FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



a voice which penetrated every corner of the 

 building, and was strangely familiar to me, in 

 stentorian tones too authoritative to be gainsaid, 

 gave utterance to " My lords and gentlemen, will 

 you please take your places in the procession." 

 At the sound of this I, metaphorically, " sat up," 

 not on account of the verbal expression of the 

 utterance, which was just what we were waiting 

 for, but because it instantly transported me back, 

 in imagination, to the Guildhall at Bath. There 

 could not possibly be among the officials at Oxford 

 or anywhere else a second Jordan, and yet that 

 voice, that intonation but I was not left long in 

 doubt as to who was the owner of that excellent 

 vocal organ, for here was my trusty henchman 

 following up his announcement by actively helping 

 to marshal us in proper order. 



I knew Jordan too well to imagine for a moment 

 that he was capable of usurping anyone else's 

 authority, so I was quite easy on that score, and 

 my confidence was justified. As I ascertained 

 afterwards, Jordan, with his capacity for making 

 friends, had established friendly relations with his 

 Oxford brother-in-arms, and, seeing that help was 

 needed, forthwith proffered his services. His 

 Oxford confrere, whose good sense was equal to 

 the other's good nature, was not too proud to 

 accept such an offer, and hence it was that Bath 

 lent a helping hand in the ceremonial observance 

 on an historic occasion of a sister Corporation. 

 That no one's susceptibilities were hurt thereby 

 was amply demonstrated by the fact that the 

 Oxford official took the Bath official to his bosom, 

 and did him the practical and kindly service of 



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