The Brighton of my Boyhood 



'' How be you, Mast'r 'Yde, sir ? " 



" Hopes you're pretty well, Mrs. 'Yde, 

 ma'am ? " 



"Nicely, thank you, Speedwell Jasper, 

 and how are you ? " 



And when all were gathered in, one would 

 always say, " We've just looked in to sing 

 you a little song, Mast'r 'Yde, if you please, 

 sir." 



And so after such preliminary coughing, 

 humming, and hoarse whispering as they 

 deemed proper to the occasion, they let out 

 their great voices, not altogether unmov- 

 ingly, in those time-honoured Christmas 

 songs, ''Christians, awake, arise, rejoice, 

 and sing ;" *' God rest you, merry gentle- 

 men," and many another. There was also 

 one purely secular song, which they evi- 

 dently fancied hugely. It was a kind of 

 rough love song ; but I remember nothing 

 of it now save the first line, which they 

 gave with great gusto, " No di'monds was 

 so br-i-ight." One of their company beat 

 out the time with his great forefinger and 

 slow wagging of the head. They sang 

 very loudly, very slowly, retaining a hold 

 on the last note of each verse as long as 

 ever breath allowed. But we would not 

 have had the singing altered even for the 

 better, so Qrood it was in its heartiness and 



