timation
of the change about to occur in my own circumstances was in 1880, the
year in which I left the editorship of the _Northern Echo_ to
become the assistant of Mr. John Morley[6] on the _Pall Mall
Gazette_.

[6] Now Lord Morley.

On New Year's Day, 1880, it was forcibly impressed upon my mind that I
was to leave Darlington in the course of that year. I remember on the
1st of January meeting a journalistic confrere on my way from Darlington
station to the _Northern Echo_ office. After wishing him a Happy
New Year, I said, "This is the last New Year's Day I shall ever spend in
Darlington; I shall leave the _Northern Echo_ this year." My friend
looked at me in some amazement, and said, "And where are you going to?"
"To London," I replied, "because it is the only place which could tempt
me from my present position, which is very comfortable, and where I have
perfect freedom to say my say." "But," said my friend, somewhat
dubiously, "what paper are you going to?" "I have no idea in the world,"
I said; "neither do I know a single London paper which would offer me a
position on their staff of any kind, let alone one on which I would have
any liberty of utterance. I see no prospect of any opening anywhere. But
I know for certain that before the year is out I shall be on the staff
of a London paper." "Come," said my friend, "this is superstition, and
with a wife and family I hope you will do nothing rashly." "You need not
fear as to that," I said; "I shall not seek any position elsewhere, it
will have to come to me if I have to go to it. I am not going to throw
myself out of a berth until I know where my next place is to be. Humanly
speaking, I see no chance of my leaving Darlington, yet I have no more
doubt than of my own existence that I shall be gone by this time next
year." We parted.

The General Election soon came upon us, and when the time came for
renewing my engagement on the _Northern Echo_, I had no option but
to renew my contract and bind myself to remain at Darlington until July,
1880. Although I signed the contract, when the day arrived on which I
had either to give notice or renew my engagement, I could not shake from
me the conviction that I was destined to leave Darlington at least six
months before my engagement expired. At that time the _Pall Mall
Gazette_ was edited by Mr. Greenwood, and was, of all the papers in
the land, the most antipathetic to the principles upon which I had
conducted the