elen's Place, and passing the picturesque, narrow facade
(or front) of Crosby Hall, Mrs. Pitt took them along Cheapside, one of
the most crowded streets of the city. The amount of traffic is
tremendous there, and it is said that sometimes teams are held eight
hours in the alleys before they can get out. They noted Bow Church,
and the site of John Gilpin's house at the corner of Paternoster Row.

"Oh, is that the John Gilpin in Cowper's poem?" cried John, excitedly.
"He lived here, did he? And where did he ride to?"

"I believe he went out through Tottenham and Edmonton. Mrs. Gilpin was
at the Bell Inn at Edmonton when she saw her husband fly by. Over the
entrance at the Bell is such a funny picture of the scene! They don't
know just where he went, do they, Mother?" inquired Barbara.

"No, I rather think not," was Mrs. Pitt's laughing answer. "Let's walk
through Paternoster Row, now. The little bookshops are so old and
quaint! For centuries the booksellers have been loyal to this
locality, but I hear that they are beginning to move elsewhere now.
Here's Amen Corner, and Ave Maria Lane is not far away. In London,
there's a reason for the name of almost every street. The monks, in
walking from the river to St. Paul's, used to be telling their beads
and reciting their prayers all the while. You see, the Ave Maria was
said at this point, and back at the corner came an Amen. In olden
days, the makers of rosaries and paternosters had their shops in the
little street we have just left, as well as the booksellers. The
streets leading off Cheapside show what business was carried on there;
for instance, on the south side are Bread, Candles, Soap, Fish, and
Money-changing; and on the north side are Wood, Milk, Iron, Honey, and
Poultry. By the by, the poet Milton was born in Bread Street. The
ironmongers congregated in Ironmongers Lane; the vintners or
wine-merchants were in the Vintry; and the makers of hosiery in
Hosiery Lane. Now we'll go to Chancery Lane, and pay a short visit to
the Record Office, for there are some things there which I want you to
see."

The Public Record Office is a modern building, constructed for the
purpose of keeping the valuable State documents and archives, which,
during the present reign, have been moved from the Tower and the
Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. The different departments of
government are continually handing over to the Record Office papers
which are no longer needed for daily use.