ere occupied by the singularity of such things.

My father could soon make me forget that I was transplanted; he could
act dog, tame rabbit, fox, pony, and a whole nursery collection alive,
but he was sometimes absent for days, and I was not of a temper to be on
friendly terms with those who were unable to captivate my imagination
as he had done. When he was at home I rode him all round the room and
upstairs to bed, I lashed him with a whip till he frightened me, so
real was his barking; if I said 'Menagerie' he became a caravan of wild
beasts; I undid a button of his waistcoat, and it was a lion that made a
spring, roaring at me; I pulled his coat-tails and off I went tugging at
an old bear that swung a hind leg as he turned, in the queerest way,
and then sat up and beating his breast sent out a mew-moan. Our room
was richer to me than all the Grange while these performances were going
forward. His monkey was almost as wonderful as his bear, only he was too
big for it, and was obliged to aim at reality in his representation of
this animal by means of a number of breakages; a defect that brought
our landlady on the scene. The enchantment of my father's companionship
caused me to suffer proportionately in his absence. During that period
of solitude, my nursemaid had to order me to play, and I would stumble
about and squat in the middle of the floor, struck suddenly by the
marvel of the difference between my present and my other home. My father
entered into arrangements with a Punch and Judy man for him to pay me
regular morning visits opposite our window; yet here again his genius
defeated his kind intentions; for happening once to stand by my side
during the progress of the show, he made it so vivid to me by what he
said and did, that I saw no fun in it without him: I used to dread the
heralding crow of Punch if he was away, and cared no longer for wooden
heads being knocked ever so hard.

On Sundays we walked to the cathedral, and this was a day with a delight
of its own for me. He was never away on the Sunday. Both of us attired
in our best, we walked along the streets hand in hand; my father led
me before the cathedral monuments, talking in a low tone of British
victories, and commending the heroes to my undivided attention. I
understood very early that it was my duty to imitate them. While we
remained in the cathedral he talked of glory and Old England, and
dropped his voice in the middle of a murmured chant to intr