It Might Be About Ten Or Eleven O'clock When We Arrived Here.
After
the two Englishmen had first given me some breakfast at their
lodgings, which consisted of tea and bread
And butter, they went
about with me themselves, in their own neighbourhood, in search of
an apartment, which they at length procured for me for sixteen
shillings a week, at the house of a tailor's widow who lived
opposite to them. It was very fortunate, on other accounts, that
they went with me, for equipped as I was, having neither brought
clean linen nor change of clothes from my trunk, I might perhaps
have found it difficult to obtain good lodgings.
It was a very uncommon but pleasing sensation I experienced on being
now, for the first time in my life, entirely among Englishmen:
among people whose language was foreign, their manners foreign, and
in a foreign climate, with whom, notwithstanding, I could converse
as familiarly as though we had been educated together from our
infancy. It is certainly an inestimable advantage to understand the
language of the country through which you travel. I did not at
first give the people I was with any reason to suspect I could speak
English, but I soon found that the more I spoke, the more attention
and regard I met with. I now occupy a large room in front on the
ground floor, which has a carpet and mats, and is very neatly
furnished; the chairs are covered with leather, and the tables are
of mahogany. Adjoining to this I have another large room. I may do
just as I please, and keep my own tea, coffee, bread and butter, for
which purpose my landlady has given me a cupboard in my room, which
locks up.
The family consists of the mistress of the house, her maid, and her
two sons, Jacky and Jerry; singular abbreviations for John and
Jeremiah. The eldest, Jacky, about twelve years old, is a very
lively boy, and often entertains me in the most pleasing manner by
relating to me his different employments at school, and afterwards
desiring me in my turn to relate to him all manner of things about
Germany. He repeats his amo, amas, amavi, in the same singing tone
as our common school-boys. As I happened once when he was by, to
hum a lively tune, he stared at me with surprise, and then reminded
me it was Sunday; and so, that I might not forfeit his good opinion
by any appearance of levity, I gave him to understand that, in the
hurry of my journey, I had forgotten the day. He has already shown
me St. James's Park, which is not far from hence; and now let me
give you some description of the renowned
St. James's Park.
The park is nothing more than a semicircle, formed of an alley of
trees, which enclose a large green area in the middle of which is a
marshy pond.
The cows feed on this green turf, and their milk is sold here on the
spot, quite new.
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