of chalk beneath. This bed is of great thickness, probably six hundred +or seven hundred feet, and the well simply reaches the level at which +the chalk is charged with water, _i. e._ something a little higher than +the level of the neighbouring river." The chalk is exposed on the lower +bases of Gad's Hill, such as the Railway Station at Higham, the village +of Chalk, the town of Strood, etc. + +There are humorous extracts from letters by Dickens in Forster's _Life_ +respecting the well, which may appropriately be introduced. He says:-- + +"We are still (6th of July) boring for water here, at the rate of two +pounds per day for wages. The men seem to like it very much, and to be +perfectly comfortable." . . . And again, "Here are six men perpetually +going up and down the well (I know that somebody will be killed), in the +course of fitting a pump; which is quite a railway terminus--it is so +iron, and so big. The process is much more like putting Oxford Street +endwise, and laying gas along it, than anything else. By the time it is +finished, the cost of this water will be something absolutely frightful. +But of course it proportionately increases the value of the property, +and that's my only comfort. . . . Five men have been looking attentively +at the pump for a week, and (I should hope) may begin to fit it in the +course of October." The depression caused by the prospect of the +"absolutely frightful" cost of the water seems to have continued to the +end of the letter, for it thus concludes:--"The horse has gone lame from +a sprain, the big dog has run a tenpenny nail into one of his hind feet, +the bolts have all flown out of the basket carriage, and the gardener +says all the fruit trees want replacing with new ones." + +[Illustration: The Porch, Gad's Hill Place.] + +Two of the Major's dogs are chained in the places formerly occupied by +Dickens's dogs, "Linda" and "Turk." The chains are very long, and allow +the animals plenty of room for exercise. The space between the two +permitted a person to walk past without their being able to come near +him; and, as an instance of Dickens's thoughtful kindliness even to the +lower animals, two holes were made in the wall so that the dogs could +get through in hot weather, and lie in the shade of the trees on the +other side. On the back gate entering into the lane at the side of the +house was painted, "Beware of the dogs!" This caution appears to have +been very necessary, for we heard more than once the story of an +intrusive tramp who trespassed, and going too near the dogs, got sadly +mauled. Dickens, with characteristic goodness, sent him at once to +Chatham Hospital, and otherwise healed his wounds. + +We are next conducted round the grounds, and have an opportunity of +examining the front of the house more in detail. The porch is flanked by +two cosy seats, the pretty little spade-shaped shields, and lateral +angular ornamental supports on the back of which, we are informed, were +constructed of pieces of wood from Shakespeare's furniture given to +Dickens by a friend. A large variegated holly grows on either side of +the porch, and a semi-circular gravel walk leads to the door. There is a +closely-cut lawn in front, and opposite the hollies are two fine +specimens of _Aucuba Japonica_--the so-called variegated laurel. + +[Illustration: The Cedars, Gad's Hill.] + +It will be remembered that the master of Gad's Hill had a tunnel +excavated under the Dover Road (which runs through the property), so as +to approach the "shrubbery" previously referred to, without having to +cross the open public road. We did not learn who constructed the tunnel, +but it was designed either by his brother, Mr. Alfred L. Dickens, who +died at Manchester in 1860, or by his brother-in-law, Mr. Henry Austin. +The entrance to the tunnel is by a flight of about twenty steps, flanked +by two beautifully-grown specimens of _Cedrus deodara_, the "deodar," +or god-tree of the Himalayas. The tunnel itself is cut through the +sands, and, being only a little longer than the width of the road, it is +not at all dark, but very pleasant and cool on a hot day. A +corresponding flight of steps leads us into the shrubbery, which is shut +off from the main road by iron railings only. Both ends of the tunnel +are covered with ivy, which has the effect of partially concealing the +openings. Readers of Forster's _Life_ will recollect that the Swiss +chalet presented to Dickens by his friend Fechter the actor, and in +which he spent his last afternoon, formerly stood in the shrubbery. The +chalet now stands in the terrace-garden of Cobham Hall. + +Before we reach the exact place we have an opportunity of examining the +two stately cedar trees (_Cedrus Libani_) which are the arboreal gems of +the place. Major Budden informs us that they are about one hundred and +twenty-eight years old, and were planted in their present position when +they had attained about twenty years' growth. Some idea of their +luxuriance may be formed when it is mentioned that the girth of each +tree exceeds sixteen feet, and the longest branch of one of them +measures eighty-four feet in length. In consequence of the habit of +these trees "fastigiating" at the base, a very numerous series of +lateral ramifying branches is the result. These branches spread out in +terraces, and the rich green foliage, covered with exudations of resin, +seems as though powdered silver had been lightly dusted over it. Each +tree extends over a circular area of about eighty feet of ground in +diameter. Under one of the cedars is the grave of "the big and beautiful +Linda," Dickens's favourite St. Bernard dog. One of the trees has been +injured, a large branch over-weighted with snow having broken off some +years ago. + +Two or three noble ash trees also grace this spot, running straight up +in a column some thirty-five feet before shooting out a canopy of +branches and leaves. There are also a few Scotch firs, the trunks well +covered with ivy, and a pretty specimen of the variegated sycamore. The +undergrowth of laurel, laurustinus, briar, privet, holly, etc., is very +luxuriant here, and the vacant ground is closely covered with the wood +anemone (_Anemone nemorosa_), which must form a continuous mass of +pearly white flowers in spring-time. + +The ground formerly occupied by the chalet is pointed out to us, its +site being marked by a bed of rich scarlet nasturtiums. It will be +recollected that Dickens describes the interior of the building in a +letter to an American friend, which is thus recorded in Forster's +_Life_:-- + +"Divers birds sing here all day, and the nightingales all night. The +place is lovely and in perfect order. . . . I have put five mirrors in +the chalet where I write, and they reflect and refract, in all kinds of +ways, the leaves that are quivering at the windows, and the great fields +of waving corn, and the sail-dotted river. My room is up among the +branches of the trees; and the birds and the butterflies fly in and out, +and the green branches shoot in at the open windows, and the lights and +shadows of the clouds come and go with the rest of the company. The +scent of the flowers, and indeed of everything that is growing for miles +and miles, is most delicious." + +But the glory of Gad's Hill Place is reserved for us until the close of +our visit, when Major Budden very kindly takes us up to the roof, which +is approached by a commodious flight of steps; and here, on this +exceptionally fine day, we are privileged to behold a prospect of +surpassing beauty. Right away to the westward is the great Metropolis, +its presence being marked by the usual pall of greyish smoke. Opening +from the town, and becoming wider and wider as the noble river +approaches its estuary, is the Thames, now conspicuous by numerous +vessels, showing masts and white and brown sails, and here and there by +the smoky track of a steamer. + +We remember how often the city and the river have been the scene of many +and many an exploit in Dickens's novels. Northward are the dreary +marshes, the famous "meshes" of _Great Expectations_, hereafter to be +noticed. Then far to the eastward runs the valley of the Medway, the +picturesque city of Rochester thereon being crowned by those conspicuous +landmarks, its magnificent Castle and ancient Cathedral. In the +background is the busy town of Chatham, its heights being capped by an +enormous square and lofty building erected by the sect called +"Jezreelites," whatever that may be. We were informed that the so-called +"immortal" leader had just died, and it has since been reported that the +gloomy building is likely to be converted into a huge jam factory. +Beyond, and nearly seven miles off, is the high land called "Blue Bell," +about three hundred feet above mean sea-level, and all along to the +south the undulating grounds and beautiful woodland scenery of Cobham +Park complete the picture. + +[Illustration: View from the Roof of Dickens's House at Gad's Hill] + +As Major Budden points out in detail these many natural beauties of the +district, we can quite understand and sympathize with Dickens's love for +this exquisite spot; and we heartily congratulate the present owner of +Gad's Hill Place on the charming historical property which he possesses, +and which, so far as we can perceive (all honour to him), is kept in the +same excellent condition that characterized it during the novelist's +lifetime. What is particularly striking about it is at once its +compactness, completeness, and unpretentiousness. + +Descending to the library, whence we started nearly three hours +previously, we refresh ourselves with a glass of water from the +celebrated deep well--a draught deliciously cool and clear--which the +hospitable Major presses us to "dilute" (as Professor Huxley has +somewhere said) in any way we please, but which we prefer to drink, as +Dickens himself drank it--pure. Before we rise to leave the spot we have +so long wished to see, and which we have now gone over to our hearts' +content, we sadly recall to memory for a moment the "last scene of all +that ends this strange, eventful history,"--that tragic incident which +occurred on Thursday, 9th June, 1870, when there was an "empty chair" at +Gad's Hill Place, and all intelligent English-speaking nations +experienced a personal sorrow. + +And so with many grateful acknowledgments to our kind and courteous +host, who gives us some nice flowers and cuttings as a parting souvenir, +we take our leave, having derived from our bright sunny visit to Gad's +Hill Place that "wave of pleasure" which Mr. Herbert Spencer describes +as "raising the rate of respiration,--raised respiration being an index +of raised vital activities in general." In fine, the impression left on +our minds is such as to induce us to feel that we understand and +appreciate more of Dickens's old home than any illustration or written +description of it, however excellent, had hitherto adequately conveyed +to us. We have seen it for ourselves. + + * * * * * + +The reminiscences which follow are from Mrs. Lynn Linton and three of +Charles Dickens's nearest neighbours. + + +GAD'S HILL SIXTY YEARS AGO. + +The early love which Charles Dickens felt for Gad's Hill House, and his +boyish ambition to be one day its owner, had been already anticipated by +my father. As a boy and young man, my father's heart was set on this +place; and when my grandfather's death put him in sufficient funds he +bought it. Being a beneficed clergyman, both of whose livings were in +the extreme north of England, he could not live in the house; but he +kept it empty for many years, always hoping to get leave of absence from +the Bishop for a term long enough to justify the removal of his large +family from Keswick to Rochester. In 1831 a five years' leave of absence +was granted; and we all came up by coach to this Mecca of my father's +love. We were three days and three nights on the road; and I remember +quite distinctly the square courtyard and outside balcony of the old +Belle Sauvage Inn, where we put up on our arrival in London. I remember, +too, the powerful scent of the Portugal laurel and the bay-tree which +grew on the right-hand side of Gad's Hill House as we entered--brought +out by the warm damp of the late autumn afternoon. In our time all the +outhouses had leaden figures on the top. There was a cupola with an +alarm bell, which one night was rung lustily, to the terror of the whole +neighbourhood, and the ashamed discovery among ourselves that rats were +not burglars. In the shrubbery were two large leaden figures of Pomona +and Vertumnus, standing on each side of the walk leading up to the +arbour. We had then two arbours--one opposite the house at the end of +the green walk, and another in a dilapidated state further in the +shrubbery. They were built of big flint stones, many of which had holes +in them, where small birds made their nests. I remember in one was a +tomtit which was quite tame, and used to fly in and out while we were +watching it. The two cedars, which I believe are still there, were a +little choked and overshadowed by a large oak-tree, which my father cut +down. Between seventy and eighty coaches, "vans," and mail-carts passed +our house during the day, besides private carriages, specially those of +travellers posting to or from Dover. Regiments, too, often passed on +their way to Gravesend, where they embarked for India; and ships' +companies, paid off, rowdy and half-tipsy, made the road really +dangerous for the time being. We used to lock the two gates when we +heard them coming, shouting and singing up the hill; and we had to stand +many a mimic siege from the blue-jackets trying to force their way in. +Sweet-water grapes grew and ripened in the open air over the wash-house; +and the back of the house was covered with a singularly fine and +luscious jargonelle pear. The garden was rich in apples. We had many +kinds, from the sweet and pulpy nonsuch, to the small tight little +pearmain and lemon pippin. We had nonpareils, golden pippins, brown and +golden russets, Ribstone pippins, and what we called a port-wine +apple--the flesh red, like that of the "blood-oranges." The small +orchard to the right was as rich in cherry-trees, filberts, and cobnuts. +In the garden we had a fig-tree, and the mulberry-tree, which is still +there, was in full bearing in our time. The garden altogether was +wonderfully prolific in flowers as well as fruits--roses as well as +strawberries and apples; and the green-house was full of grapes. +Nightingales sang in the trees near the house, and the shrubbery was +full of song birds. We had a grand view from the leads, where we used +sometimes to go, and whence I remember seeing a farmyard fire over at +Higham--which fire they said had been caused by an incendiary. There was +a Low Church clergyman in the neighbourhood who might have been Chadband +or Stiggins. He was fond of some girls we knew, and called them his +"lambs." He used to put his arm round their waists, and they sat on his +knees quite naturally. I myself heard him preach at Shorne against the +institution of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. He said it was not only +superstitious but irreligious; as pancakes meant "pan Kakon," all evil. +This I, then a girl of thirteen or so, heard and remember. When my +father died his property had to be sold, as he did not make an eldest +son. Mr. W. H. Wills, the trusty friend of Charles Dickens, and editor +of _Household Words_ and _All The Year Round_, was also a friend of +mine. We met at a dinner, and he spoke to me about Gad's Hill, but as if +he wanted to buy it for himself. He was afraid to mention Charles +Dickens's name, lest we should ask too much. So he told me afterwards. I +had been left executrix under my father's will, being then the only +unmarried daughter; and I took the news to our solicitor and +co-executor, Mr. Loaden. He wrote to Mr. Wills, and the sale was +effected. We scored a little triumph over the "ornamental timber." Mr. +Dickens objected to our price; the case was submitted to an arbitrator, +and we got more than we originally asked. But there was never one moment +of pique on either side, nor a drop of bad blood as the consequence. It +was always a matter for a laugh and a joke between Mr. Wills and myself. +When we first went to Gad's Hill there was a fish-pond at the back; but +my father had it filled up, lest one of his adventurous little ones +should tumble in. Officers used to come up from Chatham to the Falstaff, +and have pigeon matches in our big field; and one of the sights which +used to delight our young eyes, was the gallant bearing and gay uniforms +of the Commandant at Chatham, when he and his staff rode by. We were +great walkers in those days, and used to ramble over Cobham Park, and +round by Shorne, and down to the dreary marshes beyond Higham. But this +was not a favourite walk with us, and we girls never went there alone. +The banks on the Rochester road--past Davies's Straits--were full of +sweet violets, white and purple; and the fungi, lichens, flowers, and +ferns about Shorne and Cobham yet linger in my memory as things of +rarest beauty. We always thought that the coachman, "Old Chumley," as he +was called, was old Weller. He was a fine, cheery, trustworthy man; and +once when my father was in London, he had one of my sisters and +myself--girls then about fifteen and thirteen--put under his charge to +be delivered to him at the end of the journey. The dear old fellow took +as much care of us as if he had been our father himself. I remember my +brothers gave him a new whip, and he was very fond of us all. + + E. L. L. + + * * * * * + +* * * We had at a subsequent visit to Gad's Hill Place, on the +invitation of our hospitable friends, Major and Mrs. Budden, the +pleasure of a long and interesting conversation with Mr. James Hulkes, +J.P., of the Little Hermitage, Frindsbury, a Kentish man, who came to +live here more than sixty years ago, and who was thus a very near +neighbour of Charles Dickens during the whole of the time that he +resided at Gad's Hill Place. We were shown into a delightful room at the +back of the house, overlooking the shrubberies of the mansion--in the +distance appearing the high ground on which stands the monument to +Charles Larkin. The room is a happy combination of part workshop, with a +fine lathe and assortment of tools fitted round it--part study, with a +nice collection of books, engravings and pictures (some of hunting +scenes) on the walls--and part naturalist's den, with cases of stuffed +birds and animals, guns and fishing-rods--the fragrant odour of tobacco +breathing friendly welcome to a visitor of smoking proclivities. The +varied tastes of the owner were sufficiently apparent, and a long chat +of over two hours seemed to us but a few minutes. + +Mr. Hulkes said he just remembered the road from Strood to Gad's Hill +being cut through the sands down to the chalk. It was for some time +afterwards called "Davies's Straits," after the Rev. George Davies, the +then Chairman of the Turnpike Road Board, and the term indicated the +difficulty and expense of the operation. Before the new road was cut, +the old highway constituting this part of the Dover Road was very hilly +and dangerous. + +Reverting to the subject of Charles Dickens, our relator remarked, "I +fear I cannot be of much use to you by giving information about Mr. +Dickens, as I only knew him as a kind friend, a very genial host, and a +most charming companion; to the poor he was always kind--a deserving +beggar never went from his house unrelieved." What indeed could be said +more! These few simple words, spoken so earnestly after a period of +nearly twenty years, sufficed to bring before us the lost neighbour +whose memory was so warmly cherished by his surviving friend. + +John Forster, in the _Life_, speaks of Mr. Hulkes as being "one of the +two nearest country neighbours with whom the [Dickens] family had become +very intimate," and mentions that both Mr. and Mrs. Hulkes were present +at the wedding of the novelist's second daughter, Kate, with Mr. Charles +Alston Collins. Mr. Hulkes spoke of the pleasant parties at Gad's Hill +Place, at which he met Mr. Forster, Mr. Wilkie Collins, Mr. Percy +Fitzgerald, Mr. Marcus Stone, Mr. H. F. Chorley, and many others; and +observed that, on the occasion of charades and private theatricals +there, Charles Dickens was always in fine form. He showed us an original +manuscript programme (of which we were allowed to take a copy), written +on half-a-sheet of foolscap; and from the fact that "_Gads Hill Gazette_ +Printing Office" appears in the corner it would seem that it was printed +on the occasion for the guests. It is as follows:-- + + + _December 31st, 1863._ + + "A night's exploit on Gad's Hill."--_Shakespeare._ + + =Her Majesty's Servants= + will have the honour of presenting + Three Charades!!! + + Each Charade is a word of two syllables, arranged + in three Scenes. The first scene is the first + syllable; the second is the second syllable; the + third scene is the entire word. + + (_At the end of each Charade the audience is + respectfully invited to name the word._) + + + +=Charade 1!= + + Scene I.--The awful end of the Profligate Sailor. + + Scene II.--On the way to foreign parts. + + Scene III.--Miss Belinda Jane and the faithful + policeman (Division Q). + + +=Charade 2!!= + + Scene I.--Archery at Castle Doodle. + + Scene II.--Fra Diavolo a Dread Reality. + + Scene III.--The Choice of a too Lowly Youth. + + +=Charade 3!!!= + + Scene I.--The Pathetic History of the Poor Little Sweep. + + Scene II.--Mussulman Barbarity to Christians. + + Scene III.--Merry England. + + _Gad's Hill Gazette_ Printing Office. + +The various parts were taken by Dickens and his family, and the entire +word of the last Charade is supposed to be "May Day." + +In connection with charades, Mr. Hulkes alluded to Dickens's remarkable +facility for "guessing a subject fixed on when he was out of the room, +in half a dozen questions;" and related the story of how at the young +people's game of "Yes and No," he found out the proper answer to a +random question fixed upon by Mr. Charles Collins, one of the company, +in his absence, which was, "The top-boot of the left leg of the head +post-boy at Newman's Yard, London." The squire sometimes took a stroll +with his neighbour, but observed "he was too fast a walker for me--I +couldn't keep up with him!" + +Mr. Hulkes possesses a nearly complete "file" (from 1862 to 1866) of the +_Gad's Hill Gazette_, to which he was one of the subscribers, and which +was edited by the novelist's son, Mr. Henry Fielding Dickens, and, as +before stated, printed at Gad's Hill Place. It chronicled the arrivals +and departures, the results of cricket matches and billiard games, with +interesting gossip of events relating to the family and the +neighbourhood. Occasionally there was a leading article, and now and +then an acrostic appeared. Among the subscribers were the novelist and +his family, The Lord Chief Justice, The Dean of Bristol, Lady +Molesworth, Mrs. Milner Gibson, M. Stone, A. Halliday, J. Hulkes, C. +Kent, W. H. Wills, H. F. Chorley, Edmund Yates, etc. The number for +January 20th, 1866, contains a humorous correspondence on the management +of the journal between "Jabez Skinner" and "Blackbury Jones." Mr. H. F. +Dickens kindly allows a copy of the number for December 30th, 1865, to +be reproduced, which is interesting as giving an account of the +Staplehurst accident, and also the notice issued when the journal was +discontinued. + + + THE + + GAD'S HILL GAZETTE + + Edited by H. F. Dickens + + December 30th 1865 Price 2d + + * * * * * + +We are very glad to meet our subscribers again after such a long lapse +of time, and we hope that they will patronise us in the same kind and +indulgent manner as they did, last season. + +In the circulars, we announced that some great improvements were to be +made in the Gazette-- We are sorry that they cannot appear in this +number (as our suppliers of type have disappointed us) but we hope that +next week, we shall be able to publish this journal in quite a different +form. + +Hoping that our subscribers will excuse us this week, we beg to wish +them all A Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! + + * * * * * + +Christmas at Gad's Hill. + +During the past week, Gad's Hill has resounded with the sounds of +festivity and merriment. + + (Continued on the next page) + +As is usually the case, the house has been filled with the guests who +have come to taste of Mr Dickens' hospitality. These consisted of Mr +Mad, and Master Fechter, Mr & Mrs C. Collins, Mr Mrs and Master C. +Dickens junr, Mr Morgan (who suddenly appeared on Christmas Day, having +just returned from America) Mr M. Stone, Mr Chorley and Mr Dickenson. + +The latter gentleman has not yet entirely recovered from the effects of +a most disastrous railway accident in which he was a sufferer, and had +it not been for the courage and intrepidity of Mr Dickens, he would not +now be spending his Christmas at Gad's Hill. + +A short time before the accident occurred, Mr Dickenson had a dispute +with a French gentleman about the opening of the window when the former +offered to change places, if the open window was disagreeable to his +fellow traveller--this they did.-- + +Then came the accident, accompanied by all its frightful incidents. The +French gentleman was killed, Mr Dickenson was stunned and hurled with +great violence under the debris of a carriage. + +Mr Dickens, who was in another compartment, managed to crawl out of the +window and then, caring little for his own safety, busied himself in +helping the wounded. Whilst engaged in doing this, he passed by a +carriage, underneath which he saw a gentleman (Mr Dickenson) lying +perfectly still, and bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. + +He was immediately taken to the town of Staplehurst where he so far +recovered as to be able to return to London, that evening. + +Next morning he was suffering from a very severe concussion of the brain +and was ill for many weeks--But to our subject. + +On Christmas Day, Mr, Mrs & Miss Malleson came to dinner. At about 9, an +ex tempore dance began and was kept up till about 2 o'clock Tuesday +morning. During the week, billiards has been much resorted to. (See next +page) + +All the visitors are still here, except Mr Fechter and family who left +on December 26th, and Mr Morgan (who is to return on 31st. Talking of Mr +Fechter, our readers will be glad to hear that he has made a most +decided success in his new piece entitled--The Master of Ravenswood-- + + * * * * * + + +Sporting Intelligence. + +Billiards + +Of all the matches that have been played during the past week the most +important was a Great Handicap on Christmas Day, the prize being a +pewter. Annexed is an account of it. + + Stone Scratch C Dickens jun 20 Harry 30 + Fechter 5 Dickenson 20 C Dickens 35 + Morgan 10 Collins 30 Plorn 40 + +Our space will not allow us to enter into the minute details of this +match suffice it to say that Mr Dickenson won but that as regards good +play, he was excelled by Mr Stone (who, however, was so heavily weighted +that he could not win. Great credit is due to Mr Ch Dickens junr for the +way in which he handicapped the men. + +On Saturday 30th a match is to be played between The Earl of Darnley and +Mr M Stone. + + * * * * * + + Gad's Hill Gazette Office. + January--1867. + +In a circular issued last August, we announced that a final number of +the Gad's Hill Gazette was to be published this Xmas. We are grieved +however to state, that the shortening of the Wimbledon School holidays +(in which establishment the Editor is a pupil) has rendered this +impossible. + +It is with feelings of the deepest regret that we find ourselves obliged +to conclude the publication of our Journal in this sudden and unexpected +manner, but we feel sure that the great indulgence of the Public will +overlook this, as it has done many other great errors in the Gad's Hill +Gazette. + +In conclusion, we beg to take leave of our Subscribers in our public +capacity of Editor, thanking them for their kindness in supporting our +Journal, and wishing them all + + --"A Happy New Year."-- + + [Illustration: Signature: A. F. Dickens] + (Signed) Sole Editor + +Mrs. Hulkes had a number of pleasant recollections of Gad's Hill Place, +and of Charles Dickens and his family. "As a girl," said this lady, "I +was an admiring reader of his works, and I longed to see and know the +author; but little did I think that my high ambition would ever be +gratified." That a warm friendship existed between his admirer and +Charles Dickens, who subsequently became her near neighbour, is +evidenced by the fact that, in reply to her request, he allowed this +lady the great privilege of reading the catastrophe of that +exquisitely-pathetic and nobly-altruistic story of _A Tale of Two +Cities_, some weeks before its publication, as appears from the +following letter:-- + + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + "HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + "_Sunday evening, Sixteenth Oct., 1857._ + + "MY DEAR MRS. HULKES, + + "My daughter has shown me your note, and it has + impressed me with the horrible determination to + become a new kind of Bluebeard, and lay an awful + injunction of secrecy on you for five mortal + weeks. + + "Here is the remainder of the _Tale of Two + Cities_. Not half-a-dozen of my oldest and most + trusty literary friends have seen it. It is a real + pleasure to me to entrust you with the + catastrophe, and to ask you to keep a grim and + inflexible silence on the subject until it is + published. When you have read the proofs, will you + kindly return them to me? + + "With my regard to Mr. Hulkes, + + "Believe me always, + "Faithfully yours, + "CHARLES DICKENS. + + "MRS. HULKES." + +Mrs. Hulkes said that when Dickens went to Paris in 1863, he jokingly +said to her, "I am going to Paris; what shall I bring you?" She replied, +"A good photograph of yourself, as I do not like the one you gave me; +and I hear the French people are more successful than the English, or +their climate may help them." And he brought a photograph of himself, of +which there were only four printed. It now graces Mrs. Hulkes' +drawing-room, and represents the novelist very life-like in full face, +head and bust. The photograph was taken by Alphonse Maze, and has been +exquisitely engraved in Mr. Kitton's _Charles Dickens by Pen and +Pencil_. + +Mrs. Hulkes mentioned a curious and interesting circumstance. On the +night before the funeral of her friend, Miss Dickens sent down to the +Little Hermitage to ask if she could kindly give her some roses. Mrs. +Hulkes cut a quantity from one of the trees in the garden (Lamarque, she +believes), and the tree never bloomed again, and soon after died. No +doubt, as she observed, it bled to death from the excessive cutting. It +was the second case only of the kind in her experience as a rose-grower +during very many years. + +Charles Dickens also took interest in his friend's son (their only +child, who has since finished his University career), and this gentleman +prizes as a relic a copy of _A Child's History of England_, which was +presented to him, with the following inscription written in the +characteristic blue ink--"Charles Dickens. To his little friend, Cecil +James Hulkes. Christmas Eve, 1864." In a letter to Miss Hogarth, written +from New York, on Friday, 3rd January, 1868, he says:--"I have a letter +from Mrs. Hulkes by this post, wherein the boy encloses a violet, now +lying on the table before me. Let her know that it arrived safely and +retaining its colour." + +There are many interesting relics of Gad's Hill Place now in the +possession of the family at the Little Hermitage, notably Charles +Dickens's seal with his crest, and the initials C. D., his pen-tray, his +desk, a photograph of the study on 8th June, 1870 (a present from Miss +Hogarth), the portrait above referred to, an arm-chair, a drawing-room +settee, a dressing-table, and a library writing-table. + + * * * * * + +On another occasion we were favoured with an interview by Mr. J. N. +Malleson, of Brighton, who formerly resided at the Great Hermitage, +Higham, and who was a neighbour of Charles Dickens for many years. Mr. +Malleson came to the Great Hermitage in 1859, and a day or two after +Christmas Day in that year--having previously been a guest at the +wedding of Dickens's second daughter Kate, with Mr. Charles Alston +Collins--he met the novelist, who, stopping to chat pleasantly, asked +his neighbours where they dined at Christmas? "Oh, Darby and Joan," said +our informant. Dickens laughingly replied:--"That shall never happen +again"; and the following year, and every year afterwards, except when +their friend was in America, Mr. and Mrs. Malleson received and accepted +invitations to dine at Gad's Hill Place. On the exception in question, +the family of Dickens dined at the Great Hermitage. + + * * * * * + +In the autumn of the year 1889 we had a most interesting chat with Mr. +William Stocker Trood, at his residence, Spearcehay Farm, Pitminster, +pleasantly situated in the vale of Taunton, for many years landlord of +the Sir John Falstaff at Gad's Hill. The first noteworthy circumstance +to record is that his name is not _Edwin_ Trood, as commonly supposed, +but William Stocker, as above stated, Stocker being an old family name. +This fact disposes of the supposition that the former two names, with +the alteration of a single letter, gave rise in Dickens's mind to the +designation of the principal character in _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_. +The name of "Trood" is by the substitution of one letter easily +converted into Drood, and that word is perhaps more euphonious with +"Edwin" as prefixed to it; but "William Stocker" is not by any means +easily converted into "Edwin." The idea that "Edwin Drood" is derived +from "William Stocker Trood" may therefore be dismissed as a popular +fallacy. It may be mentioned, however, _en passant_, that Mr. Trood had +a brother named Edward, who sometimes visited him at the Falstaff, and +also a son who bore the name of his uncle. + +We found our informant to be wonderfully genial, hale and hearty, +although in his eighty-fifth year. He had a perfect recollection of +Charles Dickens, and remembered his first coming to Gad's Hill Place. +Before the house was properly furnished and put in order, both Mr. and +Mrs. Dickens sometimes slept at the Falstaff; and afterwards, when +visitors were staying at Gad's Hill Place, and the bedrooms there were +full, some of them slept at the Inn; in particular, John Forster, Wilkie +Collins, and Marcus Stone. He said Mr. Dickens was a very nice man to +speak to, and Mrs. Dickens was a very nice lady. They were always kind +and pleasant as neighbours, but Mr. Dickens did not talk much. Said Mr. +Trood:--"When I was at Higham, Mr. Dickens used to say no one could put +in a word; I had all the talk to myself." The sons were all very +pleasant; in fact, he liked the family very much indeed. + +Mr. Trood sometimes acted as local banker to Charles Dickens, and used +to cash his cheques for him. Only the day before his death, he cashed a +cheque for L22, and was subsequently offered L24 for it by an admirer of +Dickens who desired the autograph; but to his credit it should be +mentioned that he did not accept the offer. + +Our informant next spoke of the wonderful partiality of Dickens to +cricket; he would stand out all night if he could watch a cricket match. +The matches were always played in Mr. Dickens's field, and the business +meetings of the club were held monthly at the Falstaff. Mr. Trood was +Treasurer of the club. Occasionally there was a dinner. + +A circumstance was related which made a profound impression on our +friend. The family at Gad's Hill Place were very fond of music, and on +one occasion there were present as visitors two great violinists, one a +German and the other an Italian, and it was a debated question among the +listeners outside the gates, where the music could be distinctly heard, +which played the better. Mr. Trood had just returned from Gravesend in +the cool of the summer evening, about ten o'clock, and stood in the road +opposite listening, "spellbound," to the delightful music. Miss Dickens +played the accompaniments. + +Mr. Trood spoke with a lively and appreciative recollection of the +Christmas sports that were held in a field at the back of Gad's Hill +Place, and of the good order and nice feeling that prevailed at those +gatherings, although several thousand people were present. Among the +games that were played, the wheeling of barrows by blind-folded men +seemed to tickle him most. + +Our octogenarian friend also spoke of the great love of Dickens for +scarlet geraniums. Hundreds of the "Tom Thumb" variety were planted in +the beds on the front lawn and in the back garden at Gad's Hill Place. + +Soon after the terrible railway accident at Staplehurst, Dickens came +over to the Falstaff and spoke to Mr. Trood, who congratulated him. Said +Dickens, "I never thought I should be here again." It is a wonderful +coincidence to record, that a young gentleman named Dickenson, who +subsequently became intimate with the novelist, changed places (so as to +get the benefit of meeting the fresh air) with a French gentleman in the +same carriage who was killed, and Mr. Dickenson escaped! The accident +happened on the 9th June, 1865, and Dickens died on the "fatal +anniversary," 9th June, 1870. + +Mr. Trood confirmed his daughter's (Mrs. Latter's) account of the +_fracas_ with the men and performing bears, given in another chapter, +adding, "That _was_ a concern." + + * * * * * + +The beautiful city of Exeter is not far from Taunton, and we naturally +avail ourselves of the opportunity of stopping there for a few hours, +and stroll over to see the village of Alphington. It was here, in the +year 1839, that Charles Dickens took and furnished Mile End Cottage for +his father and mother and their youngest son. He thus describes the +event in a letter to Forster:--"I took a little house for them this +morning (5th March, 1839), and if they are not pleased with it I shall +be grievously disappointed. Exactly a mile beyond the city on the +Plymouth road there are two white cottages: one is theirs, and the +other belongs to their landlady. I almost forget the number of rooms, +but there is an excellent parlour with two other rooms on the ground +floor, there is really a beautiful little room over the parlour which I +am furnishing as a drawing-room, and there is a splendid garden. The +paint and paper throughout is new and fresh and cheerful-looking, the +place is clean beyond all description, and the neighbourhood I suppose +the most beautiful in this most beautiful of English counties." The +negotiations with the landlady and the operation of furnishing the house +are most humorously pourtrayed in the same letter. + +The cottage is also described in _Nicholas Nickleby_, which he was +writing at the time. Mrs. Nickleby, in allusion to her old home, calls +it "the beautiful little thatched white house one storey high, covered +all over with ivy and creeping plants, with an exquisite little porch +with twining honeysuckles and all sorts of things." + +Fifty years have passed since the parents of the novelist went to live +at Alphington, which, notwithstanding the subsequent growth of the city, +still continues to be a pretty suburb with fine views of the Ide Hills +to the westward, and Heavitree to the eastward. Our efforts to obtain +any reminiscences of the Dickens family in the village were quite +unsuccessful--so long a time had elapsed since their departure--although, +to oblige us, the vicar of the place kindly made enquiries, and took +some interest in the matter. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[11] Since this was written, Gad's Hill Place has been purchased by the +Hon. F. G. Latham. Major Budden has resigned his commission locally, and +now holds a commission in the Limerick City Artillery Militia. It is +very pleasant to place on record that in subsequent visits to +"Dickens-Land" I was always received with friendly kindness by Major and +Mrs. Budden, whose hospitality I often enjoyed. Their enthusiasm for the +late owner of Gad's Hill Place, and their willingness to show every part +of their beautiful residence to any one specially interested, was most +gratifying to a lover of Dickens. Like the novelist, Mrs. Budden is fond +of private theatricals, and has published a little book on _Mrs. +Farley's Wax-Works and How to Use Them_. + +[12] It has been suggested that the lines above quoted might give one +the impression that they are those of Falstaff. This, of course, is not +the case. They are spoken by Poins, when in company with Falstaff, +Prince Henry, and others. They occur in Act I. Scene ii. of _King Henry +IV._, Part 1. + +A Note to Charles Knight's Edition of Shakespeare, contained in the +"Illustrations to Act I." of the same Play, states that Gad's Hill +appears to have been a place notorious for robbers before the time of +Shakespeare, for Stevens discovered an entry of the date of 1558 in the +books of the Stationers' Company, of a ballad entitled, "The Robbery at +Gad's Hill." And the late Sir Henry Ellis, of the British Museum, +communicated to Mr. Boswell, Editor of Malone's Shakespeare, a narrative +in the handwriting of Sir Roger Manwood, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, +dated 5th July, 1590, which shows that Gad's Hill was at that period the +resort of a band of well-mounted robbers of more than usual daring, as +appears from the following extract:-- + +"In the course of that Michaelmas term, I being at London, many +robberies were done in the bye-ways at Gad's Hill, on the west part of +Rochester, and at Chatham, down on the east part of Rochester, by horse +thieves, with such fat and lusty horses, as were not like hackney horses +nor far-journeying horses; and one of them sometimes wearing a vizard +grey beard, he was by common report in the country called 'Justice Grey +Beard;' and no man durst travel that way without great company." + +[13] At an interview with Mr. H. F. Dickens some time afterwards, he +told me the story of the origin of _The Gad's Hill Gazette_. There was a +good deal of sand exposed at the back of the house, and the sons of the +novelist--who like other boys were full of energy,--were fond of playing +at "burying" each other. Their father naturally feared that this kind of +play might have some disastrous effects, and develop into burying in +earnest. So he said one day to his sons, "Why not establish a newspaper, +if you want a field for your energies?" _The Gad's Hill Gazette_ was the +result. At first the tiny journal was written on a plain sheet and +copies made; then a Manifold Writer was used; and afterwards came the +Printing Press. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +CHARLES DICKENS AND STROOD. + + "So altered was the battle-ground, where thousands + upon thousands had been killed in the great + fight."--_The Battle of Life._ + + "Keep me always at it, I'll keep you always at it, + you keep somebody else always at it. There you + are, with the Whole Duty of Man in a commercial + country."