s of age, named Ellen Jones, who in recent years has been
interviewed as to her impressions of Borrow's visit. 'He did speak
_funny_ Welsh,' she says, '... he could not pronounce the "ll." 'He had
plenty of words, but bad pronunciation.'--Herbert Jenkins: _Life of
Borrow_, p. 418. But Borrow in _Wild Wales_ frequently admits his
imperfect acquaintance with spoken Welsh.

CHAPTER XXXIII

LIFE IN LONDON, 1860-1874

George Borrow's earlier visits to London are duly recorded, with that
glamour of which he was a master, in the pages of _Lavengro_. Who can
cross London Bridge even to-day without thinking of the apple-woman and
her copy of _Moll Flanders_; and many passages of Borrow's great book
make a very special appeal to the lover of London. Then there was that
visit to the Bible Society's office made on foot from Norwich, and the
expedition a few months later to pass an examination in the Manchu
language. When he became a country squire and the author of the very
successful _Bible in Spain_ Borrow frequently visited London, and his
various residences may be traced from his letters. Take, for example,
these five notes to his wife, the first apparently written in 1848, but
all undated:

To Mrs. George Borrow

_Tuesday afternoon._

MY DEAR WIFE,--I just write you a line to tell you that I am
tolerably well as I hope you are. Every thing is in confusion
abroad. The French King has disappeared and will probably never
be heard of, though they are expecting him in England. Funds
are down nearly to eighty. The Government have given up the
income tax and people are very glad of it. _I am not._ With
respect to the funds, if I were to sell out I should not know
what to do with the money. J. says they will rise. I do not
think they will, they may, however, fluctuate a little.--Keep
up your spirits, my heart's dearest, and kiss old Hen. for me.

G. B.

To Mrs. George Borrow

53_a_, PALL MALL.

DEAR WIFE CARRETA,--I write you a line as I suppose you will be
glad to have one. I dine to-night with Murray and Cooke, and we
are going to talk over about _The Sleeping Bard_; both are very
civil. I have been reading hard at the Museum and have lost no
time. Yesterday I went to Greenwich to see the Leviathan. It is
almost terrible to look at, and seems too large for the river.
It resembles a float