e of
personal unbecomingness, and although not precisely a martinet for
clerical exactness, he had strict notions of propriety.

The new Redemptorist foundation was at Clapham, three miles south of
London Bridge. The house was a large, old-fashioned mansion and had
been owned by Lord Teignmouth, a notorious anti-Catholic bigot. Some
of the larger rooms had been thrown together into one, and this was
used temporarily as a public chapel. Just as the young Redemptorists
arrived, Father Petcherine was preaching to the congregation. He was
a Russian convert, and the new-comers were astonished at his good
English and his eloquence. He was one of the many extraordinary men
who adorned the order at that time. He was master not only of his
native tongue, but of English, German, Italian, French, and modern
Greek, and could preach well in all of these languages. Clapham was
reached on September 23, 1848, and shortly afterwards Father Walworth
was sent to do missionary as well as parish work in Worcestershire,
and remained there the greater part of the two years which were spent
by our Americans in England.

From Clapham Brother Hecker wrote, on September 27, 1848:

"I am at present, dear mother, in a newly-established house in the
city of London, having come here by order of my superiors to continue
and finish my studies. Bodily I am nearer to you than I was, and
naturally speaking I am much more at home here than I was on the
Continent. But this is of little or no moment, for a good religious
should find his home where he can best execute the will of his Divine
Master. And would you not, dear mother, rather see me in China than
in the United States if, by being there, I should be more agreeable
to our Blessed Saviour, who left the house of His Father to save us
poor abandoned sinners upon the earth? Our house here is situated
somewhat out of the dense and busy part of the city, at Clapham; a
fine garden is attached to it, and even in a worldly view I could not
desire it to be more agreeable. And did not our Lord promise to give
those who would leave all to follow Him, 'a hundred fold more in this
world and life everlasting in the world to come'? Alas! how many
profess to believe in the Bible and have no faith in the words which
our Lord spoke," etc., etc.

The difficulties of Wittem were not abated at Clapham; rather they
were aggravated by Brother Hecker having to deal with new superiors.
"I remember seeing Hecker at Clapha