FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



what notable folk did Pierrepont Street house 

 in those days, with Nelson on one side of the 

 Society's present location and Quin on the other ! 

 No doubt, had we only records to prove it, equally 

 good company forgathered in the Society's domicile. 

 Possibly Lady Hamilton may have found her 

 way to Bath at this time, and if so, what would 

 be more likely than her selecting a temporary 

 abiding-place close adjacent to one occupied by 

 him whose name is indissolubly linked with hers ? 

 There is a blocked-up doorway in the Society's 

 hall which shows that the houses were at one time 

 connected. If her ladyship's spirit ever visited 

 this sublunary sphere and honoured me with a 

 call at my office, I could show her a MS., with 

 illustrative drawings, in the handwriting of her 

 husband, Sir William Hamilton, who was the 

 contributor of an article to the Society's Journal 

 on an improved method of slaughtering animals 

 for food. 



Vain imaginings, such as these, are very harm- 

 less, and, at any rate, it adds to the pleasure of 

 working within walls that lend themselves to 

 the conjuring up of visions of a picturesque past, 

 and take one into the realm of fancy ; however 

 much may be the disillusionment when the reverie 

 ends. 



282 



