hur's head that when we
come back to Hull, we are to come here, and are to have the Town Hall (a
beautiful building), and read to the million. I can't say yet. That
depends. I remember that when I was here before (I came from Rockingham
to make a speech), I thought them a dull and slow audience. I hope I may
have been mistaken. I never saw better audiences than the Yorkshire
audiences generally.

I am so perpetually at work or asleep, that I have not a scrap of news.
I saw the Leech family at Scarboro', both in my own house (that is to
say, hotel) and in theirs. They were not at either reading. Scarboro' is
gay and pretty, and I think Gordon had an idea that we were always at
some such place.

Kiss the darling Plorn for me, and give him my love; dear Katie too,
giving her the same. I feel sorry that I cannot get down to Gad's Hill
this next time, but I shall look forward to our being there with Georgy,
after Scotland. Tell the servants that I remember them, and hope they
will live with us many years.

Ever, my dearest Mamie,
Your most affectionate Father.

[Sidenote: Miss Hogarth.]

KING'S HEAD, SHEFFIELD, _Friday, Sept. 17th, 1858._

I write you a few lines to Tavistock House, thinking you may not be
sorry to find a note from me there on your arrival from Gad's Hill.

Halifax was too small for us. I never saw such an audience though. They
were really worth reading to for nothing, though I didn't do exactly
that. It is as horrible a place as I ever saw, I think.

The run upon the tickets here is so immense that Arthur is obliged to
get great bills out, signifying that no more can be sold. It will be by
no means easy to get into the place the numbers who have already paid.
It is the hall we acted in. Crammed to the roof and the passages. We
must come back here towards the end of October, and are again altering
the list and striking out small places.

The trains are so strange and unintelligible in this part of the country
that we were obliged to leave Halifax at eight this morning, and
breakfast on the road--at Huddersfield again, where we had an hour's
wait. Wills was in attendance on the platform, and took me (here at
Sheffield, I mean) out to Frederick Lehmann's house to see Mrs. Wills.
She looked pretty much the same as ever, I thought, and was taking care
of a very pretty little boy. The house and grounds are as nice