--_Little Dorrit._ + + +THE town of Strood,--the Roman _Strata_,--which stands on the left bank +of the river Medway, has, like the city of Rochester, its interesting +historical associations. Its Church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, stands +high on the north side of the London road leading to Gad's Hill, and has +a brass of T. Glover and his three wives. At one time there was a +hospital for travellers, founded by Bishop Glanville (_temp._ Richard +I.), near the Church. The most interesting remains are, however, those +of the Temple Farm, distant about half a mile south, formerly (_temp._ +Henry II.) the mansion of the Knights Templars of the Teutonic order, to +whom it, together with the lands thereto belonging, was given by that +monarch. The gift was confirmed by King John and by Henry III. (1227); +but the unfortunate brethren of the order did not retain possession more +than a century, for in the reign of Edward II. they were dispossessed of +their lands and goods, under pretence of their leading a vicious course +of life, but in reality to satisfy the avarice of their dispossessors. +The present building dates from about James I., has one fine room +overlooking the river, and underneath is a spacious vault called by +Grose the "Preceptory," excavated out of the chalk, and having fine +groined stone arches and aisles--the walls are of very great thickness. +Near Frindsbury Church--in which are three most interesting +wall-paintings of St. William the Baker of Perth, St. Lawrence, and +another figure, all three discovered on the jambs of the Norman windows +only a few years ago--stands the Quarry House, a handsome old red-brick +mansion, "described as more Jacobean than Elizabethan," built in the +form of a capital E, each storey slightly receding behind the front +level of that beneath it, the top tapering into pretty gables, the +effect being enhanced by heavy buttresses. + +There is a dreadful legend of the ancient people of Strood common to +several other parts of the kingdom, _e.g._ Auster in Dorsetshire, which +the quaint and diligent Lambarde, quoting from Polydore Virgil, +evidently regarded as serious, and takes immense pains to confute! It +relates to St. Thomas a Becket and his contention with King Henry II., +whereby he began to be looked upon as the King's enemy, and as such +began to be "so commonly neglected, contemned, and hated:-- + +"That when as it happened him upon a time to come to _Stroude_, the +Inhabitants thereabouts (being desirous to dispite that good Father) +sticked not to cut the tail from the horse on which he road, binding +themselves thereby with a perpetuall reproach: for afterward (by the +will of God) it so happened, that every one which came of that kinred of +men which plaied that naughty prank, were borne with tails, even as +brute beasts be." + +[Illustration: Temple Farm Strood] + +Surely had the credulous historian lived in Darwinian times, he might +have recorded this as a splendid instance of "degeneration"! + +[Illustration: At Temple Farm Strood] + +In a lecture delivered here some years ago, the Rev. Canon Scott +Robertson, Editor of _Archaeologia Cantiana_, gave a graphic picture of +"Strood in the Olden Times." To this we are much indebted for the +opportunity of giving an abstract of several of the most interesting +details. + +In the thirteenth century Strood and Rochester were the scene of a +severe struggle between Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, the +leader of the Barons in their war against Henry III. to resist the +aggressive encroachments of the King on the liberties of the subject, +and the supporters of that monarch. + +[Illustration: Crypt Temple Farm] + +Simon de Montfort, who was a Strood landowner, and possessed of other +large properties in Kent, took the lead, followed by several other +nobles, in the siege of Rochester. Their first obstacle was the +fortified gate-house at the Strood end of Rochester Bridge, and for some +time their efforts were in vain, till at length, by means of small ships +filled with inflammable matter, set on fire and driven towards the +centre of the wooden bridge, causing "actual or expected ignition of the +timbers," the King's soldiers were dismayed and retreated. The Earl of +Gloucester simultaneously reached the south end of the city, and the +Barons took possession thereof, sacking the town, monastery, and +Cathedral Church. The garrison of the Castle shut themselves up in the +strong Norman Keep, and held it till relieved by Prince Edward, the +King's son. + +The Castle was subsequently taken by Simon de Montfort after the Battle +of Lewes (1264), where Henry III. was taken prisoner and brought to +Rochester, and a Proclamation was issued transferring the custody of the +Royal Castle to the Barons. + +At the Battle of Evesham (1265) Simon de Montfort was slain; and the +King, on becoming master of the situation, imposed a fine, equivalent to +about L1,500 of our money, on Strood, because it was the headquarters of +Simon during his assault on Rochester. The fine caused much ill-feeling +between the two towns, which lasted until the reign of Edward I. Such +was Strood in the olden times. + +Long years have since passed, and the amenities of an industrial age +have succeeded to these turmoils. The town of Strood appears to be +flourishing, and now possesses large engineering works, cement +manufactories, flour mills, and other extensive industries. + +Allusion has been previously made to a very entertaining _brochure_, +entitled _Charles Dickens and Rochester_, by Mr. Robert Langton, F. R. +Hist. Soc. of Manchester (himself, we believe, a Rochester man). In it +there is scarcely any reference to Strood, although the sister-town, +Chatham, is freely mentioned. Our enquiries at Strood, on the Tuesday +and subsequently, resulted in the discovery of many most interesting +memorials of Charles Dickens in connection with that town, enough almost +to fill a small volume. There was a general impression that Dickens had +no great liking for Strood, and yet it was a doctor from that town who +was one of his most intimate friends, and who attended him in his last +illness; it was a builder in Strood who executed most of the alterations +and repairs at Gad's Hill Place; it was a Strood contractor who gave him +the souvenir of old Rochester Bridge; it was at Strood that an eminent +local scientist lived, who was incidentally, but very importantly, +associated with him in the movement connected with the Guild of +Literature and Art; and it was at a quiet roadside inn at Strood that he +sometimes called to refresh himself after one of those long walks, alone +or with friends, for which he was famous. + +[Illustration: The "Crispin & Crispianus", Strood] + +Let us reverse the order of the above, and give a recollection from the +last-mentioned. The "Crispin and Crispianus" is a very old-fashioned +inn, which stands on the north side of the London road just out of +Strood, and was, as we were informed, erected some centuries ago. It is +a long building, of brick below, with an overhanging upper floor and +weather-boarded front, surmounted by a single dormer window. The sanded +floor of the common parlour is, as the saying goes, "as clean as a new +pin." Round the room is a settle terminating with arms at each side of +the door, which is opposite the fireplace. Mrs. Masters, the cheerful +and obliging landlady, who has lived here thirty years, describes +Dickens to us (as we sit in the seat he used now and then to occupy), +when on one of his walks, as habited in low shoes not over-well mended, +loose large check-patterned trousers that sometimes got entangled in the +shoes when walking, a brown coat thrown open, sometimes without +waistcoat, a belt instead of braces, a necktie which now and then got +round towards his ear, and a large-brimmed felt hat, similar to an +American's, set well at the back of his head. In his hand he carried by +the middle an umbrella, which he was in the habit of constantly +swinging, and if he had dogs (a not unfrequent occurrence), he had a +small whip as well. He walked in the middle of the road at a rapid pace, +upright, but with his eyes cast down as if in deep thought. When he +called at the Crispin for refreshment, usually a glass of ale (mild +sixpenny--bitter ale was not drawn in those days), or a little cold +brandy and water, he walked straight in, and sat down at the corner of +the settle on the right-hand side where the arm is, opposite the +fire-place; he rarely spoke to any one, but looked round as though +taking in everything at a glance. (In _David Copperfield_ he says, "I +looked at nothing, that I know of, but I saw everything.") Once he and a +friend were sheltering there during a thunderstorm (by a coincidence, a +storm occurs at the time we are here), and while Dickens stood looking +out of the window he saw opposite a poor woman with a baby, who appeared +very worn, wet, and travel-stained. She too was sheltering from the +rain. + +"Call her in here," said Dickens. Mrs. Masters obeyed. + +"Now," said he, "draw her some brandy." + +"How much?" she asked. + +"Never mind," he answered, "draw her some." + +The landlady drew her four-pennyworth, the quantity generally served. + +"Now," said Dickens to the woman, "drink that up," which she did, and +soon seemed refreshed. Dickens gave her a shilling, and remarked to Mrs. +Masters that "now she will go on her way rejoicing." The story is a +trivial one, but the units make the aggregate, and it sufficiently +indicates his kindness of heart and thoughtfulness for others. + +In some of his walks Dickens was accompanied either by his +sister-in-law, Miss Hogarth, or by friends who were staying at "Gad's" +(or the "Place," as it was sometimes called). Mrs. Masters, whose +recollections of Dickens are very vivid, said--"Lor! we never thought +much about him when he was alive; it was only when his death took place +that we understood what a great man he was." Alas! it is not the first +instance that "a prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, +and in his own house." The news of his death was a great shock to Mrs. +Masters, who heard of it from Edward, son of Mr. W. S. Trood, the +landlord of the Sir John Falstaff, as he was bearing the intelligence to +Rochester within half-an-hour after the event. + +In passing we should mention, that the Crispin and Crispianus has been +immortalized in the chapter on "Tramps," in _The Uncommercial +Traveller_, where, in reference to the handicrafts of certain tramps, +Dickens imagines himself to be a travelling clockmaker, and after +adjusting "t'ould clock" in the keeper's kitchen, "he sees to something +wrong with the bell of the turret stable clock up at the Hall [Cobham +Hall]. . . . Our task at length accomplished, we should be taken into an +enormous servants'-hall, and there regaled with beef and bread, and +powerful ale. Then, paid freely, we should be at liberty to go, and +should be told by a pointing helper to keep round over yinder by the +blasted ash, and so straight through the woods till we should see the +town-lights right afore us. . . . So should we lie that night at the +ancient sign of the Crispin and Crispianus [at Strood], and rise early +next morning to be betimes on tramp again."[14] + +We are also indebted to Mrs. Masters for an introduction to our next +informant, Mr. J. Couchman, master-builder and undertaker of Strood, +who, though advanced in years and tried by illness, is very free and +chatty; and from him and his son we obtained some interesting facts. He +had worked for Charles Dickens at Gad's Hill Place, from the date of his +going there ("which," says Mr. Couchman, "was on Whitsun Monday, 1856,") +until the 11th June, 1870, two days after the sad occurrence "which +eclipsed the gaiety of nations." + +From Mr. Couchman's standpoint as a tradesman, it is interesting to +record his experience of Dickens in his own words. "Mr. Dickens," he +says, "was always very straightforward, honourable, and kind, and paid +his bills most regularly. The first work I did for him was to make a +dog-kennel; I also put up the chalet at Gad's Hill. When it was +forwarded from London, which was by water, Mr. Fechter [whose name he +did not at first remember] sent a Frenchman to assist in the erection. +The chalet consisted of ninety-four pieces, all fitting accurately +together like a puzzle. The Frenchman did not understand it, and could +not make out the fitting of the pieces. So I asked Mr. Henry [Mr. Henry +Fielding Dickens, the novelist's sixth son, the present Recorder of +Deal] if he understood French. He said 'Yes,' and told me the names of +the different pieces, and I managed it without the Frenchman, who stayed +the night, and went away next day." In conversation, we suggest that the +circumstance of the chalet having been made in Switzerland may have +embarrassed the Frenchman, he not having been accustomed to that kind of +work. In his letter to Forster of the 7th June, 1865, Dickens +says:--"The chalet is going on excellently, though the ornamental part +is more slowly put together than the substantial. It will really be a +very pretty thing; and in the summer (supposing it not to be blown away +in the spring), the upper room will make a charming study. It is much +higher than we supposed." + +Mr. Couchman also took down the chalet after Charles Dickens's death, +and erected it at the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, where it remained for +a short time, and was subsequently presented to the Earl of Darnley by +several members of the Dickens family. His lordship afterwards ordered +him to fit it up at Cobham Hall, where, as previously stated, it now +stands. The woods of which it is constructed he believed to be Baltic +oak and a kind of pine, the lighter parts being of maple or sycamore. We +saw it subsequently. + +Several contracts were entered into by Mr. Couchman with Charles Dickens +for the extension and modification of Gad's Hill Place, notably during +the year 1861. We are favoured with a sight of an original specification +signed by both parties, which is as follows:-- + + "Specification of works proposed to be done at + Gad's Hill House, Higham, for C. Dickens, Esq. + + "_Bricklayer._--To take off slates and copings and + heighten brick walls and chimneys, and build No. 2 + new chimneys with stock and picking bricks laid in + cement. No. 2 chimney bars, to cope gable ends + with old stone. No. 2 hearthstones. No. 2 plain + stone chimney-pieces. No. 2--2 ft. 6 in. Register + stoves. To lath and plaster ceiling, side walls, + and partitions with lime and hair two coats, and + set to slate the new roof with good countess + slates and metal nails. + + "_Carpenter._--To take off roof, to lay floor + joist with 7 x 2-1/2 in. yellow battens; to fix + roof, ceiling, joist and partitions of good fir + timber, 4 ft. x 2 ft.; to use old timber that is + sound and fit for use; to close board roof, lead + flat and gutters; to lay 1 in. x 9 in. white deal + floors, to skirt rooms with 8 in. x 3/4 in. deal; + to fix No. 4 pairs of 1-3/4 in. sashes and frames + for plate-glass as per order. _All the sashes to + have weights and pulleys for opening._ To fix No. + 2--6 ft. 6 in. x 2 ft. 6 in. 1-1/2 in., four panel + doors, and encase frames with all necessary + mouldings; to fix window linings, and 1-1/2 in. + square framings and doors for No. 2 dressing-rooms; + to fix No. 2, 7 in. rim locks. No. 2 box latches, + sash fastenings, sash weights, to fix 4 in. O. G. + iron eaves, gutter with cistern heads, and 3 in. + iron leading pipes. + + "_Plumber, Glazier, and Painter._--To take up old + lead guttering, and lay new gutters and lead flats + with 6lb. lead, ridge and flushings with 5lb. + lead; to paint all wood and iron-work that + requires painting 4 coats in oil, the windows to + be glazed with good plate glass; to paper rooms + and landings when the walls are dry with paper of + the value of 1_s._ 6_d._ per piece, the old lead + to be the property of the plumber. _The two + cisterns to be carried up and replaced on new + roof, the pipes attached to them to be lengthened + as required by the alterations; and a water tap to + be fitted in each dressing-room._ + + "All old materials not used and rubbish to be + carted away by the contractor. All the work to be + completed in a sound and workman-like manner to + the satisfaction of C. Dickens, Esq., for the sum + of L241. The roof to be slated and flat covered + with lead in one month from commencing the work. + The whole to be completed--paper excepted--and all + rubbish cleared away by the 30th day of November, + 1861. + + "(Signed) J. COUCHMAN, + "Builder. + "_High Street, Strood_, + "_Sep. 10th, 1861._" + +Then follows in Dickens's own handwriting:-- + + "_The above contract I accept on the stipulated + conditions; the specified _time_, in common with + all the other conditions, to be strictly + observed._ + + "(Signed) CHARLES DICKENS. + + "_Gad's Hill Place,_ + "_Saturday, 21st Sep., 1861._" + +What is most interesting to notice in the above specification, is the +careful way in which Dickens appears to have mastered all the details, +and the very sensible interlineations given in italics which he made, +(1) as to the sashes and weights, (2) as to the two cisterns, and +especially (3) in the final memorandum as to _time_. + +It is also worthy of remark, that the work _was_ completed in the +specified time, the bill duly sent in, and the next day Dickens sent a +cheque for the amount. + +Another contract, amounting to L393, was executed by Mr. Couchman, for +extensions at Gad's Hill. On its completion, Mr. Dickens paid him by two +cheques. He went up to London to the Bank (Coutts's in the Strand) to +cash them. The clerk just looked at the cheques, the signature +apparently being very familiar to him, and then put the usual +question--"How will you have it?" to which he replied, "Notes, please." + +It appears that, as is frequently the case in large establishments, +orders were sometimes given by the servants for work which the master +knew nothing about until the bill was presented; and to prevent this, +Dickens issued instructions to the tradesmen that they were not to +execute any work for him without his written authority. The following is +an illustration of this new arrangement:-- + + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + "HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + "_Thursday, 5th Nov., 1858._ + + "MR. COUCHMAN, + + "Please to ease the coach-house doors, and to put + up some pegs, agreeably to George Belcher's + directions. + + "CHARLES DICKENS." + +It should be mentioned that George Belcher was the coachman at the time. + +Mr. Couchman recalls an interesting custom that was maintained at Gad's +Hill. There were a number of tin check plates, marked respectively 3_d._ +and 6_d._ each, which enabled the person to whom they were given to +obtain an equivalent in refreshment of any kind at the Sir John +Falstaff. The threepenny checks were for the workmen, and the sixpenny +ones for the tradesmen. The chief housemaid had the distribution of +these checks to persons employed in the house, the head-gardener to +those engaged in the gardens, and the coachman to those in the stables. +On one occasion, our informant remembers when his men were engaged upon +some work at Gad's Hill, such checks were given out to them, and that he +also had one offered to him; but, recollecting that his position as a +master scarcely entitled him to the privilege, he stated his objections +to the housemaid, who said in reply that it was a pity to break an old +custom, he had better have one. "So," says our informant, "I had a +sixpenny ticket with the others, and obtained my refreshment." + +He has in his photographic album a carte-de-visite of Charles Dickens, +by Watkins. It is the well-known one in which the novelist is +represented in a sitting position, dressed in a grey suit; and the owner +considered it a very good likeness. He also showed us a funeral card +which he thought had been sent to him by the family of Dickens at the +time of his death, but judging by its contents, this seems impossible. +It is, however, well worth transcribing:-- + + To the Memory of + =Charles Dickens= + (England's most popular author), + who died at his Residence, + Higham, near Rochester, Kent, + June 9th, 1870. + Aged 58 years. + + He was a sympathizer with the poor, suffering, and + oppressed; and by his death one of England's + greatest writers is lost to the world. + +Mr. Couchman confirms the verbal sketch of Dickens as drawn by his +neighbour, Mrs. Masters, and states that Dickens used to put up his dogs +("Linda" and "Turk"), "boisterous companions as they always were," in +the stables whenever he came to see him on business. + +Mr. William Ball, J.P., of Hillside, Strood, kindly favoured us with +many interviews, and generally took great interest in the subject of our +visit to "Dickens-Land," rendering invaluable assistance in our +enquiries. This gentleman is the son of Mr. John H. Ball, the well-known +contractor, who removed old Rochester Bridge; he is also a +brother-in-law of the late gifted tenor, Mr. Joseph Maas, to whom a +handsome memorial tablet, consisting of a marble medallion of the +deceased, over which is a lyre with one of the strings broken, has since +been erected on the east wall of the south transept of Rochester +Cathedral. By Mr. Ball's considerate courtesy and that of his daughters, +we are allowed to see many interesting relics of Charles Dickens and +Gad's Hill.[15] When Mr. Ball's father removed the old bridge in 1859, +it will be remembered that he offered to present the novelist with one +of the balustrades as a souvenir, the offer being gracefully and +promptly accepted, as the following letter testifies:-- + + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + "HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + "_Thursday, eighth June, 1859._ + + "SIR, + + "I feel exceedingly obliged to you for your kind + and considerate offer of a remembrance of old + Rochester Bridge; that will interest me very much. + I accept the relic with many thanks, and with + great pleasure. + + "Do me the favor to let it be delivered to a + workman who will receive instructions to bring it + away, and once again accept my acknowledgments. + + "Yours faithfully, + "CHARLES DICKENS. + + "MR. JOHN H. BALL." + + +The present Mr. William Ball, then a young lad, was the bearer of the +gift, and on being asked by us why he didn't ask to see the great +novelist, replies, "Yes, I ought to have done so, but I was afraid of +the dogs!" + +The balustrade, which was placed on the back lawn at Gad's Hill, was +mounted on a square pedestal, on the sides of which were representations +of the four seasons, and a sun-dial crowned the capital. Something like +it, but a little modified, appears in one of Mr. Luke Fildes's beautiful +illustrations to the original edition of _Edwin Drood_, entitled +"Jasper's Sacrifices." Three more of the balustrades now ornament Mr. +Ball's garden at Hillside. + +Mr. Ball the elder was invited to send in a tender for the construction +of the tunnel at Gad's Hill previously mentioned, but it was not +accepted, as appears from a letter addressed to him by Mr. Alfred L. +Dickens (Charles Dickens's brother), of which we are allowed to take a +copy:-- + + + "8, RICHMOND TERRACE, + "WHITEHALL, S.W. + "_August 30th, 1859._ + + "DEAR SIR, + + "I am very sorry that absence from home has + prevented my replying to your note as to the + tender for the Gad's Hill tunnel before. + + "I much regret that the amount of your tender is + so much higher than my estimate, that I cannot + recommend my brother to accept it. + + "I am, + "Dear Sir, + "Yours faithfully, + "ALFRED L. DICKENS. + "MR. BALL." + +Among the Dickens relics at Hillside, we are shown by Mr. Ball the +pretty set of five silver bells presented by his friend Mr. F. Lehmann, +to the novelist, who always used them when driving out in his basket +pony-phaeton. They are fastened on to a leather pad, and make a pleasant +musical sound when shaken. They are of graduated sizes, the largest +being somewhat smaller than a tennis-ball, and appear to be in the key +of C: comprising the Tonic, Third, Fifth, Octave, and Octave of the +Third. + +There is also a hall clock with maker's name--"Bennett, Cheapside, +London." This was the "werry identical" clock respecting which Dickens +wrote the following characteristically humorous letter to Sir John +Bennett:-- + + "MY DEAR SIR, + + "Since my hall clock was sent to your + establishment to be cleaned it has gone (as indeed + it always had) perfectly well, but has struck the + hours with great reluctance, and after enduring + internal agonies of a most distressing nature, it + has now ceased striking altogether. Though a happy + release for the clock, this is not convenient to + the household. If you can send down any + confidential person with whom the clock can + confer, I think it may have something on its works + that it would be glad to make a clean breast of. + + "Faithfully yours, + "CHARLES DICKENS." + +Included among the relics are a very handsome mahogany fire-screen in +three folds, of red morocco, with Grecian key-border, a musical +Canterbury, and a bookcase. But the most interesting object from an art +point of view is an India proof copy, "before letters," of Sir Edwin +Landseer's beautiful picture of "King Charles's Spaniels," the original +of which is said to have been painted for the late Mr. Vernon in two +days, and is now in the National Gallery. The engraving of the picture +is by Outram. It has the initials in pencil "E. L.," and a little ticket +on the frame--"Lot 445," that being the number in the auctioneer's +catalogue. + +The following is the story as recently told by Mr. W. P. Frith, R.A., in +his most interesting and readable _Autobiography and Reminiscences_, +1887:-- + +"His" [Sir Edwin's] "rapidity of execution was extraordinary. In the +National Gallery there is a picture of Two Spaniels, of what is +erroneously called the Charles II. breed (the real dog of that time is +of a different form and breed altogether, as may be seen in pictures of +the period), the size of life, with appropriate accompaniments, painted +by him in two days. An empty frame had been sent to the British +Institution, where it was hung on the wall, waiting for its tenant--a +picture of a lady with dogs--till Landseer felt the impossibility of +finishing the picture satisfactorily. Time had passed, till two days +only remained before the opening of the Exhibition. Something must be +done; and in the time named those wonderfully life-like little dogs were +produced." + +Mr. Ball has also an interesting photograph of the "Last Lot," some +bottles of wine, evidently taken on the occasion of the sale at Gad's +Hill Place after Dickens's death, the auctioneer being represented with +his hammer raised ready to fall, and a smile upon his face. Among the +crowd, consisting principally of London and local dealers, may be seen +two local policemen with peaked caps, and auctioneer's porters in +shirt-sleeves and aprons. The sale took place in a large tent at the +back of the house and close to the well, which can be readily seen +through an opening in the tent. + +The next person whom we meet at Strood is Mr. Charles Roach Smith, +F.S.A., the eminent archaeologist, who has achieved a European +reputation, and from whom we get many interesting particulars relating +to Dickens. We heard some idle gossip at Rochester to the effect that +Mr. Roach Smith always felt a little "touchy" about the satire on +archaeology in _Pickwick_, _in re_ "Bill Stumps, his mark." That, +however, we took _cum grano salis_, because this gentleman, from his +delightful conversation and frank manner, is evidently above any such +littleness. He is, however, free to confess, that Dickens had not much +love for Strood, but infinitely preferred Chatham. + +There had been but little personal intercourse between Dickens and Mr. +Roach Smith, though each respected the other. Our informant says that, +soon after the novelist came to Gad's Hill Place, Mrs. Dickens called +and left her husband's card, which he, whether rightly or not, took as +an intimation that the acquaintance was not to be extended. He spoke +with all the enthusiasm of a man of science, and rather bitterly too, of +a certain reading given by Dickens at Chatham to an overflowing house, +whereas on the same evening a distinguished Professor of Agriculture (a +Mr. Roberts or Robinson, we believe), who came to instruct the people at +Ashford (one of the neighbouring towns) by means of a lecture, failed to +secure an audience, and only got a few pence for admissions. The learned +Professor subsequently poured forth his troubles to Mr. Roach Smith, +from whom he obtained sympathy and hospitality. We venture to remind +our good friend that the public in general much prefer amusement to +instruction, at which he laughs, and says that in this matter he +perfectly agrees with us. He expresses his strong opinion as to +Dickens's reading of the "Murder of Nancy" (_Oliver Twist_), which he +characterizes as "repulsive and indecent." + +The most important communication made to us by Mr. Roach Smith is that +contained in volume ii. of his recently published _Reminiscences and +Retrospections, Social and Archaeological_, 1886. As this interesting +work may not be generally accessible, it is as well to quote the passage +intact. It has reference to the Guild of Literature and Art, for the +promotion of which Dickens, Lord Lytton, John Forster, Mark Lemon, John +Leech, and others, gave so much valuable time and energy, in addition to +liberal pecuniary support. The following is the extract:-- + +"Of Mr. Dodd I knew much. He was one of my earliest friends when I lived +in Liverpool Street--I may say, one of my earliest patrons; and the +intimacy continued up to his death, a few years since. The story of his +connection with the movement for a dramatic college, and of his rapid +separation from it, a deposition by order of the projectors and +directors, forms a curious episode in the history of our friendship; and +especially so, as I had an important, though unseen, part to sustain. + +"In the summer of 1858 I was summoned to Mr. Dodd's residence at the +City Wharf, New North Road, Hoxton, to give consent to be a trustee, +with Messrs. Cobden and Bright, for five acres of land, which Mr. Dodd +was about to give for the building of a dramatic college, which had been +resolved on at a public meeting, held on the 21st of July in this year, +in the Princess's Theatre, Mr. Charles Kean acting as chairman. 'I give +this most freely,' said Mr. Dodd to me, 'for it is to the stage I am +indebted for my education; to it I owe whatsoever may be good in me.' +That there was much good in him, thousands can testify; and thousands +yet to come will be evidence to his benevolence. Of course, I felt +pleased in being selected to act as a trustee for this gift. I +conceived, and I suppose I was correct, that Mr. Dodd intended that his +gift was strictly for a dramatic college, and for no other purpose, then +or thereafter. Having expressed my willingness and resolution to be +faithful to the trust, I said, 'I presume, Mr. Dodd, you stipulate for a +presentation?' He looked rather surprised; and asked his solicitor, who +sat by him, how they came to overlook this? Both of them directly agreed +that this simple return should be required. + +"I must leave such of my readers as feel inclined, to search in the +public journals for the correspondence between the directors and Mr. +Dodd up to the 13th of January, 1859, when, at a meeting held in the +Adelphi Theatre, Lord Tenterden in the chair, it was stated that Mr. +Dodd evinced, through his solicitor, a disposition to fence round his +gift with legal restrictions and stipulations, which apprised the +committee of coming difficulty; and the meeting unanimously agreed to +decline Mr. Dodd's offer of land. Previously and subsequently to this, +Mr. Dodd was most discourteously commented on and attacked in the +newspapers, the editors of which, however, sided with him. I was told +that the stipulation for a presentation was the great offence; but I +should think that the provision made against the improper use of the +land must have been the real grievance. In the very last letter I +received from Mr. Dodd, not very long anterior to his death, he says +that Mark Lemon told him that Charles Dickens had said he had never +occasion to repent but of two things, one being his conduct to Mr. Dodd. +That Dickens, Thackeray, and others sincerely believed they were taking +the best steps for accomplishing their benevolent object, there can be +no doubt; their judgment, not their heart, was wrong. The scheme was +based upon a wrong principle, as was shown by its collapse in less than +twenty years, after the expenditure of very large subscriptions, and the +patronage of the Queen. Articles in _The Era_ of the 22nd July, 1877, +leave no doubt, while they clearly reveal the causes of failure." + +It may be mentioned that the Mr. Henry Dodd above referred to, appears +to have been a large city contractor, or something of that kind. +According to Mr. Roach Smith, what with him led on to fortune was a long +and heavy fall of snow, which had filled the streets of the city of +London, and rendered traffic impossible. The city was blocked by snow, +and there was no remedy at hand. Mr. Dodd boldly undertook a contract to +remove the mighty obstruction in a given time. This he did thoroughly +and within the limited number of days. Afterwards he appears to have +undertaken brick-making and other works on a very large scale. In the +opinion of Mr. Roach Smith, Mr. Dodd was the origin of the "golden +dustman" in _Our Mutual Friend_, whom every reader of Dickens remembers +as Mr. Nicodemus, _alias_ Noddy Boffin. + +Speaking of Dickens's readings, our informant relates a conversation +with Charles Dickens's sixth son, Mr. Henry Fielding Dickens. The former +gentleman asked the latter whose model he took? + +"Oh, my father's," said Mr. Henry Dickens. + +"I would not take any man's model," said Mr. Roach Smith, "I would take +my own." And judging from the perfect intonation and thoroughly musical +rhythm of his voice, there is no doubt whatever that his model, whoever +it may have been, was one of very high standard. + +We have since learnt that Mr. Roach Smith is the President of the Strood +Elocution Society, an almost unique institution of its kind. It has been +established upwards of thirteen years; and at the weekly meetings "the +various readers are subjected to an exhaustive and salutary criticism by +the members present." Mr. Roach Smith has always taken immense interest +in the progress of this Society. Miss Dickens occasionally helped at the +above meetings. + +Mr. Roach Smith kindly favours us with the following extract from the +third and forthcoming volume of his _Retrospections_ with reference to +the late Mr. J. H. Ball, of Strood, which may appropriately be here +introduced:-- + +"Although I have said that I was the gainer by our acquaintance, yet now +and then I had a chance of serving him. Soon after the death of the +great novelist, Charles Dickens, and when people were speculating as to +what would become of his residence at Gad's Hill, Mr. Ball, wishing to +purchase it, commissioned me to call on the executrix, Miss Hogarth, and +offer ten thousand pounds, for which he had written a cheque. I +accordingly went, and sent in my card. Miss Hogarth, fortunately, could +not see me; she was hastening to catch the train for London, the +carriage being at the door, and not a moment to be lost; but she would +be happy to see me on her return in a day or two. I then wrote to Mr. +Forster, the other executor; and received a reply that the place was not +for sale. I kept him ignorant of the sum that Mr. Ball was willing to +give, and thus saved my friend some thousands of pounds, . . . for the +house and land were not worth half the money." + +[Illustration: Old Quarry House Strood] + +After some further conversation with our kind octogenarian friend, who +insists on showing us hospitality notwithstanding his sufferings from a +trying illness, we take our departure with many pleasant memories of our +visit.[16] + +We have, after one or two unsuccessful attempts, the good fortune to +meet with Mr. Stephen Steele, M.R.C.S. and L.S.A., of Bridge House, +Esplanade, Strood, who was admitted a member of the medical profession +so far back as the year 1831, and has therefore been in practice nearly +sixty years. It will be remembered that this experienced surgeon was +sent for by Miss Hogarth, to see Dickens in his last illness. He is good +enough to go over and describe to us in graphic and sympathetic language +the whole of the circumstances attending that sorrowful event. +Previously to doing so, he gives us some interesting details of his +recollections of Charles Dickens. Dr. Steele had occupied the onerous +post of Chairman of the Liberal Association at Rochester for thirty +years, and believes that in politics Dickens was a Liberal, for he +frequently prefaced his remarks in conversation with him on any subject +of passing interest by the expression, "We Liberals, you know--" + +[Illustration: Frindsbury Church] + +As a matter of fact, Dickens discharged his conscience of his political +creed in the remarks which followed his address as President of the +Birmingham and Midland Institute,[17] delivered 27th September, 1869, +when he said--"My political creed is contained in two articles, and has +no reference to any party or persons. My faith in the 'people governing' +is, on the whole, infinitesimal; my faith in the 'people governed' is, +on the whole, illimitable." At a subsequent visit to Birmingham on the +6th January, 1870, when giving out the prizes at the Institute, he +further emphasized his political faith in these words:--"When I was here +last autumn, I made a short confession of my political faith--or +perhaps, I should better say, want of faith. It imported that I have +very little confidence in the people who govern us--please to observe +'people' with a small 'p,'--but I have very great confidence in the +People whom they govern--please to observe 'People' with a large 'P.'" + +A few days after Charles Dickens's first visit, my friend Mr. Howard S. +Pearson, Lecturer on English Literature at the Institute, addressed a +letter to him on the subject of the remarks at the conclusion of his +Presidential Address, and promptly received in reply the following +communication, which Mr. Pearson kindly allows me to print, emphasizing +his (Dickens's) observations:-- + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + "HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + "_Wednesday, 6th October, 1869._ + + "SIR, + + "You are perfectly right in your construction of + my meaning at Birmingham. If a capital P be put to + the word People in its second use in the sentence, + and not in its first, I should suppose the passage + next to impossible to be mistaken, even if it were + read without any reference to the whole spirit of + my speech and the whole tenor of my writings. + + "Faithfully yours, + "CHARLES DICKENS. + "H. S. PEARSON, ESQUIRE." + +Dr. Steele had dined several times at Gad's Hill Place, and was +impressed with Dickens's wonderful powers as a host. He never absorbed +the whole of the conversation to himself, but listened attentively when +his guests were speaking, and endeavoured, as it were, to draw out any +friends who were not generally talkative. He liked each one to chat +about his own hobby in which he took most interest. Our informant was +also present at Gad's Hill Place at several theatrical entertainments, +and especially remembers some charades being given. After the +performance of the latter was over, Dickens walked round among his +guests in the drawing-room, and enquired if any one could guess the +"word." Says the doctor, "We never seemed to do so, but there was always +a hearty laugh when we were told what it was. There was a good deal of +company at Gad's Hill at Christmas time." + +_A propos_ of private theatricals at Gad's Hill Place, Mr. T. Edgar +Pemberton, in _Charles Dickens and the Stage_, calls attention to the +fact that "Mr. Clarkson Stanfield's _Lighthouse_ Act drop subsequently +decorated the walls of Gad's Hill Place; and although it took the +painter less than a couple of days to execute, fetched a thousand +guineas at the famous Dickens Sale in 1870." A cloth painted for _The +Frozen Deep_, which was the next and last of these productions, also had +a foremost place in the Gad's Hill picture-gallery. + +Dr. Steele mentions a conversation once with Dickens about Gad's Hill +and Shakespeare's description of it. He (the doctor) considers that +Shakespeare could not have described it so accurately if he had not been +there, and Dickens agreed with him in this opinion. Possibly he may have +stayed at the "Plough," which was an inn on the same spot as, or close +to, the "Falstaff." The place must have been much wooded at that time, +and Shakespeare might have been there on his way to Dover. A note in +the _Rochester and Chatham Journal_, 1883, states that "Shakespeare's +company made a tour in Sussex and Kent in the summer of 1597." + +Dr. Steele, in common with his friend Charles Dickens, strongly +deprecated the action of certain parties in Rochester, by voting at a +public meeting something to this effect:--"That the Theatre was an +irreligious kind of institution, and, in the opinion of the meeting, it +ought to be closed." + +The doctor observes that Dickens was not much of a Church-goer. He went +occasionally to Higham, and used to give the vicar assistance for the +poor and distressed. Dickens and Miss Hogarth asked Dr. Steele to point +out objects of charity worthy of relief, and they gave him money for +distribution. + +He remarks that Dickens did not care much about associating with the +local residents, going out to dinners, &c. Most of the principal people +of Rochester would have been glad of the honour of his presence as a +guest, but he rarely accepted invitations, preferring the quietude of +home.[18] + +As regards readings, our informant says he is under the impression that +Dickens must have had some lessons or hints from some one of experience +(possibly his friend Fechter, the actor), as he noticed from time to +time a regular improvement, which was permanently maintained. On the +subject of the American War, he thinks Dickens's sympathies were +decidedly with the South. With respect to the American Readings, Dr. +Steele expresses his opinion that the excitement, fatigue, and worry +consequent thereon had considerably shortened Dickens's life, if it had +not pretty well killed him. He considered him a most genial sort of +man; "he always looked you straight in the face when speaking." + +Before referring to the closing chapter in Dickens's life, we have some +interesting talk respecting Venesection,--_a propos_ of that memorable +occasion on the ice at Dingley Dell, when "Mr. Benjamin Allen was +holding a hurried consultation with Mr. Bob Sawyer on the advisability +of bleeding the company generally, as an improving little bit of +professional practice,"--and Dr. Steele gives us his opinion thereon, +and on some points connected with the medical profession. He was a +student of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, and was under the +distinguished physicians Drs. Addison and Elliotson. He considered the +characters of Bob Sawyer and Ben Allen not at all overdrawn. They were +good representations of the medical students of those days. He believed +the practice of Venesection commenced to be general about the year 1811, +for his father was a medical practitioner before him, and he does not +remember his (the father's) telling him that he practised it before that +time. Says our friend, "We used to bleed regularly in my young days, and +in cases of pneumonia and convulsions we never thought of omitting to +bleed. We should have considered that to have done so would have been a +grave instance of irregular practice. And," he adds, "I bleed in cases +of convulsions now." The doctor did not think well of the change at the +time, but, speaking generally, he says Venesection had had its turn, and +has now given place to other treatment. + +The events in connection with the fatal illness of Dickens are then +touchingly related as follows:-- + +"I was sent for on Wednesday, the eighth of June, 1870, to attend at +Gad's Hill Place, and arrived about 6.30 p.m. I found Dickens lying on +the floor of the dining-room in a fit. He was unconscious, and never +moved. The servants brought a couch down, on which he was placed. I +applied clysters and other remedies to the patient without effect. Miss +Hogarth, his sister-in-law, had already sent a telegram (by the same +messenger on horseback who summoned me) to his old friend and family +doctor, Mr. Frank Beard, who arrived about midnight. He relieved me in +attendance at that time, and I came again in the morning. There was +unhappily no change in the symptoms, and stertorous breathing, which had +commenced before, now continued. In conversation Miss Hogarth and the +family expressed themselves perfectly satisfied with the attendance of +Mr. Beard and myself. I said, 'That may be so, and we are much obliged +for your kind opinion; but we have a duty to perform, not only to you, +my dear madam, and the family of Mr. Dickens, but also to the public. +What will the public say if we allow Charles Dickens to pass away +without further medical assistance? Our advice is to send for Dr. +Russell Reynolds.' Mr. Beard first made the suggestion. + +"The family reiterated their expression of perfect satisfaction with the +treatment of Mr. Beard and myself, but immediately gave way, Dr. Russell +Reynolds was sent for, and came in the course of the day. This eminent +physician without hesitation pronounced the case to be hopeless. He said +at once on seeing him, 'He cannot live.' And so it proved. At a little +past 6 o'clock on Thursday, the 9th of June, 1870, Charles Dickens +passed quietly away without a word--about twenty-four hours after the +seizure." + +[Illustration: Rochester: from Strood Pier:] + +Such is the simple narrative which the kind-hearted octogenarian +surgeon, whom it is a delightful pleasure to meet and converse with, +communicates to us, and then cordially wishes us "good-bye." + + * * * * * + +There is an annual pleasure fair at Strood, instituted, it is said, so +far back as the reign of Edward III. It takes place during three days in +the last week of August, and as it is going on while we are on our +tramp, we just look in for a few minutes, the more especially as we were +informed by Mr. William Ball, and others who had seen him, that Dickens +used to be very fond of going there at times in an appropriate disguise, +where perhaps he may have seen the prototype of the famous "Doctor +Marigold." The fair is now held on a large piece of waste ground near +the Railway Station. There are the usual set-out of booths, "Aunt +Sallies," shooting-galleries, "Try your weight and strength, gentlemen" +machines, a theatre, with a tragedy and comedy both performed in about +an hour, and hot-sausage and gingerbread stalls in abundance. But the +deafening martial music poured forth from a barrel-organ by means of a +steam-engine, belonging to the proprietor of a huge "Merry-go-round," +and the wet and muddy condition of the ground from the effects of the +recent thunderstorm, make us glad to get away. + + +A MYSTERIOUS DICKENS-ITEM. + +Mr. C. D. Levy, Auctioneer, etc., of Strood, was good enough to lend me +what at first sight, and indeed for some time afterwards, was supposed +to be a most unique Dickens-item. It came into his possession in this +way. At the sale of Charles Dickens's furniture and effects, which took +place at Gad's Hill in 1870, Mr. Levy was authorized by a customer to +purchase Dickens's writing-desk, which, however, he was unable to +secure. In transferring the desk to the purchaser at the time of the +sale, a few old and torn papers tumbled out, and being considered of no +value, were disregarded and scattered. One of these scraps was picked up +by Mr. Levy, and proved on further examination to be a sheet of headed +note-paper having the stamp of "Gad's Hill Place, Higham by Rochester, +Kent."