"BRIBER? AND CORRUPTION." 243 



father's peculiar knack of obtaining without particular 

 difficulty that which very few men would have succeeded 

 in obtaining at all. 



Went to Southborough, and mistook train ; telegraphed ; had 

 oysters ; then took next train, and bribed officials to stop train at 

 jSouthborough ! " 



Two days later he went to Peabody, for the seconcj. 

 part of the Ant lecture, and found the fancy fair 

 still going on in the room below the hall; and the 

 audience on this occasion is tersely described as "awful." 

 On Saturday, the 13th, the first part of the ever- 

 popular " Ant Life " was delivered to members of the 

 St. Botolph Club at Boston, and on the following Tues- 

 day " Whales " was given at Cambridge, Mass., with 

 the usual success. Next day, by a curious coincidence, 

 came " Ant Life," Part I., at Oxford, where the janitor, 

 through officious over-zeal, contrived to break the 

 drawing-frame rather badly. On the 18th " Pond 

 Life " was given at Peabody, where the fancy fair was 

 -over at last ; and this was followed, two days later, by 

 " Whales " at Nantucket, where the janitor is described 

 as "an old noodle, who would not do what was wanted." 

 The weather had now become very severe, with the 

 thermometer at 10 below zero; but on the 26th, when 

 a visit was paid to St. Johnsburgh, it had further 

 sunk to 27, without, however, diminishing either the 

 numbers or the enthusiasm of the audience. Tuesday, 

 December 30th, saw the lecturer again at Oxford, 

 whither he had repaired for the purpose of concluding 

 Q 2 



