CHAP, vi.] Retrospection. 259 



tance, or to take charge of my nephew's workshops, as I 

 used to do of his father's when absent ; or that it is not 

 possible to shake off some thirty years from my shoulders 

 that 1 might accompany you on your voyage. 



In answer to your query about my nephew's building a 

 grotto of coals I must plead ignorance, but have no doubt 

 many an edifice of that kind has daily been erected and 

 erased without my being present, for my dear nephew was 

 only in his sixth year when I came to be detached from the 

 family circle. But this did not hinder John and / from re- 

 maining the most affectionate friends, and many a half or 

 whole holiday he was allowed to spend with me, was dedi- 

 cated to making experiments in chemistry, where generally 

 all boxes, tops of tea-canisters, pepper-boxes, teacups, &c., 

 served for the necessary vessels, and the sand-tub furnished 

 the matter to be analysed. I only had to take care to ex- 

 clude water, which would have produced havoc on my car- 

 pet. And for his first notion of building I believe he is 

 indebted to me, for it was on his second or third birthday 

 when I lifted him in the trenches to lay the south corner- 

 stone of the building which was added to the original house 

 at Slough. It must have been the second year of his age, 

 for I remember I was obliged to use a deal of coaxing to 

 make him part with the money he was to lay on the brick. 



About the same time, when one day I was sitting beside 

 him, listening to his prattle, my attention was drawn by 

 his hammering to see what he might be about, and found 

 that it was the continuation of many days' labour, and that 

 the ground about the corner of the house was undermined, 

 the corner-stone entirety away, and he was hard at work 

 going on with the next. I gave the alarm, and old John 

 Wiltshire, a favourite carpenter, came running, crying out, 

 " God bless the boy, if he is not going to pull the house 

 down ! " (Our John was this man's pet, he taught him to 



s 2 