--On the first page were a few rough sketches drawn with pen and +ink, which greatly resembled some of the characters in _The Mystery of +Edwin Drood_--Durdles, Jasper, and Edwin Drood. At the side was a +curious row of capital letters looking like a puzzle. On the second and +third pages were short-hand notes, and on the fourth page a few lines +written in long-hand, continued on the next page,--wonderfully like +Charles Dickens's own handwriting,--being the commencement of a speech +with reference to a cricket match. The sheet of paper had evidently been +made to do double duty, for after the sketches had been drawn on the +front page, the sheet was put aside, and when used again was turned +over, so that what ordinarily would have been page 4 became page 1 for +the second object. No "Daniel" in Strood or Rochester had ever been able +to decipher the mysterious hieroglyphics, or make known the +interpretation thereof, during twenty years, or give any explanation of +the sketches. But everybody thought that in some way or other they +related to _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_--and possibly contained a clue +to the solution of that exquisite fragment. So, as a student and admirer +of Dickens, Mr. Levy kindly left the matter in my hands to make out what +I could of it. Reference was accordingly had to several learned pundits +in the short-hand systems of "Pitman," "Odell," and "Harding," but +without avail; and eventually Mr. Gurney Archer, of 20, Abingdon Street, +Westminster (successor to the old-established and eminent firm of +Messrs. W. B. Gurney and Sons, who have been the short-hand writers to +the House of Lords from time immemorial), kindly transcribed the +short-hand notes, which referred to a speech relating to a cricket +match, a portion of which had already been written out in long-hand, as +above stated,--but there was not a word in the short-hand about Edwin +Drood! + +So far, one portion of the mystery had been explained--not so the +sketches, which were still believed to contain the key to _The Mystery +of Edwin Drood_. As a _dernier ressort_, application was made to the +fountain-head--to Mr. Luke Fildes, R.A., the famous illustrator of that +beautiful work. He received me most courteously, scrutinized the +document closely; we had a long chat about Edwin Drood generally, the +substance of which has been given in a previous chapter--but he admitted +that the sketches failed to give any solution of the mystery. + +The document was subsequently sent by Mr. Kitton to Mrs. Perugini, who +at once replied that it had caused some merriment when she saw it again, +as she remembered it very well. It had been done by her brother, Mr. +Henry Fielding Dickens, when a young man living at home at Gad's +Hill--that the short-hand notes referred to his speech at a dinner after +one of the numerous cricket matches held there, and that the sketches +were rough portraits of some of the cricketers. The capital letters at +the side referred to a double acrostic. The heads of the speech had been +suggested by his father as being desirable to be brought before the +cricket club, which at that time was in a rather drooping condition. + +Now although the original theory about this curious document entirely +broke down, and not an atom has been added to what was already known +about _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_, still there is one subject of much +interest which the document has brought to light. The short-hand is the +same system, "Gurney's," as that which Charles Dickens wrote as a +reporter in his early newspaper days--a system not generally used now, +but which he subsequently taught his son to write. Of the many sheets +which Dickens covered with notes in days gone by not one remains. But +there are two manuscripts by Dickens in Gurney's system of short-hand, +now in the Dyce and Forster collection at South Kensington, which relate +to some private matters in connection with publishing arrangements. The +document is certainly interesting from this point of view (_i. e._ the +system which Dickens used), and from its reference to life at Gad's +Hill, and especially to cricket, the favourite game mentioned many times +in this book, in which the novelist took so much interest. Mr. Henry +Fielding Dickens, with whom I had on another occasion some conversation +on the subject of this souvenir of his youth at Gad's Hill, remarked +that many more important issues had hung upon much more slender +evidence. It was done about the year 1865-6, before he went to college. + +At our interview Mr. H. F. Dickens told me the details of the following +touching incident which happened at one of the cricket matches at Gad's +Hill. His father was as usual attired in flannels, acting as umpire and +energetically taking the score of the game, when there came out from +among the bystanders a tall, grizzled, and sun-burnt Sergeant of the +Guards. The Sergeant walked straight up to Mr. Dickens, saying, "May I +look at you, sir?" "Oh, yes!" said the novelist, blushing up to the +eyes. The Sergeant gazed intently at him for a minute or so, then stood +at attention, gave the military salute, and said, "God bless you, sir." +He then walked off and was seen no more. In recounting this anecdote, +Mr. H. F. Dickens agreed with me that, reading between the lines, one +can almost fancy some lingering reminiscences similar to those in the +early experience of Private Richard Doubledick. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[14] Since our tramp in Dickens-Land, Messrs. Winch and Sons have, with +liberality and good taste, restored the old sign at this historic +hostelry with which the memory of Charles Dickens is associated. It has +been suggested that the sign may possibly have had its origin from the +Battle of Agincourt fought on the day of "Saints Crispin-Crispian," 25th +October, 1415. Victories in more recent times have been thus +commemorated on sign-boards, such as the _Vigo_ expedition, and the +fights at Portobello, Trafalgar, Waterloo, Alma, and elsewhere, and the +heroes who won them thus celebrated. + +The sign, which is very well painted, represents the patron saints of +the shoe-making fraternity, the holy brothers, Crispin and Crispian, at +work on their cobbler's bench. The legend runs that it was at Soissons, +in the year 287, while they were so employed "labouring with their +hands," that they were seized by the emissaries of the Emperor +Maximinian, and led away to torture and to death. The sign is understood +to have been faithfully copied from a well-known work preserved to this +day, at the church of St. Pantaleon at Troyes.--Abstract of a note in +the _Rochester and Chatham Journal_, October 5th, 1889. + +[15] Enthusiastic admirers of Dickens will doubtless envy me the +possession of some remarkable memorials of the great writer. My friend +Mr. Ball is kind enough to present me with a very curious souvenir of +the novelist: his old garden hat! Mr. Ball's father obtained it from the +gardener at Gad's Hill Place, to whom it had been given after his +master's death. The hat is a "grey-bowler," size 7-1/4, maker's name +"Hillhouse," Bond Street, and is the same hat that he is seen to wear in +the photograph of him leaning against the entrance-porch, an engraving +of which appears on page 183. Many hats from Shakespeare and Gesler have +become historical, and there is no reason why Dickens's should not in +the future be an equally interesting personal relic. The gift was +accompanied by a couple of collars belonging to the novelist, with the +initials "C. D." very neatly marked in red cotton. The collar is +technically known as a "Persigny," and its size is 16. Last, not least, +a small bottle of "very rare old Madeira" from Gad's Hill, which calls +to mind pleasant recollections of "the last bottle of the old Madeira," +opened by dear old Sol. Gills in the final chapter of _Dombey and Son_. +Needless to say, the consumption of the valued contents of Dickens's +bottle is reserved for a very special and appropriate occasion. + +[16] This was written soon after our first visit to Strood at the end of +August, 1888. Within little more than two years afterwards, on Thursday, +7th August, 1890, I had the mournful pleasure of being present at the +funeral of my friend, which took place at Frindsbury Church on that day, +in the presence of the sorrowing relatives and of a large concourse of +admirers, both local and from a distance. There were also present many +representatives of distinguished scientific societies, including Dr. +John Evans, F.R.S., Treasurer of the Royal Society, and President of the +Society of Antiquaries. + +The kindness which I received from Mr. Roach Smith, to whom I presented +myself in the first instance as a perfect stranger, and which was +extended during the period of two years that I was privileged to enjoy +his friendship, and at times his hospitality, would be ill requited if I +did not here place on record my humble tribute of appreciation. Born +about the commencement of the present century at Landguard Manor House, +near Shanklin, Isle of Wight, after a somewhat diversified education and +experience, he finally settled in London as a wholesale druggist, from +which business he retired in 1856, and came to live at Temple Place, +Strood. The bent of his mind was, however, distinctly in favour of +archaeology, and in this science, which he commenced in the early years +of his business, his work has been enormous. In the matter of the +identification of Roman remains he was _facile princeps_, and for many +years stood without a rival, his investigations and explorations +extending over England and Europe. His principal works are _Collectanea +Antiqua_, seven volumes; _Illustrations of Roman London_; _Catalogue of +London Antiquities_; _Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne_, and numberless +contributions scattered over the journal of the Society of Antiquaries, +the _Archaeologia Cantiana_, and other publications. He was an +enthusiastic Shakespearean, the author of the _Rural Life of +Shakespeare_, and of a little work on _The Scarcity of Home-Grown +Fruits_. He also published two volumes of _Retrospections: Social and +Archaeological_, and was engaged at his death in completing the third +volume. He contributed many articles to Dr. William Smith's _Classical +Dictionaries_, and other similar works. + +He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries so far back as +1836, and at the time of his death was an Honorary Member or Fellow of +at least thirty learned societies of a kindred nature in Great Britain +and on the continent, and had been honoured by his colleagues and +admirers in having his medal struck on two occasions. + +"He was," says one of the highest of living scientists and writers, "one +of the chief representatives of the _science_ of archaeology as +understood in its broadest and widest sense. He has never been a mere +collector of remains of ancient art, regarded only as curiosities, but +has always had in view their use as exponents of the great unwritten +history--the history of the people--which is not to be obtained from +other sources; his writings have tended to the same end. Hence he stands +as one of the foremost amongst those few of the present day who +understand the science in its best and widest sense, his works being +referred to as _the_ authority at home and abroad." + +Speaking with his friend and companion for many years, Mr. George Payne, +F.S.A., Hon. Sec. to the Kent Archaeological Society, on my last visit, +about several personal characteristics of our mutual friend, such as his +persistent energy and his indomitable disposition to stoically resist +the infirmities of approaching age, and decline any assistance in +helplessness, and especially as to the _quaestio vexata_, "Bill Stumps, +his mark," Mr. Payne expressed his opinion, that at the bottom of his +heart Mr. Roach Smith may probably have had a feeling that Dickens in +some way (however unintentionally) slighted the science of archaeology, +which he (Mr. Roach Smith) had all his life tried to elevate. + +A most distinguished antiquarian, a thoroughly honourable man, a +versatile and accomplished gentleman, and a kind-hearted and liberal +friend, the town of Strood, to which he was for so many years endeared, +will long and deservedly mourn his loss. + +[17] It is interesting to place on record here, that the germ of Charles +Dickens's "Readings," which afterwards developed so marvellously both in +England and America, originated in Birmingham. On the 27th of December, +1853, he read his _Christmas Carol_ in the Town Hall in aid of the funds +of the Institute. On the 29th he read _The Cricket on the Hearth_, and +on the 30th he repeated the _Carol_ to an audience principally composed +of working men. The success was overwhelming. + +[18] Miss Hogarth informs me that her brother-in-law frequently dined +out in the neighbourhood, accompanied by his daughter and herself. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + CHATHAM:--ST. MARY'S CHURCH, ORDNANCE TERRACE, THE + HOUSE ON THE BROOK, THE MITRE HOTEL, AND FORT + PITT. LANDPORT:--PORTSEA, HANTS. + + "The home of his infancy, to which his heart had + yearned with an intensity of affection not to be + described."--_The Pickwick Papers._ + + "I believe the power of observation in numbers of + very young children to be quite wonderful for its + closeness and accuracy. Indeed, I think that most + grown men who are remarkable in this respect, may, + with greater propriety, be said not to have lost + the faculty than to have acquired it; the rather, + as I generally observe such men to retain a + certain freshness, and gentleness, and capacity of + being pleased, which are also an inheritance they + have preserved from their childhood."--_David + Copperfield._ + + +THE naval and military town of Chatham, unlike the Cathedral city of +Rochester, has, at first sight, few attractions for the lover of +Dickens. Mr. Phillips Bevan calls it "a dirty, unpleasant town devoted +to the interests of soldiers, sailors, and marines." We are not disposed +to agree entirely with him; but we must admit that it has little of the +picturesque to recommend it--no venerable Castle or Cathedral to attract +attention, no scenes in the novels of much importance to visit, no +characters therein of much interest to identify. Mr. Pickwick's own +description of the four towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, and +Brompton, certainly applies more nearly to Chatham than to the others; +but things have improved in many ways since the days of that veracious +chronicler, as we are glad to testify:-- + + "The principal productions of these towns," says + Mr. Pickwick, "appear to be soldiers, sailors, + Jews, chalk, shrimps, officers, and dockyard men. + The commodities chiefly exposed for sale in the + public streets are marine stores, hard-bake, + apples, flat-fish, and oysters. The streets + present a lively and animated appearance, + occasioned chiefly by the conviviality of the + military. . . . + + "The consumption of tobacco in these towns," + continues Mr. Pickwick, "must be very great; and + the smell which pervades the streets must be + exceedingly delicious to those who are extremely + fond of smoking. A superficial traveller might + object to the dirt, which is their leading + characteristic; but to those who view it as an + indication of traffic and commercial prosperity, + it is truly gratifying." + +And yet for all this, there are circumstances to be noticed of the +deepest possible interest connected with Chatham, and spots therein to +be visited, which every pilgrim to "Dickens-Land" must recognize. At +Chatham,--"my boyhood's home," as he affectionately calls it,--many of +the earlier years of Charles Dickens (probably from his fourth to his +eleventh) were passed; here it was "that the most durable of his earlier +impressions were received; and the associations around him when he died +were those which at the outset of his life had affected him most +strongly." + +Admirers of the great novelist are much indebted to Mr. Robert Langton, +F. R. Hist. Soc., for his _Childhood and Youth of Charles Dickens_, a +book quite indispensable to a tramp in this neighbourhood, the charming +illustrations by the late Mr. William Hull, the author, and others +rendering the identification of places perfectly easy. Dickens says, "If +anybody knows to a nicety where Rochester ends and Chatham begins, it is +more than I do." "It's of no consequence," as Mr. Toots would say, for +the High Street is one continuous thoroughfare, but as a matter of fact, +a narrow street called Boundary Lane on the north side of High Street +separates the two places. + +A few words of recapitulation as to early family history[19] may be +useful here. John Dickens, who is represented as "a fine portly man," +was a Navy pay-clerk, and Elizabeth his wife (_nee_ Barrow), who is +described as "a dear good mother and a fine woman," the parents of the +future genius, resided in the beginning of this century at 387, Mile End +Terrace, Commercial Road, Landport, Portsea,[20] "and is so far in +Portsea as being in the island of that name." Here Charles Dickens was +born, at twelve o'clock at night, on Friday, 7th February, 1812. He was +the second child and eldest son of a rather numerous family consisting +of eight sons and daughters, and was baptized at St. Mary's, Kingston +(the parish church of Portsea), under the names of Charles John +Huff_h_am; the last of these is no doubt a misspelling, as the name of +his grandfather, from whom he took it, was Huffam, but Dickens himself +scarcely ever used it. In the old family Bible now in possession of Mr. +Charles Dickens it is Huffam in his father's own handwriting. The +Dickens family left Mile End Terrace on 24th June, 1812, and went to +live in Hawke Street, Portsea, from whence, in consequence of a change +in official duties of the elder Dickens, they removed to Chatham in 1816 +or 1817, and resided there for six or seven years, until they went to +live in London. + +Bearing these circumstances in mind, it is very natural that we should +determine on an early pilgrimage to Chatham, and Sunday morning sees us +at the old church--St. Mary's--where Dickens himself must often have +been taken as a child, and where he saw the marriage of his aunt Fanny +with James Lamert, a Staff Doctor in the Army,--the Doctor Slammer of +_Pickwick_,--of whom Mr. Langton says:--"The regimental surgeon's +kindly manner, and his short odd way of expressing himself, still +survive in the recollections of a few old people." Dr. Lamert's son +James, by a former wife, was a great crony of young Charles Dickens, +taking him to the Rochester theatre, and getting up private theatricals +in which they both acted. + +Surely there is a faint description of those times in the second chapter +of _David Copperfield_:-- + +[Illustration: St. Mary's Church, Chatham.] + + "Here is our pew in the church. What a high-backed + pew! With a window near it, out of which our house + can be seen, and _is_ seen many times during the + morning's service by Peggotty, who likes to make + herself as sure as she can that it's not being + robbed, or is not in flames. But though Peggotty's + eye wanders, she is much offended if mine does, + and frowns to me, as I stand upon the seat, that I + am to look at the clergyman. But I can't always + look at him--I know him without that white thing + on, and I am afraid of his wondering why I stare + so, and perhaps stopping the service to + enquire--and what am I to do? It's a dreadful + thing to gape, but I must do something. I look at + my mother, but _she_ pretends not to see me. I + look at a boy in the aisle, and _he_ makes faces + at me. I look at the sunlight coming in at the + open door through the porch, and there I see a + stray sheep--I don't mean a sinner, but + mutton--half making up his mind to come into the + church. I feel that if I looked at him any longer, + I might be tempted to say something out loud; and + what would become of me then!" + +The church, now undergoing reconstruction, is not a very presentable +structure, and has little of interest to recommend it, except a brass to +a famous navigator named Stephen Borough, the discoverer of the northern +passage to Russia (1584), and a monument to Sir John Cox, who was killed +in an action with the Dutch (1672). The name of Weller occurs on a +gravestone near the church door. + +We cross the High Street, proceed along Railway Street, formerly Rome +Lane, pass the Chatham Railway Station (near which is a statue of +Lieutenant Waghorn, R.N., "pioneer and founder of the Overland Route," +born at Chatham, 1800, and died 1850),[21] and find ourselves at +Ordnance Terrace, a conspicuous row of two-storied houses, prominently +situated on the higher ground facing us, beyond the Station. In one of +these houses (No. 11--formerly No. 2) the Dickens family resided from +1817 to 1821. The present occupier is a Mr. Roberts, who kindly allows +us to inspect the interior. It has the dining-room on the left-hand side +of the entrance and the drawing-room on the first floor, and is +altogether a pleasantly-situated, comfortable, and respectable dwelling. +No. 11, "the second house in the terrace," is overgrown with a Virginia +creeper, which, from its possible association with Dickens's earliest +years, may have induced him to plant the now magnificent one which +exists at Gad's Hill. "Here it was," says Forster, "that his first +desire for knowledge, and his greatest passion for reading, were +awakened by his mother, who taught him the first rudiments, not only of +English, but also, a little later, of Latin. She taught him regularly +every day for a long time, and taught him, he was convinced, thoroughly +well." Mr. Langton also says that "It was during his residence here that +some of the happiest hours of the childhood of little Charles were +passed, as his father was in a fairly good position in the Navy Pay +Office, and they were a most genial, lovable family." Here it was that +the theatrical entertainments and the genial parties took place, when, +in addition to his brothers and sisters and his cousin, James Lamert, +there were also present his friends and neighbours, George Stroughill, +and Master and Miss Tribe. + +Mr. Langton further states that "Ordnance Terrace is known to have +formed the locality and characters for some of the earlier _Sketches by +Boz_." "The Old Lady" was a Miss Newnham, who lived at No. 5, and who +was, by all accounts, very kind to the Dickens children. The "Half-pay +Captain" was also a near neighbour, and he is supposed to have supplied +one of the earliest characters to Dickens as a mere child. Some of the +neighbours at the corner house next door (formerly No. 1) were named +Stroughill,--pronounced Stro'hill (there was, it will be remembered, a +_Struggles_ at the famous cricket-match at All-Muggleton)--and the son, +George, is said to have had some of the characteristics of Steerforth in +_David Copperfield_. He had a sister named Lucy, probably the "Golden +Lucy," from her beautiful locks, and who, according to Mr. Langton, "was +the special favourite and little sweetheart of Charles Dickens." She was +possibly the prototype of her namesake, in the beautiful story of the +_Wreck of the Golden Mary_. + +[Illustration: No. 11, Ordnance Terrace, Chatham. _Where the Dickens +Family lived 1817-21._] + +About the year 1821 pecuniary embarrassments beset and tormented the +Dickens family, which were afterwards to be "ascribed in fiction" in the +histories of the Micawbers and the Dorrits, and the family removed to +the House on the Brook. In order to follow their steps in perfect +sequence, we have to return by the way we came from the church, cross +the High Street, and proceed along Military Road, so as to visit the +obscure dwelling, No. 18, St. Mary's Place, situated in the valley +through which a brook, now covered over, flows from the higher lands +adjacent, into the Medway. + +[Illustration: The House on the Brook, Chatham. _Where the Dickens +Family lived 1821-3._] + +The House on the Brook--"plain-looking, whitewashed plaster front, and a +small garden before and behind"--next door to the former Providence +(Baptist) Chapel, now the Drill Hall of the Salvation Army, is a very +humble and unpretentious six-roomed dwelling, and of a style very +different to the one in Ordnance Terrace. Here the Dickens family lived +from 1821 to 1823. The Reverend William Giles, the Baptist Minister, +father of Mr. William Giles, the schoolmaster, formerly officiated at +the chapel. This was the Mr. Giles who, when Dickens was half-way +through _Pickwick_, sent him a silver snuff-box, with an admiring +inscription to the "Inimitable Boz." Dickens went to school at Mr. +Giles's Academy in Clover Lane (now Clover Street), Chatham, and boys of +this and neighbouring schools were thus nicknamed:-- + + "Baker's Bull-dogs, + "Giles's Cats, + "New Road Scrubbers, + "Troy Town Rats." + +[Illustration: Giles's School, Chatham.] + +It was in the House on the Brook that he acquired those "readings and +imaginings" which in "boyish recollections" he describes as having been +brought away from Chatham:--"My father had left a small collection of +books in a little room up-stairs, to which I had access (for it adjoined +my own), and which nobody else in our house ever troubled. From that +blessed little room _Roderick Random_, _Peregrine Pickle_, _Humphry +Clinker_, _Tom Jones_, _The Vicar of Wakefield_, _Don Quixote_, _Gil +Blas_, and _Robinson Crusoe_, came out, a glorious host to keep me +company. They kept alive my fancy, and my hope of something beyond that +place and time,--they and the _Arabian Nights_, and the _Tales of the +Genii_,--and did me no harm; for whatever harm was in some of them was +not there for me. _I_ knew nothing of it." + +It is very probable that his first literary effort, _The Tragedy of +Misnar, the Sultan of India_, "founded" (says Forster), "and very +literally founded, no doubt, on the _Tales of the Genii_," was composed +after perusal of some of the works above referred to, but it is to be +feared that it was never even rehearsed. The circumstances of the family +had so changed for the worse, that here were neither juvenile parties +nor theatrical entertainments. + +A view from one of the upper windows of the house in St. Mary's Place +gives the parish church and churchyard precisely as described in that +pathetic little story, _A Child's Dream of a Star_. Charles Dickens was +the child who "strolled about a good deal, and thought of a number of +things," and his little sister Fanny--or his younger sister Harriet +Ellen--was doubtless "his constant companion" referred to in the story. + +[Illustration: Mitre Inn, Chatham.] + +We leave with feelings of respect the humble but famous little tenement, +its condition now sadly degraded; proceed along the High Street, and +soon reach "The Mitre Inn and Clarence Hotel," a solid-looking and +comfortable house of entertainment, at which Lord Nelson and King +William IV., when Duke of Clarence, frequently stayed, and (what is more +to our purpose) where we find associations of Charles Dickens. There are +a beautiful bowling-green and grounds at the back, approached by a +series of terraces well planted with flowers, and the green is +surrounded by fine elms which constitute quite an oasis in the desert of +the somewhat prosaic Chatham. The Mitre is thus immortalized in the +"Guest's Story" of the _Holly Tree Inn_:-- + + "There was an Inn in the Cathedral town where I + went to school, which had pleasanter recollections + about it than any of these. I took it next. It was + the Inn where friends used to put up, and where we + used to go to see parents, and to have salmon and + fowls, and be tipped. It had an ecclesiastical + sign--the 'Mitre'--and a bar that seemed to be the + next best thing to a Bishopric, it was so snug. I + loved the landlord's youngest daughter to + distraction--but let that pass. It was in this Inn + that I was cried over by my rosy little sister, + because I had acquired a black-eye in a fight. And + though she had been, that holly-tree night, for + many a long year where all tears are dried, the + Mitre softened me yet." + +About the year 1820 the landlord of the Mitre was Mr. John Tribe, and +his family being intimate with the Dickenses, young Charles spent many +pleasant evenings at the "genial parties" given at this fine old inn. +Mr. Langton mentions that the late Mr. Alderman William Tribe, son of +Mr. John Tribe, the former proprietor, perfectly recollected Charles +Dickens and his sister Fanny coming to the Mitre, and on one occasion +their being mounted on a dining-table for a stage, and singing what was +then a popular duet, _i. e._-- + + "Long time I've courted you, miss, + And now I've come from sea; + We'll make no more ado, miss, + But quickly married be. + Sing Fal-de-ral," &c. + +The worthy alderman is also stated to have had in his possession a card +of invitation to spend the evening at Ordnance Terrace, addressed from +Master and Miss Dickens to Master and Miss Tribe, which was dated about +this time. + +In consequence of the elder Dickens being recalled from Chatham to +Somerset House, to comply with official requirements, the family removed +to London in 1823,[22] "and took up its abode in a house in Bayham +Street, Camden Town." Dickens thus describes his journey to London in +"Dullborough Town," one of the sketches in _The Uncommercial +Traveller_:-- + + "As I left Dullborough in the days when there were + no railroads in the land, I left it in a + stage-coach. Through all the years that have since + passed, have I ever lost the smell of the damp + straw in which I was packed--like game--and + forwarded, carriage paid, to the Cross Keys, Wood + Street, Cheapside, London? There was no other + inside passenger, and I consumed my sandwiches in + solitude and dreariness, and it rained hard all + the way, and I thought life sloppier than I had + expected to find it. . . ." + +Mr. W. T. Wildish, the proprietor of the _Rochester and Chatham +Journal_, kindly favours us with some interesting information which has +recently appeared in his journal, relating to Charles Dickens's +nurse--the Mary Weller of his boyhood (and perhaps the Peggotty as +well), but known to later generations as Mrs. Mary Gibson of Front Row, +Ordnance Place, Chatham, who died in the spring of the year 1888, at the +advanced age of eighty-four. Very touchingly, but unknowingly, did +Dickens write from Gad's Hill, 24th September, 1857, being unaware that +she was still living:-- + +"I feel much as I used to do when I was a small child, a few miles off, +and somebody--_who_, I wonder, and which way did _she_ go when she +died?--hummed the evening hymn, and I cried on the pillow--either with +the remorseful consciousness of having kicked somebody else, or because +still somebody else had hurt my feelings in the course of the day." + +Mrs. Gibson, when Mary Weller (what a host of pleasant recollections +does the married name of the "pretty housemaid" bring up of the +Pickwickian days!), lived with the family of Mr. John Dickens, at No. +11, Ordnance Terrace, Chatham, and afterwards when they moved to the +House on the Brook. Her recollections were most vivid and interesting. +According to the testimony of her son, communicated to Mr. Wildish, Mrs. +Gibson "used to be very fond of talking of the time she passed with the +Dickens family, and one of her highest satisfactions in her later years +was to hear Charles Dickens's works read by her son Robert; and while +listening to the descriptions of characters read to her, his mother +would detect likenesses unsuspected by other persons whom Dickens must +have known when a boy; and she also agreed in thinking, with Dickens's +biographer, that in Mr. Micawber's troubles were related some of the +experiences of the elder Dickens, who is believed for a time to have +occupied a debtor's prison. She, however, would never bring herself to +believe that her hero was himself ever reduced to such great hardships +as the blacking-bottle period in _David Copperfield_ would suggest if +taken literally. She used to speak of the future author as always fond +of reading, and said he was wont to retire to the top room of the House +on the Brook, and spend what should have been his play-hours in poring +over his books, or in acting to the furniture of the room the creatures +that he had read about." + +Mr. Langton, who had a personal interview with Mrs. Gibson herself, has +recorded the fact that she well remembered singing the Evening Hymn to +the children of John Dickens, and seemed very much surprised at being +asked such a question. She lived with the family when Dickens's little +sister, Harriet Ellen, died--a circumstance that no doubt in after years +inspired the _Child's Dream of a Star_ already referred to. When the +family removed to London, Mary Weller was pressed to accompany them, but +was not in a position to accept the offer, in consequence of her promise +to marry Mr. Thomas Gibson, a shipwright of the Chatham Dockyard, with +whom she lived happily until his death, in 1886, at the age of +eighty-two. + +Mrs. Gibson modestly declined, on her son Robert's suggestion, to seek +an introduction to Charles Dickens, when he read some of his works at +the old Mechanics' Institute at Chatham, fearing that he had forgotten +her. It is certain, however, that, from the reproduction of her name as +the pretty housemaid at Mr. Nupkins's at Ipswich, and from the extract +from the letter above referred to, she had a kindly place in his +recollections. + +Poor David Copperfield, on his way to his aunt's at Dover, stopped at +Chatham--"footsore and tired," he says, "and eating bread that I had +bought for supper." He is afraid "because of the vicious looks of the +trampers;" and even if he could have spared the few pence he possessed +for a bed at the "one or two little houses" with the notice "lodgings +for travellers," he would have hardly cared to go in, on account of the +company he would have been thrown into. And so he says, "I sought no +shelter, therefore, but the sky; and toiling into Chatham--which, in +that night's aspect, is a mere dream of chalk, and draw-bridges, and +mastless ships in a muddy river, roofed like Noah's arks,--crept, at +last, upon a sort of grass-grown battery overhanging a lane, where a +sentry was walking to and fro. Here" [he continues] "I lay down near a +cannon; and, happy in the society of the sentry's footsteps, . . . slept +soundly until morning." Of course it is not possible for us to identify +this spot. "Very stiff and sore of foot," he says, "I was in the +morning, and quite dazed by the beating of drums and marching of troops, +which seemed to hem me in on every side when I went down towards the +long narrow street." However, he has to reserve his strength for getting +to his journey's end, and to this effect he resolves upon selling his +jacket. + +There are plenty of marine-store dealers at Chatham, whom we notice on +our tramp, but none of them would, we believe, now answer to the +description of "an ugly old man, with the lower part of his face all +covered with a stubbly grey beard, in a filthy flannel waistcoat, and +smelling terribly of rum," such as he who assailed little David, in +reply to his offer to sell the jacket, with, "Oh, what do you want? Oh, +my eyes and limbs, what do you want? Oh, my lungs and liver, what do you +want? Oh--goroo, goroo!" After losing his time, and being rated at and +frightened by this "dreadful old man to look at," who in every way tries +to avoid giving him the money asked for,--half-a-crown,--offering him in +exchange such useless things to a hungry boy as "a fishing-rod, a +fiddle, a cocked hat, and a flute," the poor lad is obliged to close +with the offer of a few pence, "with which [he says] I soon refreshed +myself completely; and, being in better spirits then, limped seven miles +upon my road." + +The Convict Prison at Chatham is said to have been built on a piece of +ground which, in the middle of the last century, belonged to one Thomas +Clark, a singular character, who lived on the spot for many years by +himself in a small cottage, and who used every night, as he went home, +to sing or shout, "Tom's all alone! Tom's all alone!" This, according to +the opinion of some, may have given rise to the "Tom all alone's" of +_Bleak House_, more especially considering the fact that military +operations were frequently going on at Chatham, which Dickens would +notice in his early days. The circumstance is thus referred to in the +novel:--"Twice lately there has been a crash, and a crowd of dust, like +the springing of a mine, in Tom all alone's, and each time a house has +fallen." + +Mr. George Robinson of Strood directs our attention to the fact that a +"child's caul," such as that described in the first chapter of _David +Copperfield_, which he was born with, and which was advertised "at the +low price of fifteen guineas," would be a likely object to be sought +after in a sea-faring town like Chatham, in Dickens's early days, when +the schoolmaster was less abroad than he is now. + +In after years, memories of Chatham Dockyard appear in many of the +sketches in the _Uncommercial Traveller_ and other stories. "One man in +a Dockyard" describes it as having "a gravity upon its red brick offices +and houses, a staid pretence of having nothing to do, an avoidance of +display, which I never saw out of England." "Nurse's Stories" says that +"nails and copper are shipwrights' sweethearts, and shipwrights will run +away with them whenever they can." In _Great Expectations_ the refrain, +"Beat it out, beat it out--old Clem! with a clink for the stout--old +Clem!" which Pip and his friends sang, is from a song which the +blacksmiths in the dockyard used to sing in procession on St. Clement's +Day. + +By accident we make the acquaintance of Mr. William James Budden of +Chatham, who informs us that Charles Dickens was better known there in +his latter years for his efforts, by readings and otherwise, to place +the Mechanics' Institute on a sound basis and free from debt. + +Dickens, as the _Uncommercial Traveller_, thus describes the Mechanics' +Institute and its early efforts to succeed:-- + + "As the town was placarded with references to the + Dullborough Mechanics' Institution, I thought I + would go and look at that establishment next. + There had been no such thing in the town in my + young days, and it occurred to me that its extreme + prosperity might have brought adversity upon the + Drama. I found the Institution with some + difficulty, and should scarcely have known that I + had found it if I had judged from its external + appearance only; but this was attributable to its + never having been finished, and having no front: + consequently, it led a modest and retired + existence up a stable-yard. It was (as I learnt, + on enquiry) a most flourishing Institution, and of + the highest benefit to the town: two triumphs + which I was glad to understand were not at all + impaired by the seeming drawbacks that no + mechanics belonged to it, and that it was steeped + in debt to the chimney-pots. It had a large room, + which was approached by an infirm step-ladder: the + builder having declined to construct the intended + staircase, without a present payment in cash, + which Dullborough (though profoundly appreciative + of the Institution) seemed unaccountably bashful + about subscribing." + +Mr. Budden is of opinion that the origin of the "fat boy" in _Pickwick_ +was Mr. James Budden, late of the Red Lion Inn in Military Road, who +afterwards acquired a competence, and who had the honour of entertaining +Dickens at a subsequent period of his life. Mr. Budden is under the +impression, from local hearsay, that Dingley Dell formerly existed +somewhere in the neighbourhood of Burham. + + * * * * * + +We are obligingly favoured with an interview by Mr. John Baird of New +Brompton, Chairman of the Chatham Waterworks Company, although he is +suffering from serious indisposition at the time of our visit. This +gentleman was born in 1810 (two years before Charles Dickens), and +recollects reading with delight the famous _Sketches by Boz_, as they +appeared in the _Morning Chronicle_. The most curious coincidence about +Mr. Baird is, that in stature and facial appearance he is the very +counterpart of the late Charles Dickens in the flesh--his double, so to +speak. This remarkable resemblance, our informant says, is "something +to be proud of, to be mistaken for so great a man, but it was very +inconvenient at times." + +On one occasion, as Mr. Baird was hastening to catch a train at +Rochester Bridge Station, a stout elderly lady, handsomely dressed, +supposed to be Dean Scott's wife,--but to whom he was unknown,--bowed +very politely to him, and in slackening his pace to return the +compliment, which he naturally did not understand, he very nearly missed +his train. + +Sir Arthur Otway told Mr. Baird that the Rev. Mr. Webster, late Vicar of +Chatham, had always mistaken him for Charles Dickens. + +At one of the Readings given by Dickens on behalf of the Mechanics' +Institute at Chatham, Mr. Charles Collins, his son-in-law, and his wife +and her sister being present in the reserved seats in the gallery, Mr. +Baird noticed that they looked very eagerly at him, and this pointed +notice naturally made him feel very uncomfortable. Dickens himself, +accompanied by his son and daughter, once passed our friend in the +street, and scanned him very closely, and he fancies that Dickens called +attention to the resemblance. + +At the last reading which the novelist gave at Chatham, Mr. Baird being +present as one of the audience, the policeman at the door mistook him +for Dickens, and shouted to those in attendance outside, "Mr. Dickens's +carriage!" It is interesting to add, that after the reading a cordial +vote of thanks to Dickens was proposed by Mr. H. G. Adams, the +Naturalist, at one time editor of _The Kentish Coronal_, who recounted +the well-known story of the novelist's father taking him, when a little +boy, to see Gad's Hill Place, and of the strong impression it made upon +his mind. + +Our informant had the honour of meeting Dickens at dinner at Mr. James +Budden's, and states that he was standing against the mantel-piece in +the drawing-room when the novelist arrived, and that he walked up to him +and shook hands cordially, without the usual ceremony of introduction. +Dickens was no doubt too polite to refer to the curious resemblance. + +But the most remarkable case remains to be told, illustrating the +converse of the old proverb--"It is a wise father that knows his own +child." This is given in Mr. Baird's own words:-- + +"My daughter, when a little girl about six years old, was with her +mother and some friends in a railway carriage at Strood station (next +Rochester), and one of them called the child's attention to a gentleman +standing on the platform, asking if she knew who he was. With surprised +delight she at once exclaimed, 'That's my papa!' That same gentleman was +Mr. Charles Dickens!" + +Mr. Baird speaks of the great appreciation which the people of Chatham +had of Dickens's services at the readings, and says it was very good and +kind of him to give those services gratuitously. He confirms the general +opinion as to the origin of the "fat boy," and the "very fussy little +man" at Fort Pitt, who was the prototype of Dr. Slammer. + +It struck us both forcibly that Mr. Baird's appearance at the time of +our visit was very like the last American photograph of Dickens, taken +by Gurney in 1867. + + * * * * * + +Mr. J. E. Littlewood[23] of High Street, Chatham, knew Charles Dickens +about the year 1845 or 1846 at the Royalty (Miss Kelly's) Theatre in +Dean Street, Soho, our informant having been in times past a bit of an +amateur actor, and played Bob Acres in _The Rivals_. He subsequently +heard Dickens read at the Chatham Mechanics' Institute about 1861, and +said that the facial display in the trial scene from _Pickwick_ (one of +the pieces read) was wonderful. He had the honour of dining at the late +Mr. Budden's in High Street, opposite Military Road, to meet Dickens. +There was a large company present. In acknowledging the toast of his +health, which had been proposed at the dinner--either by Sir Arthur +Otway or Captain Fanshawe--Dickens said he was very pleased to read "in +memory of the old place," meaning Chatham, but that he might be reading +"all the year round" for charities. + +Mr. Littlewood also heard Dickens say, that "he had passed many happy +hours in the House on the Brook" looking at "the Lines" opposite. "At +that time" (said our informant) "the place was more rural--considered a +decent spot--not so crowded up as now--nor so vulgar--many respectable +people lived there in Dickens's boyhood. The place has sadly changed +since for the worse." + + * * * * * + +Mr. Humphrey Wood, Solicitor, of Chatham, was, about the year 1867, +local Hon. Secretary to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty +to Animals, and, having applied to Charles Dickens to give a Reading on +behalf of the Society, received the following polite answer to his +application. If only a few words had to be said, they were well said and +to the purpose. + + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + "HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + "_Thursday, 5th September, 1867._ + + "SIR, + + "In reply to your letter, I beg to express my + regret that my compliance with the request it + communicates to me, is removed from within the + bounds of reasonable possibility by the nature of + my engagements, present and prospective. + + "Your faithful servant, + "CHARLES DICKENS. + "HUMPHREY WOOD, ESQ." + +Like other towns in Kent, Chatham contains many names which are +suggestive of some of Dickens's characters, _viz._ Dowler, Whiffen, +Kimmins, Wyles, Arkcoll, Perse, Winch, Wildish, Hockaday, Mowatt, +Hunnisett, and others. + +It is, of course, scarcely necessary to mention, in passing, that +Chatham is one of the most important centres of ship-building for the +Royal Navy; the dockyards--often referred to in Dickens's minor +works--cover more than seventy acres, and are most interesting. Here, at +the Navy Pay-Office, the elder Dickens was employed during his residence +at Chatham. + +Fort Pitt next claims our attention. It stands on the high ground above +the Railway Station at Chatham, just beyond Ordnance Terrace. In Charles +Dickens's early days, and indeed long after, until the establishment of +the magnificent Institution at Netley, Fort Pitt was the principal +military Hospital in England, and was visited by Her Majesty during the +Crimean War. It is still used as a hospital, and contains about two +hundred and fifty beds. The interesting museum which previously existed +there has been removed to Netley. + +From Fort Pitt we see the famous "Chatham lines," which constitute the +elaborate and almost impregnable fortifications of this important +military and ship-building town. The "lines" were commenced as far back +as 1758, and stretch from Gillingham to Brompton, a distance of several +miles, enclosing the peninsula formed by the bend of the river Medway. +Forster says:-- + +[Illustration: Navy Pay-Office, Chatham.] + +"By Rochester and the Medway to the Chatham lines was a favourite walk +with Charles Dickens. He would turn out of Rochester High Street through +the Vines, . . . would pass round by Fort Pitt, and coming back by +Frindsbury would bring himself by some cross-fields again into the +high-road." + +The Chatham lines are locally understood as referring to a piece of +ground about three or four hundred yards square, near Fort Pitt, used as +an exercising-ground for the military. + +Chapter IV. of _Pickwick_, "describing a field day and bivouac," refers +to the Chatham lines as the place where the review was held, on the +third day of the visit of the Pickwickians to this neighbourhood, and +which (having been relieved of the company of their quondam friend, Mr. +Jingle, who had caused at least one of the party so much anxiety) they +all attended, possibly at Mr. Pickwick's suggestion, as he is stated to +have been "an enthusiastic admirer of the army." The programme is thus +referred to:-- + + "The whole population of Rochester and the + adjoining towns, rose from their beds at an early + hour of the following morning, in a state of the + utmost bustle and excitement. A grand review was + to take place upon the lines. The manoeuvres of + half a dozen regiments were to be inspected by the + eagle eye of the commander-in-chief; temporary + fortifications had been erected, the citadel was + to be attacked and taken, and a mine was to be + sprung." + +The evolutions of this "ceremony of the utmost grandeur and importance" +proceed. Mr. Pickwick and his two friends (Mr. Tupman "had suddenly +disappeared, and was nowhere to be found"), who are told to keep back, +get hustled and pushed by the crowd, and the unoffending Mr. Snodgrass, +who is in "the very extreme of human torture," is derided and asked +"vere he vos a shovin' to." Subsequently they get hemmed in by the +crowd, "are exposed to a galling fire of blank cartridges, and harassed +by the operations of the military." Mr. Pickwick loses his hat, and not +only regains that useful article of dress, but finds the lost Mr. +Tupman, and the Pickwickians make the acquaintance of old Wardle and his +hospitable family from Dingley Dell, by whom they are heartily +entertained, and from whom they receive a warm invitation to visit Manor +Farm on the morrow. + +There is a fine view of Chatham and Rochester from the fields round Fort +Pitt, and on a bright sunny morning the air coming over from the Kentish +Hills is most refreshing, very different indeed to what it was on a +certain evening in Mr. Winkle's life, when "a melancholy wind sounded +through the deserted fields like a giant whistling for his house-dog." +We ramble about for an hour or more, and in imagination call up the +pleasant times which Charles Dickens, as a boy, spent here. + +[Illustration: Fort Pitt, Chatham.] + +Almost every inch of the ground must have been gone over by him. What a +delightful "playing-field" this and the neighbouring meadows must have +been to him and his young companions, before the railway and the builder +took possession of some of the lower portions of the hill which forms +the base of Fort Pitt. "Here," says Mr. Langton, "is the place where the +schools of Rochester and Chatham used to meet to settle their +differences, and to contend in the more friendly rivalry of cricket," +and no doubt Dickens frequently played when "Joe Specks" in Dullborough +"kept wicket." In after life the memory of the past came back to +Dickens with all its freshness, when he again visited the neighbourhood +as the _Uncommercial Traveller_ in "Dullborough":-- + + "With this tender remembrance upon me" [that of + leaving Chatham as a boy], "I was cavalierly + shunted back into Dullborough the other day, by + train. My ticket had been previously collected, + like my taxes, and my shining new portmanteau had + had a great plaster stuck upon it, and I had been + defied by Act of Parliament to offer an objection + to anything that was done to it, or me, under a + penalty of not less than forty shillings or more + than five pounds, compoundable for a term of + imprisonment. When I had sent my disfigured + property on to the hotel, I began to look about + me; and the first discovery I made, was, that the + Station had swallowed up the playing-field. + + "It was gone. The two beautiful hawthorn-trees, + the hedge, the turf, and all those buttercups and + daisies, had given place to the stoniest of + jolting roads; while, beyond the Station, an ugly + dark monster of a tunnel kept its jaws open, as if + it had swallowed them and were ravenous for more + destruction. The coach that had carried me away, + was melodiously called Timpson's Blue-eyed Maid, + and belonged to Timpson, at the coach-office up + street; the locomotive engine that had brought me + back was called severely No. 97, and belonged to + S.E.R., and was spitting ashes and hot-water over + the blighted ground. + + "When I had been let out at the platform-door, + like a prisoner whom his turnkey grudgingly + released, I looked in again over the low wall, at + the scene of departed glories. Here, in the + haymaking time, had I been delivered from the + dungeons of Seringapatam, an immense pile (of + haycock), by my countrymen, the victorious British + (boy next door and his two cousins), and had been + recognized with ecstasy by my affianced one (Miss + Green), who had come all the way from England + (second house in the terrace) to ransom me, and + marry me." + +Fort Pitt must have had considerable attractions in Mr. Pickwick's time, +as it would appear that it was visited by him and his friends on the +first day of their arrival at Rochester. Lieutenant Tappleton (Dr. +Slammer's second), when presenting the challenge for the duel, thus +speaks to Mr. Winkle in the second chapter of _Pickwick_:-- + + "'You know Fort Pitt?' + + "'Yes; I saw it yesterday.' + + "'If you will take the trouble to turn into the + field which borders the trench, take the foot-path + to the left, when you arrive at an angle of the + fortification; and keep straight on till you see + me; I will precede you to a secluded place, where + the affair can be conducted without fear of + interruption.' + + "'_Fear_ of interruption!' thought Mr. Winkle." + +Everybody remembers how the meeting took place on Fort Pitt. Mr. Winkle, +attended by his friend Mr. Snodgrass, as second, is punctuality itself. + + "'We are in excellent time,' said Mr. Snodgrass, + as they climbed the fence of the first field; 'the + sun is just going down.' Mr. Winkle looked up at + the declining orb, and painfully thought of the + probability of his 'going down' himself, before + long." + +Presently the officer appears, "the gentleman in the blue cloak," and +"slightly beckoning with his hand to the two friends, they follow him +for a little distance," and after climbing a paling and scaling a hedge, +enter a secluded field. + +Dr. Slammer is already there with his friend Dr. Payne,--Dr. Payne of +the 43rd, "the man with the camp-stool." + +The arrangements proceed, when suddenly a check is experienced. + + "'What's all this?' said Dr. Slammer, as his + friend and Mr. Snodgrass came running up.