He told me as how, when the Copperashun fust took possesshun of it, it was nothink but a Baron Swomp, but that, what with the spending of lots of money, and the souperintending genus of Major MAKENZIE, in two years it was maid to blossom like a rose.  I spent a werry plessant arternoon there, and drove home in style on the Box Seat of a reel Company’s Bus.  The nex day I went to Higate Wood, another of the grate works of the good old Copperashun.  And lawks, what a difference!  No swarms of children a playing about on the grass, but lots and lots on ’em a racing about among the hundreds of trees, and their warious fathers and mothers a looking on with smiling faces and prowd looks.  There is one place in the werry middle of the Wood where no less than sewen parths meets, and there the Copperashun Committee has bilt up a bewtifool Founting, and a long hinskripshun in praise of Water, tho I shood dout if they speaks from werry much pussonal xperience.  I was told as how, when they fust hopened the Founting, the Chairman made a bewtifool speech, and ended by saying, “Water, brite Water for me, and Wine for the trembling Debborshee,” and then they all went off to a jolly good dinner.

With that artistick taste as so distinguishes ’em, they have crissened the place where the seven roads meets, “The Seven Dials.”  There was crowds of peeple there, all enjoying of themselves in a nice quiet way, and altogether it was a werry werry nice site.

The werry next day I started in the warm sunshine for pretty West Ham Park, and had a leetle adwenture as ushal, for jest as I got there who shoud I meet but the rayther sillybrated Parson of the Parish—­tho’ judgin by aperiences I shoud have took him for the Bishop of ESSEX—­and seeing me in my new Hat and my best black Coat, he werry naterally took me for a inquiring Wisitor, and told me all about the good deed of the Copperashun in saving the Park for the good of the Peeple.  There was some werry little chaps a playing Cricket as before despite of the Law, and they had a reel bat too, and one on ’em, seeing me a looking on apruvingly, gave the ball such a tremenjus blow that he got a tooer, so I called out braywo!

There seemed a lot of washing going on jest outside the Park, the white shirts and settera, flustering gaily in the breeze.  But, as the Poet says, “they’re allus Washing somewheres in the World!” The common peeple was orderd to walk on the footpaths, but a gardiner told me as them orders was not ment for such as me.  I had a most copious Lunch for tuppense in the helegant Pawillion, and being in a jowial and ginerus mood, I treated six of the jewwenile natives to a simmeler Bankwet.  Then there is the sillibrated Band as the Copperashun perwides twice a week, on which occasions reserwed seats is charged a penny each.  The werry adwanced state of the musical taste of the nayberhood may be judged by the fact, that at a Concert close by, a “Ode to a Butterfly” was to be played on a base Trombone!