From Downing Street we crossed over and entered Westminster Hall, and passed through it, and up the flight of steps at its farthest end, and along the avenue of statues, into the vestibule of the House of Commons. It was now somewhat past five, and we stood at the inner entrance of the House, to see the members pass in, Bennoch pointing out to me the distinguished4 ones. I was not much impressed with the appearance of the members generally; they seemed to me rather shabbier than English gentlemen usually, and I saw or fancied in many of them a certain self-importance, as they passed into the interior, betokening5 them to be very full of their dignity. Some of them looked more American—more like American politicians—than most Englishmen do. There was now and then a gray-headed country gentleman, the very type of stupidity; and two or three city members came up and spoke6 to Bennoch, and showed themselves quite as dull, in their aldermanic way, as the country squires7. . . . Bennoch pointed8 out Lord John Russell, a small, very short, elderly gentleman, in a brown coat, and so large a hat—not large of brim, but large like a peck-measure—that I saw really no face beneath it. By and by came a rather tall, slender person, in a black frock-coat, buttoned up, and black pantaloons, taking long steps, but I thought rather feebly or listlessly. His shoulders were round, or else he had a habitual9 stoop in them. He had a prominent nose, a thin face, and a sallow, very sallow complexion10; . . . . and had I seen him in America I should have taken him for a hard-worked editor of a newspaper, weary and worn with night-labor and want of exercise,—aged before his time. It was Disraeli, and I never saw any other Englishman look in the least like him; though, in America, his appearance would not attract notice as being unusual. I do not remember any other noteworthy person whom we saw enter; in fact, the House had already been some time in session, and most of the members were in their places.
We were to dine at the Refectory of the House with the new member for Boston; and, meanwhile, Bennoch obtained admittance for us into the Speaker's gallery, where we had a view of the members, and could hear what was going on. A Mr. Muntz was speaking on the Income Tax, and he was followed by Sir George Cornewall Lewis and others; but it was all very uninteresting, without the slightest animation11 or attempt at oratory,—which, indeed, would have been quite out of place. We saw Lord Palmerston; but at too great a distance to distinguish anything but a gray head. The House had daylight in it when we entered, and for some time afterwards; but, by and by, the roof, which I had taken to be a solid and opaque12 ceiling, suddenly brightened, and showed itself to be transparent13; a vast expanse of tinted14 and figured glass, through which came down a great, mild radiance on the members below.
The character of the debate, however, did not grow more luminous15 or vivacious16; so we went down into the vestibule, and there waited for Mr. ———, who soon came and led us into the Refectory. It was very much like the coffee-room of a club. The strict rule forbids the entrance of any but members of Parliament; but it seems to be winked17 at, although there is another room, opening beyond this, where the law of seclusion18 is strictly19 enforced.
The dinner was good, not remarkably20 so, but good enough,—a soup, some turbot or salmon21, cutlets, and I know not what else, and claret, sherry, and port; for, as Mr. ——— said, "he did not wish to be stingy." Mr. ——— is a self-made man, and a strong instance of the difference between the Englishman and the American, when self-made, and without early education. He is no more a gentleman now than when he began life, —not a whit22 more refined, either outwardly or inwardly; while the American would have been, after the same experience, not distinguishable outwardly, and perhaps as refined within, as nine tenths of the gentlemen born, in the House of Commons. And, besides, an American comes naturally to any distinctions to which success in life may bring him; he takes them as if they were his proper inheritance, and in no wise to be wondered at. Mr. ———, on the other hand, took evidently a childish delight in his position, and felt a childish wonder in having arrived at it; nor did it seem real to him, after all. . . .
We again saw Disraeli, who has risen from the people by modes perhaps somewhat like those of Mr. ———. He came and stood near our table, looking at the bill of fare, and then sat down on the opposite side of the room with another gentleman, and ate his dinner. The story of his marriage does him much credit; and indeed I am inclined to like Disraeli, as a man who has made his own place good among a hostile aristocracy, and leads instead of following them.
From the House of Commons we went to Albert Smith's exhibition, or lecture, of the ascent23 of Mont Blanc, to which Bennoch had orders. It was very amusing, and in some degree instructive. We remained in the saloon at the conclusion of the lecture; and when the audience had dispersed24, Mr. Albert Smith made his appearance. . . .
Nothing of moment happened the next day, at least, not till two o'clock, when I went with Mr. Bowman to Birch's eating-house (it is not Birch's now, but this was the name of the original founder25, who became an alderman, and has long been dead) for a basin of turtle-soup. It was very rich, very good, better than we had at the Lord Mayor's, and the best I ever ate.
In the evening, Mr. J. B. Davis, formerly26 our Secretary of Legation, called to take us to dine at Mr. ———'s in Camden Town. Mr. ——— calls his residence Vermont House; but it hardly has a claim to any separate title, being one of the centre houses of a block. I forget whether I mentioned his calling on me. He is a Vermonter, a graduate of Yale College, who has been here several years, and has established a sort of book brokerage, buying libraries for those who want them, and rare works and editions for American collectors. His business naturally brings him into relations with literary people; and he is himself a kindly27 and pleasant man. On our arrival we found Mr. D——— and one of his sisters already there; and soon came a Mr. Peabody, who, if I mistake not, is one of the Salem Peabodys, and has some connection with the present eminent28 London Mr. Peabody. At any rate, he is a very sensible, well-instructed, and widely and long travelled man. Mr. Tom Taylor was also expected; but, owing to some accident or mistake, he did not come for above an hour, all which time our host waited. . . . But Mr. Tom Taylor, a wit, a satirist29, and a famous diner out, is too formidable and too valuable a personage to be treated cavalierly.
