Tom Sprlnr/s Back Parlour. 5 



with confidence and respect by the supporters of a pleasure 

 in which master and servant have a common interest. 



Spring christened me " young gentleman," and I christened 

 him " governor ; " and I can honestly say, at this distance of 

 time, I look back with gratitude to his kindness to m3. 

 London afc the time I am speaking of was at about its very 

 worst. There were few railways to gefc out by, no Saturday 

 half-holidays, no cricket ground but Lord's, no volunteers, 

 few boating clubs, and every kind of blackguardism was put 

 under one's very nose by day and by night. The Tom and 

 Jerry days were not extinct. Most of the flash supper- 

 rooms and the upper boxes of the theatres were a disgrace 

 to a civilised country, and peopled with as delicate an 

 assembly of the softer (?) sex as the stage is now too often, 

 to the delectation of audiences who are delighted with 

 posturing, semi-nudity, and low slang ; and " fast life " 

 meant going to the devil, and ruin of health and happiness. 

 Bachelor life in chambers and in lodgings consisted much 

 of card-playing and drinking hard ; and a large number of 

 youngsters, after a short stay in London, got quite tired of 

 ladies' society. 



Now, I remember old Tom's first " paternal." I went for 

 my usual luncheon earlier than customary, and instead of 

 my pint of stout, wanted some cold brandy-and-water. He 

 took me into his sanctum, and said : 



" Look here, young gentleman, you will go to the dogs 

 if you drink brandy-and-water at this time of day, and 

 under twenty years of age, too ; and I don't mean you to go 

 to the doars." And then he told me that he never drank 

 before dinner, and never had a glass of anything in the bar 

 unless his niece was there and took the money ; " for," he 

 said, " whether the money comes back into a man's pocket 

 again or not, the act of taking his money out and paying 

 for his drink makes him think twice ; and many a time I 



