orrowed
money, collected old and long-despaired of debts, tore down the old hotel
and the other buildings, planned and bargained with architects--it was
then that I designed the facade before described--and built six stores,
two of them very handsome granite buildings, on the old site. In short,
he made of it a very valuable estate. And as he superintended with great
skill and ability the smallest details of the building, which was for
that time remarkably well executed, I thought I recognised whence it was
that I derived the strongly developed tendency for architecture which I
have always possessed. I have since made 400 copies of old churches in
England.

This was a happy period, when life was without a cloud, excepting my
mother's trouble. As my father could now well afford it, he made me an
allowance, which, with my earnings from the _Bulletin_ and other
occasional literary work, justified me in getting married. I had had a
long but still very happy engagement. So we were married by the
Episcopal ceremony at the house of my father-in-law in Tenth Street, and
a very happy wedding it was. I remember two incidents. Before the
ceremony, the Reverend Mr., subsequently Bishop Wilmer, took me, with
George Boker, into a room and explained to me the symbolism of the
marriage-ring. Now, if there was a subject on earth which I, the old
friend of Creuzer of Heidelberg, and master of Friedrich's _Symbolik_,
and Durandus, and the work "On Finger-Rings," knew all about, it was
_that_; and I never shall forget the droll look which Boker threw at me
as the discourse proceeded. But I held my peace, though sadly tempted to
set forth my own archaeological views on the subject.

The second was this: Philadelphia, as Mr. Philipps has said, abounds in
folk-lore. Some one suggested that the wedding would be a lucky one
because there was only one clergyman present. But I remarked that among
our coloured waiters there was one who had a congregation (my wife's
cousin, by the way, had a coloured bishop for coachman). However, this
sable cloud did not disturb us.

We went to New York, and were visited by many friends, and returned to
Philadelphia. We lived for the first year at the La Pierre Hotel, where
we met with many pleasant people, such as Thackeray, Thalberg, Ole Bull,
Mr. and Mrs. Choteau, of St. Louis, and others. Of Thalberg I have
already remarked, in my notes to my translation of Heine's _Salon_, that
he impressed