trees, and imitate its screech as a
signal that I was there, and then come along the road to where the fence
and the hedge met and squeeze through into the kitchen garden, and sit
down on the trunk of an old walnut tree and wait. It was here that most
of our courting was done.

This went on for some time, till the young lady was sent away as
companion to an old lady at Bath, but correspondence was both difficult
and expensive. As every letter cost eightpence for postage it was too
expensive to last long. I would sometime be able to get them franked,
which was a privilege allowed Members of Parliament and certain persons
in an official position to send them free of charge. I could generally
get a couple sent off in this way by meeting the manservant of an old
officer in the hospital, and treating him to a four of hot rum at the
Phoenix Tavern, in Smith Street.

CHAPTER 9.--An Exciting Experience.

I was always fairly successful in getting employment, as I was always
ready and willing to earn a few shillings, our circumstances being needy.
I recollect sitting at home one Saturday evening when a friend of
mother's came in who kept an old tavern at the bottom of Church Street,
and was in sad trouble. She had just been to Doctor Philpot at the
corner of the street for advice, and found out the doctor had been
attending her husband for what was then known as the "Blue Devils," after
a drinking bout. The potman who had attended to him had gone to take his
pension and had not come back, and could not be found anywhere, and the
patient was very restless, and there was no one in the house but her, the
servant, and a young girl who served in the bar. She was afraid to be
left, and I was asked if I would mind going home with her, and if she
could get no one else I was to stop there where the young people and I
knew each other well. I consented and started with her. By that time it
was nearly eleven o'clock, and we found the patient quiet, and had been
sleeping; and as soon as we could get the customers out, we closed the
house, and had a good supper. The servant had been sitting with him. It
was then past one o'clock when I went upstairs; it was a beautiful bright
moonlight night, with the moon shining in through the garret casements,
making it almost as light as day. There was very little furniture in the
room; an old three-legged round bedroom table and two or three rush
bottom chairs, a bedroom candlestick,