. . . . But truly I am grateful
to the piety of former times for raising this vast, cool canopy of marble
[St. Paul's] in the midst of the feverish city. I wandered quite round
it, and saw, in a remote corner, a monument to the officers of the
Coldstream Guards, slain in the Crimea. It was a mural tablet, with the
names of the officers on an escutcheon; and two privates of the Guards,
in marble bas-relief, were mourning over them. Over the tablet hung two
silken banners, new and glossy, with the battles in which the regiment
has been engaged inscribed on them,--not merely Crimean but Peninsular
battles. These banners will bang there till they drop away in tatters.
After thus refreshing myself in the cathedral, I went again to
Routledge's in Farrington Street, and saw one of the firm. He expressed
great pleasure at seeing me, as indeed he might, having published and
sold, without any profit on my part, uncounted thousands of my books. I
introduced the subject of Miss Bacon's work; and he expressed the utmost
willingness to do everything in his power towards bringing it before the
world, but thought that his firm--it being their business to publish for
the largest circle of readers--was not the most eligible for the
publication of such a book.
Pages:
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163