serted me on purpose; so when we were in Edinburgh
together shortly afterwards, I arranged with a Leeds guard whom I knew to
put Blakey into a North of Scotland train instead of the one for
Keighley. This the guard managed all right, poor Blakey being taken 200
miles further from home. When he at last got into the south train he was
taken on to Bradford, and he told me that the ten miles' walk from
Bradford to Keighley at midnight was worse than travelling the whole 400
miles. Notwithstanding these differences, we continued good friends until
he finally left Keighley for Leeds, where he died after a few years.

CHAPTER XX

THE LATE MR LEACH IN LONDON

It was in 1872 that Mr James Leach formed one of a deputation from the
Keighley Local Board to London on business relating to the erection of a
new railway bridge at Keighley Station. Mr Leach was accompanied by his
wife. Arrived at the big city, the deputation made for the law offices of
the Houses of Parliament, where they were informed that their presence
would not be required until the following morning. Then Mr and Mrs Leach
separated from the deputation and went their own way, the "Squire"
declaring his determination to see all that was to be seen of London.

IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS

The couple first of all spent a time in the House of Commons listening to
the debate, and then they were introduced by Mr (now Sir) Francis Sharp
Powell to the (late) Duke of Devonshire. His Grace, Mr Leach told me,
seemed mightily pleased to see visitors from Keighley. He stated his
desire to "hear t' spekin' i' t' Lords," and his Grace was showing him
into the gentlemen's gallery, and Mrs Leach into the ladies' gallery,
when Mr Leach objected, exclaiming in by no means suppressed tone:--"Nay,
---, it; they can dew this at t' Keighley Workus, but let me be wi' ahr
Sarah." The Duke was good enough to respect the feelings of his visitors,
and had Mr and Mrs Leach placed in a private box, where, together, they
could listen to the debate going on in the gilded chamber.

AT A FANCY DRESS BALL

After tea at their lodgings--which were at a large hotel in
Westminster--Mr Leach started out with his wife, and eventually landed
her into a place where _bal masque_ was going on. As the old gentleman
described to me on his return, "One o' them hawf donned women com' up ta
me, an' puttin' her hand on mi' shoulder sho said, 'Owd boy, you're very
welcome.' Then she spied ahr S