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early to those who could afford a penny or more to enter. On the stage
was a young girl, dressed in clean apparel. A check apron gathered at
her neck and fell nearly to the tops of her shoes. She was amusing the
audience with a dance they called a "hoe down." She kept time to the
music by the clatter of slip-shod shoes. Then some "Punch and Judy"
exhibition followed, and refreshments similar to those we saw at
Wandsworth, were passed around, from which the hungry could appease
their hunger, and with the tea and coffee, their thirst was satisfied
for a mere trifle.
Thus the hours wore away which might have otherwise been spent, and
would have rendered these people unfit for the next day's work. By ten
o'clock all was over, and a very orderly crowd dispersed, we will hope,
to their homes. The theaters in London are well patronized. I saw among
other plays the "Prisoner of Zenda," and realized fully that to wear the
court train, and handle it, and yourself gracefully must be to wear it
often. The boxes are well patronized by coroneted women. I saw no one
who struck me as being to the manor born. The universal law of removing
all head covering is most strictly observed. The average appearance of
the English woman does not compare with dainty, well-gowned French
woman, but neither English nor French rival the American woman, when she
starts out to please. No one visits London for the first time without
seeing the tower, with its grewsome walls and its regal splendor of the
crown jewels. The national and royal academies claim many hours, and to
visit the churches and cathedrals one makes haste.
We were in London on Easter Sunday. We heard in his own pulpit Dr.
Parker and, more than that, his wife, now deceased, stood on the left of
the pulpit. Before the sermon by her husband, she appealed to the women
of London, as well as the women of every nation, to spare the birds, and
repeated several verses of her own composition in their behalf.
We fully intended to visit the cathedral towns of England, but sickness
of one of our party, deprived us of that privilege, and after a lot of
shopping, and more sight-seeing, we spent one day at Windsor, and saw
the Eton College grounds. Not far away, but in sight, I believe, of
Windsor Castle, is "Stoke Pogis," made memorable by "Gray's Elegy."
Her majesty, the queen, was not at home. We were shown one room in
particular, which has been thrown open to the public since my visit
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