accordingly, advancing a little in front of the neat-aproned, tall, wholesome maid-servants, he promised in his and their name a full and careful obedience to the mistress’s order, but then, wringing his hands and raising them over his head, he added these words:  “What a lesson to us all, my lady."’ On the birth of a little son Hassan triumphantly announced to all callers:  ‘We have got a boy.’  Another of his delightful speeches was made one evening when Prince Louis Napoleon (the late Emperor of the French) dropt in unexpectedly to dinner.  ’Please, my lady,’ said he, on announcing that dinner was ready, ’I ran out and bought two pen’orth of sprats for the honour of the house.’

Though I was only six I distinctly remember the Chartist riots in 1848.  William Bridges Adams, the engineer, an old friend of my great-uncle, Philip Taylor, had a workshop at Bow, and my mother helped to start a library for the men, and sometimes attended meetings and discussed politics with them.  They adored her, and when people talked of possible danger she would smile and say:  ‘My men will look after me.’  On the evening of April 9 a large party of stalwart men in fustian jackets arrived at our house and had supper; Tom Taylor made speeches and proposed toasts which were cheered to the echo, and at last my mother made a speech too, and wound up by calling the men her ’Gordon volunteers.’  The ‘Hip, hip, hurrah!’ with which it was greeted startled the neighbours, who for a moment thought the Chartists had invaded the quiet precincts of the square.

To Mrs. Austin, who was then in Paris, her daughter wrote, on April 10: 

   Dearest Mutter,

’I had only time to write once yesterday, as all hands were full of bustle in entertaining our guests.  I never wish to see forty better gentlemen than we had here last night.  As all was quiet, we had supper—­cold beef, bread and beer—­with songs, sentiments and toasts, such as “Success to the roof we are under,” “Liberty, brotherhood and order.”  Then they bivouacked in the different houses till five this morning, when they started home.  Among the party was a stray policeman, who looked rather wonder-struck.  Tom Taylor was capital, made short speeches, told stories, and kept all in high good-humour; and Alick came home from patrolling as a special constable, and was received with great glee and affection.  All agreed that the fright, to us at least, was well made up by the kindly and pleasant evening.  As no one would take a penny, we shall send books to the library, or a contribution to the school, all our neighbours being quite anxious to pay, though not willing to fraternise.  I shall send cravats as a badge to the “Gordon volunteers.”

   ’I enclose a letter from Eothen [Kinglake] about Paris, which will
   interest you.  My friends of yesterday unanimously decided that Louis
   Blanc would “just suit the ‘lazy set.’”