--'That's + not the man.' + + "'Not the man!' said Dr. Slammer's second. + + "'Not the man!' said Mr. Snodgrass. + + "'Not the man!' said the gentleman with the + camp-stool in his hand. + + "'Certainly not,' replied the little doctor. + 'That's not the person who insulted me last + night.' + + "'Very extraordinary!' exclaimed the officer. + + "'Very,' said the gentleman with the camp-stool." + +Mutual explanations follow, and, notwithstanding the temporary +dissatisfaction of Dr. Payne, Mr. Winkle comes out like a trump--defends +the honour of the Pickwick Club and its uniform, and wins the admiration +of Dr. Slammer. + + "'My dear sir,' said the good-humoured little + doctor, advancing with extended hand, 'I honour + your gallantry. Permit me to say, Sir, that I + highly admire your conduct, and extremely regret + having caused you the inconvenience of this + meeting, to no purpose.' + + "'I beg you won't mention it, Sir,' said Mr. + Winkle. + + "'I shall feel proud of your acquaintance, Sir,' + said the little doctor. + + "'It will afford me the greatest pleasure to know + you, Sir,' replied Mr. Winkle. + + "Thereupon the doctor and Mr. Winkle shook hands, + and then Mr. Winkle and Lieutenant Tappleton (the + doctor's second), and then Mr. Winkle and the man + with the camp-stool, and finally Mr. Winkle and + Mr. Snodgrass: the last-named gentleman in an + excess of admiration at the noble conduct of his + heroic friend. + + "'I think we may adjourn,' said Lieutenant + Tappleton. + + "'Certainly,' added the doctor." + +We ourselves also adjourn, taking with us many pleasant memories of +Chatham and Fort Pitt, and of the period relating to "the childhood and +youth of Charles Dickens." + +[Illustration: BIRTHPLACE OF CHARLES DICKENS, + +387 Mile End Terrace, Commercial Road, Landport.] + + + * * * * * + +No tramp in "Dickens-Land" can possibly be complete without a visit to +the birthplace of the great novelist, and on another occasion we +therefore devote a day to Portsea, Hants. A fast train from Victoria by +the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway takes us to Portsmouth +Town, the nearest station, which is about half a mile from Commercial +Road, and a tram-car puts us down at the door. We immediately recognize +the house from the picture in Mr. Langton's book, but the first +impression is that the illustration scarcely does justice to it. From +the picture it appears to us to be a very ordinary house in a row, and +to be situated rather low in a crowded and not over respectable +neighbourhood. Nothing of the kind. The house, No. 387, Mile End +Terrace, Commercial Road, Landport, where the parents of Charles Dickens +resided before they removed to another part of Portsea, and subsequently +went to live at Chatham, and where the future genius first saw light, +was eighty years ago quite in a rural neighbourhood; and in those days +must have been considered rather a genteel residence for a family of +moderate means in the middle class. Even now, with the pressure which +always attends the development of large towns, and their extension on +the border-land of green country by the frequent conversion of +dwelling-houses into shops, or the intrusion of shops where +dwelling-houses are, this residence has escaped and remains unchanged to +this day. + +There is another point of real importance to notice. Mr. Langton, +referring to this house, says:--"The engraving shows the little +fore-court or front garden, with the low kitchen window of the house, +whence the movements of Charles [who is presumably represented in the +engraving by the figure of a boy about two or three years old, with +curly locks, dressed in a smart frock, and having a large ball in his +right hand], attended by his dear little sister Fanny, could be +overlooked."[24] Very pretty indeed, but alas! I am afraid, purely +imaginary, considering, as will hereafter appear, that Charles was a +baby in arms, aged about four months and sixteen days, when his parents +quitted the house in which he was born. + +The house is now, and has been for many years, occupied by Miss Sarah +Pearce, the surviving daughter of Mr. John Dickens's landlord, her +sisters, who formerly lived with her, being all dead. It stands high on +the west side of a good broad road, opposite an old-fashioned villa +called Angus House, in the midst of well-trimmed grounds, and the +situation is very open, pleasant, and cheerful. It is red-brick built, +has a railing in front, and is approached by a little entrance-gate +opening on to a lawn, whereon there are a few flower-beds; a hedge +divides the fore-court from the next house,[25] and a few steps guarded +by a handrail lead to the front door. It is a single-fronted, +eight-roomed house, having two underground kitchens, two floors above, +and a single dormer window high up in the sloping red-tiled roof. As is +usual with old-fashioned houses of this type, the shutters to the lower +windows are outside. Both the front and back parlours on the ground +floor are very cheerful, cosy little rooms (in one of them we are glad +to see a portrait of the novelist), and the view from the back parlour +looking down into the well-kept garden, which abuts on other gardens, is +very pretty, marred only by a large gasometer in the distance, which +could hardly have been erected in young Charles Dickens's earliest days. +In the garden we notice a lovely specimen of the _Lavatera arborea_, or +tree-mallow, covered with hundreds of white and purple blossoms. It is a +rarity to see such a handsome, well-grown tree, standing nearly eight +feet high, and it is not unlikely, from the luxuriance of its growth, +that it existed in Charles Dickens's infancy. From the pleasant +surroundings of the place generally, and from the fact that flowers are +much grown in the neighbourhood (especially roses), it is more than +probable that Dickens's love for flowers was early developed by these +associations. The road leads to Cosham, and to the picturesque old ruin +of Porchester Castle, a nice walk from the town of Portsmouth, and +probably often traversed by Dickens, his sister, and his nurse. + +Mr. Langton states that "it is said in after years Charles Dickens could +remember places and things at Portsmouth that he had not seen since he +was an infant of little more than two years old (he left Portsmouth when +he was only four or five), and there is no doubt whatever that many of +the earliest reminiscences of _David Copperfield_ were also tender +childish memories of his own infancy at this place." + +Mr. William Pearce, solicitor of Portsea, son of the former landlord, +and brother of Miss Sarah Pearce, the present occupant, has been kind +enough to supply the following interesting information respecting No. +387, Mile End Terrace:-- + +"The celebrated novelist was born in the front bedroom of the above +house, which my sisters many years ago converted into a drawing-room, +and it is still used as such. + +"Mr. John Dickens, the father of the novelist, and his wife came to +reside in the house directly after they were married. Mr. John Dickens +rented the house of my father at L35 a-year, from the 24th June, 1808, +until the 24th June, 1812, when he quitted, and moved into Hawke Street, +in the town of Portsea. Miss Fanny Dickens, the novelist's sister, was +the first child born in the house, and then the novelist. + +"I was born on the 22nd February, 1814, and have often heard my mother +say that Mr. Gardner, the surgeon, and Mrs. Purkis, the monthly nurse +(both of whom attended my mother with me and her six other children), +attended Mrs. Dickens with her two children, Fanny and Charles, who were +both born in the above house; besides this, Mrs. Purkis has often called +on my sisters at the house in question, and alluded to the above +circumstances. + +[Illustration: St. Mary's Church, Portsea.] + +"Mr. Cobb (whom I recollect), a fellow-clerk of Mr. John Dickens in the +pay-office in the Portsmouth Dockyard, rented the same house of my +father after Mr. John Dickens left, and often alluded to the many happy +hours he spent in it while Mr. Dickens resided there." + +We next visit the site of old Kingston Parish Church,--St. Mary's, +Portsea--where Charles Dickens was baptized on 4th March, 1812. A very +handsome and large new church, costing nearly forty thousand pounds, and +capable of seating over two thousand persons, has been erected, and +occupies the place of the old church, where the ceremony took place. +Mr. Langton has given a very pretty little drawing of the old church in +his book, so that its associations are preserved to lovers of Dickens. +The old church itself was the second edifice erected on the same spot, +and thus the present one is the third parish church which has been built +here. There is a large and crowded burial-ground attached to it; but a +cursory examination does not disclose any names on the gravestones to +indicate characters in the novels. + +It is right to note here, that the kind people of Portsmouth were +desirous of inserting a stained-glass window in their beautiful new +church to the memory of one of their most famous sons (the eminent +novelist, Mr. Walter Besant, was born at Portsmouth, as also were +Isambard K. Brunel, the engineer, and Messrs. George and Vicat Cole, +Royal Academicians), but they were debarred by the conditions of +Dickens's will, which expressly interdicted anything of the kind. It +states:-- + +"I conjure my friends on no account to make me the subject of any +monument, memorial, or testimonial whatever. I rest my claim to the +remembrance of my country upon my published works, and to the +remembrance of my friends upon their experience of me in addition +thereto." + +Before leaving Portsmouth, we just take a hasty glance at the Theatre +Royal, which remains much as it was during the days of Mr. Vincent +Crummles and his company, as graphically described in the twenty-second +and following chapters of _Nicholas Nickleby_. Of that genial manager, +Mr. T. Edgar Pemberton, in his _Charles Dickens and the Stage_, +observes:-- + +"Every line that is written about Mr. Crummles and his followers is +instinct with good-natured humour, and from the moment when, in the +road-side inn 'yet twelve miles short of Portsmouth,' the reader comes +into contact with the kindly old circuit manager, he finds himself in +the best of good company." + +Mr. Rimmer, in his _About England with Dickens_, referring to the +"Common Hard" at Portsmouth, says that the "people there point out in a +narrow lane leading to the wharf, the house where Nicholas is supposed +to have sojourned." + +FOOTNOTES: + +[19] So far as I am aware, nothing has been done to trace the genealogy +of the Dickens family, and it may therefore be of interest to place on +record the title of, and an extract from, a very scarce and curious thin +quarto volume (pp. 1-28) in my collection. Sir Walter Scott was +immensely proud of his lineage and historical associations, but it would +be a wonderful thing if we could trace the descent of Charles Dickens +from King Edward III. + +In the _Rambler in Worcestershire_ (Longmans, 1854), Mr. John Noake, the +author, in alluding to the parish of Churchill, Worcestershire, +says:--"The Dickens family of Bobbington were lords of this manor from +1432 to 1657, and it is said that from this family Mr. Dickens, the +author, is descended." + + [Title.] + + A + POSTHUMOUS POEM + of the + + late THOMAS DICKENS, ESQ., + + Lieut.-Colonel in the First Regiment of Foot Guards, + Dedicated, by permission, + to his Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, + to which is added + The genealogy of the Author from King Edward III.; + also + A few grateful stanzas to the Deity, three months + previous to his death, _Sep. 21st, 1789_. + + + CAMBRIDGE: + Printed by J. Archdeacon, Printer to the University. + And may be had of the Editor, C. DICKENS, LL.D., near Huntingdon, + and of T. PAYNE AND SON, Booksellers, London. + MDCCXC. + +Above the title is written in ink: "Peter Cowling to Charles Robert +Dickens, 3rd son to Sam. Trevor Dickens, this 10th August, 1807, and +from said Chas. R. Dickens to his loved father, on the 16th June, 1832." + + [EXTRACT.] + + Genealogy of the late Thomas Dickens, Esq. + + KING EDWARD III. + + LIONEL, Duke of Clarence his Son + + PHILIPPA, married to EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March his Daughter + + ROGER, Earl of March her Son + + ANN, who married RICHARD, Duke of York and Earl of + Cambridge his Daughter + + RICHARD, Duke of York her Son + + GEORGE, Duke of Clarence, brother to Edward IV. his Son + + Countess of SALISBURY his Daughter + + Viscount MONTAGUE her Son + + Lady BARRINGTON his Daughter + + Sir Francis BARRINGTON her Son + + Lady MASHAM his Daughter + + William MASHAM, ESQ. her Son + + Sir FRANCIS MASHAM her Son + + JOHANNA MASHAM, who married Counsellor Hildesley his Daughter + + JOHN HILDESLEY, ESQ. her Son + + MARY HILDESLEY, who married the Reverend SAMUEL + DICKENS his Daughter + + THOMAS DICKENS, ESQ., the Author her Son + + Opposite GEORGE, Duke of Clarence, is written in ink, "Drown'd in a + Butt of Malmsey Madeira," and following THOMAS DICKENS, ESQ., the + Author, also written in ink-- + + "Lieut.-Gen. Sir SAML. T. DICKENS, K.C.H. his Son + + Capt. SAML. T. DICKENS, R.N. his Son" + + And following the last-mentioned names written in pencil-- + + "Admiral SAMUEL TREVOR DICKENS, R.N. my Son" + + Also written in pencil underneath the above-- + + "qy. CHARLES DICKENS the Novelist." + + +[20] In a copy--in my collection--of the second edition 8vo of "_The +History and Antiquities of Rochester and its Environs_, embellished with +engravings (pp. i-xvii, 1-419), printed and sold by W. Wildash, +Rochester, 1817," there occurs in the list of subscribers--about four +hundred in number--the name:--DICKENS MR. JOHN, CHATHAM. + +[21] A most interesting paper entitled "The Life and Labours of +Lieutenant Waghorn," appeared in _Household Words_ (No. 21), August +17th, 1850. + +[22] See Note to Chapter ii. p. 38. + +[23] Since this was written, Mr. Littlewood has passed over to the great +majority. He was found drowned near Chatham Pier in March, 1890. + +[24] This was taken from the first edition of Mr. Langton's book, +published in 1883. In the new edition, 1891--a beautiful volume--this +passage has been eliminated, but the engraving is untouched. + +[25] This house is appropriately named "Highland House," and was also +the property of John Dickens's landlord, in which the family then and +for many years after resided. At the time referred to Mr. Pearce owned +not only the above-mentioned houses, but all the surrounding property. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +AYLESFORD, TOWN MALLING, AND MAIDSTONE. + + "Its river winding down from the mist on the + horizon, as though that were its source, and + already heaving with a restless knowledge of its + approach towards the sea."--_Edwin Drood._ + + "Oh, the solemn woods over which the light and + shadow travelled swiftly, as if Heavenly wings + were sweeping on benignant errands through the + summer air; the smooth green slopes, the + glittering water, the garden where the flowers + were symmetrically arranged in clusters of the + richest colours, how beautiful they + looked!"--_Bleak House._ + + +ANOTHER delightful morning, fine but overcast, favours our tramp in this +neighbourhood. We are up betimes on Monday, and take the train by the +South-Eastern Railway from Strood station to Aylesford. It is a distance +of nearly eight miles between these places; and the intermediate +stations of any note which we pass on the way are Cuxton (about three +miles) and Snodland (about two miles further on), which are two large +villages. As the railway winds, we obtain excellent views of the chalk +escarpments on the series of hills opposite, these being the result of +centuries of quarrying. The land on either side of the river is marshy +and intersected by numerous water-courses. These grounds are locally +termed "saltings," caused by the overflow of the Medway at certain +times, and are used as sanitaria for horses which require bracing. + +[Illustration: Aylesford] + +Cuxton is at the entrance of the valley between the two chalk ranges of +hills which form the water-parting of the river Medway. As Mr Phillips +Bevan rightly observes--"this valley is utilized for quarrying and +lime-burning to such an extent, that it has almost the appearance of a +northern manufacturing district," but it is a consolation, on the +authority of Sir A. C. Ramsay, to know that "man cannot permanently +disfigure nature!" + +At Snodland the river becomes narrower, and the scenery of the valley is +more picturesque. Early British and Roman remains have been found in the +district, and according to the authority previously quoted--"In one of +the quarries, which are abundant, Dr. Mantell discovered some of the +most interesting and rarest chalk fossils with which we are acquainted, +including the fossil Turtle (_Chelonia Benstedi_)." + +Alighting from the train at Aylesford station, we have but a few minutes +to ramble by the river, the banks of which are brightened by the +handsome flowers of the purple loosestrife. We notice the charming +position of the Norman church, which stands on an eminence on the right +bank of the Medway, overlooking the main street, and is surrounded by +fine old elm trees--the bells were chiming "Home, sweet home," a name +very dear to Dickens. The Medway ceases to be a tidal river at Allington +beyond Aylesford, and one or other of the weirs at Allington or Farleigh +(further on) may have suggested the idea of "Cloisterham Weir" in _Edwin +Drood_; but they are too far distant (as shown in Chapter V.) to fit in +with the story. The ancient stone bridge which spans the Medway at +Aylesford is seven-arched; a large central one, and three smaller ones +on either side. One or two of the arches on the left bank are filled up, +as though the river had silted on that side. Mr. Roach Smith considers +the bridge to be a very fine specimen of mediaeval architecture. It is +somewhat narrow, but there are large abutments which afford shelter to +foot passengers. + +[Illustration: Aylesford Bridge] + +We are much inclined to think that Aylesford Bridge was in the mind of +Dickens when he makes the Pickwickians cross the Medway, only a wooden +bridge is mentioned in the text for the purpose perhaps of concealing +identity. The place is certainly worth visiting, and the approach to it +by the river is exceedingly picturesque. + +Aylesford is supposed to be the place where the great battle between +Hengist and Vortigern took place. Near to it, at a place called Horsted, +is the tomb of Horsa, who fell in the battle between the Britons and +Saxons, A.D. 455. Names of Dickens's characters, Brooks, Joy, etc., +occur at Aylesford. There is a very fine quarry here, from whence the +famous Kentish rag-stone--"a concretionary limestone"--is obtained. It +forms the base, and is overlaid by the Hassock sands and the river +drift. In the distance is seen the bold series of chalk rocks +constituting the ridge of the valley. + +Just outside Aylesford we pass Preston Hall, a fine modern Tudor mansion +standing in very pretty grounds, and belonging to Mr. H. Brassey. + +We now resume our tramp towards the principal point of our destination, +Town Malling,[26] or West Malling, as it is indifferently called (the +"a" in Malling being pronounced long, as in "calling"). The walk from +Aylesford lies through the village of Larkview, and is rather pretty, +but there is nothing remarkable to notice until we approach Town +Malling. Here it becomes beautifully wooded, especially in the +neighbourhood of Clare House Park, the Spanish or edible chestnut, with +its handsome dark green lanceolate serrate leaves, and clumps of Scotch +firs, with their light red trunks and large cones, the result of healthy +growth, which would have delighted the heart of Mr. Ruskin, being +conspicuous. On the road we pass a field sown with maize, a novelty to +one accustomed to the Midlands. The farmer to whom it belongs says that +it is a poor crop this year, owing to the excess of wet and late summer, +but in a good season it gives a fine yield. We are informed that it is +used in the green state as food for cattle and chickens. + +[Illustration: The High St Town Malling] + +A pleasant tramp of about three miles brings us to Town Malling, which +stands on the Kentish rag. The approach to Town Malling is by a +waterfall, and there are the ruins of the old Nunnery, founded by Bishop +Gundulph in 1090, in the place. East Malling is a smaller town, and lies +nearer to Maidstone. Our object in visiting this pretty, old-fashioned +Kentish country town, is to verify its identity with that of Muggleton +of the _Pickwick Papers_. Great weight must be attached to the fact +that the present Mr. Charles Dickens, in his annotated Jubilee Edition +of the above work, introduces a very pretty woodcut of "High Street, +Town Malling," with a note to the effect that-- + +"Muggleton, perhaps, is only to be taken as a fancy sketch of a small +country town; but it is generally supposed, and probably with sufficient +accuracy, that, if it is in any degree a portrait of any Kentish town, +Town Malling, a great place for cricket in Mr. Pickwick's time, sat for +it." + +The reader will remember that when at the hospitable Mr. Wardle's +residence at Manor Farm in Dingley Dell (by the bye, there is a +veritable "Manor Farm" at Frindsbury, near Strood, with ponds adjacent, +which may perhaps have suggested the episode of Mr. Pickwick on the +ice), an excursion was determined on by the Pickwickians to witness a +grand cricket match about to be played between the "All Muggleton" and +the "Dingley Dellers," a conference first took place as to whether the +invalid, Mr. Tupman, should remain or go with them. + + "'Shall we be justified,' asked Mr. Pickwick, 'in + leaving our wounded friend to the care of the + ladies?' + + "'You cannot leave me in better hands,' said Mr. + Tupman. + + "'Quite impossible,' said Mr. Snodgrass." + +The result of the conference was satisfactory. + + "It was therefore settled that Mr. Tupman should + be left at home in charge of the females, and that + the remainder of the guests under the guidance of + Mr. Wardle should proceed to the spot, where was + to be held that trial of skill, which had roused + all Muggleton from its torpor, and inoculated + Dingley Dell with a fever of excitement. + + "As their walk, _which was not above two miles + long_,[27] lay through shady lanes and + sequestered footpaths, and as their conversation + turned upon the delightful scenery by which they + were on every side surrounded, Mr. Pickwick was + almost inclined to regret the expedition they had + used, when he found himself in the main street of + the town of Muggleton." + +The chronicle of _Pickwick_ then proceeds to state that-- + + "Muggleton is a corporate town, with a mayor, + burgesses, and freemen; . . . an ancient and loyal + borough, mingling a zealous advocacy of Christian + principles with a devoted attachment to commercial + rights; in demonstration whereof, the mayor, + corporation, and other inhabitants, have presented + at divers times, no fewer than one thousand four + hundred and twenty petitions, against the + continuance of negro slavery abroad, and an equal + number against any interference with the factory + system at home; sixty-eight in favour of the sales + of livings in the Church, and eighty-six for + abolishing Sunday trading in the streets." + +On the occasion of their second visit to Manor Farm to spend Christmas, +the Pickwickians came by the "Muggleton Telegraph," which stopped at the +"Blue Lion," and they walked over to Dingley Dell. + +Assuming, as has been suggested by Mr. Frost in his _In Kent with +Charles Dickens_, that Dingley Dell is somewhere on the eastern side of +the river Medway, within fifteen miles of Rochester,--Mr. William James +Budden (a gentleman whom we met at Chatham) gave as his opinion that it +was near Burham,[28]--then it would require a much greater walk than +that ("which was not above two miles long") to reach Town Malling +(leaving out of the question the fact that Burham is only about six +miles from Rochester instead of fifteen miles, as the waiter at the Bull +told Mr. Pickwick in reply to his enquiry), whereby we reluctantly for +the time arrive at the conclusion,--as Mr. Frost did before us--that +Dingley Dell as such near Town Malling cannot be identified. + +On another visit to "Dickens-Land" Mr. R. L. Cobb suggested that Cobtree +Hall, near Aylesford, was the prototype of Dingley Dell. It may have +been; but except one goes as the crow flies, it is more than two miles +distant from Town Malling. But as Captain Cuttle would say--we "make a +note of it." + +After all, Dingley Dell is no doubt a type of an English yeoman's +hospitable home. There are numbers of such in Kent, Warwickshire, +Worcestershire, Devonshire, and other counties, and the one in question +may have been seen by Dickens almost anywhere. + +There is, at any rate, one objection to Muggleton being Town +Malling--the latter is not, as mentioned in the text, "a corporate +town." The neighbouring corporate towns which might be taken for it are +Faversham, Tunbridge Wells, and Seven Oaks; but, as Mr. Rimmer, in his +_About England with Dickens_, points out--"These have no feature in +common with the enterprising borough which had so distinguished itself +in the matter of petitions." On the other hand, there is _one_ very +strong reason in favour of Town Malling, and that is its devotion to the +noble old English game of cricket. So far as we could make out, no town +in Kent has done better service in this respect. But more of this +presently. + + * * * * * + +[Illustration: Cob Tree Hall] + +So many friends recommended us to see Cobtree Hall that, after the +foregoing was written, we determined to follow their advice, and on a +subsequent occasion we take the train to Aylesford and walk over, the +distance being a pleasant stroll of about a mile. We were well repaid. +The mansion, formerly called Coptray Friars, belonging to the Aylesford +Friary, is an Elizabethan structure of red brick with stone facings +prettily covered with creeping plants, standing on an elevated position +in a beautifully wooded and undulating country overlooking the Medway +and surrounded by cherry orchards and hop gardens. Major Trousdell was +so courteous as to show us over the building, which has been altered and +much enlarged during the last half century. Internally there is +something to favour the hypothesis of its being the type of Manor Farm, +Dingley Dell. Such portions of the old building remaining, as the +kitchen, are highly suggestive of the gathering described in that +good-humoured Christmas chapter of _Pickwick_ (xxviii.), and there is a +veritable beam to correspond with Phiz's plate of "Christmas Eve at Mr. +Wardle's." "The best sitting-room, [described as] a good long, +dark-panelled room with a high chimney-piece, and a capacious chimney up +which you could have driven one of the new patent cabs, wheels and all," +may still be discerned in the handsome modern dining-room, with carved +marble mantel-piece of massive size formerly supplied with old-fashioned +"dogs." The views from the bay-window are very extensive and +picturesque. The mansion divides the two parishes of Boxley and +Allington, the initials of which are carved on the beam in the kitchen. +Externally, there is much more to commend it to our acceptance. Remains +of a triangular piece of ground, with a few elm-trees, still survive as +"the rookery," where Mr. Tupman met with his mishap, and to our delight +there is "the pond," not indeed covered with ice, as on Mr. Pickwick's +memorable adventure, but crowded with water-lilies on its surface; its +banks surrounded by the fragrant meadow-sweet and the brilliant +rose-coloured willow herb. Furthermore we were informed, by Mr. Franklin +of Maidstone, that the "Red Lion," which formerly stood on the spot now +occupied by Mercer's Stables, is locally considered to be the original +of "a little roadside public-house, with two elm-trees, a horse-trough, +and a sign-post in front;" where the Pickwickians sought assistance +after the breakdown of the "four-wheeled chaise" which "separated the +wheels from the body and the bin from the perch," but were inhospitably +repulsed by the "red-headed man and the tall bony woman," who suggested +that they had stolen the "immense horse" which had recently played Mr. +Winkle such pranks. Finally, in a pleasant chat with the Rev. Cyril +Grant, Vicar of Aylesford, and his curate, the Rev. H. B. Boyd (a son +of A. K. H. B.), we elicited the fact that Cobtree Hall is locally +recognized as the original of Manor Farm. Nay more, in Aylesford +churchyard a tomb was pointed out on the west side with the +inscription:--"Also to the memory of Mr. W. Spong, late of Cobtree, in +the Parish of Boxley, who died Nov. 15th, 1839," who is said to have +been the prototype of the genial and hospitable "old Wardle." + +True, neither the distance to Rochester nor to Town Malling fits in with +the narrative, but this is not material. Dickens, with the usual +"novelist's licence," found it convenient often-times to take a nucleus +of fact, and surround it with a halo of fiction, and this may have been +one of many similar instances. His wonderfully-gifted and ever-facile +imagination was never at fault. + +So on our return journey we console ourselves by reading the following +description, in chapter vi. of _Pickwick_, of the first gathering of the +Pickwickians at their host's, one of the most delightful bits in the +whole book, and "make-believe," as the Marchioness would say, that we +have actually seen Manor Farm, Dingley Dell. + + "Several guests who were assembled in the old + parlour, rose to greet Mr. Pickwick and his + friends upon their entrance; and during the + performance of the ceremony of introduction, with + all due formalities, Mr. Pickwick had leisure to + observe the appearance, and speculate upon the + characters and pursuits, of the persons by whom he + was surrounded--a habit in which he in common with + many other great men delighted to indulge. + + "A very old lady, in a lofty cap and faded silk + gown,--no less a personage than Mr. Wardle's + mother,--occupied the post of honour on the + right-hand corner of the chimney-piece; and + various certificates of her having been brought up + in the way she should go when young, and of her + not having departed from it when old, ornamented + the walls, in the form of samplers of ancient + date, worsted landscapes of equal antiquity, and + crimson silk tea-kettle holders of a more modern + period. The aunt, the two young ladies, and Mr. + Wardle, each vying with the other in paying + zealous and unremitting attentions to the old + lady, crowded round her easy-chair, one holding + her ear-trumpet, another an orange, and a third a + smelling-bottle, while a fourth was busily engaged + in patting and punching the pillows, which were + arranged for her support. On the opposite side sat + a bald-headed old gentleman, with a good-humoured + benevolent face,--the clergyman of Dingley Dell; + and next him sat his wife, a stout, blooming old + lady, who looked as if she were well skilled, not + only in the art and mystery of manufacturing + home-made cordials, greatly to other people's + satisfaction, but of tasting them occasionally, + very much to her own. A little hard-headed, + Ripstone pippin-faced man, was conversing with a + fat old gentleman in one corner; and two or three + more old gentlemen, and two or three more old + ladies, sat bolt upright and motionless on their + chairs, staring very hard at Mr. Pickwick and his + fellow-voyagers. + + "'Mr. Pickwick, mother,' said Mr. Wardle, at the + very top of his voice. + + "'Ah!' said the old lady, shaking her head; 'I + can't hear you.' + + "'Mr. Pickwick, grandma!' screamed both the young + ladies together. + + "'Ah!' exclaimed the old lady. 'Well; it don't + much matter. He don't care for an old 'ooman like + me, I dare say.' + + "'I assure you, madam,' said Mr. Pickwick, + grasping the old lady's hand, and speaking so loud + that the exertion imparted a crimson hue to his + benevolent countenance; 'I assure you, ma'am, that + nothing delights me more, than to see a lady of + your time of life heading so fine a family, and + looking so young and well.' + + "'Ah!' said the old lady, after a short pause; + 'it's all very fine, I dare say; but I can't hear + him.' + + "'Grandma's rather put out now,' said Miss + Isabella Wardle, in a low tone; 'but she'll talk + to you presently.' + + "Mr. Pickwick nodded his readiness to humour the + infirmities of age, and entered into a general + conversation with the other members of the + circle. + + "'Delightful situation this,' said Mr. Pickwick. + + "'Delightful!' echoed Messrs. Snodgrass, Tupman, + and Winkle. + + "'Well, I think it is,' said Mr. Wardle. + + "'There ain't a better spot o' ground in all Kent, + sir,' said the hard-headed man with the + pippin-face; 'there ain't indeed, sir--I'm sure + there ain't, sir,' and the hard-headed man looked + triumphantly round, as if he had been very much + contradicted by somebody, but had got the better + of him at last. 'There ain't a better spot o' + ground in all Kent,' said the hard-headed man + again after a pause. + + "''Cept Mullins' meadows!' observed the fat man, + solemnly. + + "'Mullins' meadows!' ejaculated the other, with + profound contempt. + + "'Ah, Mullins' meadows,' repeated the fat man. + + "'Reg'lar good land that,' interposed another fat + man. + + "'And so it is, sure-ly,' said a third fat man. + + "'Everybody knows that,' said the corpulent host. + + "The hard-headed man looked dubiously round, but + finding himself in a minority, assumed a + compassionate air, and said no more. + + "'What are they talking about?' inquired the old + lady of one of her grand-daughters, in a very + audible voice; for, like many deaf people, she + never seemed to calculate on the possibility of + other persons hearing what she said herself. + + "'About the land, grandma.' + + "'What about the land? Nothing the matter, is + there?' + + "'No, no. Mr. Miller was saying our land was + better than Mullins' meadows.' + + "'How should he know anything about it?' inquired + the old lady indignantly. 'Miller's a conceited + coxcomb, and you may tell him I said so.' Saying + which, the old lady, quite unconscious that she + had spoken above a whisper, drew herself up, and + looked carving-knives at the hard-headed + delinquent." + + * * * * * + +In the course of our tramp we fall in with "a very queer small boy," +rejoicing in the Christian names of "Spencer Ray," upon which we +congratulate him, and express a hope that he will do honour to the +noble names which he bears, one being that of the great English +philosopher, and the other that of the famous English naturalist. This +boy, who is just such a bright intelligent lad as Dickens himself would +have been at his age (twelve and a half years), gives us some +interesting particulars respecting Town Malling and its proclivities for +cricket, upon which he is very eloquent. It appears that in the year +1887 the cricketers of Town Malling won eleven matches out of twelve; +but during this year they have not been so successful. He directed us to +the cricket-ground, which we visit, and find to be but a few minutes' +walk from the centre of the town, bearing to the westward. It is a very +fine field, nearly seven acres in extent, in splendid order, as level as +a die, and as green as an emerald. It lies well open, and is flanked by +the western range of hills of the Medway valley. + +[Illustration: CRICKET GROUND--TOWN MALLING.] + +The marquee into which Mr. Pickwick and his friends were invited, first +by "one very stout gentleman, whose body and legs looked like half a +gigantic roll of flannel, elevated on a couple of inflated +pillow-cases," and then by the irrepressible Jingle with--"This +way--this way--capital fun--lots of beer--hogsheads; rounds of +beef--bullocks; mustard--cart-loads; glorious day--down with you--make +yourself at home--glad to see you--very," has been replaced by a +handsome pavilion. + +There is no cricket-playing going on at the time, but there are several +cricketers in the field, and from them we learn confirmatory evidence of +the long existence of the ground in its present condition, and the +enthusiasm of the inhabitants for the old English game. + +Another proof of the long-established love of the people of Town Malling +for cricket we subsequently find in the fact that the parlour of the +Swan Hotel, which is an old cricketing house, and probably represents +the "Blue Lion of Muggleton," has in it many very fine lithographic +portraits of all the great cricketers of the middle of the nineteenth +century, including:--Pilch, Lillywhite, Box, Cobbett, Hillyer (a native +of Town Malling), A. Mynn, Taylor, Langdon, Kynaston, Felix (_Felix on +the Bat_), Ward, Kingscote, and others. Several of these names will be +recognized as those of eminent Kentish cricketers. About a quarter of a +century ago--my friend and colleague Mr. E. Orford Smith (himself a +Kentish man and a cricketer) informs me that--the Kentish eleven stood +against all England, and retained their position for some years. + +As we stand on the warm day in the centre of the ground, and admire the +lights and shadows passing over the surrounding scenery, we can almost +conjure up the scene of the famous contest, when, on the occasion of the +first innings of the All-Muggleton Club, "Mr. Dumkins and Mr. Podder, +two of the most renowned members of that most distinguished club, +walked, bat in hand, to their respective wickets. Mr. Luffey, the +highest ornament of Dingley Dell, was pitched to bowl against the +redoubtable Dumkins, and Mr. Struggles was selected to do the same kind +office for the hitherto unconquered Podder." + +Everybody remembers how the game proceeded under circumstances of +the greatest excitement, in which batters, bowlers, scouts, and +umpires, all did their best under the encouraging shouts of the +members:--"Run--run--another.--Now, then, throw her up--up with +her--stop there--another--no--yes--no--throw her up! throw her up!" Mr. +Jingle himself being as usual very profuse in his remarks, as--"'Ah, +ah!--stupid'--'Now, butter-fingers'--'Muff'--'Humbug'--and so forth." +"In short, when Dumkins was caught out, and Podder stumped out, +All-Muggleton had notched some fifty-four, while the score of the +Dingley Dellers was as blank as their faces." So "Dingley Dell gave in, +and allowed the superior prowess of All-Muggleton," Mr. Jingle again +expressing his views of the winners:--"'Capital game--well played--some +strokes admirable,' as both sides crowded into the tent at the +conclusion of the game." + +Yes! We are convinced that Muggleton and Town Malling (except for the +mayor and corporation) are one. At any rate we feel quite safe in +assuming that Town Malling was the type from which Muggleton was taken; +and we confidently recommend all admirers of _Pickwick_ to include that +pleasant Kentish country-town in their pilgrimage. + +Having exhausted, so far as our examination is concerned, the +cricket-ground, by the kindness of our young friend who acts as guide, +we see a little more of the town. It consists of a long wide street, +with a few lateral approaches. The houses are well built, and the +church, which is partly Norman, and, like most of the village churches +in Kent, is but a little way from the village, stands on an eminence +from whence a good view may be obtained. We observe, as indicative of +the fine air and mild climate of the place, many beautiful specimens of +magnolia, and wistaria (in second flower) in front of the better class +of houses. One of these is named "Boley House," and as we are told that +Sir Joseph Hawley resided near, our memories immediately revert to the +cognomen of a well-known character in _The Chimes_. Other names in the +place are suggestive of Dickens's worthies, _e.g._ Rudge, Styles, +Briggs, Saunders, Brooker, and John Harman. The last-mentioned is the +second instance in which Dickens has varied a local name by the +alteration of a single letter. There is also the not uncommon name of +"Brown," who, it will be remembered, was the maker of the shoes of the +spinster aunt when she eloped with the faithless Jingle; "in a po-chay +from the 'Blue Lion' at Muggleton," as one of Mr. Wardle's men said; and +the discovery of the said shoes led to the identification of the errant +pair at the "White Hart" in the Borough. After Sam Weller had described +nearly all the visitors staying in the hotel from an examination of +their boots:-- + + "'Stop a bit,' replied Sam, suddenly recollecting + himself. 