In that gesture and smile I fancied some trace of the polished
man of society, such as he may have once been; though time and hard
weather have roughened him, as they have the once polished marble pillars
which I saw so rude in aspect at Netley Abbey.
Speaking of Dickens last evening, Mr. ------ mentioned his domestic
tastes,--how he preferred home enjoyments to all others, and did not
willingly go much into society. Mrs. ------, too, the other day told us
of his taking on himself all possible trouble as regards his domestic
affairs. . . . . There is a great variety of testimony, various and
varied, as to the character of Dickens. I must see him before I finally
leave England.
July 13th.--On Friday morning (11th), at nine o'clock, I took the rail
into town to breakfast with Mr. Milnes. As he had named a little after
ten as the hour, I could not immediately proceed to his house, and so
walked moderately over London Bridge and into the city, meaning to take a
cab from Charing Cross, or thereabouts. Passing through some street or
other, contiguous to Cheapside, I saw in a court-yard the entrance to the
Guildhall, and stepped in to look at it. It is a spacious hall, about
one hundred and fifty feet long, and perhaps half as broad, paved with
flagstones which look worn and some of them cracked across; the roof is
very lofty and was once vaulted, but has been shaped anew in modern
times. There is a vast window partly filled with painted glass,
extending quite along each end of the hall, and a row of arched windows
on either side, throwing their light from far above downward upon the
pavement.
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