Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-11-21
Il. WHITMORE,
Publisher and Proprietor.
AN ADVENTURE IN ST. PAUL's.

From Belgravia.l
We colonials, on the whole, / think,
have more appreciation Of st. Paurs
than of any other of our London sights.
More than of Westminster Abbey, even.
For it wants deal of history to under
stand the abbey and its puzzling chapels;
and after certain amount of stock
driving one jumbles up the kings and
queens. Coming over from Australia
for a six months visit to England, one
of the first things l promised myself on
landing was to see st. Pauls; aud yet
it's a singular fact that up to the very
end Of my sojourn here had never been
inside your Tor may say ourY) great
cathedral.
felt it impossible to go back and face
my relations and friends if | couldn't
say that I'd seen St. Pauls, and l made
half dozen plans at various times Of
paying it visit But first one thing in
teryened and then another till my last
day in England had come, my pilgrim
age unperformed. This last day, how
ever, kept clear Of engagements on
purpose to see the place Before was
out of bed in the morning had tele
gram of Importance which took me- off
post haste to the eastern counties, aid
II YVES eight O'Clock IN the evening b.io'e
reHched Shorrditch ststion IN my re-
turn journ,y Now, was bound 20 start
early next morning 10 reach Brihdl-i IN
lime tor the Italian ma |, and il thl-
seem, d ~ i II were my iar- to miss my
last chance of enteriug ST. Paurs SuIl,
| was determined not to thrsw away u
chanor; it might be that the cathedral
was still open; aud picked out fast
looking horse from row of handsome
ones, and bade the driver put me down
in the shortest possible time at the corner
of 81. PauPs churchyard.
As 4 descended from the cab and
stood on the edge of the pavement look
ing up at the giant bulk of the dome
the clock struck nine. The SUE had
set; bat high overhead the golden bali
and cross stood out against the sky,
still FURNISHED by tbs evening glow. All
the lower part of the building was in
deep shadow, rendered still dark ker BY
the thick coating of SCOT that eacqsed
it; but the upper portion, towering clear
of houses and chin neys, and swept and
sweetened by the wind and rains, caught
a CLEAN of brightness from the CLOUDS
above, and raised itself white and fair
into the evening sky.
The traffic of the day had slackened
there were few pedestrians and only an
OCCASIONAL cab ratified by The big
warehouses bad retired from business
the shops were shut, the city seemed to
sleep. PauPs also was closely fastened |
up. It misgaye me that all | should see |
OF it would be the outside.
Bending back my neck and gazing
upward at the hugs dome, saw thai
about the great golden oEoss end bali
was tracery as of cobwebs, aud msd
like flies were crawling about those
slender flaments. Stout scafoldings |
and thick cables they were, no doubt;
but from the stFsS. they looked like the
delicate fabric Of the gossaner.
walked quickly around the church,
hoping to find aome doorway open, sommis
access to the interior. The iron gates
we're all closed, the doors were tsst.
Pauls portals looked as inaccessible
and forbidding as the rocky flank of a
was determined to find my
way in, il possible, sgt knew not how to
set about #. Gould / hays ss51e across
anything that looked like a deaasry eS
sssidence, / should dhaye made
bold 10 knock thegeat and ask the oecu.
piers for the key. ilut could find
nothing of the sort. Even q : kpp-
shop, which was still open, where in
IuiSed as to the way of getting into the
shurch, dis people knew no more about
st. PaIPs than Il il ksd been thousand
piles distant.
bagsn to feel despondent about tls
natter, but vent around the church
,nce more till came to the end of the
outh transcept-the shorter limb Of the
.ross-and looked vacantly up at the
inc semi-circn] ar portico, with its tall
columns and fight of steps. All this
ime never thought Of there being any
lody living inside St. Paups; 1 sho1ld
IS soon have expected to meet with fur
Iished apartments in the catacombs, or
family residence in the pyramids. But
,eering cautiously about ! espied, in the
ngle formed By the nave and transcept
N the western side, window from
fhich came the faint CLEAN Of ? candle.
stood and looked between the ratings
nd saw that somebody was moving I
litkin. There was a bird-cage in the
indoW; on the sill outside some red {
over-pots. Presently somebody came Il
D . desk near the window and began TO I
mite; an OF man with white hair.
II ! could only make hin see me per 1
aps be would take compassion 81 NJ /
I'd let me in. But il wasn't likely that =;
e Wosii see me. Looking from The
GIFTED VindoV INTO the twilight outside
vas hardly possible fhAi be should see
nFfbing. ! thought Of dinging q pe6-
le a. tba window; but it vas q good {
istancs of; might break the glass and {