ed, I
really believe, for five minutes. You would suppose them to be
Manchester shillings instead of Washington half-sovereigns. Immense
enthusiasm.

A devoted adherent in this place (an Englishman) had represented to
Dolby that if I were taken to an hotel here it would be impossible to
secure me a minute's rest, and he undertook to get one Wheleker, a
German, who keeps a little Verey's, to furnish his private dining-rooms
for the illustrious traveller's reception. Accordingly here we are, on
the first and second floor of a small house, with no one else in it but
our people, a French waiter, and a very good French cuisine. Perfectly
private, in the city of all the world (I should say) where the hotels
are intolerable, and privacy the least possible, and quite comfortable.
"Wheleker's Restaurant" is our rather undignified address for the
present week.

I dined (against my rules) with Charles Sumner on Sunday, he having been
an old friend of mine. Mr. Secretary Staunton (War Minister) was there.
He is a man of a very remarkable memory, and famous for his
acquaintance with the minutest details of my books. Give him any passage
anywhere, and he will instantly cap it and go on with the context. He
was commander-in-chief of all the Northern forces concentrated here, and
never went to sleep at night without first reading something from my
books, which were always with him. I put him through a pretty severe
examination, but he was better up than I was.

The gas was very defective indeed last night, and I began with a small
speech, to the effect that I must trust to the brightness of their faces
for the illumination of mine; this was taken greatly. In the "Carol," a
most ridiculous incident occurred all of a sudden. I saw a dog look out
from among the seats into the centre aisle, and look very intently at
me. The general attention being fixed on me, I don't think anybody saw
the dog; but I felt so sure of his turning up again and barking, that I
kept my eye wandering about in search of him. He was a very comic dog,
and it was well for me that I was reading a very comic part of the book.
But when he bounced out into the centre aisle again, in an entirely new
place (still looking intently at me) and tried the effect of a bark upon
my proceedings, I was seized with such a paroxysm of laughter, that it
communicated itself to the audience, and we roared at one another loud
and long.

The President has sent to me twice, and I am