'Yes; there's a pair of Vellingtons a + good deal vorn, and a pair o' lady's shoes, in + number five.' 'Country make.' + + "'Any maker's name?' + + "'Brown.' + + "'Where of?' + + "'Muggleton.' + + "'It _is_ them,' exclaimed Wardle. 'By heavens, + we've found them.'" + +What happened afterwards every reader of _Pickwick_ very well knows. + +Near Town Malling there is a curious monument erected to the memory of +Beadsman, the horse, belonging to Sir Joseph Hawley, which won the Derby +in 1859, and which was bred in the place. The monument (an exceedingly +practical one) consists of a useful pump for the supply of water. + +[Illustration: The Medway at Maidstone] + +After some luncheon at the Boar Inn, we are sorry to terminate our visit +to this pleasant place; but time flies, and trains, like tides, "wait +for no man." So we hurry to the railway station, passing on our way a +fine hop-garden, and take tickets by the London, Chatham, and Dover +Railway for Maidstone. We have a few minutes to spare, and our notice is +attracted to a curious group in the waiting-room. It consists of a rural +policeman, and what afterwards turned out, to be his prisoner, a +slouching but good-humoured-looking labourer, with a "fur cap" like +Rogue Riderhood. The officer leans against the mantelpiece, pleasantly +chatting with his charge, who is seated on the bench, leisurely eating +some bread and cheese with a large clasp-knife, in the intervals of +which proceeding he recounts some experiences for the edification of the +officer and bystanders. These are occasionally received with roars of +laughter. One of his stories relates to a house-breaker who, being +"caught in the act" by a policeman, and being asked what he was doing, +coolly replied, "Attending to my business, of course!" (This must surely +be taken "in a Pickwickian sense.") After finishing his bread and +cheese, the charge eats an apple, and then regales himself with +something from a large bottle. The unconcernedness of the man, whatever +his offence may be (poaching perhaps), is in painful contrast to the +careworn and anxious faces of his wife and little daughter (both +decently dressed), the latter about seven years old, and made too +familiar with crime at such an age. After we arrive at Maidstone (only a +few minutes' run by railway), it is a wretched sight to witness the +leave-taking at the gaol. First the man shakes hands with his wife, all +his forced humour having left him, and then affectionately kisses the +little girl, draws a cuff over his eyes, and walks heavily into the gaol +after the officer. We are glad to notice that he is not degraded as a +wild beast by being handcuffed. It was an episode that Dickens himself +perhaps would have witnessed with interest, and possibly stored up for +future use. What particularly strikes us is the difference in the +relations between these people and what would be the case under similar +circumstances in a large town. There is not that feature of hardness, +that familiarity with crime which breeds contempt, in the rural +incident. Poor man! let us hope his punishment will soon be finished, +and that he may return to his family, and not become an old offender; +but for the present, as Mr. Bagnet says, "discipline must be +maintained." + +Maidstone, the county and assize town of Kent, appears to be a thriving +and solid-looking place, as there are several paper-mills, saw-mills, +stone quarries, and other indications of prosperity. There are but few +historical associations connected with it, as Maidstone "has lived a +quiet life." Sir Thomas Wyatt's rebellion, and the attack on the town by +Fairfax in 1648, are among the principal incidents. Dickens frequently +walked or drove over to this town from Gad's Hill. Many of the names +which we notice over the shops in the principal street are very +suggestive of, if not actually used for, some of the characters in his +novels, _e.g._ Pell, Boozer, Hibling, Fowle, Stuffins, Bunyard, Edmed, +Gregsbey, Dunmill, and Pobgee. + +It has been said that Maidstone possesses a gaol; it also has large +barracks, and, what is better still, a Museum, Free Library, and Public +Gardens. Chillington Manor House,--a highly picturesque and +well-preserved Elizabethan structure, formerly the residence of the +Cobhams,--contains the Museum and Library. Standing in a quiet nook in +the Brenchley Gardens, the lines of George Macdonald, quoted in the +local _Guide Book_, well describe its beauties:-- + + "Its windows were aerial and latticed, + Lovely and wide and fair, + And its chimneys like clustered pillars + Stood up in the thin blue air." + +The Museum--the new wing of which was built as a memorial of his +brother, by Mr. Samuel Bentlif--is the property of the Corporation, and +owes much of its contents to the liberality of Mr. Pretty, the first +curator, and to the naturalist and traveller, Mr. J. L. Brenchley. It +contains excellent fine art, archaeological, ethnological, natural +history, and geological collections. Among the last-named, in addition +to other interesting local specimens, are some fossil remains of the +mammoth (_Elephas primigenius_) from the drift at Aylesford, obtained by +its present able curator, Mr. Edward Bartlett, to whom we are indebted +for a most pleasant ramble through the various rooms. We notice an +original "Dickens-item" in the shape of a very good carved head of the +novelist, forming the right top panel of an oak fire-place, the opposite +side being one of Tennyson, by a local carver named W. Hughes, who was +formerly employed at Gad's Hill Place. No pilgrim in "Dickens-Land" +should omit visiting Maidstone and its treasures in Chillington Manor +House; nor of seeing the splendid view of the Medway from the +churchyard, looking towards Tovil. + +[Illustration: Chillingham Manor House Maidstone] + +We are particularly anxious to verify Dickens's experience of the walk +from Maidstone to Rochester. In a letter to Forster, written soon after +he came to reside at Gad's Hill Place, he says:--"I have discovered that +the seven miles between Maidstone and Rochester is one of the most +beautiful walks in England," and so indeed we find it to be. It is, +however, a rather long seven miles; so, cheerfully leaving the +gloomy-looking gaol to our right and proceeding along the raised terrace +by the side of the turn-pike road, we pass through the little village of +Sandling, and soon after commence the ascent of the great chalk range of +hills which form the eastern water-parting of the Medway. The most +noticeable object before we reach "Upper Bell" is "Kit's Coty (or +Coity) House," about one and a half miles north-east from Aylesford, +and not very far from the Bell Inn. According to Mr. Phillips Bevan, the +peculiar name is derived from the Celtic "Ked," and "Coity" or "Coed" +(Welsh), and means the Tomb in the Wood. Seymour considers the words a +corruption of "Catigern's House." Below Kit's Coty House, Mr. Wright, +the archaeologist, found the remains of a Roman villa, with quantities of +Samian ware, coins, and other articles. + +There are many excavations in the chalk above Kit's Coty House, +apparently for interments; and the whole district appears in remote ages +to have been a huge cemetery. Tradition states that "the hero Catigern +was buried here, after the battle fought at Aylesford between Hengist +and Vortigern." + +The Cromlech, which is now included in the provisions of the Ancient +Monuments Protection Act, 1882, lies under the hillside, a few yards +from the main road, and is fenced in with iron railings, and beautifully +surrounded by woods, the yew,[29] said to have been one of the sacred +trees of the Druids, being conspicuous here and there. That somewhat +rare plant the juniper is also found in this neighbourhood. The +"dolmens" which have been "set on end by a vanished people" are four in +number, and consist of sandstone, three of them, measuring about eight +feet each, forming the uprights, and the fourth, which is much larger, +serving as the covering stone. + +In a field which we visit, not very far from Kit's Coty House, is +another group of stones, called the "countless stones." As we pass some +boys are trying to solve the arithmetical problem, which cannot be +readily accomplished, as the stones lie intermingled in a very strange +and irregular manner, and are overgrown with brushwood. The belief that +these stones cannot be counted is one constantly found connected with +similar remains, _e.g._ Stonehenge, Avebury, etc. We heard a local story +of a baker, who once tried to effect the operation by placing a loaf on +the top of each stone as a kind of check or tally; but a dog running +away with one of his loaves, upset his calculations. + +[Illustration: Kit's Coty House] + +Both the "Coty House" and the "countless stones" consist of a silicious +sandstone of the Eocene period, overlying the chalk, and are identical +with the "Sarsens," or "Grey Wethers," which occur at the pre-historic +town of Avebury, and at Stonehenge; the smaller stones of the latter +are, however, of igneous origin, and "are believed by Mr. Fergusson to +have been votive offerings." These masses, of what Sir A. C. Ramsay +calls "tough and intractable silicious stone," have been, he says, "left +on the ground, after the removal by denudation of other and softer parts +of the Eocene strata." We subsequently saw several of these "grey +wethers" in the grounds of Cobham Hall, and we noticed small masses of +the same stone _in situ_ in Pear Tree Lane, near Gad's Hill Place. + +Speaking of Kit's Coty House in his _Short History of the English +People_, the late Mr. J. R. Green, in describing the English Conquest +and referring to this neighbourhood, says:--"It was from a steep knoll +on which the grey weather-beaten stones of this monument are reared that +the view of their first battle-field would break on the English +warriors; and a lane which still leads down from it through peaceful +homesteads would guide them across the ford which has left its name in +the little village of Aylesford. The Chronicle of the conquering people +tells nothing of the rush that may have carried the ford, or of the +fight that went struggling up through the village. It only tells that +Horsa fell in the moment of victory, and the flint heap of Horsted, +which has long preserved his name, and was held in after-time to mark +his grave, is thus the earliest of those monuments of English valour of +which Westminster is the last and noblest shrine. The victory of +Aylesford did more than give East Kent to the English; it struck the +keynote of the whole English conquest of Britain." + +Dickens's visits to this locality in his early days may have suggested +the discovery of the stone with the inscription:-- + +[Illustration: + + + + B I L S T + U M + P S H I + S. M. + A R K] + +In later life he was fond of bringing his friends here "by a couple of +postilions in the old red jackets of the old red royal Dover road" to +enjoy a picnic. Describing a visit here with Longfellow he says:--"It +was like a holiday ride in England fifty years ago." + +Returning to the main road, we reach the high land of Blue Bell--"Upper +Bell," as it is marked on the Ordnance Map. We are not quite on the +highest range, but sufficiently high (about three hundred feet) to +enable us to appreciate the splendid view that presents itself. In the +valley below winds the Medway, broadening as it approaches +Rochester.[30] The opposite heights consist of the western range of +hills, the width of the valley from point to point being about ten +miles. The "sky-line" of hills running from north to south cannot be +less than sixty miles, extending to the famous Weald of Kent (weald, +wald, or wolde, being literally "a wooded region, an open country"); all +the intervening space of undulating slope and valley (river excepted) is +filled up by hamlets, grass, root, and cornfields, hop-gardens, orchards +and woodlands, the whole forming a picture of matchless beauty. No +wonder Dickens was very fond of this delightful walk; it must be gone +over to be appreciated.[31] + +[Illustration: Kits Coty House and "Blue Bell" From the Painting by +Gegan] + +We tramp on through Boxley and Bridge Woods, down the hill, and pass +Borstal Convict Prison and Fort Clarence, where there are guns which we +were informed would carry a ball from this elevated ground right over +the Thames into the county of Essex (a distance of seven miles); and so +we get back again to Rochester. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[26] Lambarde says, "Malling, in Saxon Mealing, or Mealuing, that is, +the Low place flourishing with Meal or Corne, for so it is everywhere +accepted." + +[27] The italics are interpolated. + +[28] Burham, although now enshrouded in the smoke of lime-making, was +probably sixty years ago a delightfully rural spot. + +[29] Mr. Roach Smith reminded us that the yew was in times past planted +for its wood to be used as bows. + +[30] Professor Huxley, in his _Physiography_, has estimated that "at the +present rate of wear and tear, denudation can have lowered the surface +of the Thames Basin by hardly more than an inch since the Norman +Conquest; and nearly a million years must elapse before the whole basin +of the Thames will be worn down to the sea-level"; and Dr. A. Geikie, +after a series of elaborate calculations, has postulated "as probably a +fair average, a valley of 1000 feet deep may be excavated in 1,200,000 +years." Taking these estimates as a basis, and allowing for an average +height of three hundred feet, we roughly arrive at a period of about +four hundred thousand years as the possible length of time which it has +taken to form this beautiful valley. Professor Huxley may well say that +"the geologist has thoughts of time and space to which the ordinary mind +is a stranger." + +[31] Mr. Kitton's illustration (from the painting by Gegan, a local +artist, executed many years since) gives a good idea of the scenery of +this beautiful district. It also reproduces the profile of a huge chalk +cliff not now visible, but which existed about half a century ago, +having a curious resemblance to the head of a lion, and forming at the +time a conspicuous landmark to travellers. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +BROADSTAIRS, MARGATE, AND CANTERBURY. + + "We have a fine sea, wholesome for all people; + profitable for the body, profitable for the + mind."--_Our English Watering-Place._ + + "All is going on as it was wont. The waves are + hoarse with repetition of their mystery; the dust + lies piled upon the shore; the sea-birds soar and + hover; the winds and clouds go forth upon their + trackless flight; the white arms beckon in the + moonlight to the invisible country far + away."--_Dombey and Son._ + + "A moment, and I occupy my place in the Cathedral, + where we all went together every Sunday morning, + assembling first at school for that purpose. The + earthy smell, the sunless air, the sensation of + the world being shut out, the resounding of the + organ through the black and white arched galleries + and aisles, are wings that take me back and hold + me hovering above those days in a half-sleeping + and half-waking dream."--_David Copperfield._ + + +TAKING advantage of an excursion train (for tramps usually go on the +cheap), we start early on Wednesday by the South-Eastern Railway from +Chatham station for Broadstairs. As usual the weather favours us--it is +a glorious day. Passing the stations of New Brompton, Rainham, +Newington, and Sittingbourne, we soon get into open country, in the +midst of hop gardens with their verdant aisles of the fragrant and +tonic, tendril-like plants reaching in some instances perhaps to several +hundred yards, and crowned with yellowish-green fruit-masses, which +have a special charm for those unaccustomed to such scenery. The +odd-looking "oast-houses,"[32] or drying-houses for the hops, are a +noticeable feature of the neighbourhood, dotting it about here and there +in pairs. They are mostly red-brick and cone-shaped, somewhat smaller +than the familiar glass-houses of the Midland districts, and have a +wooden cowl, painted white, at the apex for ventilation. We are rather +too early for the hop-picking, and thus--but for a time only--miss an +interesting sight. Dickens, in one of his letters to Forster, gives a +dreary picture of this annual harvest:-- + +"Hop-picking is going on, and people sleep in the garden, and breathe in +at the key-hole of the house door. I have been amazed, before this year, +by the number of miserable lean wretches, hardly able to crawl, who come +hop-picking. I find it is a superstition that the dust of the +newly-picked hop, falling freshly into the throat, is a cure for +consumption. So the poor creatures drag themselves along the roads, and +sleep under wet hedges, and get cured soon and finally." + +On the whole it is said to be a very indifferent season, but many +plantations look promising. "If," as a grower remarks to us in the +train, "we could have a little more of this fine weather! There has been +too much rain, and too little sun this year." The apples also are a poor +crop. + +[Illustration: Hop-picking in Kent] + +On a second visit to this pleasant neighbourhood, we see at Mear's Barr +Farm, near Rainham, the whole process of hop-picking. True, it is not +executed by that ragamuffinly crowd of strangers which Dickens had in +his "mind's eye" when he wrote the words just quoted, and which +usually takes possession of most of the hop-growing districts of Kent +during the picking season, but by an assemblage of native villagers, +mostly women, girls, and boys,--neat, clean, and homely,--together with +a few men who do the heavier part of the work. They are of all ages, +from the tottering old grandmother, careworn wife, and buxom maiden, to +the child in perambulator and baby in arms; and in the bright sunlight, +amid the groves of festooning green columns, form a most orderly, +varied, and picturesque gathering--a regular picnic in fact, judging +from the cheerful look on most of the faces, and the merry laugh that is +occasionally heard. + +Mr. Fred Scott, tenant of the farm, of which Lord Hothfield is owner, is +kind enough to go over the hop-garden with us, and describe all the +details. When the hops are ripe (_i. e._ when the seeds are hard) and +ready to be gathered, the pickers swarm on the ground, and a man divides +the "bine" at the bottom of the "pole" by means of a bill-hook--not +cutting it too close for fear of bleeding--leaving the root to sprout +next year, and then draws out the pole, to which is attached the long, +creeping bine, trailing over at top. If the pole sticks too fast in the +ground, he eases it by means of a lever, or "hop-dog" (a long, stout +wooden implement, having a toothed iron projection). "Mind my dog don't +bite you, sir," says one of the men facetiously, as we step over this +rough-looking tool. Women then carry the poles to, and lay them across, +the "bin," a receptacle formed by four upright poles stuck in the ground +and placed at an angle, supporting a framework from which depends the +"bin-cloth," made of jute or hemp, holding from ten to twenty bushels of +green hops, weighing about 1-1/2 lbs. per bushel when dry. + +The picking then commences, and nimble fingers of all sizes very soon +strip the poles of the aromatically-smelling ripe hops, the poles being +cast aside in heaps, to be afterwards cleared of the old bines and put +into "stacks" of three hundred each, and used again next season. + +The bins, which vary in number according to the size of the hop-garden, +are placed in rows on the margin of the plantation, and usually have ten +"hop-hills" (_i. e._ plants) on each side, and are moved inside the +plantation as the poles are pulled up. Each bin belongs to a "sett" (_i. +e._ family or companionship), consisting of from five to seven persons, +and is taken charge of by a "binman." When the bin is full, a "measurer" +(either the farmer himself or his deputy) takes account of the quantity +of hops picked, and records it in a book to the credit of each working +family. Then the green hops are carted off in "pokes" or sacks to the +"oast-houses" to be dried. For this purpose, anthracite coal and +charcoal are used in the kiln, a shovelful or two of sulphur being added +to the fire when the hops are put on. The process of drying takes eleven +hours, and afterwards the dried hops are packed in pockets which, when +full, weigh about a hundredweight and a half each, the packing being +effected by hydraulic pressure. They are then sent to market, the +earliest arrivals fetching very high prices. As much as L50 per cwt. was +paid in 1882, but the ordinary price averages from L4 to L8 per cwt. + +_Humulus Lupulus_, the hop, belongs to the natural order _Urticaceae_--a +plant of rather wide distribution, but said to be absent in +Scotland--and is a herbaceous, dioecious perennial, usually propagated +by removal of the young shoots or by cuttings. According to Sowerby, the +genus is derived from _humus_, the ground, as, unless supported or +trained, the plant falls to the earth; and the common name "hop" from +the Saxon _hoppan_, to climb. William King, in his _Art of Cookery_, +says that "heresy and hops came in together"; while an old popular rhyme +records that:-- + + "Hops, carp, pickerel, and beer, + Came into England all in one year." + +Tusser in his _Hondreth Good Points of Husbandrie_, published in 1557, +gives sundry directions for the cultivation of hops, and quaintly +advocates their use as follows:-- + + "The hop for his profit I thus do exalt, + It strengtheneth drink, and it savoureth malt; + And being well brewed, long kept it will last, + And drawing abide--if you draw not too fast." + +The hop has many varieties--thirty or more--among which may be mentioned +prolifics, bramblings, goldings, common goldings, old goldings, +Canterbury goldings, Meopham goldings, etc. When once planted they last +for a hundred years, but some growers replace them every ten years or +sooner. + +The principal enemies of the hop are "mould" caused by the fungus +_Sphaerotheca Castagnei_, and several kinds of insects, especially the +"green fly," _Aphis humuli_, but the high wind is most to be dreaded. It +tears the hop-bines from the poles and throws the poles down, which in +falling crush other bines, and thus bruise the hops and prevent their +growth, besides obstructing the passage of air and sunlight, and causing +the development of mould or mildew. The remedy for mould is dusting with +sulphur, and for the green fly, syringing with tobacco or quassia water +and soap, "Hop-wash," as it is called. Sometimes the lady-bird +(_Coccinella septempunctata_) is present in sufficient numbers to +consume the green fly. Very little can be done to obviate the effects of +the wind, but a protective fence of the wild hop--called a "lee" or +"loo"--is sometimes put up round very choice plantations. + +The hop-poles, the preparation of which constitutes a distinct industry, +are either of larch, Spanish chestnut, ash, willow, birch, or +beech--larch or chestnut being preferred. Women clear the poles of the +bark, and men sharpen them at one end, which is dipped in creosote +before being used. The ground is cleared, and the poles are stuck in +against the old plants in February or March. + +We are informed that the hop-picking is much looked forward to by the +villagers with pleasure as the means of supplying them with a little +purse for clothing, etc., against winter-time. Each family or +companionship earns from thirty shillings to two pounds per week during +the season. + +We proceed on our excursion, and pass Faversham, which stands in a +rather picturesque bit of country some way up Faversham Creek, and is +sheltered on the west by a ridge of wooded hills where the hop country +ceases, as the railway bends north-easterly for Margate and Ramsgate. +Whitstable, the next station passed, is famous for the most delicate +oysters in the market, the fishery of which is regulated by an annual +court; and it is said that one grower alone sends fifty thousand barrels +a year to London from this district. We speculate whether these +delicious molluscs were supplied at that famous supper described in the +thirty-ninth chapter of _The Old Curiosity Shop_, at which were present +Kit, his mother, the baby, little Jacob, and Barbara, after the night at +the play, when Kit told the waiter "to bring three dozen of his +largest-sized oysters, and to look sharp about it," and fulfilled his +promise "to let little Jacob know what oysters meant." All along, as the +railway winds from Whitstable to Margate, glimpses of the sea are +visible, and vary our excursion pleasantly. + +The next noteworthy place we pass is Reculver--the ancient +Regulbium--which, according to Mr. Phillips Bevan, is "mentioned in the +Itinerary of Antoninus as being garrisoned by the first cohort of +Brabantois Belgians. After the Romans, it was occupied by the Saxon +Ethelbert, who is said to have occupied it as a palace, and to have been +buried there." "The two picturesque towers" (quoting Bevan again), +"which form so conspicuous a land and sea mark, are called 'The +Sisters,' and are in reality modern-built by the Trinity Board in place +of two erected traditionally by an Abbess of Faversham, who was wrecked +here with her sister on their way to Broadstairs." The sea is fast +encroaching on the land here, notwithstanding the erection of a large +sea-wall and piles. + +Passing Margate, we reach Broadstairs, about thirty-seven miles from +Chatham. Broadstairs, immortalized in _Our English Watering Place_ +(which paper, says Forster, "appeared while I was there, and great was +the local excitement"), is so inseparably associated with the earlier +years of Charles Dickens's holiday-life, that it becomes most +interesting to his admirers. Forster also says, "His later seaside +holiday, September 1837, was passed at Broadstairs, as were those of +many subsequent years; and the little watering-place has been made +memorable by his pleasant sketch of it." At the time of his first visit +(1837) he was writing a portion of _Pickwick_ (Part 18); in 1838 part of +_Nicholas Nickleby_; and in 1839 part of _The Old Curiosity Shop_. He +was also there in 1840, 1841, and 1842, when writing the _American +Notes_; in 1845 and 1847, when writing _Dombey and Son_; in 1848 and +1850, when engaged on _David Copperfield_; and in 1851, when he was +drafting the outlines of _Bleak House_. At the end of November of that +year, when he had settled himself in his new London abode (Tavistock +House), the book was begun, "and, as so generally happened with the more +important incidents of his life, but always accidentally, begun on a +Friday." After 1851, he returned not again to Broadstairs until 1859, +when he paid his last visit to the place, and stayed a week there. The +reason for his forsaking it was that it had become too noisy for him. + +Broadstairs stands midway between the North Foreland and Ramsgate, and +owes its name to the breadth of the sea-gate or "stair," which was +originally defended by a gate or archway. An archway still survives on +the road to the sea, and bears on it two inscriptions, (1) "Built by +George Culenier about 1540"; (2) "Repaired by Sir John Henniker, Bart., +1795." + +Broadstairs has good sands, precipitous chalk cliffs, and a very fine +sea-view. The railway station is about a mile from the pier, and the +town is approached by a well-kept road ("the main street of our +watering-place. . . . You may know it by its being always stopped up +with donkey chaises. Whenever you come here and see the harnessed +donkeys eating clover out of barrows drawn completely across a narrow +thoroughfare, you may be quite sure you are in our High Street"), with +villas standing in their own gardens, most of which are brightened by +summer flowers, notably the blue clematis (_Clematis Jackmani_) and by +those charming seaside evergreens the _Escallonia_ and the _Euonymus_. +As we near the sea, the shops become more numerous, and, on the +right-hand side, we have no difficulty in finding (although we heard it +had been altered considerably) the house "No. 12, High Street," in which +Dickens lived when he first visited Broadstairs. It is a plain little +dwelling of single front, with a small parlour looking into the street, +and has one story over--just the place that seems suited to the +financial position of the novelist when he was commencing life. The +house is now occupied by Mr. Bean, plumber and glazier, whose wife +courteously shows us over it, and into the back yard and little garden, +kindly giving us some pears from an old tree growing there, whereon we +speculate as to whether Dickens himself had ever enjoyed the fruit from +the same old tree. He appears to have lived in this house during his +visits in 1837 and 1838. We ask the good lady if she is aware that +Charles Dickens had formerly stayed in her house, and she replies in the +negative, so we recommend her to get her husband to put up a tablet +outside to the effect "Charles Dickens lived here, 1837," in imitation +of the example of the Society of Arts in Furnival's Inn. There can be no +doubt as to the identity of the house, for we take the precaution of +ascertaining that the numbers have not been altered. + +Our efforts to discover "Lawn House," where Dickens stayed on his visits +from 1838 to 1848, are attended with some difficulty. First we are told +it lay this way, then that, and then the other; a smart villa in a new +road is pointed out to us as the object of our search, which we at once +reject, as being too recent. But we are patient and persevering, +feeling, with Mr. F.'s aunt, that "you can't make a head and brains out +of a brass knob with nothing in it. You couldn't do it when your Uncle +George was living; much less when he's dead!" Finally, we appeal to some +one who looks like the "oldest inhabitant," and obtain something like a +clue. We are eventually directed to a veritable "Lawn House," which is +the last house on the left as you approach "Fort House." It must have +changed in respect of its surroundings since forty years have passed, +and although there is nothing outside to indicate it as such, it seems +fair to assume that this was the house described in the _Life_ as "a +small villa between the hill and the cornfield." The present occupier, +who has no recollection of Dickens ever having been there, courteously +allows us to see the hall and dining-room. The house is of course a +great improvement upon "No 12, High Street." + +A few steps from "Lawn House" lead us to the drive approaching "Fort +House," pleasantly surrounded by a sloping lawn and shrubbery. John +Forster, alluding to it in the _Life_, says:-- + +"The residence he most desired there, 'Fort House,' stood prominently at +the top of a breezy hill on the road to Kingsgate, with a cornfield +between it and the sea, and this in many subsequent years he always +occupied." + +Alas! the cornfield is no more, but "Fort House," or "Bleak House," as +it is indifferently termed locally, remains intact. It is the most +striking object of the place, standing on a cliff overlooking the sea, +the harbour, and the town (made familiar by several photographs and +engravings), with its curious verandahs and blinds, as seen in the +vignette of J. C. Hotten's interesting book, _Charles Dickens: The Story +of His Life_. An excellent photograph is published in the town, of which +we are glad to secure a copy. + +[Illustration: "Bleak House" Broadstairs] + +In the sixth chapter of _Bleak House_ it is called "an old-fashioned +house with three peaks in the roof in front, and a severe sweep leading +to the porch." In the same chapter there is a minute account of the +interior, too lengthy to be quoted; but the description does not +resemble Fort House. We are kindly permitted by the occupier to see the +study in which the novelist worked, a privilege long to be remembered. +This room is approached by "a little staircase of shallow steps" from +the first floor, as described in _Bleak House_; but it will be borne in +mind that the "Bleak House" of the novel is placed in Hertfordshire, +near St. Albans, and _not_ at Broadstairs, although many persons still +believe that Fort House is the original of the story. From the study we +have a lovely view of the sea--the balmy breeze of a summer's day +lightly fanning the waves, and just sufficing to move the delicate +filamentous foliage of the tamarisk trees now standing in the place +where the cornfield was. Even at the time we see it, changed as all its +surroundings are, we can imagine the enjoyment which Dickens had in this +healthy spot on the North Downs. + +In that interesting "book for an idle hour" called _The Shuttlecock +Papers_, Mr. J. Ashby-Sterry thus sympathetically alludes to "Bleak +House":--"What a romantic place this is to write in, is it not? What a +glorious study to work in! Indeed, both from situation and association, +it would be impossible to find a better place for writing, were it not +that one feels that so much superb work has been done on this very spot +by so great an artist, that the mere craftsman is inclined to question +whether it is worth while for him to write at all." + +How well Dickens loved Broadstairs is told in his letter of the 1st +September, 1843, addressed to Professor Felton, of Cambridge, U. S. A., +as follows:-- + +"This is a little fishing-place; intensely quiet; built on a cliff, +whereon--in the centre of a tiny semi-circular bay--our house stands; +the sea rolling and dashing under the windows. Seven miles out are the +Goodwin Sands (you've heard of the Goodwin Sands?), whence floating +lights perpetually wink after dark, as if they were carrying on +intrigues with the servants. Also there is a lighthouse called the North +Foreland on a hill behind the village, a severe parsonic light, which +reproves the young and giddy floaters, and stares grimly out upon the +sea. Under the cliff are rare good sands, where all the children +assemble every morning and throw up impossible fortifications, which the +sea throws down again at high-water. Old gentlemen and ancient ladies +flirt after their own manner in two reading-rooms, and on a great many +scattered seats in the open air. Other old gentlemen look all day long +through telescopes and never see anything. + +"In a bay-window in a one-pair sits, from nine o'clock to one, a +gentleman with rather long hair and no neckcloth, who writes and grins +as if he thought he were very funny indeed. His name is Boz. At one he +disappears, and presently emerges from a bathing machine, and may be +seen--a kind of salmon-coloured porpoise--splashing about in the ocean. +After that he may be seen in another bay-window on the ground-floor, +eating a strong lunch; after that, walking a dozen miles or so, or lying +on his back in the sand reading a book. Nobody bothers him unless they +know he is disposed to be talked to; and I am told he is very +comfortable indeed. He's as brown as a berry, and they _do_ say is a +small fortune to the innkeeper who sells beer and cold punch. But this +is mere rumour. Sometimes he goes up to London (eighty miles or so +away), and then I'm told there is a sound in Lincoln's Inn Fields at +night, as of men laughing, together with a clinking of knives and forks, +and wine-glasses." + +And further in a letter to another correspondent recently made public:-- + +"When you come to London, to assist at Miss Liston's sacrifice, don't +forget to remind your uncle of our Broadstairs engagement to which I +hold you bound. A good sea--fresh breezes--fine sands--and pleasant +walks--with all manner of fishing-boats, lighthouses, piers, +bathing-machines, are its only attractions, but it's one of the freshest +little places in the world, consequently the proper place for you." + +In the year 1851, in a letter dated 8th September, addressed to Mr. +Henry Austin, he thus alludes to a wreck which took place at +Broadstairs:-- + +"A great to-do here. A steamer lost on the Goodwins yesterday, and our +men bringing in no end of dead cattle and sheep. I stood supper for them +last night, to the unbounded gratification of Broadstairs. They came in +from the wreck very wet and tired, and very much disconcerted by the +nature of their prize--which, I suppose after all, will have to be +recommitted to the sea, when the hides and tallow are secured. One +lean-faced boatman murmured, when they were all ruminating over the +bodies as they lay on the pier: 'Couldn't sassages be made on it?' but +retired in confusion shortly afterwards, overwhelmed by the execrations +of the bystanders." + +Dickens got tired of Broadstairs in 1847, for reasons given in the +following letter to Forster, though he did not forsake it till some +years after:-- + +"Vagrant music is getting to that height here, and is so impossible to +be escaped from, that I fear Broadstairs and I must part company in time +to come. Unless it pours of rain, I cannot write half an hour without +the most excruciating organs, fiddles, bells, or glee singers. There is +a violin of the most torturing kind under the window now (time, ten in +the morning), and an Italian box of music on the steps--both in full +blast." + +By good luck we fall in with an "old salt," formerly one of the boatmen +of _Our English Watering Place_ who are therein immortalized by much +kindly mention, with whom we have a pleasant chat about Charles Dickens. +Harry Ford (the name of our friend) well remembers the great novelist, +when in early days he used to come on his annual excursions with his +family to Broadstairs. "Bless your soul," he says, "I can see 'Old +Charley,' as we used to call him among ourselves here, a-coming flying +down from the cliff with a hop, step, and jump, with his hair all flying +about. He used to sit sometimes on that rail" (pointing to the one +surrounding the harbour), "with his legs lolling about, and sometimes on +the seat that you're a-sitting on now" (adjoining the old Look-out +House opposite the Tartar Frigate Inn), "and he was very fond of talking +to us fellows and hearing our tales--he was very good-natured, and +nobody was liked better. And if you'll read" (continues our informant) +"that story that he wrote and printed about _Our Watering Place_, _I_ +was the man who's mentioned there as mending a little ship for a boy. +_I_ held that child between my knees. And what's more, sir, _I_ took +'Old Charley,' on the very last time that he came over to Broadstairs +(he wasn't living here at the time), round the foreland to Margate, with +a party of four friends. I took 'em in my boat, the _Irene_," pointing +to a clinker-built strong boat lying in the harbour, capable of holding +twenty people. "The wind was easterly--the weather was rather rough, and +it took me three or four hours to get round. There was a good deal of +chaffing going on, I can tell you." + +[Illustration: Old Look-out House Broadstairs] + +Mrs. Long, of Zion Place, Broadstairs, the wife of an old coastguardman, +who was stationed at the Preventive Station when Dickens lodged at Fort +House, also remembered the novelist. The coastguard men are also +immortalized in _Our English Watering Place_, as "a steady, trusty, +well-conditioned, well-conducted set of men, with no misgiving about +looking you full in the face, and with a quiet, thorough-going way of +passing along to their duty at night, carrying huge sou'wester clothing +in reserve, that is fraught with all good prepossession. They are handy +fellows--neat about their houses, industrious at gardening, would get on +with their wives, one thinks, in a desert island--and people it too +soon." + +Mrs. Long says "Mr. Dickens was a very nice sort of gentleman, but he +didn't like a noise." The windows of Fort House, she reminds us, +overlooked the coastguard station, and whenever the children playing +about made more noise than usual, he used to tell her husband gently "to +take the children away," or "to keep the people quiet." This little +story fully confirms Dickens's often-expressed feeling of dislike, which +subsequently grew intolerable, to Broadstairs as a watering-place. + +After taking a turn or two on the lively Promenade,--made bright by the +rich masses of flesh-coloured flowers of the valerian which fringe its +margin,--to enjoy the sunshine and air, and watch the holiday folks, we +bid adieu to Broadstairs, and proceed to Margate. + +Of Margate there is not much to say. We reach it by an early afternoon +train of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, to get the quickest +service by the South-Eastern Railway on to Canterbury. Our stay at +Margate is consequently very limited. + +To some minds this popular Cockney watering-place has great attractions; +its broad sands, its beautiful air, and its boisterous amusements, +negro-melodies, merry-go-rounds, and the like; but it was a place seldom +visited by Dickens, although he was so often near it. Only twice in the +_Life_ is it recorded that he came here; once being in 1844, when he +wrote to Forster respecting the theatre as follows:-- + +"'_Nota Bene._--The Margate Theatre is open every evening, and the four +Patagonians (see Goldsmith's _Essays_) are performing thrice a week at +Ranelagh.' A visit from me"--Forster goes on to say--"was at this time +due, to which these were held out as inducements; and there followed +what it was supposed I could not resist, a transformation into the +broadest farce of a deep tragedy by a dear friend of ours. 