The Brighton of my Boyhood 



to study the fashion in the dress and bear- 

 ing of the great ladies, and ever ready to 

 giggle at and applaud the edifying beha- 

 viour of their future Sovereio-n and his 

 boon companions. 



The local journals of the time dwelled 

 lovingly upon the Prince's "elegance of 

 deportment "; and a great London contem- 

 porary declared, " The return of the Prince 

 to Brighton has given new life to its collec- 

 tive Population ; Hilarity predominates in 

 the Circles of Fashion, and the rays of 

 Cheerfulness extend to the most humble 

 Purlieus of the Town." 



Such doings were by no means over in 

 my time, and for many a day after the 

 public follies of the Regent had disappeared 

 behind the enforced dignity of kingship, we 

 could yet boast of several aristocratic visi- 

 tors to Brighton who regarded their stay 

 among us, not only as an opportunity for 

 handsome, nay, lavish expenditure, but also 

 as a legitimate occasion for their good- 

 natured, if not very witty, horse-play. 

 Several such cases are still fresh in my 

 mind. For instance, there was one inno- 

 cent citizen of our town who went to bed 

 one Saturday night as usual, behind a 

 modest white house-front, and awoke in 

 the morning to find it variegated with 

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