New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-04

during the greater part of the time covered by the
published narrative OF their adventures VERY
good old-fashioned comfortable quarters.' did
not expect to see a trace Of the old tavern; but
went in. The coach-yard has been turned into a
clean. narrow, paved court. The new stone build
lngs which LIT their tall fronts around 1t remind
you of a row of expensive Offices in Wall-st
HOstler and boots a.d trim chambeTmad have
given place TO brokers and insurance clerks. But
off at the furthest end Of the yard so crowded and
elbowed by snowy Offices that only fragment Of
1.-THE breadth Of one window-peeps around the
corner of an alley Is a house Of more modest aspect
upon which / read the haif-effaced sign Of The
George and Yulture Tavern The part that Is
visible from the court seems 10 have been renewed,
OF succeed but passing around to the other side
/ found backened brick walls and Old-fashoned
windows which the historian of the Pckwick Club
may we'll have bad in bis mind when he sketched
the tavern. The ground floor has been much
changed. The cohee-room, enlarged by the out
growth Of an excrescence ike a Fulton Market
c0fee-stall, is now a chOp-house of the slam-bang
variety, " tn fresh oak wauscoting and a general
flavor OF newness. On one side is a huge hroliing-
range, with cook in white cap and apron; oppo-
site tire door, M a little inclOsed bar, stands
buxom landlady attended By an IMP
of pot-boy In corner is en- open
"a
here, into some kind Of invisible bin. the frantic
walters toss the uuconsumcd fragments before they
chuck" the dirty plates to the sculion. l sat
opposite q commercial gent who was shovelling
peas and ate my chop from a platter Of timed
ron This was the city eating -hOuse of of the
later novels rather than the quiet tavern OF an
earlier time; yet found no great difficulty in re-
stoTng-to NY own satlsfactiou-the features OF the
original inn and imagining chat 1t was up the stair
case which now leads right into the eatIu groom
that the sherff's officer forced his way past Sam
Weller on the morning when Mr. Pitkwck was
taken from The George and Yulrure 70 tie Fleet.
Probably was quite wrong in all my fancies ; but
Icame out with such lively Of the reality Of
The uoveiiss characters that was not in the least
surprised when l saw painted in large letters over
the door Of a mercantile establishment Of decorOus
appearance, at No l Fenchurch-st., the sign
DOMBEY sos"
The monument, rearing its ridiculous head a few
blocks away, reminded me that TodgerSs CONNER
ciaI clearinghouse ought 10 be near at hand.
have seen, up besmeared and secluded lanes
in the City, a great many commercial
boardInghouses which answer to the descrp-
tions of that famous abode. They Turk IN
bind aud forgotten alleys. aud their proprietorr
have a singular habit of putting up little Illegble
signs in places where nobody discover them ex-
cept after perseverlng search came upon one OF
these secret sign boards the inner side Of an
archway, where it could only be seen by person
coming away from the house. II | failed 10 single
out from among numerous iingy places Of the sort
the particular one which graced by the
services of young Bailey and honored by the pat
ronage of Mr. Pecksniff, con>oled myself by re-
calling the remark of the novelist that NOBODY ever
found Todgers's by verbal direction. fou
couldn't walk about in TOdgers's neighborhood as
Won could in any other NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. cropped
vour way for an honr through lanes, and byways.
and court-yards, and passages and You never once
emerged upon anything that might reasonably
be called a street kind Of resigned distraction
came over the stranger as he trod those devious
mazes, and giving himself up for lost, went In and
out and round about and quietly turned back again
when he came 10 a dead wall or stopped by an
iron railing. and felt that the means OF escape
might possibly present themselves in their own good
time but that to anticipate them hopeless The
same flavor Of bruised and musry oranges which the
historian Of a" Martin Chuzzlewt" noticed still
hangs about this mysterious region great stores of
damp fruit must be rotting in the silent ware
houses; wandered MP and down the steep lanes
and never lost the sense OF mlldewed oranges until
l came 10 the river, and BiIlnxsgate oyerpowered
all other smells with the fragrance of fish. Then
cave ND Todgerss, and, climbing q flight Of stone
stairs, crossed London Bridge, IN search OF sam
Weller and the White Hart Inn. J. K. q. II.