so long as the chimney-pots is outside, and the
fire-places in." Not that there was anything grand or ambitious in its
outward appearance, nor sufficiently peculiar to draw any special
attention to it. It was rather wider in front than the ordinary
working-men's cottages, and had a stone parapet above the upper windows,
running the whole length of the building, on which were painted, in
large black letters, the words, "Bradly's Temperance Hospital."

As might have been expected, this inscription brought on him a storm of
ridicule and reproach, which he took very quietly; but if any one asked
him in a civil way what he meant by the words, his reply used to be,
"Any confirmed drunkard's welcome to come to my house for advice gratis,
and I'll warrant to make a perfect cure of him, if he'll only follow my
prescription." And when further asked what that prescription might be,
he would reply, "Just this: let the patient sign the pledge, and keep
it." And many a poor drunkard, whom he had lured up to his house, and
then pleaded and prayed with earnestly, had already proved the efficacy
of this remedy.

When blamed by foes or friends for misleading people by putting such
words on his house, he would say--"Where's the harm? Haven't I as much
right to call my house `Temperance Hospital' as Ben Roberts has to call
his public `The Staff of Life'? What has _his_ `Staff of Life' done?
Why, to my certain knowledge, it has just proved a broken staff, and let
down scores of working-men into the gutter. But my `Temperance
Hospital' has helped back many a poor fellow _out_ of the gutter, and
set him on his feet again. It's a free hospital, too, and we're never
full; we takes all patients as comes."

The inside of the house was as suggestive of Thomas's principles and
eccentricities of character as the outside.

The front door opened into a long and narrow hall, lighted by a fan-
light. As you entered, your eyes would naturally fall on the words,
"Picture Gallery," facing you, on the farther wall, just over the
entrance to the kitchen. This "picture gallery" was simply the hall
itself, which had something of the appearance of a photographer's
studio, the walls being partly covered with portraits large and small,
interspersed with texts of Scripture, pledge-cards bearing the names of
himself and family, and large engravings from the _British Workman_,
coloured by one of his sons to give them greater effect. The
photographs we