'Now you +really must come. Seeing only is believing, very often isn't that, and +even Being the thing falls a long way short of believing it. Mrs. +Nickleby herself once asked me, as you know, if I really believed there +ever was such a woman; but there will be no more belief, either in me or +my descriptions, after what I have to tell of our excellent friend's +tragedy, if you don't come and have it played again for yourself, 'by +particular desire.' We saw it last night, and oh! if you had but been +with us! Young Betty, doing what the mind of man without my help never +_can_ conceive, with his legs like padded boot-trees wrapped up in faded +yellow drawers, was the hero. The comic man of the company, enveloped in +a white sheet, with his head tied with red tape like a brief, and +greeted with yells of laughter whenever he appeared, was the venerable +priest. A poor toothless old idiot, at whom the very gallery roared with +contempt when he was called a tyrant, was the remorseless and aged +Creon. And Ismene, being arrayed in spangled muslin trousers very loose +in the legs and very tight in the ankles, such as Fatima would wear in +_Blue Beard_, was at her appearance immediately called upon for a song! +After this can you longer--?'" + +[Illustration: The "Falstaff": Westgate Canterbury] + +He speaks in a letter to Forster, dated September, 1847, of +"improvements in the Margate Theatre since his memorable first visit." +It had been managed by a son of the great comedian Dowton, and the piece +which Dickens then saw was _As You Like It_, "really very well done, and +a most excellent house." It was Mr. Dowton's benefit, and "he made a +sensible and modest kind of speech," which impressed Dickens, who thus +concludes his letter:--"He really seems a most respectable man, and he +has cleaned out this dusthole of a theatre into something like +decency." + +There is also the following significant mention of Margate in chapter +nineteen of _Bleak House_:-- + +"It is the hottest long vacation known for many years. All the young +clerks are madly in love, and according to their various degrees, pant +for bliss with the beloved object at Margate, Ramsgate, or Gravesend." + +If Broadstairs was noisy, Margate must have been intensely so. We leave +the crowded holiday-making place without much feeling of regret, and +passing Ramsgate--of which there is but one mention in the _Life_--on +our way, reach Canterbury in the afternoon. + +We are delighted with this exquisitely beautiful old city, our only +regret being that our time is very limited, and our means of +ascertaining places situated in "Dickens-Land" more so. + +Taking up our temporary quarters at the "Sir John Falstaff" Hotel, in +remembrance of its namesake at Gad's Hill, after the refreshment of a +meal, we commence our tramp through Canterbury, where David Copperfield +passed some of his happiest days. Of the Falstaff here there is an +excellent picture in Mr. Rimmer's _About England with Dickens_; a very +quaint old inn with double front, and bay-windows top and bottom, +possibly of the sixteenth century, and with a long swinging sign +extending over the pavement, on which is painted a life-like presentment +of the portly knight, the pretty ornamental ironwork supporting it +reminding one of Washington Irving's description in _Bracebridge Hall_, +"fancifully wrought at top into flourishes and flowers." + +[Illustration: The "Dane John" from the City Wall Canterbury] + +A few steps further on is the West Gate, "standing between two lofty and +spacious round towers erected in the river," built by Archbishop +Sudbury, who was barbarously murdered by Wat Tyler in the reign of +Richard II., which is the sole remaining one of six gates formerly +constituting the approaches to the city. From this gate, looking +eastward, with the river Stour on either side, banked by neatly-trimmed +private gardens, a beautiful view of the city is obtained. The High +Street, crowded with gables of the sixteenth century and later timbered +houses, slightly bends and rises as well, until the perspective seems to +lose itself in a distant grove of trees, locally called the "Dane John," +a corruption of "Donjon." This view, especially when seen on a summer +afternoon, is most picturesque. The present appearance of the quiet +street is decidedly unlike that which it presented on that busy +market-day when Miss Betsey Trotwood drove her nephew along it, for +David says, "My aunt had a good opportunity of insinuating the grey pony +among carts, baskets, vegetables, and hucksters' goods. The hair-breadth +turns and twists we made drew down upon us a variety of speeches from +the people standing about, which were not always complimentary; but my +aunt drove on with perfect indifference." + +We notice in the windows and in many of the shops an abundance of +brightly-coloured cut-flowers, a notable feature of the county of Kent; +but we have little time to spare, and hasten on to the Cathedral +precincts. + +"What a magnificent edifice!" is our first thought on beholding the +Cathedral, a noble pile so well befitting the Metropolitan See of +England, from which the Christianity of the Kingdom first flowed. Dating +from Ethelbert, at the close of the sixth century, three structures have +successively occupied the site, culminating in the present one, which, +according to Mr. Phillips Bevan, was erected at different times between +1070 and 1500; and he goes on to say:--"No wonder that it exhibits so +many styles and peculiarities of detail, although the two most prominent +architectural eras are those of 'Transition-Norman' and +'Perpendicular.'" + +The appropriate stone figures in niches of distinguished Royal and +Ecclesiastical personages associated with the Cathedral (which at the +suggestion of Dean Alford in 1863 replaced those of the murderers of the +martyr, Thomas a Becket), from King Ethelbert to Queen Victoria, and +from Archbishop Lanfranc to Archbishop Longley; the lofty groined arches +and stately towers, the beautiful carved screen, the noble monuments, +the splendid choir (a hundred and eighty feet in length) approached by +many steps, the rich stained-glass windows, all attract our admiring +attention, and confirm our impression that a modern pilgrimage to +Canterbury is a thing to be highly appreciated; and on no account would +we have missed this part of our excursion. The murder of Thomas a +Becket (1170) took place between the nave and the choir in a transept or +cross aisle called "The Martyrdom." + +[Illustration: Bell Harry Tower: Canterbury Cathedral:] + +There is an interesting Sidney Cooper Gallery of Art, and also a Museum +in the city, the latter containing some rare old Roman Mosaic pavement +discovered in Burgate Street at a depth of ten feet. + +But our object is to identify spots made memorable in _David +Copperfield_, and we walk round the spacious Cathedral Close and "make +an effort" (as Mrs. Chick said) in trying to find the simple-minded and +good Dr. Strong's House. It is described as "a grave building in a +courtyard, with a learned air about it that seemed very well suited to +the stray rooks and jackdaws who came down from the Cathedral towers, +and walked with a clerkly bearing on the grass-plat." + +Alas! it is not here, although there are many such houses that +correspond with it in some particulars. So we try several of the "dear +old tranquil streets," but fail to discover the identical building. + +The next object of our search is Mr. Wickfield's residence, "a very old +house bulging out over the road; a house with low latticed windows, +bulging out still further, and beams with carved heads on the ends, +bulging out too." How strongly the description in many parts tallies +with the houses in Rochester opposite "Eastgate House"; but here again +we are baffled, as other modern pilgrims have been before, and we cannot +associate any particular building with either of the two houses. The +house in Burgate Street now occupied as offices by Messrs. Plummer and +Fielding, Diocesan Registrars, who obligingly permit an examination of +it, is suggested to us as being Mr. Wickfield's house, but, after an +inspection, on several grounds we are obliged to reject this suggestion. + +[Illustration: Scene of the Martyrdom Canterbury Cathedral] + +[Illustration: "Bits" of Old Canterbury.] + +There was many a "low old-fashioned room, walked straight into from the +street," which would have served for the "umble" dwelling of Uriah Heep +and his mother, but none can be pointed out with absolute certainty as +being the veritable one. + +By the kindness of Dr. Sheppard and Mr. T. B. Rosseter, F.R.M.S., we +are, however, enabled to identify two houses in Canterbury alluded to +in _David Copperfield_. The "County Inn," where Mr. Dick slept on his +visits to David "every alternate Wednesday," was no doubt The Royal +Fountain Hotel in St. Margaret's Street (formerly the Watling Street), +which is still recognized as such. A passage in the seventeenth chapter +thus refers to these visits:-- + + "Mr. Dick was very partial to ginger-bread. To + render his visits the more agreeable, my aunt had + instructed me to open a credit for him at a + cake-shop, which was hampered with the stipulation + that he should not be served with more than one + shilling's-worth in the course of any one day. + This, and the reference of all his little bills at + the County Inn, where he slept, to my aunt before + they were paid, induced me to think that Mr. Dick + was only allowed to rattle his money, and not to + spend it." + +The "little Inn" (as recorded in the same chapter) where Mr. Micawber +"put up" on his first visit to Canterbury, and where he "occupied a +little room in it partitioned off from the commercial, and strongly +flavoured with tobacco smoke," is doubtless the "Sun Inn" in Sun Street, +which is at the opposite corner of the square where the ancient +"Chequers" in Mercery Lane--the Pilgrim's Inn of Chaucer--stood. It was +a place of resort from afar, and was altered in the seventeenth century. +Dr. Sheppard calls attention to the interesting fact that the omnibus +from Herne Bay stopped at the Sun; and probably, in his visits to +Broadstairs, Dickens would often run over for a day's trip to +Canterbury. + +On their first visit to the "little Inn," Mr. and Mrs. +Micawber--notwithstanding their chronic impecuniosity--thus entertained +David Copperfield:-- + + "We had a beautiful little dinner. Quite an + elegant dish of fish; the kidney end of a loin of + veal roasted; fried sausage-meat; a partridge and + a pudding. There was wine, and there was strong + ale; and after dinner Mrs. Micawber made us a bowl + of hot punch with her own hands." + +They spent a jolly evening, and ended with singing _Auld Lang Syne_. + +The "little Inn" is again alluded to later in the story, where Mr. +Micawber announces his full determination to abstain from everything +until he has exposed the machinations of, and blown to pieces, +"the--a--detestable serpent--HEEP;" and finally, where David Copperfield +"assisted at an explosion," and Mr. Micawber is triumphant, and the +"transcendent and immortal hypocrite and perjurer, HEEP," is forced to +succumb. + +Speaking of the "little Inn" for the last time, David says:--"I looked +at the old house from the corner of the street. . . . The early sun was +striking edgewise on its gables and lattice-windows, touching them with +gold; and some beams of its old peace seemed to touch my heart." + +Dr. Sheppard subsequently told us that, when he was beginning to turn +his attention to the deciphering and utilizing of ancient MSS., he was +much impressed, when perusing some articles in _Household Words_, or +some other papers written by Dickens, relating to the neglected state of +public records, more particularly at Canterbury; and when many years +after the very records of which he wrote came under his (Dr. Sheppard's) +care, he was surprised to find the names of Snodgrass, Sam Weller, and +others therein. The records to which Dr. Sheppard referred were those in +charge of the Archbishop's Registrar at Canterbury. + +If time permits it would be pleasant to go on to Dover,[33] to see "Miss +Betsey Trotwood's house," but this is impossible; and indeed, all that +can be said about a tramp in search of "that very neat little cottage +with cheerful bow windows in front of it, a small square gravelled court +or garden full of flowers carefully tended, and smelling deliciously," +has been well said by Mr. Ashby-Sterry in his delightful little volume, +_Cucumber Chronicles_. + +[Illustration: "The Little Inn" Canterbury] + +After much perseverance, and in spite of almost as many difficulties as +beset poor little David Copperfield himself in his search for his aunt +(who, as the Dover boatmen told him, "lived in the South Foreland Light, +and had singed her whiskers by doing so"--"that she was made fast to the +great buoy outside the harbour, and could only be visited at +half-tide"--"that she was locked up in Maidstone Jail for +child-stealing"--and that "she was seen to mount a broom in the last +high wind and make direct for Calais"), Mr. Ashby-Sterry succeeded, +although his greatest embarrassment arose from that irrepressible +nuisance, "Buggins the Builder," who cannot be controlled even in the +neighbourhood of Dover, so "hugely does he delight to mar those spots +that have been hallowed by antiquity, seclusion, or the pen of the +novelist. Hence the abode of Betsey Trotwood is not so pleasant as it +must have been formerly, for other houses have clustered about the back +and the front." But Mr. Ashby-Sterry quite satisfied himself as to the +identity on Dover Heights of the very neat little cottage, and assures +us that "the house, however, still stands high, the fresh breezes from +over the sea and across the Down smite it. It still has a view of the +sea, though perhaps not so uninterrupted as it was in the days of David +Copperfield." He further states that it is, perhaps, not quite so neat +as it was in Miss Betsey Trotwood's time, though there are no donkeys +about. Here are the bow windows, with the room above, where Mr. Dick +alarmed poor David by nodding and laughing at him on his first arrival. +The window on the right must have belonged to the neat room "with the +drugget-covered carpet," and the old-fashioned furniture brightly +polished, where might be found "the cat, the kettle-holder, the two +canaries, the old china, the punch-bowl full of dried rose leaves, the +tall press guarding all sorts of bottles and pots, and wonderfully out +of keeping with the rest." On the strength of this description by an +ardent lover of Dickens, we fully make up our minds to visit Dover at no +distant date to see Miss Betsey Trotwood's house for ourselves. + +_A propos_ of Miss Trotwood's domicile, we have been favoured by Mr. C. +K. Worsfold, an old resident of Dover, with a letter containing some +interesting particulars, from which we extract the following:-- + +"Dickens's description of the local habitation of Betsey Trotwood is not +consistent with the surroundings. The hills on either side of the town +belong to the War Department, and are occupied as fortifications; on the +eastern side is the Castle, and on the western side barracks and forts. +On the western heights there is a house somewhat answering to Dickens's +description, having a garden in front of it, and a small plot of grass +in front of the garden; and about forty years ago there lived in this +house a lady of rather masculine character, who always resented any +intrusion of boys, and perhaps donkeys, on the grass in front of her +house and garden, and I believe she was occasionally rather rough with +the boys; but there the likeness to Betsey Trotwood ends. This was a +married lady living with her husband. + +"I know it was a matter of conversation forty years ago that Dickens +must have found his original in the lady in question, but I think he was +rather in the habit of selecting his characters without reference to +locality, and then adapting them to his requirements. + +"Dickens was a frequent visitor to Dover, and he may possibly have been +a witness of some encounter between this lady and the boys, and on that +occasion donkeys may have been present.[34] I do not know of any +relative of the lady answering to Miss Trotwood's worthy nephew." + +"A moderate stroke," as Mr. Datchery said, "is all I am justified in +scoring up"; and we reluctantly leave the "sunny street of Canterbury, +dozing, as it were, in the hot light," and take our places in the train +for Chatham, distant about twenty-seven miles. + +The only new parts of interest which we go over, on our return journey +by rail, are the green fields surrounding the ancient city, wherein are +numbers of those beautiful and quiet-feeding cattle, which the eminent +artist, Mr. T. Sidney Cooper, R.A. (who resides in the neighbourhood), +loves to paint, and paints so well; and in due time we pass the +chalk-topped hills called Harbledown, overlooking Canterbury, from +whence the best view of the city is obtained, and safely reach our +headquarters at Rochester. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[32] According to a "Note" in the _Rochester and Chatham Journal_, the +derivation of this curious term is from _uro_ to burn (ustus). + +[33] One of the "Five Cinque Ports, and two Ancient Towns" often +referred to, but not always remembered--Hastings, Sandwich, Dover, New +Romney, Hythe, Winchelsea and Rye. + +[34] Mr. Charles Dickens kindly writes to me:--"The lady who objected to +the donkeys lived at Broadstairs. I knew her when I was a boy." + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +COOLING, CLIFFE, AND HIGHAM. + + "And now the range of marshes lay clear before us, + with the sails of the ships on the river growing + out of it; and we went into the Churchyard . . . + and the light wind strewed it with beautiful + shadows of clouds and trees." + + * * * * * + + "What might have been your opinion of the place?" + + "A most beastly place. Mudbank, mist, swamp and + work; work, swamp, mist, and mudbank."--_Great + Expectations._ + + * * * * * + + "They were now in the open country; the houses + were very few and scattered at long intervals, + often miles apart. Occasionally they came upon a + cluster of poor cottages, some with a chair or low + board put across the open door, to keep the + scrambling children from the road; others shut up + close, while all the family were working in the + fields. These were often the commencement of a + little village; and after an interval came a + wheelwright's shed, or perhaps a blacksmith's + forge; then a thriving farm, with sleepy cows + lying about the yard, and horses peering over the + low wall, and scampering away when harnessed + horses passed upon the road, as though in triumph + at their freedom."--_The Old Curiosity Shop._ + + +NOW for a long tramp in the country of the Marshes--the famous "Meshes" +of _Great Expectations_. The air is sultry on this Thursday afternoon, +and there is thunder in the distance. The storm, however, does not pass +over Rochester, but further on we find traces of it where the roadways +have been washed up. Afterwards the air becomes deliciously cool, and +that hum of all Nature which succeeds the quiet preceding the storm is +distinctly perceptible. Crossing Rochester Bridge, keeping to the right +along Strood and Frindsbury--the churchyard of which affords a splendid +view of Rochester, Chatham, and the Medway--passing up Four Elms Hill +and through the little village of Wainscot, nothing of interest calls +for notice until we have travelled some miles from Strood. After +crossing a tramway belonging to Government, and utilized by the Royal +Engineers as a means of communication between the powder-magazine and +Chatham Barracks, we observe that vegetation, which is so rich in other +parts of Kent, here appears to be dwarfed and stunted. A hop-garden +presents a very miserable contrast, in its struggle for existence, to +others we have seen in the more central parts of the county, and even +some of these were far from being luxuriant, owing to such a peculiarly +wet and cold season. The hedges in places are diversified with the small +gold and violet star-like flowers and the green and scarlet berries of +the climbing woody nightshade, or bitter-sweet (_Solanum Dulcamara_), +often mistaken for the deadly nightshade (_Atropa Belladonna_--a fine +bushy herbaceous perennial, with large ovate-shaped leaves, and lurid, +purple bell-shaped flowers), quite a different plant, and happily +somewhat rare in England. The delicate light-blue flowers of the chicory +are very abundant here. + +A tramp of upwards of six miles from Rochester, by way of Hoo,[35] +brings us to Lodge Hill, overlooking Perry Hill, which affords a +magnificent view of the mouth of the Thames beyond the low-lying +Marshes, and of Canvey Island, off the coast of Essex, on the opposite +side. By the kindness of a farmer's wife we are allowed to take a short +cut through the farm-garden and grounds, which leads direct to Cooling +(or Cowling) Church, a cheerless, grey-stone structure, the tower +standing out as a beacon long before we reach it. + +Those unacquainted with this part of Kent may be interested in knowing +that the Marshes, which stretch out over a considerable distance on +either side of the Thames, on both the Kent and the Essex coasts, +consist entirely of alluvial soil reclaimed at some time from the river. +They are intersected by ditches and water-courses, and covered with rank +vegetation, chiefly of grass, rushes, and flags, where not cultivated. +Higher up the land is rich, and large tracts of it are planted with +vegetables as market gardens. Sea-gulls, plovers, and herons are +numerous; their call-notes in the still evening sounding shrill and +uncanny over the long stretches of flat lands. + +Dear old Michael Drayton, the Warwickshire poet, who touched upon almost +everything, has not omitted to describe the Marshes in a somewhat +similar locality, for in the _Polyolbion_ (Song XVIII.) he gracefully +compares them to a female enamoured of the beauties of the River Rother, +thus:-- + + "Appearing to the flood, most bravely like a Queen, + Clad all from head to foot, in gaudy Summer's green, + Her mantle richly wrought with sundry flow'rs and weeds; + Her moistful temples bound with wreaths of quiv'ring reeds; + And on her loins a frock, with many a swelling plait, + Emboss'd with well-spread horse, large sheep, and full-fed neat; + With villages amongst, oft powthered here and there; + And (that the same more like to landscape should appear) + With lakes and lesser fords, to mitigate the heat + In summer, when the fly doth prick the gadding neat." + +Readers of _Great Expectations_ will remember that the scene in the +first chapter between Pip and the convict, Magwitch, is laid in Cooling +churchyard, and on reaching this spot we are instantly reminded of what +doubtless gave origin to the idea of the five dead little brothers of +poor Philip Pirrip, for there, on the left of the principal pathway, are +indeed, not five stone lozenges, but _ten_ in one row and three more at +the back of them, such peculiarly-shaped and curiously-arranged little +monuments as we never before beheld. They consist of a grey stone +(Kentish-rag, probably, but lichen-encrusted by time) of cylindrical +shape, widening at the shoulders, coffin-like, and about a yard in +length, the diameter being about eight inches, including the portion +buried in the earth. Four little foot-stones are placed in front, and +separating the ten little memorials from the three at the back is a +large head-stone, bearing the name--"Comport of Cowling Court, 1771." +Cooling Church, which has the date 1615 on one of the bells, has an +example of a Hagioscope, a curious, small, square, angular, tunnel-like +opening through the wall, which divides the nave from the chancel. It is +said to have been the place through which those members of the church, +who were unworthy or unable to receive the sacred elements, might get a +look at their more acceptable companions during the administration of +the sacrament. The Rev. W. H. A. Leaver, the Rector, who kindly shows us +over his church, in reply to our question as to whether he could give +any information about Charles Dickens, said that he was a new-comer in +the district, and that all he remembers is, that when his sister was a +little baby in arms, her mother happened once to be travelling in the +same train with the great novelist, who, with his usual kindness, gave +the child an orange, which she acknowledged very ungratefully by +scratching his face! + +The following is a picture of the neighbourhood, given in the opening +sentences of the story:-- + + "Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, + within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the + sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of + the identity of things, seems to me to have been + gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards + evening. At such a time, I found out for certain, + that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was + the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of + this parish, and also Georgiana, wife of above, + were dead and buried; and that Alexander, + Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant + children of the aforesaid, were also dead and + buried; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond + the churchyard, intersected with dykes, and + mounds, and gates, with scattered cattle feeding + on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden + line beyond was the river; and that the distant + savage lair, from which the wind was rushing, was + the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers + growing afraid of it all, and beginning to cry, + was Pip." + +[Illustration: Graves of the Comport Family: in Cooling Churchyard] + +Here follows the appearance of the awful convict, and the terrible +threats by which he induces Pip to bring him "that file and them +wittles" on the morrow; to enforce obedience the convict tilts Pip two +or three times, "and then" [says Pip] "he gave me a most tremendous dip +and roll, so that the church jumped over its own weathercock." Then he +held him by the arms in an upright position on the top of the stone, +finally threatening him "with having his heart and liver torn out," in +case of non-compliance. + +All the characters described in _Great Expectations_, and all the scenes +wherein they played their parts--Pip, with and without his "great +expectations"; his sister Mrs. Joe Gargery, "on the rampage with +Tickler;" Joe Gargery, "ever the best of friends, dear Pip;" Mr. and +Mrs. Hubble, the former fond of "a bit of savoury pork pie as would lay +atop of anything you could mention and do no harm;" the stage-struck +Wopsle, _alias_ "Mr. Waldengarver"; "the servile Pumblechook;" the two +convicts, "Pip's convict," Magwitch, with "the great iron on his leg," +and the "other convict," Compeyson, also ironed; "slouching old" Orlick; +Biddy, simple-hearted and loving; "the Serjeant" and "party of +soldiers"; Mr. Jaggers, "the Old Bailey lawyer"; Estella, Miss Havisham, +Herbert Pocket, and Bentley Drummle at "the market town"; Joe's Forge +(now converted into a dwelling-house); "The Three Jolly Bargemen" +(obviously taken from "The Three Horse-shoes," the present village inn); +the "old Battery," "the little sluice-house by the lime-kiln;"--all +centre round Cooling churchyard, and appear before us as though traced +on a map. + +Forster says in the _Life_:--"It is strange as I transcribe the words, +with what wonderful vividness they bring back the very spot on which we +stood when he said he meant to make it the scene of the opening of +this story--Cooling Castle ruins and the desolate Church, lying out +among the marshes seven miles from Gad's Hill!" + +[Illustration: Cooling Church.] + +Beyond where the river runs to the sea, we conjure up the chase and +recapture of Pip's convict, while poor Pip himself, assisted by his +friend Herbert Pocket, is straining every nerve to get him away. As +illustrative of the wonderfully careful way in which Dickens did all his +work, we also read in Forster's _Life_:-- + +"To make himself sure of the actual course of a boat in such +circumstances, and what possible incidents the adventure might have, +Dickens hired a steamer for the day from Blackwall to Southend. Eight or +nine friends, and three or four members of his family, were on board, +and he seemed to have no care, the whole of that summer day (22nd of +May, 1861), except to enjoy their enjoyment and entertain them with his +own in shape of a thousand whims and fancies; but his sleepless +observation was at work all the time, and nothing had escaped his keen +vision on either side of the river. The fifteenth chapter of the third +volume is a masterpiece." + +Speaking generally of this fascinating story, which possesses a +thousand-fold greater interest to us now we visit the country there +described (not formerly very accessible, but now readily approached by +the railway from Gravesend to Sheerness, alighting at Cliffe, the +nearest station to Cooling), Forster says:-- + +"It may be doubted if Dickens could better have established his right to +the front rank among novelists claimed for him, than by the ease and +mastery with which, in these two books of _Copperfield_ and _Great +Expectations_, he kept perfectly distinct the two stories of a boy's +childhood, both told in the form of autobiography." + +The marshes are also alluded to twice in _Bleak House_--first, in +chapter one--"Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the Kentish heights;" and +secondly, in the twenty-sixth chapter, in the dialogue between Trooper +George and his odd but kind-hearted attendant Phil Squod, the original +of which, by the bye, was a Chatham character. + + "'And so, Phil,' says George of the shooting + gallery, after several turns in silence; 'you were + dreaming of the country last night.' + + "Phil, by the bye, said as much, in a tone of + surprise, as he scrambled out of bed. + + "'Yes, guv'ner.' + + "'What was it like?' + + "'I hardly know what it was like, guv'ner,' said + Phil, considering. + + "'How did you know it was the country?' + + "'On accounts of the grass, I think. And the swans + upon it,' says Phil, after further consideration. + + "'What were the swans doing on the grass?' + + "'They was a eating of it, I expect,' says + Phil. . . . + + "'The country,' says Mr. George, applying his + knife and fork, 'why I suppose you never clapped + your eyes on the country, Phil?' + + "'I see the marshes once,' says Phil, contentedly + eating his breakfast. + + "'What marshes?' + + "'_The_ marshes, commander,' returns Phil. + + "'Where are they?' + + "'I don't know where they are,' says Phil, 'but I + see 'em, guv'ner. They was flat. And miste.'" + +Forster says:--"About the whole of this Cooling churchyard, indeed, and +the neighbouring castle ruins, there was a weird strangeness that made +it one of his [Dickens's] attractive walks in the late year or winter, +when from Higham he could get to it across country, over the stubble +fields; and, for a shorter summer walk, he was not less fond of going +round the village of Shorne, and sitting on a hot afternoon in its +pretty shady churchyard." + +Altogether, the place has a dreary and lonesome appearance in the close +of the summer evening, and we can picture with wonderful vividness the +remarkable scenes described in _Great Expectations_, as the lurid purple +reflection from the setting sun spreads over the Thames valley, and +lights up the marshes; the tall pollards standing out like spectres +contribute to the weirdness and beauty of the scene. + +Dickens was not the only admirer of the Marshes. Turner also visited +them, and painted some of his most famous pictures from observation +there, namely "Stangate Creek," "Shrimping Sands," and "Off Sheerness." + +A few paces from the church brings us to Cooling Castle, built by Sir +John de Cobham, the third Baron Cobham, in the reign of Richard II., +whose arms appear on the gatehouse, together with a very curious motto +in early English characters. We extract the following interesting +account of the tower from the _Archaeologia Cantiana_ (vol. xi.):-- + +[Illustration: Gateway Cooling Castle] + +"On the south face of the eastern Outer Gate Tower, we see the +well-known inscription, which takes the form of a Charter, with Lord +Cobham's seal appended to it. This is formed of fourteen copper plates +exquisitely enamelled. The writing is in black, while the ground is of +white enamel; the seal and silk cords are of the proper colours. The +whole work is an exquisite example of enamel, which after five hundred +years' exposure to the weather remains nearly as good as when it was put +up. The inscription states very clearly why Lord Cobham erected a castle +here, viz. for the safety of the country. The French invasion had shewn +the need, and the inscription was perhaps intended to disarm the +suspicions and hostility of the serfs by reminding them of that need. +It runs thus, in four lines, each enamelled upon three plates of +copper:-- + + "'Knoweth that beth and schul be + That i am mad in help of the cuntre + In knowyng of whyche thyng + Thys is chartre and witnessyng.'" + +"(Seal, 'gules', on a chevron 'or' three lions rampant 'sable'.) + +"Inscriptions are rare on Gothic buildings, especially on castles. This +at Coulyng is remarkable from being in English, at a time when Latin was +employed in all charters; it contains that early form of the plural +'beth' instead of 'are.' The inscription measures thirty-two inches by +fourteen, and the diameter of the seal is no less than seven and a +quarter inches long." + +After stopping a short time to admire the imposing entrance gate and the +remains of the ancient moat, we wend our way for two or three miles, by +lanes and "over the stubble-fields," to the straggling village of +Cliffe,[36] the houses of which are very old and mostly weather-boarded. +The approach to the church is by a rare example of a lich-gate, having a +room over it for muniments, and the church itself (which is very large, +and seems to be out of proportion to the size of the village) stands in +a commanding position on a ridge of chalk, overlooking the marshes, from +whence the views of the river in the distance are very fine. It is +supposed to be the place where the Saxon Church held its councils, and +there is a local tradition of a ferry having once existed near here. +Evidence of this seems to survive in the fact that all the roads both on +the Kent and Essex shores appear to converge to this point. The church +has some interesting _miserere_ stalls and brasses to the Faunce family +(17th century). On the walls we find specimens of that somewhat rare +fern, the scaly spleenwort (_Ceterach officinarum_). + +[Illustration: Cliffe Church] + +Time does not permit us to go on to Gravesend, which like this place +was one of Dickens's favourite spots ("We come, you see" [says Mr. +Peggotty, speaking of himself and Ham to David Copperfield, when they +visited him at Salem House], "the wind and tide making in our favor, in +one of our Yarmouth lugs to Gravesen'"), so we defer our visit to that +popular resort until another occasion. + +We notice in places where the harvest has been cleared (which, alas! +owing to excess of wet and absence of sun, has not been an abundant +one), preparations for cultivation next year, exhibiting that peculiar +effect from ploughing which that gifted writer and born naturalist, the +late Richard Jeffreys, described in his book _Wild Life in a Southern +County_, with that love for common things which was so characteristic of +him:-- + +"The ploughmen usually take special care with their work near public +roads, so that the furrows end on to the base of the highway shall be +mathematically straight. They often succeed so well that the furrows +look as if traced with a ruler, and exhibit curious effects of vanishing +perspective. Along the furrow, just as it is turned, there runs a +shimmering light as the eye traces it up. The ploughshare, heavy and +drawn with great force, smooths the earth as it cleaves it, giving it +for a time a 'face,' as it were, the moisture on which reflects the +light. If you watch the farmers driving to market, you will see that +they glance up the furrows to note the workmanship and look for game; +you may tell from a distance if they espy a hare, by the check of the +rein and the extended hand pointing." + +Our destination is now Higham--"Higham by Rochester, Kent,"--Dickens's +nearest village, in which, from his first coming to Gad's Hill, he took +the deepest interest, and after a further long tramp of nearly four +miles steadily maintained, we reach Lower Higham towards dusk; and in a +lane we ask an old labourer (who looks as though he would be all the +better for "Three Acres and a Cow") if we are on the right road to +Higham Station. Curtly but civilly the man answers, "Keep straight on," +when an incident occurs which brightens up matters considerably. The +questioner says to the labourer, "Do you remember the late Charles +Dickens?" (We always spoke, when in the district, of "the _late_ Charles +Dickens," to distinguish him from his eldest son, who lived at Gad's +Hill for some years after his father's death. Frequently the great +novelist was spoken of by residents as "old Mr. Dickens!") + +"Do I remember Muster Dickens?" responds the venerable rustic, and his +eyes sparkle, and his face beams with such animation that he becomes a +different being. "Of course I do; he used to have games--running, +jumping, and such-like--for us working people, and I've often won a +prize. He used to come among us and give us refreshments, and make +himself very pleasant." + +"How long have you lived in this parish?" says the questioner. + +"Sixty-seven year," is the answer. + +Time prevents further inquiries, so we bid our friend "good-evening." + +In referring to the sports at Gad's Hill, Mr. Langton has recorded how a +friend sent him a broadside of a portion of one day's amusements, which +from its amateurish appearance was probably printed by Dickens's sons at +the private printing-press before alluded to. The occasion was the 26th +December, 1866, and the Christmas sports were held in a field at the +back of Gad's Hill Place. Mr. Trood, a former landlord of the "Sir John +Falstaff" (whose name has been previously mentioned), had, by permission +of Charles Dickens, a booth erected for the refreshment of persons +contesting. The attendance was between two and three thousand, and there +was not a single case of misconduct or damage. Mr. A. H. Layard, M.P. +(afterwards Sir Austin Layard), was present, and took great interest in +the proceedings, Dickens having appointed him "chief commissioner of the +domestic police." Sir Austin Layard said of the sports, "Dickens seemed +to have bound every creature present upon what honour the creature had +to keep order. What was the special means used, or the art employed, it +might have been difficult to say, but that was the result." We made +every effort to obtain one of the bills of these sports, but without +success, and therefore take the liberty of quoting from Mr. Langton's +copy:-- + + =Christmas Sports.= + The All-Comers' Race. + Distance--Once round the field. + First Prize 10_s._; Second, 5_s._; Third, 2_s._ 6_d._ + Entries to be made in MR. TROOD'S tent before 12 o'clock. + To start at 2.45. + Starter--M. STONE, ESQ. + Judge and Referee--C. DICKENS, ESQ. + Clerk of the Course--C. DICKENS, JUNR., ESQ. + Stewards and Keepers of the Course--MESSRS. A. H. LAYARD, + M.P., H. CHORLEY, J. HULKES, and H. DICKENS. + +In a letter written to Mr. Forster next day, Dickens said, "The road +between this and Chatham was like a fair all day, and surely it is a +fine thing to get such perfect behaviour out of a reckless sea-port +town." + +We presently meet with another representative of the class of village +labourer at Upper Higham, a cheery old man, although, as is sadly too +often the case in his class, he was suffering from "the Rheumatiz." +"Those are nice chrysanthemums in your garden," we observe. "Yes, they +are, sir," he replies; "but if they had been better attended to when +they was young, they'd have been nicer." "Well, I suppose both of us +would," is the rejoinder. We are in touch on the instant. Our new +acquaintance laughs, and so a question or two is put to him, and the +following is the substance of his answers, rendered _a la_ Jingle but +very feelingly:-- + +"Mr. Dickens was a nice sort of man--very much liked--missed a great +deal when he died--poor people and the like felt the miss of him. He was +a man as shifted a good deal of money in the place. You see, he had a +lot of friends--kept a good many horses,--and then there was the men to +attend to 'em, and the corn-chandler, the blacksmith, the wheelwright, +and others to be paid--the poor--and such-like--felt the miss of him +when he died." + +"How long have you lived here?" + +"Well, I come in '45, eleven years before Mr. Dickens." + +"And I suppose you are over sixty." + +"Well, sir, I shall never see seventy again." + +Wishing our friend "good-night," we continue our tramp. On another +occasion we met, in the same place, a third specimen of village +labourer, "a mender of roads," who knew Charles Dickens, and so we +walked and chatted pleasantly with him for some distance. Said our +informant, "You see, Mr. Dickens was a very liberal man; he held his +head high up when he walked, and went at great strides." The "mender of +roads" was some years ago a candidate for a vacant place as +under-gardener at Gad's Hill, but the situation was filled up just an +hour before he applied for it. He said Mr. Dickens gave him +half-a-crown, and afterwards always recognized him when he met him with +a pleasant nod, or cheerfully "passed the time of day." We heard in many +places that Dickens was "always kindly" in this way to his own +domestics, and to the villagers in a like station of life to our +intelligent friend "the mender of roads." A fourth villager, a groom, +who had been in his present situation for twenty years, said:--"Both the +old gentleman and young Mr. Charles were very much liked in Higham. +There wasn't a single person in the place, I believe, but what had a +good word for them." + +It may be interesting to mention that Higham--the old name of which was +Lillechurch--is an extensive parish divided into several hamlets. In a +useful little book published in 1882, called _A Handbook of Higham_, the +Rev. C. H. Fielding, M.A., the author, says:--"There are few parishes +more interesting than Higham, as it provides food for the antiquarian +and the student of Nature; while its position near the 'Medway smooth, +and the Royal-masted Thame,' affords to the artist many an opportunity +for a picture, while the idler has the privilege of lovely views." Mr. +Roach Smith was of opinion that Higham was the seat of "a great Roman +pottery." A Monastery of importance existed here for several centuries, +Mary, daughter of King Stephen, being one of the Prioresses; but it was +dissolved by Henry VIII. The list of flowering plants given in Mr. +Fielding's book is extensive and interesting, and contains many +rarities. + +A "Cheap Jack," a veritable Doctor Marigold, had taken up his quarters +at Higham, and we loiter among the bystanders to hear his patter. We +feel quite sure that had Dickens been present he would have listened and +been as amused with him as ourselves. We heard a few days previously the +public crier going round in his cart, announcing the arrival of this +worthy by ringing his bell and proclaiming in a stentorian voice +something to this effect:-- + +"The public is respectfully informed that the Cheap Jack has arrived, +bringing with him a large assortment of London, Birmingham, and +Sheffield goods, together with a choice collection of glass and +earthenware, which he will sell every evening at the most reasonable +prices." + +On our arrival here we find him on his rostrum surrounded by some +flaring naphtha lamps, and thus disposing of some penny books of songs: +"Now, ladies and gentlemen, what shall we have the pleasure of saying +for this handsome book, containing over a hundred songs sung by all the +great singers of the day--Macdermott, Madam Langtry, Sims Reeves, and +other eminent vocalists--besides numerous toasts and readings. Well, I +won't ask sixpence, and I won't take fivepence, fourpence, threepence, +twopence--no, I only ask a penny. Sold again, and got the money. Take +care of the ha'pence" (to his assistant), "for we gives them to the +blind when they can see to pick 'em up." We of course bought a copy of +the famous collection as a "Dickens-item." + +Before returning to Rochester we are anxious to identify the +blacksmith's shop where the _feu de joie_ was fired from "two smuggled +cannons," in honour of the marriage of Miss Kate Dickens to Mr. Charles +Collins. Alterations have taken place which render identification +impossible; but a local blacksmith, who has established himself here, +gives us some interesting particulars of the games in which he took +part. He mentions also a circumstance relating to Dickens's favourite +horse, Toby. It appears that it was an express wish of the novelist that +when he died this horse should be shot; and according to our informant +the horse was shod on the Tuesday before the 9th of June (the day of +Dickens's death), and shot on the following Monday. The gun was loaded +with small shot, and poor Toby died immediately it was fired. The +blacksmith thoroughly confirms the opinion of the old labourers as to +the kindness of Charles Dickens to his poorer neighbours. A curious +episode occurs in our conference with this man: he seems under the +impression, which no amount of assertion on our part can overcome, that +my friend and fellow tramp, Mr. Kitton, is Mr. Henry Fielding Dickens. +Whether there was any facial resemblance or likeness of manner did not +transpire, but again and again he kept saying, "Now ain't you Harry +Dickens?" Among the names at Higham we notice that of a well-remembered +Dickens character--Mr. Stiggins! + +On arriving at Higham Railway Station, we chat a bit with the +station-master and porter there, but both are comparatively fresh comers +and knew not Charles Dickens. After an enjoyable but somewhat fatiguing +tramp, we are glad to take a late evening train from Higham to Strood, +and thus ends our inspection of the land of "the Meshes." + + * * * * * + +By the kindness of Mr. Henry Smetham (locally famed as the "Laureate of +Strood"), we subsequently had an introduction to Mrs. Taylor, formerly +school-mistress at Higham, who came there in 1860, and remained until +some years after the death of Charles Dickens. She knew the novelist +well, and used to see him almost every day when he was at home. She +said, "If I had met him and did not know who he was, I should have set +him down as a good-hearted English gentleman." He was very popular and +much liked in the neighbourhood. On his return from America, in the +first week of May, 1868, garlands of flowers were put by the villagers +across the road from the railway station to Gad's Hill. There was a flag +at Gad's (a Union Jack, she thinks), which was always hoisted when +Dickens was at home. He never read at Higham, and never came to the +school; but he always allowed the use of the meadow at the back of Gad's +Hill Place for the school treats, either of church or chapel, and +contributed to such treats sweets and what not. + +Mrs. Taylor remembers that the carriage was sent down from Gad's Hill +Place to the Higham railway station nearly every night at ten o'clock to +meet either Charles Dickens or his friends. It passed the school, and +she well recollects the pleasant sound made by the bells. She heard +Dickens read _Sairey Gamp_ in London once, and did not like the dress he +wore, but thought the reading very wonderful. + +This lady says she was in London at the time of the death of Charles +Dickens, the announcement of which she saw on a newspaper placard, and +was ill the whole of the day afterwards. It was a sorrowful day for her. + + * * * * * + +We are much indebted to Mrs. Budden of Gad's Hill Place for the +following interesting particulars which she obtained from Mrs. Easedown, +of Higham, "who was parlour-maid to Mr. Dickens, and left to be married +on the 8th of June, the day he was seized with the fit. She says it was +her duty to hoist the flag on the top of the house directly Mr. Dickens +arrived at Gad's Hill. It was a small flag, not more than fourteen +inches square, and was kept in the billiard-room. She says he was the +dearest and best gentleman that ever lived, and the kindest of masters. +He asked her to stay and wait at table the night he was taken ill; she +said if he wished it she would, and then he said, 'Never mind; I don't +feel well.' She saw him after he was dead, laid out in the dining-room, +when his coffin was covered with scarlet geraniums--his favourite +flower. The flower-beds on the lawns at Gad's Hill in his time were +always filled with scarlet geraniums; they have since been done away +with. Over the head of the coffin was the oil painting of himself as a +young man (probably Maclise's portrait)--on one side a picture of 'Dolly +Varden,' and on the other 'Kate Nickleby.' He gave Mrs. Easedown, on the +day she left his service, a photograph of himself with his name written +on the back. Each of the other servants at Gad's Hill Place was +presented with a similar photograph. She said he was unusually busy at +the time of his death, as on the Monday morning he ordered breakfast to +be ready during the week at 7.30 ('Sharp, mind') instead of his usual +time, 9 o'clock, as he said 'he had so much to do before Friday.' +But--'Such a thing was never to be,' for on the Thursday he breathed his +last!" + + * * * * * + +Mrs. Wright, the wife of Mr. Henry Wright, surveyor of Higham, lived +four years at Gad's Hill Place as parlour-maid. She is the proud +possessor of some interesting relics of her late master. These include +his soup-plate, a meerschaum pipe (presented to him, but he chiefly +smoked cigars--he was not a great smoker), a wool-worked kettle-holder +(which he constantly used), and a pair of small bellows. When she was +married Mr. Dickens presented her with a China tea service, "not a +single piece of which," said Mrs. Wright proudly, "has been broken." + +She remembers, at the time of her engagement as parlour-maid, that the +servants told her to let a gentleman in at the front door who was +approaching. She didn't know who it was, as she had never seen Mr. +Dickens before. She opened the door, and the gentleman entered in a very +upright manner, and after thanking her, looked hard at her, and then +walked up-stairs. On returning to the kitchen the servants asked who it +was that had just come in. She replied, "I don't know, but I think it +was the master." "Did he speak?" they asked. "No," said she, "but he +looked at me in a very determined way." Said they, "He was reading your +character, and he now knows you thoroughly," or words to that effect. + +As parlour-maid, it was part of her duty to carve and wait on her master +specially. The dinner serviettes were wrapped up in a peculiar manner, +and Mrs. Wright remembers that Lord Darnley's servants were always +anxious to learn how the folding was done, but they never discovered the +secret. At dinner-parties, it was the custom to place a little +"button-hole" for each guest. This was mostly made up of scarlet +geranium (Dickens's favourite flower), with a bit of the leaf and a +frond of maidenhair fern. On one occasion in her early days, the +dinner-lift (to the use of which she was unaccustomed) broke and ran +down quickly, smashing the crockery and bruising her arm. Mr. Dickens +jumped up quickly and said, "Never mind the breakage; is your arm +hurt?" As it was painful, he immediately applied arnica to the bruise, +and gave her a glass of port wine, "treating me," Mrs. Wright remarked, +"more like a child of his own than a servant." + +When she was married, and left Gad's Hill, she brought her first child +to show her former master. He took notice of it, and asked her what he +could buy as a present. She thanked him, and said she did not want +anything. On leaving he gently put a sovereign into the baby's little +hand, and said, "Buy something with that." + +Mrs. Wright spoke of the great interest which Dickens took in the +children's treats at Higham, lending his meadow for them, providing +sweets and cakes for the little ones, and apples to be scrambled for. He +took great delight in seeing the scrambles. + +She also referred to the cricket club, and said that when the matches +were going on it was a regular holiday at Higham. Dickens used to take +the scores, and at the end of the game he gave prizes and made little +speeches. Her husband, Mr. Henry Wright, acted as secretary to the club, +and is the possessor of a letter written by Mr. Dickens, in reply to an +address which had been presented to him, of which letter the following +is a copy:-- + + + "GAD'S HILL PLACE, + "HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT. + "_Tuesday, 29th July, 1862._ + + "DEAR SIR, + + "As your name is the first on the list of + signatures to the little address I have had the + pleasure of receiving--on my return from a short + absence--from the greater part of the players in + the match the other day, I address my reply to + you. + + "I beg you to assure the rest that it will always + give me great pleasure to lend my meadow for any + such good purpose, and that I feel a sincere + desire to be a good friend to the working men in + this neighbourhood. I am always interested in + their welfare, and am always heartily glad to see + them enjoying rational and healthful recreation. + + "It did not escape my notice that some expressions + were used the other day which would have been + better avoided, but I dismiss them from my mind as + being probably unintentional, and certainly + opposed to the general good feeling and good + sense. + + "Faithfully yours, + "CHARLES DICKENS. + "MR. H. WRIGHT." + +Both Mrs. Easedown and Mrs. Wright informed us (through Mrs. Budden) +that "Mr. Dickens was the best of masters, and a dear good man; that he +gave a great deal away in the parish, and was very much missed; that he +frequently went to church and sat in the chancel. . . . When he lived in +Higham there used to be a great deal of ague, and he gave away an +immense quantity of port wine and quinine. Since the Cement Works have +been at Cliffe there has been very little ague at Higham." + + * * * * * + +Mr. Robert Lake Cobb, of Mockbeggar House, Higham, a land agent of high +position and a County Councillor, told us that he took in the _Pickwick +Papers_ as they appeared in numbers, and he recollected how eagerly he +read them, and how tiresome it was to have to wait month by month until +the story was finished. The book made a tremendous sensation at the +time. Many years afterwards Charles Dickens came to reside at Gad's Hill +Place, and the families became intimate. "Mr. Dickens," observed our +informant, "was a very pleasant neighbour, and had always got something +nice to say. He was a dreadful man to walk--very few could keep up with +him." + +Mr. Cobb had one son, Herbert, who was a playfellow of Dickens's boys; +and as illustrative of the interest he took in his neighbours, on one +occasion the novelist and our informant were talking over matters, when +the former said, "What are you going to bring your boy up to?" "A land +agent," replied Mr. Cobb. "Ah," said the novelist, "whatever you do, +make him self-reliant." He thought that of all the sons Mr. Henry +Fielding Dickens most resembled his father. + +Among the notable people Mr. Cobb met at Gad's Hill Place were Mr. +Forster, Mr. Wilkie Collins, Mr. Fechter the actor, and others. When +Hans Christian Andersen was visiting there, Dickens took him to Higham +Church. Mr. Cobb spoke of the pleasant picnic parties which Dickens gave +on Blue Bell Hill. He was of opinion that Cob-Tree Hall in that +neighbourhood, about one and a half miles from Aylesford, nearly +parallel with the river, suggested the original of Manor Farm, Dingley +Dell. It formerly belonged to Mr. Franklin, and is now occupied by Major +Trousdell. Mr. Cobb believed that Dickens took the title of _No +Thoroughfare_--which he and Wilkie Collins contributed to the 1867 +number of _All the Year Round_, and in the dramatizing of which Dickens +subsequently was so interested--from the notice-boards which were put up +by Lord Darnley in many parts of Cobham Park. + +On one occasion our informant remembers a stoppage of the train in +Higham tunnel, which caused some consternation to the passengers, as no +explanation of the delay was forthcoming from any of the railway +officials. The station-master coming up at the time, Dickens +remarked--"Ah! an unwilling witness, Mr. Wood." + +Mr. Cobb mentioned that Miss Hogarth, Dickens's sister-in-law, was a +great favourite in the neighbourhood, from her kindness and +thoughtfulness for all with whom she came in contact, and especially the +poor of Higham. