-storied houses, prominently
situated on the higher ground facing us, beyond the Station. In one of
these houses (No. 11--formerly No. 2) the Dickens family resided from
1817 to 1821. The present occupier is a Mr. Roberts, who kindly allows
us to inspect the interior. It has the dining-room on the left-hand side
of the entrance and the drawing-room on the first floor, and is
altogether a pleasantly-situated, comfortable, and respectable dwelling.
No. 11, "the second house in the terrace," is overgrown with a Virginia
creeper, which, from its possible association with Dickens's earliest
years, may have induced him to plant the now magnificent one which
exists at Gad's Hill. "Here it was," says Forster, "that his first
desire for knowledge, and his greatest passion for reading, were
awakened by his mother, who taught him the first rudiments, not only of
English, but also, a little later, of Latin. She taught him regularly
every day for a long time, and taught him, he was convinced, thoroughly
well." Mr. Langton also says that "It was during his residence here that
some of the happiest hours of the childhood of little Charles were
passed, as his father was in a fairly good position in the Navy Pay
Office, and they were a most genial, lovable family." Here it was that
the theatrical entertainments and the genial parties took place, when,
in addition to his brothers and sisters and his cousin, James Lamert,
there were also present his friends and neighbours, George Stroughill,
and Master and Miss Tribe.

Mr. Langton further states that "Ordnance Terrace is known to have
formed the locality and characters for some of the earlier _Sketches by
Boz_." "The Old Lady" was a Miss Newnham, who lived at No. 5, and who
was, by all accounts, very kind to the Dickens children. The "Half-pay
Captain" was also a near neighbour, and he is supposed to have supplied
one of the earliest characters to Dickens as a mere child. Some of the
neighbours at the corner house next door (formerly No. 1) were named
Stroughill,--pronounced Stro'hill (there was, it will be remembered, a
_Struggles_ at the famous cricket-match at All-Muggleton)--and the son,
George, is said to have had some of the characteristics of Steerforth in
_David Copperfield_. He had a sister named Lucy, probably the "Golden
Lucy," from her beautiful locks, and who, according to Mr. Langton, "was
the special favourite and little sweetheart of Charles Dickens." She was
possibly the p