comers, even sometimes
entertaining solicitors unawares.

Accordingly I laid myself open to the attention of kind friends and
people whose manner of life was founded on the Christian principle of
being "given to hospitality."

But before I come to the particular incident I wish to describe, I
must briefly mention a remarkable case that was tried in the Queen's
Bench, and which necessarily throws me back a year or two in my
narrative.

It was a case known as "Boyle and Lawson," and the incident it reveals
will give an idea of the state of society of that day. I am not sure
whether it differs in many respects from that of the present, except
in so far as its _honour_ is concerned, for what was looked upon then
as a flagrant outrage on public morality is now regarded as an error
of judgment, or a mistake occasioned by some fortuitous combination
of unconsidered circumstances. Such is the value in literature and
argument of long words without meaning.

However, the action was brought against the proprietors of the _Times_
newspaper for libel. The libel consisted in the statement that the
respectable plaintiff--a lady--had conspired with persons unknown to
obtain false letters of credit for large sums of money.

The hospitable friends I refer to lived in excellent style in Norwich.
How they had attained their social distinction I am unable to say, but
they were, in fact, in the "very best set," which in Norwich was by no
means the fastest.

I was travelling at this time with Charles Willshire and his brother
Thomas, who was a mere youth. There was also an undergraduate of
Cambridge of the name of Crook with us, and another who had joined our
party for a few days' ramble.

We were enjoying ourselves in the old city of Norwich as only youth
can, when we received an invitation to pass an evening in a very
fashionable circle. How the invitation came I could not tell, but
we made no inquiry and accepted it. Arrived at the house, which was
situated in the most aristocratic neighbourhood that Norwich could
boast, we found ourselves in the most agreeable society we could
wish to meet. This was a group of exalted and fashionable personages
arrayed in costumes of the superb Prince Regent style. Nothing could
exceed this party in elegance of costume or manners. You could tell
at once they were, as it was then expressed, "of the quality." Their
cordiality was equalled only by their courtesy, and had we been
princes of the blo