years of age.

About three years after Charles became a clerk in the India House, his
family appear to have moved from Crown Office Row into poor lodgings at
No. 7 Little Queen Street, Holborn. His father at that time had a small
pension from Mr. Salt, whose service he had left, being almost fatuous;
his mother was ill and bedridden; and his sister Mary was tired but, by
needle-work all day, and by taking care of her mother throughout the
night. "Of all the people in the world" (Charles says), "she was most
thoroughly devoid of all selfishness." There was also, as a member of the
family, an old aunt, who had a trifling annuity for her life, which she
poured into the common fund. John Lamb (Charles's elder brother) lived
elsewhere, having occasional intercourse only with his kindred. He
continued, however, to visit them, whilst he preserved his "comfortable"
clerkship in the South Sea House.

It was under this state of things that they all drifted down to the
terrible year 1796. It was a year dark with horror. There was an
hereditary taint of insanity in the family, which caused even Charles
himself to be placed, for a short time, in Hoxton Lunatic Asylum. "The six
weeks that finished last year and began this (1796), your very humble
servant spent very agreeably in a madhouse, at Hoxton." These are his
words when writing to Coleridge.

Mary Lamb had previously been repeatedly attacked by the same dreadful
disorder; and this now broke out afresh in a sudden burst of acute
madness. She had been moody and ill for some little time previously, and
the illness came to a crisis on the 23d of September, 1796. On that day,
just before dinner, Mary seized a "case-knife" which was lying on the
table, pursued a little girl (her apprentice) round the room, hurled about