ft weights and handle heavy things, I would then give him another ten
shillings, and so on.

Since I wrote to Georgy from Scarborough, we have had, thank God,
nothing but success. The Hull people (not generally considered
excitable, even on their own showing) were so enthusiastic, that we were
obliged to promise to go back there for two readings. I have positively
resolved not to lengthen out the time of my tour, so we are now
arranging to drop some small places, and substitute Hull again and York
again. But you will perhaps have heard this in the main from Arthur. I
know he wrote to you after the reading last night. This place I have
always doubted, knowing that we should come here when it was recovering
from the double excitement of the festival and the Queen. But there is a
very large hall let indeed, and the prospect of to-night consequently
looks bright.

Arthur told you, I suppose, that he had his shirt-front and waistcoat
torn off last night? He was perfectly enraptured in consequence. Our men
got so knocked about that he gave them five shillings apiece on the
spot. John passed several minutes upside down against a wall, with his
head amongst the people's boots. He came out of the difficulty in an
exceedingly touzled condition, and with his face much flushed. For all
this, and their being packed as you may conceive they would be packed,
they settled down the instant I went in, and never wavered in the
closest attention for an instant. It was a very high room, and required
a great effort.

Oddly enough, I slept in this house three days last year with Wilkie.
Arthur has the bedroom I occupied then, and I have one two doors from
it, and Gordon has the one between. Not only is he still with us, but he
_has_ talked of going on to Manchester, going on to London, and coming
back with us to Darlington next Tuesday!!!

These streets look like a great circus with the season just finished.
All sorts of garish triumphal arches were put up for the Queen, and they
have got smoky, and have been looked out of countenance by the sun, and
are blistered and patchy, and half up and half down, and are hideous to
behold. Spiritless men (evidently drunk for some time in the royal
honour) are slowly removing them, and on the whole it is more like the
clearing away of "The Frozen Deep" at Tavistock House than anything
within your knowledge--with the exception that we are not in the least
sorry, as we were then. Vague ideas are in Art