we were passing along to church, that he frequently laid his
hand upon his heart, and seemed in pain. He said he hoped he should be
able to get through the evening, but that when he was not well,
excitement was apt to bring on a spasm about the heart; but with it all
he seemed so cheerful, lively, and benignant, that I could not but feel
my affections drawn towards him. Mrs. Wardlaw is a gentle, motherly
woman, and it was a great comfort to have her with me on such an
occasion.

Our carriage stopped at last at the place. I have a dim remembrance of a
way being made for us through a great crowd all round the house, and of
going with Mrs. Wardlaw up into a dressing room, where I met and shook
hands with many friendly people. Then we passed into a gallery, where a
seat was reserved for our party, directly in front of the audience. Our
friend Baillie Paton presided. Mrs. Wardlaw and I sat together, and
around us many friends, chiefly ministers of the different churches, the
ladies and gentlemen of the Glasgow Antislavery Society, and others.

I told you it was a tea party; but the arrangements were altogether
different from any I had ever seen. There were narrow tables stretched
up and down the whole extent of the great hall, and every person had an
appointed seat. These tables were set out with cups and saucers, cakes,
biscuit, &c., and when the proper time came, attendants passed along
serving tea. The arrangements were so accurate and methodical that the
whole multitude actually took tea together, without the least apparent
inconvenience or disturbance.

There was a gentle, subdued murmur of conversation all over the house,
the sociable clinking of teacups and teaspoons, while the entertainment
was going on. It seemed to me such an odd idea, I could not help
wondering what sort of a teapot that must be, in which all this tea for
two thousand people was made. Truly, as Hadji Baba says, I think they
must have had the "father of all teakettles" to boil it in. I could not
help wondering if old mother Scotland had put two thousand teaspoonfuls
of tea for the company, and one for the teapot, as is our good Yankee
custom.

We had quite a sociable time up in our gallery. Our tea table stretched
quite across the gallery, and we drank tea "in sight of all the people."
By _we_, I mean a great number of ministers and their wives, and ladies
of the Antislavery Society, besides our party, and the friends whom I
have mentioned bef