Lord Jeffrey (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1881 edition. Excerpt: ...boyhood, for my school-years, at Annan, were very miserable, harsh, barren and worse) in continual gloom and grimness, as of a man set too nakedly versus the devil and all men. Could I be easy to live with? She flickered round me like perpetual radiance, a.nd in spite of my glooms and my misdoings, would at no moment cease to love me and help me. What of bounty too is in heaven I We proceeded all through Belgrave Square hither, with our servant, our looser luggage, ourselves and a little canary bird (' Chico, ' which she had brought with her from Craigenputtoch) one hackney coach rumbling on with us all. Chico, in Belgrave Square, burst into singing, which we took as a good omen. We were all of us striving to be cheerful (she needed no effort of striving); but we 'had burnt our ships, ' and at bottom the case was grave. I do not remember our arriving at this door, but I do the cheerful gipsy life we had here among the litter and carpenters for three incipient days. Leigh Hunt was in the next street, sending kind unpractical messages; in the evenings, I think, personally coming in; we had made acquaintance with him (properly he with us), just before leaving in spring 1832. Huggermugger was the type of his economics, in all respects, financial and other; but he was himself a pretty man, in clean cotton nightgown, and with the airiest kindly style of sparkling talk, wanting only wisdom of a sound kind, and true insight into fact. A great want I remember going with my dear one (and Eliza Miles, the ' daughter ' of Ampton Street, as escort), to some dim ironmonger's shop, to buy kettles and pans on the thriftiest of fair terms. How noble and more than royal is the look of that to me now, and of my royal...