excellent men, who forgot the atrocities of the system it
displaced in their indignation at the needless and cruel harshness with
which it was worked at the outset, I have not at hand the means of
knowing. But certainly this continued to be strongly the feeling of
Dickens, who exulted in nothing so much as at any misadventure to the
Whigs in connection with it. "How often used Black and I," he wrote to
me in April, "to quarrel about the effect of the poor-law bill! Walter
comes in upon the cry. See whether the Whigs go out upon it." It was the
strong desire he had to make himself heard upon it, even in Parliament,
that led him not immediately to turn aside from a proposal, now
privately made by some of the magnates of Reading, to bring him in for
that borough; but the notion was soon dismissed, as, on its revival
more than once in later times, it continued very wisely to be. His
opinions otherwise were extremely radical at present, as will be
apparent shortly; and he did not at all relish Peel's majority of one
when it came soon after, and unseated the Whigs. It was just now, I may
add, he greatly enjoyed a quiet setting-down of Moore by Rogers at Sir
Francis Burdett's table, for talking exaggerated toryism. So debased was
the House of Commons by reform, said Moore, that a Burke, if you could
find him, would not be listened to. "No such thing, Tommy," said Rogers;
"_find yourself_, and they'd listen even to you."

This was not many days before he hinted to me an intention soon to be
carried out in a rather memorable manner: "I have done nothing to-day"
(18th March: we had bought books together, the day before, at Tom Hill's
sale) "but cut the _Swift_, looking into it with a delicious laziness in
all manner of delightful places, and put poor Tom's books away. I had a
letter from Edinburgh this morning, announcing that Jeffrey's visit to
London will be the week after next; telling me that he drives about
Edinburgh declaring there has been 'nothing so good as Nell since
Cordelia,' which he writes also to all manner of people; and informing
me of a desire in that romantic town to give me greeting and welcome.
For this and other reasons I am disposed to make Scotland my destination
in June rather than Ireland. Think, _do_ think, meantime (here are ten
good weeks), whether you couldn't, by some effort worthy of the owner of
the gigantic helmet, go with us. Think of such a fortnight,--York,
Carlisle, Berwick, your own Borders,