hands," that they were seized by the emissaries of the Emperor
Maximinian, and led away to torture and to death. The sign is understood
to have been faithfully copied from a well-known work preserved to this
day, at the church of St. Pantaleon at Troyes.--Abstract of a note in
the _Rochester and Chatham Journal_, October 5th, 1889.

[15] Enthusiastic admirers of Dickens will doubtless envy me the
possession of some remarkable memorials of the great writer. My friend
Mr. Ball is kind enough to present me with a very curious souvenir of
the novelist: his old garden hat! Mr. Ball's father obtained it from the
gardener at Gad's Hill Place, to whom it had been given after his
master's death. The hat is a "grey-bowler," size 7-1/4, maker's name
"Hillhouse," Bond Street, and is the same hat that he is seen to wear in
the photograph of him leaning against the entrance-porch, an engraving
of which appears on page 183. Many hats from Shakespeare and Gesler have
become historical, and there is no reason why Dickens's should not in
the future be an equally interesting personal relic. The gift was
accompanied by a couple of collars belonging to the novelist, with the
initials "C. D." very neatly marked in red cotton. The collar is
technically known as a "Persigny," and its size is 16. Last, not least,
a small bottle of "very rare old Madeira" from Gad's Hill, which calls
to mind pleasant recollections of "the last bottle of the old Madeira,"
opened by dear old Sol. Gills in the final chapter of _Dombey and Son_.
Needless to say, the consumption of the valued contents of Dickens's
bottle is reserved for a very special and appropriate occasion.

[16] This was written soon after our first visit to Strood at the end of
August, 1888. Within little more than two years afterwards, on Thursday,
7th August, 1890, I had the mournful pleasure of being present at the
funeral of my friend, which took place at Frindsbury Church on that day,
in the presence of the sorrowing relatives and of a large concourse of
admirers, both local and from a distance. There were also present many
representatives of distinguished scientific societies, including Dr.
John Evans, F.R.S., Treasurer of the Royal Society, and President of the
Society of Antiquaries.

The kindness which I received from Mr. Roach Smith, to whom I presented
myself in the first instance as a perfect stranger, and which was
extended during the period of two years that I was privileged to e