In the interim30 Mr. ——— showed us some rare old books, which he has in his private collection, a black-letter edition of Chaucer, and other specimens31 of the early English printers; and I was impressed, as I have often been, with the idea that we have made few, if any, improvements in the art of printing, though we have greatly facilitated the modes of it. He showed us Dryden's translation of Virgil, with Dr. Johnson's autograph in it and a large collection of Bibles, of all dates,—church Bibles, family Bibles of the common translation, and older ones. He says he has written or is writing a history of the Bible (as a printed work, I presume). Many of these Bibles had, no doubt, been in actual and daily use from generation to generation; but they were now all splendidly bound, and were likewise very clean and smooth,—in fact, every leaf had been cleansed33 by a delicate process, a part of which consisted in soaking the whole book in a tub of water, during several days. Mr. ——— is likewise rich in manuscripts, having a Spanish document with the signature of the son of Columbus; a whole little volume in Franklin's handwriting, being the first specimen32 of it; and the original manuscripts of many of the songs of Burns. Among these I saw "Auld34 Lang Syne," and "Bruce's Address to his Army." We amused ourselves with these matters as long as we could; but at last, as there was to be a party in the evening, dinner could no longer be put off; so we took our seats at table, and immediately afterwards Mr. Taylor made his appearance with his wife and another lady.
Mr. Taylor is reckoned a brilliant conversationist; but I suppose he requires somebody to draw him out and assist him; for I could hear nothing that I thought very remarkable35 on this occasion. He is not a kind of man whom I can talk with, or greatly help to talk; so, though I sat next to him, nothing came of it. He told me some stories of his life in the Temple,—little funny incidents, that he afterwards wrought36 into his dramas; in short, a sensible, active-minded, clearly perceptive37 man, with a humorous way of showing up men and matters. . . . I wish I could know exactly what the English style good conversation. Probably it is something like plum-pudding,—as heavy, but seldom so rich.
After dinner Mr. Tom Taylor and Mr. D———, with their respective ladies, took their leave; but when we returned to the drawing-room, we found it thronged38 with a good many people. Mr. S. C. Hall was there with his wife, whom I was glad to see again, for this was the third time of meeting her, and, in this whirl of new acquaintances, I felt quite as if she were an old friend. Mr. William Howitt was also there, and introduced me to his wife,—a very natural, kind, and pleasant lady; and she presented me to one or two daughters. Mr. Marston, the dramatist, was also introduced to me; and Mr. Helps, a thin, scholarly, cold sort of a man. Dr. Mackay and his wife were there, too; and a certain Mr. Jones, a sculptor39,—a jolly, large, elderly person, with a twinkle in his eye. Also a Mr. Godwin, who impressed me as quite a superior person, gentlemanly, cultivated, a man of sensibility; but it is quite impossible to take a clear imprint40 from any one character, where so many are stamped upon one's notice at once. This Mr. Godwin, as we were discussing Thackeray, said that he is most beautifully tender and devoted41 to his wife, whenever she can be sensible of his attentions. He says that Thackeray, in his real self, is a sweet, sad man. I grew weary of so many people, especially of the ladies, who were rather superfluous42 in their oblations, quite stifling43 me, indeed, with the incense44 that they burnt under my nose. So far as I could judge, they had all been invited there to see me. It is ungracious, even hoggish45, not to be gratified with the interest they expressed in me; but then it is really a bore, and one does not know what to do or say. I felt like the hippopotamus46, or— to use a more modest illustration—like some strange insect imprisoned47 under a tumbler, with a dozen eyes watching whatever I did. By and by, Mr. Jones, the sculptor, relieved me by standing48 up against the mantel-piece, and telling an Irish story, not to two or three auditors49, but to the whole drawing-room, all attentive50 as to a set exhibition. It was very funny.
The next day after this I went with Mr. Bowman to call on our minister, and found that he, and four of the ladies of his family, with his son, had gone to the Queen's Drawing-room. We lunched at the Wellington; and spent an hour or more in looking out of the window of that establishment at the carriages, with their pompous51 coachmen and footmen, driving to and from the Palace of St. James, and at the Horse Guards, with their bright cuirasses, stationed along the street. . . . Then I took the rail for Liverpool. . . . While I was still at breakfast at the Waterloo, J——- came in, ruddy-cheeked, smiling, very glad to see me, and looking, I thought, a good deal taller than when I left him. And so ended my London excursion, which has certainly been rich in incident and character, though my account of it be but meagre.
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1
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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betokening
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 ) | |
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6
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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7
squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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8
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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vivacious
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| adj.活泼的，快活的 | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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satirist
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| n.讽刺诗作者，讽刺家，爱挖苦别人的人 | |
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interim
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| adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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33
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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auld
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| adj.老的，旧的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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imprint
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| n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记 | |
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41
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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42
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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44
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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45
hoggish
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| adj.贪婪的 | |
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46
hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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47
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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49
auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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50
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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51
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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