placid, winding stream; nor is it likely that anybody in Bedford,
except my father, had heard of him. For his defence of the schools
my father was presented at a town's meeting with a silver tea-
service.

By degrees, when the battle was over, the bookselling business very
much fell off, and after a short partnership with his brother-in-law
in a tannery, my father was appointed assistant door-keeper of the
House of Commons by Lord Charles Russell. He soon became door-
keeper. While he was at the door he wrote for a weekly paper his
Inner Life of the House of Commons, afterwards collected and
published in book form. He held office for twenty-one years, and on
his retirement, in 1875, 160 members of the House testified in a
very substantial manner their regard for him. He died at Carshalton
on February 11, 1882. There were many obituary notices of him. One
was from Lord Charles Russell, who, as Serjeant-at-Arms, had full
opportunities of knowing him well. Lord Charles recalled a meeting
at Woburn, a quarter of a century before, in honour of Lord John
Russell. Lord John spoke then, and so did Sir David Dundas, then
Solicitor-General, Lord Charles, and my father. "His," said Lord
Charles, "was the finest speech, and Sir David Dundas remarked to
me, as Mr. White concluded, 'Why that is old Cobbett again MINUS his
vulgarity.'" He became acquainted with a good many members during
his stay at the House. New members sought his advice and initiation
into its ways. Some of his friends were also mine. Amongst these
were Sir John Trelawney and his gifted wife. Sir John belonged to
the scholarly Radical party, which included John Stuart Mill and
Roebuck. The visits to Sir John and Lady Trelawney will never be
forgotten, not so much because I was taught what to think about
certain political questions, but because I was supplied with a