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in this thriving Hall; I fancied I detected a shyness in admitting

that human nature when at leisure has any desire whatever to be

relieved and diverted; and a furtive sliding in of any poor make…

weight piece of amusement; shame…facedly and edgewise。  Thus; I

observed that it was necessary for the members to be knocked on the

head with Gas; Air; Water; Food; the Solar System; the Geological

periods; Criticism on Milton; the Steam…engine; John Bunyan; and

Arrow…Headed Inscriptions; before they might be tickled by those

unaccountable choristers; the negro singers in the court costume of

the reign of George the Second。  Likewise; that they must be

stunned by a weighty inquiry whether there was internal evidence in

Shakespeare's works; to prove that his uncle by the mother's side

lived for some years at Stoke Newington; before they were brought…

to by a Miscellaneous Concert。  But; indeed; the masking of

entertainment; and pretending it was something else … as people

mask bedsteads when they are obliged to have them in sitting…rooms;

and make believe that they are book…cases; sofas; chests of

drawers; anything rather than bedsteads … was manifest even in the

pretence of dreariness that the unfortunate entertainers themselves

felt obliged in decency to put forth when they came here。  One very

agreeable professional singer; who travelled with two professional

ladies; knew better than to introduce either of those ladies to

sing the ballad 'Comin' through the Rye' without prefacing it

himself; with some general remarks on wheat and clover; and even

then; he dared not for his life call the song; a song; but

disguised it in the bill as an 'Illustration。'  In the library;

also … fitted with shelves for three thousand books; and containing

upwards of one hundred and seventy (presented copies mostly);

seething their edges in damp plaster … there was such a painfully

apologetic return of 62 offenders who had read Travels; Popular

Biography; and mere Fiction descriptive of the aspirations of the

hearts and souls of mere human creatures like themselves; and such

an elaborate parade of 2 bright examples who had had down Euclid

after the day's occupation and confinement; and 3 who had had down

Metaphysics after ditto; and 1 who had had down Theology after

ditto; and 4 who had worried Grammar; Political Economy; Botany;

and Logarithms all at once after ditto; that I suspected the

boasted class to be one man; who had been hired to do it。



Emerging from the Mechanics' Institution and continuing my walk

about the town; I still noticed everywhere the prevalence; to an

extraordinary degree; of this custom of putting the natural demand

for amusement out of sight; as some untidy housekeepers put dust;

and pretending that it was swept away。  And yet it was ministered

to; in a dull and abortive manner; by all who made this feint。

Looking in at what is called in Dullborough 'the serious

bookseller's;' where; in my childhood; I had studied the faces of

numbers of gentlemen depicted in rostrums with a gaslight on each

side of them; and casting my eyes over the open pages of certain

printed discourses there; I found a vast deal of aiming at jocosity

and dramatic effect; even in them … yes; verily; even on the part

of one very wrathful expounder who bitterly anathematised a poor

little Circus。  Similarly; in the reading provided for the young

people enrolled in the Lasso of Love; and other excellent unions; I

found the writers generally under a distressing sense that they

must start (at all events) like story…tellers; and delude the young

persons into the belief that they were going to be interesting。  As

I looked in at this window for twenty minutes by the clock; I am in

a position to offer a friendly remonstrance … not bearing on this

particular point … to the designers and engravers of the pictures

in those publications。  Have they considered the awful consequences

likely to flow from their representations of Virtue?  Have they

asked themselves the question; whether the terrific prospect of

acquiring that fearful chubbiness of head; unwieldiness of arm;

feeble dislocation of leg; crispiness of hair; and enormity of

shirt…collar; which they represent as inseparable from Goodness;

