Year: 1866

4 Tale of Old Mancht ster.


There were a good many Of US at home


no lack Of mouths to feed, and not too muc


TO put into them, So when had finished IN


school daYs-an event which occurred toleI


ably early was packed Off to Mancheste


TO serve an apprenticeship in a Mancheste


warehouse.


/ had plenty Of work there and some littl
pay, and when my iather had found me cheaI
lodgings IN the house Of an elderly couple
and had arranged my payment with them 5,
as to leave me small SUN for pocket-money
he bade me be a good lad and attentive t
business, and left me 10 my fate.


My home was too far distant to admit OF
my visiting it oftener than once year when
| obtained brief holiday for the purpose.
and | was terribly lonely IN the busy popu-
lous town. | knew nobody, and was shv Of
making acquaintance my companions in
the warehouse were ofi-hand, rafting fel-
lows, little suited TO my taste 20 | subsidized
into my quiet lodgings, read or rather de-
vOured all the books | could lay nv hands
on, and grew up a solitary in the midst Of
thousands. One passion had and that was
TO hunt up every relic ofantiquity could
possibly manage 10 travel to and there was
not an old hall nor an old church within
circuit Of twelve or fourteen miles that did
not make a pilgrimage to.


The vestiges of old Manchester claimed
particular attention, and | haunted the
neighborhood Of the "colleCe" and the "old
church, looking at the outsides Of the old
houses 1 was too shy TO think of asking
permission TO enter any OF them) until |
knew every chink and Granny in their
weather-beatcn faces. and came to look upon
them as my most intimate friends. Some Of
them were public houses, and | yentured
timIdly, and at intervals, into these. calling
modestly for glass Of ale, and peeriDg into
the odd hooks and corners, ducking under
the heavy beams, and trying often yainly to
look through the old green glass which OBJ
scured the long low windows.


Long before my apprenticeship had con-
ciuded, | found myself permanently installed
in the Office, or counting house as it was
more grandiloquently called, and that, no
doubt, was the lttest place for me as years
passed on, | became, by translation from
stool to stool, packing clerk, invoice clerk,
and bookkceper, obtaining an advance OF
wages with each change Of position, until
as boOkkeeIer, wss munihcenuy paid at
the rate OF one hundred and fifty pounds a
year, and had reached the summit Of my
ambition.


During my brief visits to the library at
the old college, picked up a sort Of ac-
quainiance with one Of its constant frequent
ers, the mustiest old book-worm in the lot,
whom | found there when | went in and
left there when | came out, and should have
thought TO 1--we there but knew no candles
were admitted, and that at night the books
would be useless to him without them. He
was a strange figure, dressed in a suit of
rusty black, with a neckerchief twisted
round his throat in 4 sort Of a wisp, pair
Of great google spectacles upon bis nose,
and with two, three, or four fOliOs usually
ranged round him, one for reading, the other /
for comparison and reference. | bad the good |
fortune once to hand him ponderous tome
which had slipped from his knees whilst he /
vas intent upon another placed upon the |
stand before him and after that time, if by
chance he glanced up, which might happen |
once in month perhaps, whilst | was in
the reading room, was sure of kindly !
nod at least before he glanced down again. |


Once, IN a difficulty, Yentured to refer
to HIM, and l was no little astonished by
the food of erudition poured in consequence |
upon me. Tie knew everything that had |
been written upon the subject, and gave me
the key to my puzzle Immediately, together |
with half hundred references wherewith |
sull further to elucidate it. Afterwards
our relationship became almost that of
master and pupil and | may say that we
became in some sort friends, though our only
place of meeting was the library.


The rule in our Office was, that every one
employed should be there and at work at
nine O'Clock in the morning and accord
ingly at twenty minutes before nine, pre-
ciseiy, | passed the clock in the old church
tower on nv way t. 1t. | believe that every
clock in the back street of Stangways in
which was timed by my movements, much
in the same way in which my watch was
timed by the church clock as | passed.
From long habit this comparison had be-
come a necessity, and the only temptation L
ever had to omit it was Occasioned by the
passing the same spot, at my precise moment
Of Young lady dressed in a green mantle,
whom 1 met morning after morning, ana
whose fresh, pleasant face got to look for
until fancled that missing 1t would almost
cast gloom upon the day. 1t was long
before L did miss 1t; month alter month,
through the long winter, wet or dry, hail,
rain or snow, at twenty minutes to nine l
net Green mantle, as | called her in nv own
thoughts, opposite the old church tower
Very soon | knew her as well as any old
house in the city, or out of it, and could
have described every fold in her dress and
every feature in her sweet face. but had no
one to describe them to at that time, and
am not going to begin now.


| was a young man OF hye-and-twenty
then but as shameiased as q girl; if fancied
that Green mantle looked in my direction, l
colored to my hair, | believe, and FASTENED
onward; if she passed without appearing
to notice me. was miserable for the DAY.


Gradually ! put together little history
for her, but as it was incorrect except IN
two Of its more Insignificant particulars, it
need not be detailed here. She had usually
q roll OF music with her, so knew she
was goyerness somewhere, and that was
all | could make out with certainty. |
wanted to know all about her, who she was,
where she lived, what relatives she had, and
above all, wanted to know her. / had got
TO love her before l had exchanged word,


r even a nod, with her. Her face was the


index to all goodness, and felt that must


pinor die If was as shy as girl, was


s-ery bit as romantic, and actually upset


sl the neighbors' equanimity by starting


non my lodgings ten MINUTES before my