rrow, or
rather how little insight she was able to bring to a study of his
curious character. The rest of her attempt at interpretation is largely
taken up to demonstrate how much more clever and more learned she was
than Borrow. Altogether it is a sorry spectacle this of the
pseudo-philanthropist relating her conversations with a man broken by
misfortune and the death of his wife. Many of Miss Cobbe's statements
have passed into current biographies and have doubtless found
acceptance.[233] I do not find them convincing. Archdeacon Whately on
the other hand tells us that he always found Borrow 'most civil and
hospitable,' and his sister gives us the following 'impression':

When Mr. Borrow returned from this Spanish journey, which had
been full, as we all know, of most entertaining adventures,
related with much liveliness and spirit by himself, he was
regarded as a kind of 'lion' in the literary circles of London.
When we first saw him it was at the house of a lady who took
great pleasure in gathering 'celebrities' in various ways
around her, and our party was struck with the appearance of
this renowned traveller--a tall, thin, spare man with
prematurely white hair and intensely dark eyes, as he stood
upright against the wall of one of the drawing-rooms and
received the homage of lion-hunting guests, and listened in
silence to their unsuccessful attempts to make him talk.'[234]

Another reminiscence of Borrow in London is furnished by Mr. A. T.
Story, who writes:[235]

I had the pleasure of meeting Borrow on several occasions in
London some forty years ago. I cannot be quite certain of the
year, but I think it was either in 1872 or '73. I saw him first
in James Burns's publishing office in Southampton Row. I
happened to call just as a tall, strongly-built man with an
unforgettable face was leaving. When he had gone, Mr. Burns
asked: 'Do you know who that gentleman was?' and when I said I
did not, he said: 'He is the man whose book, _The Bible in
Spain_, I saw you take down from the shelf there the other day
and read.' 'What, George Borrow?' I exclaimed. He nodded, and
then said Borrow had called several times.

A few days later I had an opportunity of making the good man's
acquaintance and hearing a conversation between him and Mr.
Burns. They talked about Spiritualism, with which Borrow