at
a small city it was then! It is curious to know that in spite of that,
there were then one hundred and three churches in London. The real
center of life for centuries was at 'Chepe,' or Cheapside, as it is
now called. You'll see it later."

[Illustration: "THE KING CANNOT PROCEED INTO THE 'CITY' WITHOUT BEING
FIRST RECEIVED AT TEMPLE BAR BY THE LORD MAYOR."--_Page 68._]

Betty had been looking eagerly, even while she listened to what Mrs.
Pitt was saying. Her eyes now rested upon an old church, over the
door of which stood a queer, blackened statue of a queen.

"The church is St. Dunstan's," responded Mrs. Pitt again. "That old
statue of Queen Elizabeth is one of the few things which escaped the
great fire in the reign of Charles II. The figure once stood on the
ancient Lud Gate of the city. They say that it was in the church-yard
of St. Dunstan's that John Milton sold his wonderful poem of 'Paradise
Lost' for five pounds."

"Let's see,--that would be twenty-five dollars, wouldn't it? I haven't
your English money clear in my mind yet," John confided to Philip. "I
can't somehow feel that it's real money unless it's in dollars and
cents."

Philip soon pointed to a little alley-way on their left, and said,
"The Cheshire Cheese is in a little court back of there. You can't
think how many buildings, courts, and alleys are hidden in behind all
of these shops. Some of the old inns, or coffee-houses, which were
famous are (or were) there. Now, here's Ludgate Hill, and in a minute
you'll have a view of St. Paul's."

St. Paul's Cathedral stands on a hill, and because of its position
and huge dome it is the most conspicuous of London's landmarks. But,
because of the closely surrounding buildings, it is much hidden from
near view. As the bus mounted Ludgate Hill, having passed under the
railroad-bridge, they suddenly saw the tremendous cathedral looming up
before them.

They paused for a moment by the statue of Queen Anne, in front of the
main entrance, while Mrs. Pitt, following her delightful habit,
reminded them of certain notable facts.

"No one knows exactly how long there has been a church upon this
site," she began, beckoning them closer to her, as the noise of the
traffic was so great, "but Bede, the oldest historian, says that a
chapel was built here by a Saxon king, before the time of the Romans.
When Sir Christopher Wren, the architect, built this present edifice,
after the great fire of 1666, he found reli