lers, and thus to have made
the seventh. After hearing the story of the Charity "from the decent
body of a wholesome matronly presence" (this was Mrs. Cackett, a former
matron, who is said to have been very much astonished at her appearance
in the drama of _The Seven Poor Travellers_, which she subsequently
witnessed at the Rochester Theatre), he obtains permission to treat the
Travellers to a hot supper. The inn at which the first Traveller stayed
was doubtless our old acquaintance, the Bull, "where the window of his
adjoining bedroom looked down into the Inn yard, just where the lights
of the kitchen redden a massive fragment of the Castle wall." Here was
brewed the "wassail" contained in the "brown beauty," the "turkey" and
"beef" roasted, and the "plum-pudding" boiled. As Mr. Robert Langton
says, "the account of the treat to the poor Travellers is of course
wholly fictitious, although it is accepted as sober truth by many
people, both in Rochester and elsewhere."

It is not our purpose to criticize the seven pretty stories which make
up this Christmas Number, part of the first of which only relates to
Watts's Charity; but we will venture to affirm that the concluding
portion of that story, referring to "Richard Doubledick," "who was a
Poor Traveller with not a farthing in his pocket, and who came limping
down on foot to this town of Chatham," is one of the most touching
instances of Christian forgiveness ever recorded, and hardened indeed
must he be who reads it with dry eyes.

To what extent Dickens himself was affected by this beautiful tale, is
shown by the following extract from a letter addressed by him, on 22nd
December, 1854, to the late Mr. Arthur Ryland, formerly Mayor of
Birmingham, now treasured by his widow, Mrs. Arthur Ryland, who kindly
allowed a copy to be taken:--

"What you write with so much heartiness of my first Poor Traveller is
quite delightful to me. The idea of that little story obtained such
strong possession of me when it came into my head, that it cost me more
time and tears than most people would consider likely. The response it
meets with is payment for anything."

It is also interesting to record that many years afterwards Mr. Ryland
read this story at one of the Christmas gatherings of the Birmingham and
Midland Institute, and subsequently received from an unknown
correspondent--Sergeant A----, of the 106th Light Infantry, then
stationed at Umballa, East Indies, who had noticed an