may not tend to confirm sensitive waverers; in Evil?  A most

impressive example (if I had believed it) of what a Dustman and a

Sailor may come to; when they mend their ways; was presented to me

in this same shop…window。  When they were leaning (they were

intimate friends) against a post; drunk and reckless; with

surpassingly bad hats on; and their hair over their foreheads; they

were rather picturesque; and looked as if they might be agreeable

men; if they would not be beasts。  But; when they had got over

their bad propensities; and when; as a consequence; their heads had

swelled alarmingly; their hair had got so curly that it lifted

their blown…out cheeks up; their coat…cuffs were so long that they

never could do any work; and their eyes were so wide open that they

never could do any sleep; they presented a spectacle calculated to

plunge a timid nature into the depths of Infamy。



But; the clock that had so degenerated since I saw it last;

admonished me that I had stayed here long enough; and I resumed my

walk。



I had not gone fifty paces along the street when I was suddenly

brought up by the sight of a man who got out of a little phaeton at

the doctor's door; and went into the doctor's house。  Immediately;

the air was filled with the scent of trodden grass; and the

perspective of years opened; and at the end of it was a little

likeness of this man keeping a wicket; and I said; 'God bless my

soul!  Joe Specks!'



Through many changes and much work; I had preserved a tenderness

for the memory of Joe; forasmuch as we had made the acquaintance of

Roderick Random together; and had believed him to be no ruffian;

but an ingenuous and engaging hero。  Scorning to ask the boy left

in the phaeton whether it was really Joe; and scorning even to read

the brass plate on the door … so sure was I … I rang the bell and

informed the servant maid that a stranger sought audience of Mr。

Specks。  Into a room; half surgery; half study; I was shown to

await his coming; and I found it; by a series of elaborate

accidents; bestrewn with testimonies to Joe。  Portrait of Mr。

Specks; bust of Mr。 Specks; silver cup from grateful patient to Mr。

Specks; presentation sermon from local clergyman; dedication poem

from local poet; dinner…card from local nobleman; tract on balance

of power from local refugee; inscribed HOMMAGE DE L'AUTEUR E

SPECKS。



When my old schoolfellow came in; and I informed him with a smile

that I was not a patient; he seemed rather at a loss to perceive

any reason for smiling in connexion with that fact; and inquired to

what was he to attribute the honour?  I asked him with another

smile; could he remember me at all?  He had not (he said) that

pleasure。  I was beginning to have but a poor opinion of Mr。

Specks; when he said reflectively; 'And yet there's a something

too。'  Upon that; I saw a boyish light in his eyes that looked

well; and I asked him if he could inform me; as a stranger who

desired to know and had not the means of reference at hand; what

the name of the young lady was; who married Mr。 Random?  Upon that;

he said 'Narcissa;' and; after staring for a moment; called me by

my name; shook me by the hand; and melted into a roar of laughter。

'Why; of course; you'll remember Lucy Green;' he said; after we had

talked a little。  'Of course;' said I。  'Whom do you think she

married?' said he。  'You?' I hazarded。  'Me;' said Specks; 'and you

shall see her。'  So I saw her; and she was fat; and if all the hay

in the world had been heaped upon her; it could scarcely have

altered her face more than Time had altered it from my remembrance

of the face that had once looked down upon me into the fragrant

dungeons of Seringapatam。  But when her youngest child came in

after dinner (for I dined with them; and we had no other company

than Specks; Junior; Barrister…at…law; who went away as soon as the

cloth was removed; to look after the young lady to whom he was

going to be married next week); I saw again; in that little

daughter; the little face of the hayfield; unchanged; and it quite

touched my foolish heart。  We talked immensely; Specks and Mrs。

Specks; and I; and we spoke of our old selves as though our old

selves were dead and gone; and indeed; indeed they were … dead and

gone as the playing…field that had become a wilderness of rusty

iron; and the property of S。E。R。



Specks; however; illuminated Dullborough with the rays of interest

that I wanted and should otherwise have missed in it; and linked

its present to its past; with a highly agreeable chain。  And in

Specks's society I had new occasion to observe what I had before

noticed in similar communications among other men。  All

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