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[35] Speaking of Hoo, Lambarde says (1570)--"Hoh in the old English +signifieth sorrow or sickness, wherewith the Inhabitants of that +unwholesome Hundred be very much exercised[!]." + +[36] Lambarde says, "The Town [of Cliffe at Hoo] is large, and hath +hitherto a great Parish Church: and (as I have been told) many of the +houses were casually burned (about the same time that the Emperor +_Charles_ came into this Realme to visite King _Henry_ the eight), of +which hurt it was never thorowly cured." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +COBHAM PARK AND HALL, THE LEATHER BOTTLE, SHORNE, CHALK, AND THE DOVER +ROAD. + + "It's a place you may well be fond of and attached + to, for it's the prettiest spot in all the country + round."--_The Village Coquettes._ + + "The last soft light of the setting sun had fallen + on the earth, casting a rich glow on the yellow + corn sheaves, and lengthening the shadows of the + orchard trees."--_The Pickwick Papers._ + + +WE reserve this, our last long tramp in "Dickens-Land," for the Friday +before our departure. Mrs. Perugini, the novelist's second daughter, had +recently told us that this was the most beautiful of all the beautiful +parts of Kent, and so indeed it proves to be. Its sylvan scenery is +truly unique. + +Mr. Charles Dickens the younger, in his valuable annotated Jubilee +edition of _Pickwick_, has included this note relating to Cobham:-- + +"As all the world knows, the neighbourhood of Rochester was dear to +Charles Dickens. There it is that Gad's Hill Place stands, the house to +which, as 'a queer, small boy,' he looked forward as the possible reward +of an industrious career, and in which he passed the later years of his +life; and near Rochester, still approached by the 'delightful walk' +here described, is Cobham, one of the most charming villages in that +part of Kent. Down the lanes, and through the park to Cobham, was always +a favourite walk with Charles Dickens; and he never wearied of acting as +_cicerone_ to his guests to its fine church and the quaint almshouses +with the disused refectory behind it." + +Happily the weather again favours us on this delightful excursion. It is +just such a day as that on which we made our visit to Gad's Hill. As we +have had much tramping about Rochester during the morning, we prudently +take an early afternoon train to Higham, to save our legs. The short +distance of about four miles consists almost entirely of tunnels cut +through the chalk. + +Alighting at Higham Station, we make our way for the Dover Road and +reach Pear Tree Lane, which turns out of it for Cobham. We notice in +passing through Higham by daylight that the lanes are much closed in by +banks, in fact, the tertiary and chalk systems have been cut through to +form the roads; but here and there one gets glimpses of the Thames, its +course being marked by the white or brown wings of sailing-boats. + +The lane above alluded to, a little above Gad's Hill, is the direct road +to Cobham, and on entering it we are immediately struck with the +different scene presented, as compared with any part of the county we +have previously gone over. It is cut through the Thanet Sands, which at +first are of ashy gray colour, but after some distance are of a bright +red hue, probably owing to infiltration, and the road rises gently until +the woods are reached. The vegetation growing on the high banks consists +of oak, hazel, beech, sycamore, and Spanish chestnut, in many places +intermingled with wild clematis. The branches of the trees are not +allowed to grow over into the road, but are kept well cut back so as +practically to form a wall on either side, extending in some places to +twelve feet high. The effect is to present an almost unbroken surface of +various shades of green, deliciously cool and shady in the heat of +summer, and brightened here and there in autumn by the rich +orange-coloured fruit of the arum, the scarlet berries of the white +bryony, and--deeper in the woods--by the pinky-waxen berries of the +spindle-tree, described by Lord Tennyson as "the fruit which in our +winter woodland looks a flower." + +As the road continually winds in its upward progress, and as no part +within view extends beyond a few hundred yards before it turns again, +the limit of perspective is frequently arrested by a number of evergreen +arches. It was a Devonshire lane, so to speak, in a state of +cultivation. Of course in the early spring, the delicacy of the fresh +green foliage would give another picture; and again the autumnal tints +would present a totally different effect under the influence of the rich +colouring of decaying vegetation. + +No wonder Dickens and his friends had such admiration for this walk, the +last, by the way, that he ever enjoyed, on Tuesday, 7th June, 1870, with +his sister-in-law, Miss Hogarth, the day before the fatal seizure. In a +letter written from Lausanne, so far back as the year 1846, he says:-- + +"Green woods and green shades about here are more like Cobham, in Kent, +than anything we dream of at the foot of Alpine passes." + +When we reach an elevation and are able to get an extended view of the +country we have traversed, a magnificent prospect of the Thames valley +on the west side, and of the Medway valley on the east, discloses +itself. On a bank in this lane we find a rather rare plant, the +long-stalked crane's-bill (_Geranium columbinum_), its rose-pink flowers +standing out like rubies among the green foliage. _Pteris aquilina_, the +common brake or bracken, is very luxuriant here; but we have met with +few ferns in the part of Kent which we visited. We were afterwards +informed that _asplenium_, _lastrea_, _scolopendrium_, and others are to +be found in the neighbourhood. We pass at Shorne Ridgway a village inn +with a curious sign, "Ye Olde See Ho Taverne." On inquiry, we learn that +"See Ho" is the sportsman's cry in coursing, when a hare appears in +sight. + +The woods surrounding the entrance to the park are presently reached, +and here the vegetation, which in the lanes had been kept under, is +allowed to grow unchecked. At intervals walks (or "rides," as they are +called in some counties) are cut through the woods, the grass being well +mown underneath, and each of these walks is a shaded grove, losing +itself in the distance. The deep silence of the place is only broken by +the cooing of the wood-pigeon, and the occasional piercing note of the +green woodpecker. It is said that the nightingales appear here about the +13th of April and continue singing until June, and that the best time +for seeing this neighbourhood is during the blossoming season in May. + +The temptation to quote Dickens's own description of Cobham Park from +_Pickwick_ cannot be resisted:-- + + "A delightful walk it was; for it was a pleasant + afternoon in June, and their way lay through a + deep and shady wood, cooled by the light wind + which gently rustled the thick foliage, and + enlivened by the songs of the birds that perched + upon the boughs. The ivy and the moss crept in + thick clusters over the old trees, and the soft + green turf overspread the ground like a silken + mat. They emerged upon an open park, with an + ancient hall, displaying the quaint and + picturesque architecture of Elizabeth's time. Long + vistas of stately oaks and elm trees appeared on + every side: large herds of deer were cropping the + fresh grass; and occasionally a startled hare + scoured along the ground with the speed of the + shadows thrown by the light clouds, which swept + across a sunny landscape like a passing breath of + summer." + +Another description of Cobham at another time of the year is found in +the _Seven Poor Travellers_:-- + + "As for me, I was going to walk, by Cobham Woods, + as far upon my way to London as I fancied. . . . + And now the mists began to rise in the most + beautiful manner, and the sun to shine; and as I + went on through the bracing air, seeing the + hoar-frost sparkle everywhere, I felt as if all + Nature shared in the joy of the great Birthday. . . . + By Cobham Hall I came to the village, and the + churchyard where the dead had been quietly buried + 'in the sure and certain hope' which Christmastide + inspired." + +We notice in our quiet tramp here a peculiarity in the foliage of the +oaks which is worth recording. It will be remembered that in the late +spring of 1888, anxiety was expressed by certain newspaper +correspondents that the English oak would suffer extermination in +consequence of caterpillars denuding it of its leaves. But naturalists +who had studied the question knew better. The caterpillar, which is no +doubt the larva of the green Tortrix moth (_Tortrix viridana_), spins +its cocoon at the end of June or the beginning of July, and the effect +of the heavy rains and warm sunny days since that time was to encourage +the energy of the tree in putting forth its second growth of leaves. +This second growth of delicate green almost covered the oaks in Cobham +Park, and effectually concealed the devastation of the caterpillars on +the old leaves. The effect was quite spring-like. Truly, as George Eliot +says, "Nature repairs her ravages." + +[Illustration: Cobham Hall.] + +Cobham Park is nearly seven miles round, and its exquisitely varied +scenery of wood and glade is conspicuous at the spot where the chestnut +tree called "The Four Sisters" is placed. There is a lovely walk from +Cobham Hall to Rochester through the "Long Avenue," so named in +contradistinction to the "Grand Avenue," which opens into Cobham +village. This walk, which slopes all the way down from the Mausoleum, +leads to a seat placed midway in an open spot where charming views of +the Medway valley are obtained. For rich sylvan scenery in the county of +Kent, this is surely unrivalled. + +Admission to Cobham Hall, the seat of the Earl of Darnley (whose +ancestors have resided here since the time of King John), is on Fridays +only, and such admission is obtained by ticket, procurable from Mr. +Wildish, bookseller, of Rochester. A nominal charge is made, the +proceeds being devoted towards maintaining Cobham schools. + +The Hall is a red-brick edifice (temp. Elizabeth, 1587), consisting of +two Tudor wings, connected by a central block designed by Inigo Jones. +The most noticeable objects in the entrance corridor are a fine pair of +columns of Cornish serpentine, nearly ten feet high, tapering from a +base some two feet square. The white veining of the steatite (soapstone) +is in beautiful contrast to the rich red and black colours of the +marble. These columns were purchased at the great Exhibition of 1851. An +enormous bath, hewn out of a solid block of granite said to have been +brought from Egypt, is also a very noticeable object in this corridor. + +The housekeeper--a chatty, intelligent, and portly personage--shows +visitors over the rooms and picture-galleries. There is a superb +collection of pictures by the Old Masters, about which Dickens had +always something facetious to say to his friends. They illustrate the +schools of Venice, Florence, Rome, Netherlands, Spain, France, and +England, and were formed mainly by purchases from the Orleans Gallery, +and the Vetturi Gallery from Florence, and include Titian's 'Rape of +Europa,' Rubens's 'Queen Tomyris dipping Cyrus's head into blood,' +Salvator Rosa's 'Death of Regulus,' Vandyck's 'Duke of Lennox,' Sir +Joshua Reynolds's 'The Call of Samuel,' and others. But the pictures in +which we are most interested are the portraits of literary, scientific, +and other worthies--an excellent collection, including Shakespeare, John +Locke, Hobbes, Sir Richard Steele, Sir William Temple, Dean Swift, +Dryden, Betterton, Pope, Gay, Thomson, Sir Hugh Middleton, Martin +Luther, and the ill-fated Lord George Gordon. + +There is also an ornithological museum, with some very fine specimens of +the order of grallatores (or waders). In reply to a letter of inquiry, +the Earl of Darnley kindly informs us that the examples of ostrich +(_Struthio camelus_), cassowary (_Casuarius galeatus_), and common emu +(_Dromaius ater_), were once alive in the menagerie attached to the +hall, which was broken up about fifty years ago. + +We are shown the music-room (which, by the bye, his late majesty King +George IV., is said to have remarked was the finest room in England), a +very handsome apartment facing the west, with a large organ, and capable +of containing several hundred persons. The decorations are very chaste, +being in white and gold; and, as the brilliant sun was setting in the +summer evening, a delicate rose-coloured hue was diffused over +everything in the room through the medium of the tinted blinds attached +to the windows. It had a most peculiar and pretty effect, strongly +recalling Mrs. Skewton and her "rose-coloured curtains for doctors." + +[Illustration: Dickens's Chalet, now in Cobham Park.] + +By the special permission of his lordship, we see the famous Swiss +chalet, which is now erected in the terrace flower-garden at the back of +Cobham Hall, having been removed to its present position some years ago +from another part of the grounds. It stands on an elevated open space +surrounded by beautiful trees--the rare Salisburia, tulip, cedar, +chestnut and others--and makes a handsome addition to the garden, +irrespective of its historical associations. The chalet is of dark wood +varnished, and has in the centre a large carving of Dickens's crest, +which in heraldic terms is described as: "a lion couchant 'or,' holding +in the gamb a cross patonce 'sable.'" + +There are two rooms in the chalet, each about sixteen feet square, the +one below having four windows and a door, and the one above (approached +in the usual Swiss fashion by an external staircase), which is much the +prettier, having six windows and a door. There are shutters outside, and +the overhanging roof at first sight gives the building somewhat of a +top-heavy appearance, but this impression wears off after a time, and it +is found to be effective and well-proportioned. "The five mirrors" which +Dickens placed in the chalet have been removed from the upper room, but +they are scarcely necessary, the views of rich and varied foliage and +flowers seen from the open windows, through which the balmy air passes, +forming a series of pictures in the bright sunlight of the August +afternoon delightfully fresh and beautiful. We sit down quietly for a +few minutes and enjoy the privilege; we ponder on the many happy and +industrious hours spent by its late owner in this now classic building; +and we leave it sadly, with the recollection that here were penned the +last lines which the "vanished hand" was destined to give to the world. + +The Earl of Darnley generously allows his neighbours to have a key of +his park, and Dickens had one of such keys, a privilege greatly +appreciated by him and his friends. Recently his lordship has erected a +staircase round one of the highest trees in the park, called the "crow's +nest," from whence a very pretty peep at the surrounding country is +obtained. + +During our visit we venture to ask the portly housekeeper if she +remembers Charles Dickens? The ray of delight that illumines her +good-natured countenance is simply magical. + +"Oh," she says, "I liked Mr. Dickens very much. He was always so full of +fun. Oh! oh! oh!" the recollection of which causes a fit of suppressed +laughter, which "communicates a blancmange-like motion to her fat +cheeks," and she adds: "He used to dine here, and was always very +popular with the family, and in the neighbourhood." + +We cannot help thinking that such delightful places as Cobham Hall were +in Dickens's mind when, in _Bleak House_ (_a propos_ of Chesney Wold), +he makes the volatile Harold Skimpole say to Sir Leicester Dedlock--"The +owners of such places are public benefactors. They are good enough to +maintain a number of delightful objects for the admiration and pleasure +of us poor men, and not to reap all the admiration and pleasure that +they yield, is to be ungrateful to our benefactors." + +Leaving the park by a pretty undulating walk, and passing on our way a +large herd of deer, their brown and fawn-coloured coats contrasting +prettily with the green-sward, we come upon the picturesque village of +Cobham, where Mr. Tupman sought consolation after his little affair with +the amatory spinster aunt. Of course the principal object of interest is +the Leather Bottle, or "Dickens's old Pickwick Leather Bottle," as the +sign of the present landlord now calls it, wherein Dickens slept a night +in 1841, and visited it many times subsequently. There is a coloured +portrait of the President of the Pickwick Club on the sign, as he +appeared addressing the members. A fire occurred at the Leather Bottle a +few years ago, but it was confined to a back portion of the building; +unfortunately its restoration and so-called "improvements" have +destroyed many of the picturesque features which characterized this +quiet old inn when Dickens wrote the famous Papers. Here is his +description of it after Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle had +walked through Cobham Park to seek their lost friend:-- + +[Illustration: The "Leather Bottle" Cobham] + + "'If this,' said Mr. Pickwick, looking about him; + 'if this were the place to which all who are + troubled with our friend's complaint came, I fancy + their old attachment to this world would very soon + return.' + + "'I think so too,' said Mr. Winkle. + + "'And really,' added Mr. Pickwick, after half an + hour's walking had brought them to the village, + 'really for a misanthrope's choice, this is one of + the prettiest and most desirable places of + residence I ever met with.' + + "In this opinion also, both Mr. Winkle and Mr. + Snodgrass expressed their concurrence; and having + been directed to the Leather Bottle, a clean and + commodious village ale-house, the three + travellers entered, and at once inquired for a + gentleman of the name of Tupman. + + "'Show the gentlemen into the parlour, Tom,' said + the landlady. + + "A stout country lad opened a door at the end of + the passage, and the three friends entered a long, + low-roofed room, furnished with a large number of + high-backed leather-cushioned chairs, of fantastic + shapes, and embellished with a great variety of + old portraits, and roughly-coloured prints of some + antiquity. At the upper end of the room was a + table, with a white cloth upon it, well covered + with a roast fowl, bacon, ale, and etceteras; and + at the table sat Mr. Tupman, looking as unlike a + man who had taken his leave of the world, as + possible. + + "On the entrance of his friends, that gentleman + laid down his knife and fork, and with a mournful + air advanced to meet them. + + "'I did not expect to see you here,' he said, as + he grasped Mr. Pickwick's hand. 'It's very kind.' + + "'Ah!' said Mr. Pickwick, sitting down, and wiping + from his forehead the perspiration which the walk + had engendered. 'Finish your dinner, and walk out + with me. I wish to speak to you alone.' + + "Mr. Tupman did as he was desired; and Mr. + Pickwick having refreshed himself with a copious + draught of ale, waited his friend's leisure. The + dinner was quickly despatched, and they walked out + together. + + "For half an hour, their forms might have been + seen pacing the churchyard to and fro, while Mr. + Pickwick was engaged in combating his companion's + resolution. Any repetition of his arguments would + be useless; for what language could convey to them + that energy and force which their great + originator's manner communicated? Whether Mr. + Tupman was already tired of retirement, or whether + he was wholly unable to resist the eloquent appeal + which was made to him, matters not; he did _not_ + resist it at last. + + "'It mattered little to him,' he said, 'where he + dragged out the miserable remainder of his days: + and since his friend laid so much stress upon his + humble companionship, he was willing to share his + adventures.' + + "Mr. Pickwick smiled; they shook hands; and walked + back to rejoin their companions." + +[Illustration: The Old Parlour of the "Leather Bottle."] + +[Illustration: Cobham Church] + +In order to preserve the historical associations of the place, the +landlord of the Leather Bottle has added to the art collection in the +fine old parlour (that still contains "the high-backed leather-cushioned +chairs of fantastic shapes") many portraits of Dickens and illustrations +from his works, including a copy of the life-like coloured Watkins +photograph previously referred to. It has been already suggested that +the neighbourhood of Kit's Coty House probably gave rise to the famous +archaeological episode of the stone with the inscription--"Bill Stumps, +his mark," in _Pickwick_, which occurred near here, rivalling the "A. D. +L. L." discovery of the sage Monkbarns in Scott's _Antiquary_. + +Time presses with us, so, after a refreshing cup of tea, we just have a +hasty glance at the beautiful old church, which contains some splendid +examples of monumental brasses, which for number and preservation are +said to be unique. They are erected to the memory of John Cobham, +Constable of Rochester, 1354, his ancestors and others.[37] There are +also some fine old almshouses which accommodate twenty pensioners. These +almshouses are a survival of the ancient college. We then take our +departure, returning through Cobham woods. + +Turning off at some distance on the left, and passing through the little +village of Shorne, with its pretty churchyard, a very favourite spot of +Charles Dickens, and probably described by him in _Pickwick_ as "one of +the most peaceful and secluded churchyards in Kent, where wild flowers +mingle with the grass, and the soft landscape around, forms the fairest +spot in the garden of England"--we make for Chalk church. It will be +remembered, that the first number of _Pickwick_ appeared on the 31st +March, 1836, and on the 2nd of April following Charles Dickens was +married, and came to spend his honeymoon at Chalk, and he visited it +again in 1837, when doubtless the descriptions of Cobham and its +vicinity were written. To this neighbourhood, "at all times of his life, +he returned, with a strange recurring fondness." + +[Illustration: Shorne Church] + +Mr. Kitton has favoured me with permission to quote the following +extract from his Supplement to _Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil_, +being the late Mr. E. Laman Blanchard's recollections of this pleasant +neighbourhood:-- + +"In the year Charles Dickens came to reside at Gad's Hill, I took +possession of a country house at Rosherville, which I occupied for some +seventeen years. During that period a favourite morning walk was along +the high road, of many memories, leading from Gravesend to Rochester, +and on repeated occasions I had the good fortune to encounter the great +novelist making one of his pedestrian excursions towards the Gravesend +or Greenhithe railway station, where he would take the train to travel +up to town. Generally, by a curious coincidence, we passed each other, +with an interchange of salutations, at about the same spot. This was on +the outskirts of the village of Chalk, where a picturesque lane branched +off towards Shorne and Cobham. Here the brisk walk of Charles Dickens +was always slackened, and he never failed to glance meditatively for a +few moments at the windows of a corner house on the southern side of the +road, advantageously situated for commanding views of the river and the +far-stretching landscape beyond. It was in that house he had lived +immediately after his marriage, and there many of the earlier chapters +of _Pickwick_ were written." + +It is a long walk from Cobham to Chalk church,--the church, by the bye, +being about a mile from the village, as is usual in many places in +Kent,--and as the shades of evening are coming upon us, and as we are +desirous of having a sketch of the curious stone-carved figure over the +entrance porch, we hurry on, and succeed in effecting our object, though +under the difficulty of approaching darkness. + +[Illustration: Curious Old Figure over the Porch, Chalk Church.] + +This figure represents an old priest in a stooping position, with an +upturned vessel (probably a jug), about which we were informed there is +probably a legend. Dickens used to be a great admirer of this quaint +carving, and it is said that whenever he passed it, he always took off +his hat to it, or gave it a friendly nod, as to an old acquaintance. [We +regretfully record the fact that since our visit, both porch and figure +have been demolished.] + +Amid the many strange sounds peculiar to summer night in the country, a +very weird and startling effect is produced in this lonely spot, in the +dusk of the evening, by the shrill whistle of the common redshank +(_Totanus calidris_), so called from the colour of its legs, which are +of a crimson-red. This bird, as monotonous in its call-note as the +corn-crake, to which it is closely allied, doubtless has its home in the +marshes hereabout, in which, and in fen countries, it greatly delights. +The peculiar whistle is almost ventriloquial in its ubiquity, and must +be heard to be properly appreciated. + +We retrace our steps to the Dover road, and by the light of a match +applied to our pipes, see that our pedometer marks upwards of fifteen +miles for this tramp--"a rather busy afternoon," as Mr. Datchery once +said. + +Since these lines were written, the third volume of the _Autobiography +and Reminiscences_ of W. P. Frith, R.A., has been published, in which +there is a most interesting reminiscence of Dickens; indeed, there are +many scattered throughout the three volumes, but the one in question +refers to "a stroll" which Dickens took with Mr. Frith and other friends +in July 1868. Mr. Cartwright, the celebrated dentist, was one of the +party, and the "stroll" was in reality, as the genial R. A. describes +it, "a fearfully long walk" such as he shall never forget; nor the night +he passed, without once closing his eyes in sleep, after it. "Dickens," +continues Mr. Frith, "was a great pedestrian. His strolling was at the +rate of perhaps a little under four miles an hour. He was used to the +place,--I was not, and suffered accordingly." + +Having a shrewd suspicion that this referred to one of the long walks +taken in our tramp, the present writer communicated with Mr. Frith on +the subject, and he was favoured with the following reply:-- + +"The stroll I mentioned in my third volume was through Lord Darnley's +park, but after that I remember nothing. As the time spent in walking +was four hours at least, we must have covered ground far beyond the +length of the park. + +"On another occasion,--Dickens, Miss Hogarth, and I went to Rochester to +see the Castle, and the famous Pickwickian inn. On another day we went +to the Leather Bottle at Cobham, where Dickens was eloquent on the +subject of the Dadd parricide, showing us the place where the body was +found, with many startling and interesting details of the discovery." + +The subject of the Dadd parricide alluded to by Mr. Frith was a very +horrible case; the son--an artist--was a lunatic, and was subsequently +confined in Bethlehem Hospital, London. There are two curious pictures +by him in the Dyce and Forster collection at South Kensington; one is +inscribed "Sketches to Illustrate the Passions--Patriotism. By Richard +Dadd, Bethlehem Hospital, London, May 30, 1857, St. George's-in-the-Fields." +It has much minute writing on it. The other is "Leonidas with the +Wood-cutters," and illustrates Glover's poem, _Leonidas_. It is +inscribed, "Rd. Dadd, 1873." He died in Bethlehem Hospital in 1887. + +The Dover Road! What a magic influence it has over us, as we tramp along +it in the quiet summer evening, and recall an incident that happened +nearly a hundred years ago, what time the Dover mail struggled up +Shooter's Hill on that memorable Friday night, and Jerry Cruncher, who +had temporarily suspended his "fishing" operations, and being free from +the annoyances of the "Aggerawayter," caused consternation to the minds +of coachman, guard, and passengers of the said mail, by riding abruptly +up, _a la_ highwayman, and demanding to speak to a passenger named Mr. +Jarvis Lorry, then on his way to Paris,--as faithfully chronicled in _A +Tale of Two Cities_. Again, in the early part of the present century, +when a certain friendless but dear and artless boy, named David +Copperfield,--who having been first robbed by a "long-legged young man +with a very little empty donkey-cart, which was nothing but a large +wooden-tray on wheels," of "half a guinea and his box," under pretence +of "driving him to the pollis," and subsequently defrauded by an +unscrupulous tailor named one Mr. Dolloby ("Dolloby was the name over +the shop-door at least") of the proper price of "a little weskit," for +which he, Dolloby, gave poor David only ninepence,--trudged along that +same Dover road footsore and hungry, "and got through twenty-three miles +on the straight road" to Rochester and Chatham on a certain Sunday; all +of which is duly recorded in _The Personal History of David +Copperfield_. + +In after years, when happier times came to him, David made many journeys +over the Dover road, between Canterbury and London, on the Canterbury +Coach. Respecting the earliest of these (readers will remember Phiz's +illustration, "My first fall in life"), he says:-- + +"The main object on my mind, I remember, when we got fairly on the road, +was to appear as old as possible to the coachman, and to speak extremely +gruff. The latter point I achieved at great personal inconvenience; but +I stuck to it, because I felt it was a grown-up sort of thing." + +In spite of this assumption, he is impudently chaffed by "William the +coachman" on his "shooting"--on his "county" (Suffolk), its "dumplings," +and its "Punches," and finally, at William's suggestion, actually +resigns his box-seat in favour of his (William's) friend, "the +gentleman with a very unpromising squint and a prominent chin, who had a +tall white hat on with a narrow flat brim, and whose close-fitting drab +trousers seemed to button all the way up outside his legs from his boots +to his hips." In reply to a remark of the coachman this worthy +says:--"There ain't no sort of 'orse that I 'ain't bred, and no sort of +dorg. 'Orses and dorgs is some men's fancy. They're wittles and drink to +me--lodging, wife, and children--reading, writing, and 'rithmetic--snuff, +tobacker, and sleep." + +"That ain't a sort of man to see sitting behind a coach-box, is it, +though?" says William in David's ear. David construes this remark into +an indication of a wish that "the gentleman" should have his place, so +he blushingly offers to resign it. + +"Well, if you don't mind," says William, "I think it would be more +correct." + +Poor David, "so very young!" gives up his box-seat, and thus moralizes +on his action:-- + + "I have always considered this as the first fall I + had in life. When I booked my place at the + coach-office, I had had 'Box Seat' written against + the entry, and had given the book-keeper + half-a-crown. I was got up in a special great coat + and shawl, expressly to do honour to that + distinguished eminence; had glorified myself upon + it a good deal; and had felt that I was a credit + to the coach. And here, in the very first stage, I + was supplanted by a shabby man with a squint, who + had no other merit than smelling like a + livery-stables, and being able to walk across me, + more like a fly than a human being, while the + horses were at a canter." + +Pip, in _Great Expectations_, also made very many journeys to and from +London, along the Dover road (the London road it is called in the +novel), but the two most notable were, firstly, the occasion of his +ride outside the coach with the two convicts as fellow-passengers on the +back-seat--"bringing with them that curious flavour of bread-poultice, +baize, rope-yarn, and hearth-stone, which attends the convict presence;" +and secondly, that in which he walked all the way to London, after the +sad interview at Miss Havisham's house, where he learns that Estella is +to become the wife of Bentley Drummle:-- + + "All done, all gone! So much was done and gone, + that when I went out at the gate the light of day + seemed of a darker colour than when I went in. For + awhile I hid myself among some lanes and bypaths, + and then started off to walk all the way to + London. . . . It was past midnight when I crossed + London Bridge." + +One more reference is made to the Dover road in _Bleak House_, where +that most lovable of the many lovable characters in Dickens's novels, +Esther Summerson, makes her journey, with her faithful little maid +Charley, to Deal, in order to comfort Richard Carstone:-- + + "It was a night's journey in those coach times; + but we had the mail to ourselves, and did not find + the night very tedious. It passed with me as I + suppose it would with most people under such + circumstances. At one while, my journey looked + hopeful, and at another hopeless. Now, I thought + that I should do some good, and now I wondered how + I could ever have supposed so." + +When speaking of Dickens's characters, some critics have said that "he +never drew a gentleman." One ventures to ask, Where is there a more +chivalrous, honourable, or kind-hearted gentleman than Mr. John +Jarndyce? Sir Leicester Dedlock in the same novel too, with some few +peculiarities, is a thoroughly high-minded and noble gentleman of the +old school. This by the way. + +[Illustration: "There's Milestones on the Dover Road"] + +After walking some distance, we are able to verify one of those sage +experiences of Mr. F.'s aunt:--"There's milestones on the Dover road!" +for, by the light of another match, the darkness closing in, and there +being no moon, we read "4 miles to Rochester." However, we tramp merrily +on, with "the town lights right afore us," our minds being full of +pleasant reminiscences of the scenes we have passed through, and this +expedition, like many a weightier matter, "comes to an end for the +time." + + * * * * * + +We had on another occasion the pleasure of a long chat with Mrs. Latter +of Shorne, one of the daughters of Mr. W. S. Trood, for many years +landlord of the Sir John Falstaff. She said her family came from +Somersetshire to reside at Gad's Mill in the year 1849, and left in +1872. The Falstaff was then a little homely place, but it has been much +altered since. She knew Charles Dickens very well, and saw him +constantly during his residence at Gad's Hill Place. Mrs. Latter lost +two sisters while she lived at the Falstaff--one died at the age of +eleven, and the other at nineteen. The last-mentioned was named Jane, +and died in 1862 of brain fever. Dickens was very kind to the family at +the time, took great interest in the poor girl, and offered help of +"anything that his house could afford." She remembers her mother asking +Dickens if it would be well to have the windows of the bedroom open. At +those times people were fond of keeping invalids closed up from the air. +Dickens said--"Certainly: give her plenty of air." He liked fresh air +himself. Mrs. Latter said in proof of this that the curtains were always +blowing about the open windows at Gad's Hill Place. + +When her sister Jane died, the funeral took place at Higham Church, and +was very quiet, there being no show, only a little black pall trimmed +with white placed over the coffin, which was carried by young men to the +grave. Dickens afterwards commended what had been done, saying: "It +showed good sense," and adding--"Not like an army of black beetles." + +It will be remembered that in _Great Expectations_ and elsewhere the +ostentation, mummery, and extravagance of the "undertaking ceremony" are +severely criticised. The same feeling, and a desire for funeral reform, +no doubt prompted Dickens to insert the following clause in his Will:-- + +"I emphatically direct that I be buried in an inexpensive, +unostentatious, and strictly private manner; that no public announcement +be made of the time or place of my burial; that at the utmost not more +than three plain mourning-coaches be employed; and that those who attend +my funeral wear no scarf, cloak, black bow, long hatband, or other such +revolting absurdity." + +Mrs. Latter then told us the story of the two men with performing +bears:-- + +It appears that soon after Dickens came to Gad's Hill a lot of labourers +from Strood--some thirty or forty in number--had been for an outing in +breaks to Cobham to a "bean-feast," or something of the kind, and some +of them had got "rather fresh." On the return journey they stopped at +the Falstaff, and at the time two men, who were foreigners, were there +with performing bears, a very large one and a smaller one. The labourers +began to lark with the bears, teased them, and made them savage, +"becalled" the two men to whom they belonged, and a regular row +followed. The owners of the bears became exasperated, and were +proceeding to unmuzzle the animals, when Dickens (hearing the noise) +came out of his gate holding one of his St. Bernard dogs by a chain. He +told Mrs. Latter's father to take the bears up a back lane, said a few +words to the crowd, and remonstrated with the Strood men on their +conduct. The effect was magical; the whole affair was stilled in a +minute or two. + + * * * * * + +On a subsequent occasion we called upon the Rev. John Joseph Marsham of +Overblow, near Shorne. This venerable clergyman, a bachelor, and in his +eighty-fifth year, is totally blind, but in other respects is in the +full possession of all his faculties, and remarked that he was much +interested to hear anybody talk about old friends and times. He was +inducted as Vicar of Shorne in the year 1837, came to live there in +1845, and resigned his cure in 1888, after completing his jubilee. He is +a "Kentish man," having been born at Rochester. In our tramp the +question of "Kentish man," or "man of Kent," often cropped up, and we +had an opportunity of having the difference explained to us. A "Kentish +man" is one born on the east side of the river Medway, and a "man of +Kent" is one born on the west side. + +The position of the residence "Overblow" is delightful. It stands on a +little hill, the front having a fine view of the Thames valley and the +marshes, the side looking on to the pretty hollow, in the centre of +which stands Shorne Church, and the back being flanked in the distance +by the beautiful Cobham Woods. + +The reverend gentleman told us that he was a schoolfellow of the Right +Honourable W. E. Gladstone and Sir Thomas Gladstone, his brother, at +Eton, and had dined with the former at Hawarden on the occasion of his +being thrice Premier, although he helped to turn his old friend out at +Oxford in 1865, when he was succeeded by the Right Honourable Gathorne +Hardy, now Lord Cranbrook. + +Mr. Marsham was a neighbour of Charles Dickens, occasionally dined with +him at Gad's Hill, and also met him at dinner sometimes at Mr. Hulkes's +at the Little Hermitage. He spoke of him as a nice neighbour and a +charming host, but he rarely talked except to his old friends. He +frequently met Dickens in his walks, and had many a stroll with him, and +always found him very interesting and amusing in his conversation. Once +they were coming down from London together in a saloon carriage which +contained about twelve or fourteen people. Dickens was sitting quietly +in a corner. It was at the time that one of his serial novels was +appearing, and most of the passengers were reading the current monthly +number. No one noticed Dickens, and when the train stopped at Strood, he +said--"We did not have much talk." "No," said Mr. Marsham, "the people +were much better engaged," at which Dickens laughed. Charles Dickens +did Mr. Marsham the kindness to send him early proofs of his Christmas +stories before they were published. + +After Dickens's death (which he heard of in London, and never felt so +grieved in his life) Mr. Charles Dickens the younger, and Mr. Charles +Collins, his brother-in-law, came to select a piece of ground on the +east side of Shorne churchyard, which was one of Dickens's favourite +spots, but in consequence of the arrangements for the burial in +Westminster Abbey this was of course given up. + +Mr. Marsham was staying in London, at Lord Penrhyn's, at the time of +Dickens's death, and Lady Louisa Penrhyn told him that by accident she +was in Westminster Abbey at about ten o'clock on the morning of 14th +June, the day of the funeral, and noticing some persons standing round +an open grave, her ladyship went to see it, and was greatly impressed on +looking in to read the name of Charles Dickens on the coffin, on which +were numerous wreaths of flowers. + +Our venerable friend possesses a souvenir of the novelist in the two +exquisite plaster statuettes, about eighteen inches high, of "Night" and +"Morning," which he purchased at the Gad's Hill sale. + +The reverend gentleman spoke of the great improvements in travelling as +compared with times within his recollection. He said that before the +railways were constructed he went to London by boat from Gravesend, and +the river was so bad that he had to keep his handkerchief to his nose +all the way to avoid the stench. This was long before the days of Thames +Embankments and other improvements in travelling by river and road. + +FOOTNOTE: + +[37] "Cobham Church [says a writer in the _Archaeologia Cantiana_, 1877] +is distinguished above all others as possessing the finest and most +complete series of brasses in the kingdom. It contains some of the +earliest and some of the latest, as well as some of the most beautiful +in design. The inscriptions are also remarkable, and the heraldry for +its intelligence is in itself a study. There is an interest also in the +fact that for the most part they refer to one great family--the Lords of +Cobham." + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +A FINAL TRAMP IN ROCHESTER AND LONDON. + + "You have been in every line I have ever read, + since I first came here, . . . you have been in + every prospect I have ever seen since--on the + river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, + in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in + the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the + streets."