r collection at South Kensington, which relate
to some private matters in connection with publishing arrangements. The
document is certainly interesting from this point of view (_i. e._ the
system which Dickens used), and from its reference to life at Gad's
Hill, and especially to cricket, the favourite game mentioned many times
in this book, in which the novelist took so much interest. Mr. Henry
Fielding Dickens, with whom I had on another occasion some conversation
on the subject of this souvenir of his youth at Gad's Hill, remarked
that many more important issues had hung upon much more slender
evidence. It was done about the year 1865-6, before he went to college.

At our interview Mr. H. F. Dickens told me the details of the following
touching incident which happened at one of the cricket matches at Gad's
Hill. His father was as usual attired in flannels, acting as umpire and
energetically taking the score of the game, when there came out from
among the bystanders a tall, grizzled, and sun-burnt Sergeant of the
Guards. The Sergeant walked straight up to Mr. Dickens, saying, "May I
look at you, sir?" "Oh, yes!" said the novelist, blushing up to the
eyes. The Sergeant gazed intently at him for a minute or so, then stood
at attention, gave the military salute, and said, "God bless you, sir."
He then walked off and was seen no more. In recounting this anecdote,
Mr. H. F. Dickens agreed with me that, reading between the lines, one
can almost fancy some lingering reminiscences similar to those in the
early experience of Private Richard Doubledick.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] Since our tramp in Dickens-Land, Messrs. Winch and Sons have, with
liberality and good taste, restored the old sign at this historic
hostelry with which the memory of Charles Dickens is associated. It has
been suggested that the sign may possibly have had its origin from the
Battle of Agincourt fought on the day of "Saints Crispin-Crispian," 25th
October, 1415. Victories in more recent times have been thus
commemorated on sign-boards, such as the _Vigo_ expedition, and the
fights at Portobello, Trafalgar, Waterloo, Alma, and elsewhere, and the
heroes who won them thus celebrated.

The sign, which is very well painted, represents the patron saints of
the shoe-making fraternity, the holy brothers, Crispin and Crispian, at
work on their cobbler's bench. The legend runs that it was at Soissons,
in the year 287, while they were so employed "labouring with their