34 EXPERIENCES OF A SURGEON. 



prevented my securing one or two very eligible situations. Indeed, 

 I was determined that if I did locate myself in one of these man- 

 sions, I would even pay my guinea, and endeavour to save the dif- 

 ference in some way. Before doing so, however, 1 resolved to see 

 whether I could not find something inferior, and where my half 

 guinea might make me a person of consequence. 



Stranger as I was, and ignorant of the character of the streets or 

 their inhabitants, and of the marks by which an individual of expe- 

 rience would have detected the quality of some of the places, into 

 which I entered with the most perfect simplicity, 1 was of course 

 exposed to annoyance and temptation. Wherever I saw a house 

 having a decent exterior, with a card labelled " Apartments," sus- 

 pended by a bit of ribbon, or placed on the edge of the blind, I 

 straightway made application : many of these I soon discovered 

 were avowedly houses of ill-fame ; and others, though less openly 

 devoted to the same purposes, were chiefly occupied by nymphs of the 

 pave. I found the classical account of the descent into hell, " facilis 

 descensus Averni," &c. well illustrated in these dens of 'infamy : it 

 was indeed easy to get in, but by no means so easy to get out. The 

 pertinacious civility and forward impudence of these " darnes d'a- 

 mour," from the mistress herself down to her draggle-tailed Abi- 

 gails, were rather above my match. I had no experience amongst 

 such personages, and was not disposed to commence by locating my- 

 self in the very midst of them. I had great difficulty, however, in 

 freeing myself: I was no bully; and my natural method towards 

 women, which was always respectful, in one or two instances was 

 heartily laughed at, and in others misunderstood. It required, I 

 found, some firmness and tact to evade impure blandishment, and to 

 save my pocket ; 



" Ne quisquam Ajacem possit superare nisi Ajax." 



I managed as well as I could, and extricated myself unharmed : I 

 grew more cautious too as I went on, and reconnoitred the premises 

 before I made an entry. 



I should strongly recommend to parents that they should pro- 

 cure for 4 their sons some information as to respectable lodging- 

 house keepers, before turning them afloat in situations where 

 they may so easily be led astray, and form connexions which 

 are likely to end in their ruin. A raw country lad is sent up to 

 town, with his pocket full of money, and is left to find a home; 

 what wonder is it that he is inveigled from the straight path of virtue, 

 when he is hemmed in on all sides by decoys admirably got up to 

 deceive him ? This is great oversight, and one that parents and 

 guardians should be on their guard against. 



Driven by the considerations above-mentioned from the front 

 streets, I now prosecuted my search in a different hemisphere, I 

 turned aside into by-lanes, alleys, and back streets. There was no 

 lack of intimations that apartments were to be had ; but these were 

 couched in a different language. " Lodgings for single men," " Sin- 

 gle men taken in here," or " A room to let," were scrawled on a 

 dirty bit of paper, and stuck in windows, amongst old boots and 