--_Great Expectations._ + + "The magic reel, which, rolling on before, has led + the Chronicler thus far, now slackens in its pace, + and stops. It lies before the goal; the pursuit is + at an end. . . . Good-night, and heaven send our + journey may have a prosperous ending."--_The Old + Curiosity Shop._ + + +IT is the morning of Saturday, the first of September, 1888, when our +wonderfully pleasant week's tramp in "Dickens-Land" comes to an end. We +have carried out every detail of our programme, without a single +_contretemps_ to mar the enjoyment of our delightful holiday; we have +visited not only the spots where the childhood and youth of Charles +Dickens were passed, and where the influence of the environment is +specially traceable in the tone of both his earlier and later writings, +but we have gone over and identified (as we proposed to do) a number of +places in which he delighted, and often described in those writings, +peopling them with airy characters (but to us most real), in whose +footsteps we have walked. We have seen the place where he was born; we +have seen nearly all the houses in which he lived in after life; and we +have been over the charming home occupied by him for fourteen years, +where his last moments passed away under the affectionate and +reverential solicitude of his sons and daughters, and of Miss Hogarth, +his sister-in-law, "the ever-useful, self-denying, and devoted friend." + +And now we linger lovingly about a few of the streets and places in "the +ancient city," and especially in the precincts of the venerable +Cathedral, all sanctified by the memory of the mighty dead. We fain +would prolong our visit, but the "stern mandate of duty," as Immanuel +Kant called it, prevails, and we bow to the inevitable; or as Mr. +Herbert Spencer better puts it, "our duty is our pleasure, and our +greatest happiness consists in achieving the happiness of others." We +feel our departure to-day the more keenly, as everything tempts us to +stay. Listening for a moment at the open door--the beautiful west +door--of the Cathedral, in this glorious morning in early autumn, we +hear the harmonies of the organ and choir softly wafted to us from +within; we feel the delicious morning air, which comes over the old +Castle and burial-ground from the Kentish hills; we see the bright and +beautiful flowers and foliage of the lovely catalpa tree, through which +the sunlight glints; a solemn calm pervades the spot as the hum of the +city is hushed; and, although we have read them over and over again, +now, for the first time, do we adequately realize the exquisitely +touching lines on the last page of _Edwin Drood_, written by the +master-hand that was so soon to be stilled for ever:-- + +[Illustration: Doorway Rochester Cathedral] + + "A brilliant morning shines on the old City. Its + antiquities and ruins are surpassingly beautiful, + with the lusty ivy gleaming in the sun, and the + rich trees waving in the balmy air. Changes of + glorious light from moving boughs, songs of birds, + scents from gardens, woods and fields--or, + rather, from the one great garden of the whole of + the cultivated island in its yielding + time--penetrate into the Cathedral, subdue its + earthy odour, and preach the Resurrection and the + Life. The cold stone tombs of centuries ago grow + warm; and flecks of brightness dart into the + sternest marble corners of the building, + fluttering there like wings." + +Having time to reflect on our experiences, we are able to understand how +greatly our feelings and ideas have been influenced for good, both +regarding the personality of the novelist and his writings. + +In the course of our rambles we have interviewed many people in various +walks of life who knew Dickens well, and their interesting replies, +mostly given in their own words, vividly bring before our mental vision +the _man_ as he actually lived and moved among his neighbours, apart +from any glamour with which we, as hero-worshippers, naturally invest +him. We see him in his home, beloved by his family, taking kindly +interest, as a country gentleman, in the poor of the district, entering +into and personally encouraging their sports, and helping them in their +distress. To his dependents and tradesmen he was kind, just, and +honourable; to his friends genial, hospitable, and true; in himself +eager, enthusiastic, and thorough. No man of his day had more friends, +and he kept them as long as he lived. His favourite motto, +"courage--persevere," comes before us constantly. All that we heard on +the other side was contained in the expression--"rather masterful!" +Rather masterful? Of course he was rather masterful--otherwise he would +never have been Charles Dickens. What does he say in that unconscious +description of himself, which he puts into the mouth of Boots at _The +Holly-Tree Inn_, when referring to the father of Master Harry Walmers, +Junior? + + "He was a gentleman of spirit, and good-looking, + and held his head up when he walked, and had what + you may call Fire about him. He wrote poetry, and + he rode, and he ran, and he cricketed, and he + danced, and he acted, and he done it all equally + beautiful. . . . He was a gentleman that had a will + of his own and a eye of his own, and that would be + minded." + +Perfectly true do we find the summing up of his character, in his home +at Gad's Hill, as given by Professor Minto in the last edition of the +_Encyclopaedia Britannica_ (one of the most faithful, just, and +appreciative articles ever written about Dickens):--"Here he worked, and +walked, and saw his friends, and was loved and almost worshipped by his +poorer neighbours, for miles around." + +Although tolerably familiar with most of the writings of Dickens from +our youth, and, like many readers, having our favourites which may have +absorbed our attention to the exclusion of others, we are bound to say +that our little visit to Rochester and its neighbourhood--our +"Dickens-Land"--rendered famous all the world over in the novels and +minor works, gives a freshness, a brightness, and a reality to our +conceptions scarcely expected, and never before experienced. The +faithful descriptions of scenery witnessed by us for the first time in +and about the "quaint city" of Rochester, the delightful neighbourhood +of Cobham, the glorious old city of Canterbury, the dreary marshes and +other localities: the more detailed pictures of particular places, like +the Castle, the Cathedral, its crypt and tower, the Bull Inn, the Vines, +Richard Watts's Charity, and others--the point of the situation in many +of these cannot be realized without personal inspection and +verification. + +And further, as by a sort of reflex action, another feeling comes +uppermost in our minds, apart from the mere amusement and enjoyment of +Dickens's works: we mean the actual benefits to humanity which, directly +or indirectly, arise out of his writings; and we endorse the noble lines +of dedication which his friend, Walter Savage Landor, addressed to him +in his _Imaginary Conversations of Greeks and Romans_ (1853):-- + +"Friends as we are, have long been, and ever shall be, I doubt whether I +should have prefaced these pages with your name, were it not to register +my judgment that, in breaking up and cultivating the unreclaimed wastes +of Humanity, no labours have been so strenuous, so continuous, or half +so successful, as yours. While the world admires in you an unlimited +knowledge of mankind, deep thought, vivid imagination, and bursts of +eloquence from unclouded heights, no less am I delighted when I see you +at the school-room you have liberated from cruelty, and at the cottage +you have purified from disease." + +We have before us--its edges browned by age--a reprint of a letter +largely circulated at the time, addressed by Dickens to _The Times_, +dated "Devonshire Terrace, 13th Novr., 1849," in which he describes, in +graphic and powerful language, the ribald and disgusting scenes which he +witnessed at Horsemonger Lane Gaol on the occasion of the execution of +the Mannings. The letter is too long to quote in its entirety, but the +following extract will suffice:--"I have seen habitually some of the +worst sources of general contamination and corruption in this country, +and I think there are not many phases of London life that could surprise +me. I am solemnly convinced that nothing that ingenuity could devise to +be done in this city in the same compass of time could work such ruin as +one public execution, and I stand astounded and appalled by the +wickedness it exhibits." The letter contains an urgent appeal to the +then Home Secretary, Sir George Grey, "as a solemn duty which he owes to +society, and a responsibility which he cannot for ever put away," to +originate an immediate legislative change in this respect. Forster says +in allusion to the above-mentioned letter:--"There began an active +agitation against public executions, which never ceased until the +salutary change was effected which has worked so well." Dickens happily +lived to see the fruition of his labours, for the Private Execution Act +was passed in 1868, and the last public execution took place at Newgate +on 26th May of that year. As indicative of the new state of feeling at +that time, it may be mentioned that the number of spectators was not +large, and they were observed to conduct themselves with unusual +decorum. + +It is valuable to record this as one of many public reforms which +Dickens by his writings and influence certainly helped to accomplish. In +his standard work on _Popular Government_ (1885), Sir Henry Sumner Maine +says:-"Dickens, who spent his early manhood among the politicians of +1832, trained in Bentham's school, [Bentham, by the bye, being quoted in +_Edwin Drood_,] hardly ever wrote a novel without attacking an abuse. +The procedure of the Court of Chancery and of the Ecclesiastical Courts, +the delays of the Public Offices, the costliness of divorce, the state +of the dwellings of the poor, and the condition of the cheap schools in +the North of England, furnished him with what he seemed to consider, in +all sincerity, the true moral of a series of fictions." + + * * * * * + +We bid a kindly adieu to the "dear old City" where so many genial +friends have been made, so many happy hours have been passed, so many +pleasant memories have been stored, and for the time leave + + "the pensive glory, + That fills the Kentish hills," + +to take our seats in the train for London, with the intention of paying +a brief visit to South Kensington, where, in the Forster Collection of +the Museum, are treasured the greater portion of the manuscripts which +constitute the principal works of Charles Dickens. It will be remembered +that the Will of the great novelist contained the following simple but +important clause:--"I also give to the said John Forster (whom he +previously referred to as 'my dear and trusty friend') such manuscripts +of my published works as may be in my possession at the time of my +decease;" and that Mr. Forster by his Will bequeathed these priceless +treasures to his wife for her life, in trust to pass over to the Nation +at her decease. Mrs. Forster, who survives her husband, generously +relinquished her life interest, in order to give immediate effect to his +wishes; and thus in 1876, soon after Mr. Forster's death, they came into +the undisturbed possession of the Nation for ever. + +Besides the manuscripts there are numbers of holograph letters, original +sketches (including "The Apotheosis of Grip the Raven") by D. Maclise, +R.A., and other interesting memorials relating to Charles Dickens. _The +Handbook to the Dyce and Forster Collections_ rightly says that:--"This +is a gift which will ever have the highest value, and be regarded with +the deepest interest by people of every English-speaking nation, as long +as the English language exists. Not only our own countrymen, but +travellers from every country and colony into which Englishmen have +spread, may here examine the original manuscripts of books which have +been more widely read than any other uninspired writings throughout the +world. Thousands, it cannot be doubted, who have been indebted for many +an hour of pleasurable enjoyment when in health, for many an hour of +solace when in weariness and pain, to these novels, will be glad to look +upon them as each sheet was sent last to the printer, full of +innumerable corrections from the hand of Charles Dickens." + +The manuscripts are fifteen in number, bound up into large quarto +volumes, and comprise:-- + +1. _Oliver Twist_--two Volumes, with Preface to the _Pickwick Papers_, +and matter relating to _Master Humphrey's Clock_. + +2. _Sketches of Young Couples._ + +3. _The Lamplighter_, a Farce. This MS. is not in the handwriting of +Dickens. + +4. _The Old Curiosity Shop_--two Volumes, with Letter to Mr. Forster of +17th January, 1841, and hints for some chapters. + +5. _Barnaby Rudge_--two Volumes. + +6. _American Notes._ + +7. _Martin Chuzzlewit_--two Volumes, with various title-pages, notes as +to the names, &c., and dedication to Miss Burdett Coutts. + +8. _The Chimes._ + +9. _Dombey and Son_--two Volumes, with title-pages, headings of +chapters, and memoranda. + +10. _David Copperfield_--two Volumes, with various title-pages, and +memoranda as to names. + +11. _Bleak House_--two Volumes, with suggestions for title-pages and +other memoranda. + +12. _Hard Times_--with memoranda. + +13. _Little Dorrit_--two Volumes, with memoranda, Dedication to Clarkson +Stanfield, and Preface. + +14. _A Tale of Two Cities_--with Dedication to Lord John Russell, and +Preface. + +15. _Edwin Drood_--unfinished, with memoranda, and headings for +chapters. + +John Forster says:--"The last page of _Edwin Drood_ was written in the +chalet in the afternoon of his last day of consciousness." + +Of the above-mentioned, the calligraphy of Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, is seen +at a glance to be larger, bolder, and to have fewer corrections. In Nos. +5 to 15 it is smaller, and more confused by numerous alterations. +According to Forster--"His greater pains and elaboration of writing +became first very obvious in the later parts of _Martin Chuzzlewit_." + +The manuscripts of the earliest works of the Author, _Sketches by Boz_, +_Pickwick_, _Nicholas Nickleby_, &c., were evidently not considered at +the time worth preserving. The manuscript of _Our Mutual Friend_, given +by Dickens to Mr. E. S. Dallas--in grateful acknowledgment of an +appreciative review which (according to an article in _Scribner_, +entitled "Our Mutual Friend in Manuscript") Mr. Dallas wrote of the +novel for _The Times_, which largely increased the sale of the book, and +fully established its success,--is in the library of Mr. G. W. Childs of +Philadelphia; and that of _A Christmas Carol_--given by Dickens to his +old friend and school-fellow, Tom Mitton--was for sale in Birmingham a +few years ago, and might have been purchased for two hundred and fifty +guineas! It is now owned by Mr. Stuart M. Samuel, and has since been +beautifully reproduced in fac-simile, with an Introduction by my friend +and fellow-tramp, Mr. F. G. Kitton. Mr. Wright, of Paris, is the +fortunate possessor of _The Battle of Life_. The proof-sheets of _Great +Expectations_ are in the Museum at Wisbech. Messrs. Jarvis and Son, of +King William Street, Strand, sold some time since four of the MSS. of +minor articles contributed by Dickens to _Household Words_ in 1855-6, +viz. _The Friend of the Lions_, _Demeanour of Murderers_, _That other +Public_, and _Our Commission_, for L10 each. + +At the sale of the late Mr. Wilkie Collins's manuscripts and library by +Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge, 18th June, 1890, the manuscript +of _The Frozen Deep_, by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, 1856 (first +performed at Tavistock House, 6th January, 1857), together with the +narrative written for _Temple Bar_, 1874, and Prompt Book of the same +play, was sold for L300. A poem written by Charles Dickens, as a +Prologue to the same play, and _The Song of the Wreck_, also written by +Charles Dickens, were sold for L11 11_s._ each. _The Perils of Certain +English Prisoners_, a joint production of Wilkie Collins and Charles +Dickens, for the Christmas number of _Household Words_, 1857, realized +L200; and the drama of _No Thoroughfare_ (imperfect), also a joint +production, fetched L22. + +The manuscripts now belonging to the Nation at South Kensington are +placed in a glazed cabinet, standing in the middle of the room, on the +right of which looks down the life-like portrait of the great novelist, +painted by W. P. Frith, R.A., in 1859. The manuscript volumes are laid +open in an appropriate manner, so that we have an opportunity of +examining and comparing them with one another, and of observing how the +precious thoughts which flowed from the fertile brain took shape and +became realities. + +Where corrections have been made, the original ideas are so obscured +that it is scarcely possible to decipher them. This is effected, not by +the simple method of an obliteration of the words, as is common with +some authors, by means of a line or two run through them at one stroke +of the pen, but by a series of connected circles, or scroll-work +flourishes, thus, [Illustration] which must have caused greater muscular +labour in execution. Let any one try the two methods for himself. +Dickens was fond of flourishes, as witness his first published +autograph, under the portrait which was issued with _Nicholas Nickleby_ +(1839). Some evidence of "writer's cramp," as it is termed, appears +where the C in Charles becomes almost a G, and where the line-like +flourishes to the signature thirty years later, under the portrait +forming the frontispiece to _Edwin Drood_, are much shorter and less +elaborate. All the earlier manuscripts are in black ink--the +characteristic _blue_ ink, which he was so fond of using in later years, +not appearing until _Hard Times_ was written (1854), and this continued +to be (with one exception, _Little Dorrit_) his favourite writing +medium, for the reason, it is said, that it was fluent to write with and +dried quickly. + +From a valuable collection of letters (more than a dozen--recently in +the possession of Messrs. Noel Conway and Co., of Martineau Street, +Birmingham, and kindly shown to me by Mr. Charles Fendelow), written by +the novelist between 1832 and 1833 to a friend of his earlier years--Mr. +W. H. Kolle--and not hitherto published, it appears that he had not then +acquired that precise habit of inscribing the place, day of the week, +month, and the year which marked his later correspondence (as has been +pointed out by Miss Hogarth and Miss Dickens in the preface to the +_Letters of Charles Dickens_), very few of the letters to Mr. Kolle +bearing any record whatever except the day of the week, occasionally +preceded by Fitzroy Street or Bentinck Street, where he resided at the +time. It would be extremely interesting to ascertain the reason which +subsequently led him to adopt the extraordinarily precise method which +almost invariably marked his correspondence from the year 1840 until the +close of his life. Possibly arrangements with publishers and others may +have given him the exact habit which afterwards became automatic. + +In addition to the manuscripts in the Forster Collection in the Museum +there are corrected proofs of a portion of the _Pickwick Papers_, +_Dombey and Son_, _David Copperfield_, _Bleak House_, and _Little +Dorrit_. Some of the corrections in _Dombey and Son_ are said to be in +the handwriting of Mr. Forster. All these proofs show marvellous +attention to detail--one of the most conspicuous of Dickens's +characteristics. Nothing with him was worth doing unless it was done +well. As an illustration of work in this direction, it may be mentioned +that a proof copy of the speech delivered at the meeting of the +Administrative Reform Association at Drury Lane Theatre on Wednesday, +June 27th, 1855, in the possession of the writer of these lines, has +over a hundred corrections on the nine pages of which it consists, and +many of these occur in punctuation. On careful examination, the +alterations show that the correction in every case is a decided +improvement on the original. The following _fac-similes_ from the +_Hand-Book_ to the _Dyce and Forster Collection_, and from Forster's +_Life_, illustrate the earlier, later, and latest handwritings of +Charles Dickens as shown in the MSS. of _Oliver Twist_, 1837, _Hard +Times_, 1854, and _Edwin Drood_, 1870. + +[Illustration: "OLIVER TWIST," 1837, vol. i. ch. xii.] + +[Illustration: "HARD TIMES," 1854, vol. i. ch. i.] + +[Illustration: "DAVID COPPERFIELD," 1850 (corrected proof), ch. xiv.] + +[Illustration: "EDWIN DROOD," 1870, ch. xxiii. p. 189 (_last MS. +page_).] + +A proof of the fourteenth Chapter of _David Copperfield_, 1850, shows +that the allusion to "King Charles the First's head"--about which Mr. +Dick was so much troubled--was _not_ contained in the first draft of the +story, for the passage originally had reference to "the date when that +bull got into the china warehouse and did so much mischief." The +subsequent reference to King Charles's head was a happy thought of +Dickens, and furthered Mr. Dick's idea of the mistake "of putting some +of the trouble out of King Charles's head" into his own. + +Mr. R. F. Sketchley, the able and courteous custodian of the collection, +allows us to see some of the other rarities in the museum not displayed +in the cabinet--prefaces, dedications, and memoranda relating to the +novels; letters addressed by Dickens to Forster, Maclise, and others; +rare play-bills; and the originals of invitations to the public dinner +and ball at New York, which Dickens received on the occasion of his +first visit to America in 1842. After turning these over with +reverential care, we regretfully leave behind us one of the most +interesting and important literary collections ever presented to the +Nation. + +We next visit the Prerogative Registry of the United Kingdom at Somerset +House, wherein is filed the original Will of Charles Dickens. The search +for this interesting document pursued by a stranger under pressure of +time, strongly reminds one of the "Circumlocution Office" so graphically +described in _Bleak House_. But we are enthusiastic, and at length +obtain a clue to it in a folio volume (Letter D), containing the names +of testators who died in the year 1870, where the Will is briefly +recorded (at number 468) as that of "Dickens, Charles, otherwise Charles +John Huffham, Esquire." We pay our fees, and take our seats in the +reading-room, when the original is presently placed in our hands. It is +one of a series of three documents fastened together by a bit of green +silk cord, and secured by the seal of the office, as is customary when +there are two or more papers filed. The first document is the Will +itself, dated 12th May, 1869, written throughout by the novelist very +plainly and closely in the characteristic blue ink on a medium sheet of +faint blue quarto letter paper, having the usual legal folded margin, +and exactly covering the four pages. It is free from corrections, and is +signed, "Charles Dickens," under which is the never-to-be-mistaken +flourish. The testatum is signed by G. Holsworth, 26 Wellington Street, +Strand, and Henry Walker, 26 Wellington Street, Strand, which points to +the fact that the Will was written and executed at the office of _All +the Year Round_. He appoints "Georgina Hogarth and John Forster +executrix and executor, and guardians of the persons of my children +during their respective minorities." + +The second document is the Oath of John Forster, testifying that Charles +Dickens, otherwise Charles John Huffham Dickens, is one and the same +person. The third document is a Codicil dated 2nd June, 1870 (only a +week before his death), in which the novelist bequeaths "to my son +Charles Dickens, the younger, all my share and interest in the weekly +journal called _All the Year Round_." The Codicil is witnessed by the +same persons. The Will and Codicil are both given in extenso in vol. +iii. of Forster's _Life_--the gross amount of the real and personal +estate being calculated at L93,000.[38] + + * * * * * + +Avery short tramp from Somerset House brings us to the last object of our +pilgrimage--the grave of Charles Dickens in Westminster Abbey. Surely no +admirer of his genius can omit this final mark of honour to the memory +of the mighty dead. Many years have rolled by since "the good, the +gentle, highly gifted, ever friendly, noble Dickens" passed away; and we +stand by the grave in the calm September evening, with "jewels cast upon +the pavement of the nave from stained glass by the declining sun," and +look down at the dark flat stone lying at our feet, on which is +inscribed "in plain English letters," the simple record:-- + + CHARLES DICKENS, + BORN FEBRUARY THE SEVENTH, 1812. + DIED JUNE THE NINTH, 1870. + +We recall with profoundly sympathetic interest that quietly impressive +ceremony as recorded by Forster in the final pages of his able +biography. "Before mid-day on Tuesday, the 14th June, 1870, with +knowledge of those only who took part in the burial, all was done. The +solemnity had not lost by the simplicity. Nothing so grand or so +touching could have accompanied it, as the stillness and the silence of +the vast Cathedral." And he further describes the wonderful gathering +subsequently:--"Then later in the day, and all the following day, came +unbidden mourners in such crowds that the Dean had to request permission +to keep open the grave until Thursday; but after it was closed they did +not cease to come, and all day long." Dean Stanley wrote:--"On the 17th +there was a constant pressure to the spot, and many flowers were strewn +upon it by unknown hands, many tears shed from unknown eyes." + +What poet, what philosopher, what monarch even, might not envy this +loving tribute to the influence of the great writer, to the personal +respect for the man, and to the affection for the friend who, by the +sterling nature of his work for nearly thirty-five years, had the power +to create and sustain such sympathy? + +Forster thus admiringly concludes the memoir of his hero: + +"The highest associations of both the arts he loved surround him where +he lies. Next to him is Richard Cumberland. Mrs. Pritchard's monument +looks down upon him, and immediately behind is David Garrick's. Nor is +the actor's delightful art more worthily represented than the nobler +genius of the author. Facing the grave, and on its left and right, are +the monuments of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dryden, the three immortals +who did most to create and settle the language to which Charles Dickens +has given another undying name." + +"Of making many books there is no end," said the wise man of old; and +certainly, if we may estimate the popularity of Charles Dickens by the +works of all kinds relating to him, written since his death, the number +may be counted by hundreds. It may also be said that probably no other +English writer save Shakespeare has been the cause of so much posthumous +literature. The sayings of his characters permeate our everyday life, +and they continue to be as fresh as when they were first recorded. The +original editions of his writings in some cases realize high prices +which are simply amazing, and--judging by statistics--his readers are as +numerous as ever they were. Higher testimony to the worth "of the most +popular novelist of the century, and one of the greatest humourists that +England has produced," and to the continued interest which the reading +public still evince in the minutest detail relating to him and to his +books, can scarcely be uttered; but what is better still--"his +sympathies were generally on the right side;"--he has left an example +that all may follow;--he did his utmost to leave the world a little +better than he found it;--as he said by one of his characters, "the best +of men can do no more"--and now he peacefully rests as one + + "Of those immortal dead who live again + In minds made better by their presence." + +[Illustration] + +FOOTNOTE: + +[38] Mr. Dolby, in his _Charles Dickens as I knew him_, estimates that +L45,000 was realized by Dickens's Readings. + + + + +L'ENVOI. + + +WE--my fellow-tramp and I--naturally feel a pang of regret now that our +pleasant visit to "Dickens-Land" is terminated. With a parting grasp of +the hand I express to the companion of my travels a cordial wish that +ere long we may, "PLEASE GOD," renew our delightful experience, and +again go over the ground hallowed by Dickens associations; to which my +friend, as cordially assenting, replies "SURELY, SURELY!" + +With these two favourite expressions of Charles Dickens (quoted above) I +conclude the book, trusting that it will prove worthy of some kindly +appreciation at the hands of my readers. + + + + +INDEX. + +CHIEFLY OF NAMES. + + + A BECKET THOMAS 212 338 340 + + Adams H. G. 271 + + Allington 135 290-8 + + _All the Year Round_ 37 193 374 422 + + Alphington 209 210 + + _American Notes_ 45 324 + + Andersen H. C. 32 374 + + Anderson Mary 152 169 + + Athenaeum 47 + + Austin H. 184 330 + + Aveling S. T. 53-4 80-2 97 + + Aylesford 288 292 296; + Battle of 311 313; + Church 290; + Churchyard 299; + Bridge 290; + Friary 297 + + + BAIRD J. 270-1-2 + + Ball J. H. 68 226-7 235; + William 135 226-7-8 230 246 + + _Barnaby Rudge_ 17 44-5 138 + + Barnard's Inn 24 + + _Battle of Life_ 45 211 + + Bayham Street 38 264 + + Bell Yard 18 + + Bentinck Street 25 417 + + _Bentley's Miscellany_ 47 59 + + Bevan P. 103 114 251 289 311 324 338 + + Birmingham 59 239 240; + Town Hall 59 239; + and Midland Institute 144 239 240 + + Bishop's Court 20 + + Blanchard E. L. 393 + + _Bleak House_ 18 19 20 37 139 268 288 325-7-8 336 357 + 380 399 421 + + Bleak House (or Fort House) Broadstairs 327-8-9 333 + + Bloomsbury Square 31 + + Blue Bell or Upper Bell 188 310 314 374 + + Boley (or "Bully") Hill 88 124 158 + + "Borough English" 83 + + Boundary Lane 253 + + British Museum 31 + + Broadstairs 317 324-333 343-8; + Dickens's Residence in High Street 326; + Fort House (or "Bleak House") 327-8-9 333; + Lawn House 326-7; + Look-out House 332 + + Brompton (New) 80 252 270-5 + + Brooker Mr. 176 + + Budden Major 60 167-8-9 173 186-7-8 190-5; + Mrs. 168 195 369; + James 270-2-3; + William J. 269 270 295 + + Burgate Street 340 + + Burham 270 295 + + + CAMDEN TOWN 38 264 + + Canterbury 113 172 336-344 409 + Burgate Street 340 + Cathedral 338 + "Chequers" 343 + Dane John 337 + "Fountain" 343 + Harbledown 348 + High Street 337 + Museum 340 + "Sir John Falstaff" 336 + "Sun" 343-4 + West Gate 336-7 + + Canvey Island 351 + + Chalk 182 391-3; + Church 393-4 + + Chancery Lane 18 20 + + Chatham 4 28 38 53-4 60 70-1 80 144 188 194 231 251-280 282 + Barracks 105 + Convict Prison 268 + Dockyard 267-9 274 + Fort Pitt 104-6 272-280 + Giles's Academy 261 + High Street 260-2 272-3 + House on the Brook 260-1-5-6 273 + Lines 273-5-6 + Mechanics' Institute 267-9 270-1-3 + "Mitre" 60 116 262-3-4 + Navy Pay Office 258 274 + Ordnance Place 265; + Terrace 28 92 257-8 265 274 + St. Mary's Church 92 255; + Place 260-2 + + Chelsea--St. Luke's Church 26 + + Cherry Garden 54 + + _Child's Dream of a Star_ 262-6 + + _Child's History of England_ 37 205 + + Chillington Manor House 308-9 310 + + _Chimes_ 18 20 41 305 + + Chorley H. F. 196 200 + + _Christmas Carol_ 45 239 414 + + Cinque Ports 345 + + Cliffe 356 360 373; + Church 361 + + Clifford's Inn 18 19 + + Cobb R. L. 373-4-5 + + Cobham 377-8 380-2 386-391 393 409 + Chalet 222 384-5 414 + Church 391 + Hall 186 220-2 380-386 + "Leather Bottle" 60 386-390 396 + Park 188 194 374-9 380-2-6 396 + Schools 382 + Woods 380 391 403 + + Cobham Lord 358 + + Cobtree Hall 296-299 374 + + College Gate 72 124-130 + + Collins W. 32-3-6 152 196 207 374; + Sale of MSS. 415; + Charles A. 196-8 200-2-6 271 367 404; + Mrs. C. A. 200; + _and see_ Dickens Kate _and_ Perugini Mrs. + + Cooling 349-360; + Castle 356-360; + Church 351-2; + Churchyard 354-7 + + Cooper T. Sidney 348 + + Cosham 284 + + Couchman J. 221-226 + + Countless Stones 311-2 + + _Cricket on the Hearth_ 45 161 239 + + "Crispin and Crispianus" 217-220 + + Crow Lane 78 + + "Crown Old" 116 + + "Crozier" 116 + + Cruikshank G. 59 140 + + Cursitor Street 20-2 + + Cuxton 288-9 + + + DADD R. 396 + + _Daily News_ 17 + + "Dane John" 337 + + Darnley Earl of 202 222 374 382-385 396 + + _David Copperfield_ 26 39 45-8 91 139 148 219 251-6-8 + 266-269 284 317 325 340 343-347 356 396-7; + _Fac-simile_ 419 421 + + Davies Rev. G. 194-5; + Straits 194-5 + + Deal 399 + + Deanery Gatehouse 127-9 + + Devonshire Terrace 31 41-2-4-6; + Street 46 + + Dickens A. L. 38 184 228; + A. T. 47 + + Dickens Charles:-- + Birth 255 285 + Birthplace 280-287 + Baptism 285 + First literary effort 262 + Short-hand 249 + Marriage 391 + and the Serjeant 249 250 + and the Bears 402 + and Public Executions 410-1 + Genealogy (?) 253-4 + Dogs 183-4-6 226-8 + Chalet 222 384-5 414 + Crest 385 + Ravens 44 + Readings 239 242 271-2 422 + Politics 239 240 + Illness 243-4 + Death 244 369 370 404 + Funeral 87-8 401-4 423; + Card 226 + Grave 423-4 + Will 87 286 401 421-2 + Manuscripts 412-421 + Handwriting _fac-similes_ (1837 1850 1854 1870) 418-420 + Corrected Proofs 417 + Memorial Brass 137 + Memorials 227-9 230 247 371 420 + Portraits 59 205 225 272 370 390 415-6 + Letters 416-7 + Mysterious Dickens-item 246-249 + + Dickens Mrs. C. 207 231 + + Dickens C. Junr. 26 32-4 140-5 200-2 294 366 404 422; + Edward B. L. 47 + + Dickens Fanny 262-4 284-5; + Harriet E. 262-6 + + Dickens H. F. 180 198 202-3 221 234 248-9 250 368 374 + + Dickens J. 38 254-5 265-6 274 283-4-5; + Mrs. 38 254-5 285 + + Dickens Kate 36 90 196 206 367 370 + (_and see_ Perugini Mrs. _and_ Collins Mrs. C. A.) + + Dickens Miss 31-4 416 + + Dickenson Mr. 200-1-2-9 + + Dodd H. 232-3-4 + + _Dombey and Son_ 45 139 227 317 325 + + Doughty Street 25-8-9 30 + + Dover 54 192 345-348; + Castle 347; + Heights 346; + Road 396-400 + + Drage Rev. W. H. 92; + Misses 92-3 + + "Duck" 117 + + + EASEDOWN MRS. 369-371 373 + + Eastgate House 72-77 132 + + East Malling 293 + + _Edwin Drood_ 6 23-7 46 70-3-4-5 83 106 111 113 115 117 119 + 120-1-4-8-9 131-4 6-8-9 140-1 171 207 228 247-8-9 288 + 290 406 411 414 416-7; + _Fac-simile_ 420 + + Exeter 209 + + + "FALSTAFF Sir John" (at Gad's Hill) 163-5-7 175 207-8-9 400; + (At Canterbury) 336 + + Farleigh 290 + + Faversham 323-4 + + Fechter Mr. 106 201 221 242 + + Fildes Luke 23 59 75 106 127-9 140-1 169 228 248 + + Fisher Bishop 131 + + Fitzroy Street 417 + + Fleet Street 17 18 + + Ford H. 330 + + Forster J. 2 6 8 19 20 30-8-9 41-4 51 87 93 107 167 174 + 176-9 182-6-7 196 207-9 221 232-5 258 262 275 310 324-7 + 335 356-7 364 412-4-7 421-424; + Bequest 412-416 + + Fort Clarence 316 + + Fort Pitt 104-6 272-280 + + _Fortunus_ 33 + + Fountain Court 17 + + Fox 20 + + Frindsbury 195 275 294; + Church 212 236 350 + + Frith W. P. 230 395-6 415 + + Frog Alley 117 + + _Frozen Deep_ 32-3 86 241 + + Furnival's Inn 24-27 + + + GAD'S HILL 4 44 60 90-1-3 141 161 _et seq._ 241-8-9 265 + 393 400 + Sixty years ago 191-195 + "Falstaff Sir John" 163-5-7 175 207-8-9 400 + + Gad's Hill Place 31 42-6 85-88 93 132 161-209 217 221-2-3 + 224-5-7 240-1-3 271 310 363-4-9 370-1 376 400-9 + Cedars at 186 192 + Chalet 186-7 221-2 + Charades at 197 241 + Clock 229 + Cricket at 208 248-9 372-3 + Dick's Grave at 179 + _Gazette_ 180 196-8-9 + "Plough" 241 + Porch at 184 + Sale of 235-6 241-6 404 + Sale Photograph of 230 + Shrubbery at 186 + Specification for alterations at 222-3 + Sports at 363-4 + Sun-dial 228 + Theatricals at 241 + Tunnel at 184-6 228 + Well at 181-2 + + "Gavelkind" 82 + + Gibson Mary 46 265-6-7; + (_and see_ Weller Mary) + Robert 266-7; + Thomas 266 + + Giles Rev. W. 261; + Academy 261 + + Gillingham 275 + + Gordon Square 31-8; + Place 31 + + Gower Street 38-9 + + Gravesend 3 91 192 336 361-2 393 + + _Great Expectations_ 6 7 17 24 37 53 64 70-8 97 156 171 + 188 269 348 351-354 356-8 398 401-5 + + _Grimaldi Memoirs of_ 31 + + Grip the Raven 44 + + + HARBLEDOWN 348 + + Hard Times 37 416; + _Fac-simile_ 419 + + Hastings 345 + + _Haunted Man_ 45 + + Hawke Street 255 284 + + Head R. 53 88 + + Higham 87 173-6 182 194 242 362-375 377 + + Hogarth G. 25; + Catherine 26; + (_and see_ Dickens Mrs. Charles) E. 34; + Mary 29; + Georgina 34 86 90 205-6 235-8 242-4 370-5-8 396 406 416 + 422; + William 54 + + Holborn 22-4-7 + + _Holly Tree Inn_ 263 408 + + Homan F. 85-88 117 + + Hoo 350 + + Hop-Picking and Cultivation 318-323 + + Horse Guards 49 + + Horsted 292 + + _Household Words_ 45 89 106 142 150 193 257 344 415 + + House on the Brook 260 1-5-6 273 + + Hulkes J. 163 195-198 403; + Mrs. 196 204-5; + C. J. 205 + + _Hunted Down_ 171 + + Hyde Park 46; + Corner 64; + Place 141 + + Hythe 345 + + + JOHNSON'S COURT 18 + + John Street 28 + + + KENNETTE A. 78 + + Kingsgate Street 27 + + Kit's Coty House 310-313 391 + + Kitton F. G. 4 38 102 110 127 163 205 248 316 368 393 415 + + Kolle W. H. 416-7 + + + LAMERT DR. 255; + J. 256-8 + + Landport 255 280-286; + Commercial Road 281-2 + + Lang Andrew 15 + + Langton R. 2 3 38 83 144 216 252-5-8 264-6 277 281-2-4-6 + + Lapworth Prof. 6 + + Larkin C. 163 195 + + Latter Mrs. 209 400-1-2 + + Lawn House 326-7 + + Lawrence J. 59 60 + + "Leather Bottle" 60 386-390 396 + + Lemon Mark 32-4-5-6 151 232-4 + + Levy C. D. 246-7 + + _Lighthouse_ 33 86 241 + + Lincoln's Inn 19; + Fields 19 + + Linton Mrs. Lynn 167 191-195 + + _Little Dorrit_ 37 46 139 161 171 211 416 + + Littlewood J. E. 272-3 + + Long Mrs. 333 + + "Look-out House" 232 + + + MACLISE D. 20 41-4 59 412 421 + + Maidstone 90-1 140 293 306-310; + Road 78 151; + Chillington Manor House 308-9 310; + Brenchley Gardens 309 + + Malleson J. N. 201-6 + + Margate 324 333-4-6; + Theatre 334-5 + + Marsham Rev J. J. 402-3-4 + + Marshes 142 188 349 350-1-7-8 403-9 + + _Martin Chuzzlewit_ 17 27 45 56 414 + + Marzials F. T. 8 29 31 + + _Master Humphrey's Clock_ 45 + + Masters Mrs. 217 219 221-6 + + Mechanics' Institute 267-9 270-1-3 + + Medway River 52-3-4 67-9 98 103 134-5 162 188 211 253 275 + 288-9 290-2 309 310-6; + Valley 379 382 + + _Memoirs of Grimaldi_ 31 + + Middle Temple Lane 17 + + Mile End Cottage 209 210 + + Miles Mr. 117 120 + + Millen T. 90-1 + + Minor Canon Row 92 122-4-7 + + Minto Prof. 409 + + "Mitre" 60 116 262-3-4 + + Mitton T. 414 + + Montague Street 31 + + _Monthly Magazine_ 18 + + Morgan Mr. 200-1-2 + + _Morning Chronicle_ 24 26 270 + + _Mr. Nightingale's Diary_ 35 + + _Mrs. Joseph Porter over the way_ 18 + + Mysterious Dickens-item 246-249 + + + NAVY PAY OFFICE CHATHAM 258 274 + + New Brompton 80 252 270-5 + + New Romney 345 + + _Nicholas Nickleby_ 8 31 106 139 210 286 324 416 + + _No Thoroughfare_ 374 + + + _OLD CURIOSITY SHOP_ 45-9 139 323 349 405 + + Old Sergeants' Inn 18 + + _Oliver Twist_ 31 232; + _Fac-simile_ 418 + + Ordnance Terrace 28 92 257-8 265 274; + Place 265 + + _Our English Watering-Place_ 317 324-31 + + _Our Mutual Friend_ 1 17 18 39 91 171 234 414 + + Overblow 402-3 + + Owl Club 59; + Harmonious Owls 59 + + + PARLIAMENT STREET 48 + + Payne G. 130 238 + + Pearce Sarah 283-4; + Mr. 283; + William 284 + + Pear Tree Lane 313 377-8 + + Pemberton T. Edgar 1 241 286 + + Perugini Mrs. 248; + (_and see_ Dickens Kate _and_ Collins Mrs. C. A.) + + _Pickwick Papers_ 5 6 20-6-9 31 50-6 62-7 70-5 111 151 231 + 251-5 261 273-6-9 293-5 297-306 324 373-6-9 387-8 391-3 + + _Pictures from Italy_ 18 + + "Plorn" 202 + + Porchester Castle 284 + + Portsea 255 281-2; + St. Mary's Church 255 285-6; + Hawke Street 255 284 + + Portsmouth 281-4-6-7; + Common Hard 287; + Dockyard 285; + Theatre 286 + + Portsmouth Street 19 + + Prall R. 57 85 + + Prior's Gate 127-8 + + Proctor R. A. 138-9 + + Proctors 148 + + _Punch_ 90 175 + + Purkis Mrs. 285 + + + QUARRY HOUSE 212 + + + RAINHAM 317-8; + Mear's Barr Farm 318 + + Ramsgate 336 + + Reculver 324; + The Sisters 324 + + Red Lion Square 28 31 + + Regent's Park 39; + Street 46 51 + + Restoration House 53-4 78 80 94-97 132 156 + + Robertson Rev. Canon 214 + + Robinson G. 269 + + Rochester 4 48 51-97 376 396 406-9 + "Blue Boar" 64 + Boley (or Bully) Hill 88 124 158 + Boundary Lane 253 + Bridge 50-4 67-70 104 215 217 226-7 + "Bull Inn" 54-5 _et seq._ 104 143-5 409 + Castle 69 98-110 137 216 396 406-9 + Cathedral 53-4 87 90 111-141 216 406-9 + Cherry Garden 54 + College (or Jasper's) Gate 72 124-130 + Crow Lane 78 117 156 + "Crozier" 116 + Deanery Gatehouse 127-9 + "Duck" 117 + Eastgate House 72-77 132 + Episcopal Palace 130-1 + Esplanade 134 + Frog Alley 117 + Grammar School 81-8 + Guildhall 54-5 72 108 + High Street 51-3-5 63-4 70 82 116 125 130 145 275 287 + 296 336 + London and County Bank 116 + Maidstone Road 78 151 + Mathematical School 81 175-6 + Men's Institute 75 + Minor Canon Row 92 122-4-7 + New Road 152 + "Old Crown" 116 + Prior's Gate 127-8 + Restoration House 53-4 78 80 132 156; + Ghost Story 94-97 + Sapsea's House 72-5-6 117 + Satis House 78 97 156-8 + Savings Bank 76 116 + Sir J. Hawkins's Hospital 81 + Sir J. Hayward's Charity 82 + Star Hill 70 83 + St. Bartholomew's Hospital 81 + St. Catherine's Charity 81 + St. Margaret's 92; + Church 151 + St. Nicholas' 81 11 + Cemetery 87 136-7 + Church 136-7 + Theatre 83 143 242 256 + Vines (or Monks' Vineyard) 70-8 81 131-2-4 275 409 + Watts's Almshouses 151 + " Charity 72 142-160 176 409 + + Rye 345 + + Ryland Mr. Arthur 144-5; + Mrs. 33 144 + + + SANDLING 310 + + Sandwich 345 + + Sapsea's House 72-5-6 117 + + Satis House 78 97 156-8 + + _Seven Poor Travellers_ 70 98 106 142-3 150 160 380 + + Seymour R. 58 + + Sheerness 54; + Cockle-shell Hard 101 + + Sheppard Dr. 342-3-4 + + Shorne 87 137 194 358 391-3 400-2; + Church 403-4; + Ridgway 379 + + Sisters Reculver 324 + + _Sketches by Boz_ 26 64 258 270 + + _Sketches of Young Gentlemen_ 31; + _of Young Couples_ 31 + + Smetham Henry 368 + + Smith C. Roach 52 101 148 231-238 290 311 366 + + Smith E. Orford 303 + + Snodland 288 290; + Brook 135; + Weir 135 + + Somerset House 38 264 421-3 + + _Song of the Wreck_ 33-4-5 415 + + South Kensington Museum 249 396 412 + + Spencer Herbert 190 406 + + Stanfield C. 20 32-3 86 241 + + Stanley Dean 88 137 423 + + Staplehurst 93; + Accident 198 200-1-9 + + Staple Inn 22-4-7 + + Star Hill 70 83 + + Steele Dr. 174 237-246 + + Sterry J. Ashby 3 329 345-6 + + Stone F. 36; + M. 91 196 200-2-7 + + _Strange Gentleman_ 26 + + St. Luke's Church Chelsea 26 + + St. Margaret's 92; + Church 151 + + St. Mary's Church Chatham 92 255; + Place 260-2 + + St. Mary's Church Portsea 255 285-6 + + St. Nicholas' Church Rochester 81 114 136-7; + Cemetery 87 136-7 + + St. Nicholas' Church Strood 211 + + St. Pancras' Road 39; + Church 39 + + Strood 50-5 68 80 162 182 195 211-250 + "Crispin and Crispianus" 217-220 + Elocution Society 235 + St. Nicholas' Church 211 + Preceptory 212 + Quarry House 212 + Temple Farm 211 + + _Sunday under Three Heads_ 26 + + Symond's Inn 19 + + Syms Mr. 82 115-117 + + + _TALE OF TWO CITIES_ 17 37-9 171 204 397 + + Tavistock Square 32; + House 32-3-6-7 42 86 171 325 + + Taylor Mrs. 368-9 + + Temple 17; + Bar 17; + Middle Temple Lane 17; + Fountain Court 17 + + Temple Farm 211 + + Thackeray W. M. 24-6-7 234 + + Thames River 188 314 350; + Valley 358 378 403 + + _Times_ 410-414 + + Tom-All-Alone's 268 + + _Tom Thumb_ 33 + + Town Malling 292-3-4 302-306 + + Tribe Ald. 264; + Master and Miss 258 264; + John 264 + + Trood W. S. 175 206-209 400; + Edward 2 7 220 + + + _UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER_ 6 7 37 83 159 163-5 171 220 264-9 + 278 + + Upnor Castle 155 + + + _VILLAGE COQUETTES_ 376 + + Vines The 70-8 81 131-2-4 275 + + + WAGHORN LIEUT. 257 + + Watts Richard 55 142; + Almshouses 151; + Charity 72 142-160 176; + Memorial 157-8 + + Weald of Kent 316 + + Weller Mary 265-6; + (_and see_ Gibson Mary) + + Westminster Abbey 87-8 137 404 423-4 + + Whiston Rev. R. 88-90 160 + + Whitefriars Street 17 + + Whitehall 48 + + Whitstable 323 + + Wildish W. T. 82 118 175 265 382 + + Wills W. H. 152; + W. G. 152 193-4 + + Winchelsea 345 + + Woburn Square 31 + + Wood H. 273-4 + + Worsfold C. K. 347 + + _Wreck of the Golden Mary_ 260 + + Wright Mr. 372-3 415; + Mrs. 370-373 + + +THE END. + + * * * * * + +_Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, London & Bungay._ + + * * * * * + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Obvious punctuation errors repaired with the exception of the rounded +brackets on pages 224 and 225 as those were replicas of printings. These +two instances were left open but not closed. + +Page xiv, "round" changed to "Round" (where "All the Year Round") + +Page 132, "entited" changed to "entitled" (the illustration entitled) + +Page 414, "caligraphy" changed to "calligraphy" (the calligraphy of) + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Week's Tramp in Dickens-Land, by +William R. 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