60 A CHEMICAL TRIAD. 



quainted with Mr. Johns, but not intimately. Mr. Johns 

 having married, happened to be living in Manchester when 

 Dalton came to that city. Dalton passed the house of the 

 former daily. In the autumn of 1804, Mrs. Johns casually 

 meeting Dalton, asked him why he never called. 



'I really don't know,' was Dalton's reply; 'I will come 

 and live with you if you will let me.' 



He did come, occupying the only spare bedroom, and 

 sitting with the family. In this new home Dalton remained 

 in the greatest amity for six-and-twenty years. This brings 

 us up to the period at which our sketch commenced. Honours 

 now flowed in on him apace, always unsolicited. He was not 

 insensible to them; but they always remained external to 

 him, never altering his simple tastes, or otherwise affecting 

 his manner. In 1834, he was presented at court. He did 

 not seek that honour, neither did he churlishly retire from 

 it. On this occasion, as formerly when Dalton lectured at 

 the Royal Institution, his friends thought he would require 

 training and rehearsal, the better to enable him to act and 

 move with grace in the presence of majesty. He was there- 

 fore taken under discipline, like one who had to accomplish a 

 feat. A question now arose of some importance. In what 

 costume was Dalton to be presented 1 A Quaker decked in 

 court dress, and girded with a sword ! Horrible ! A friend 

 suggested that the presentation had better be made in the 

 scarlet robes of a D.G.L. Fears were still entertained lest 

 Dalton might think that guise too conspicuous ; but Mr. 

 Babbage, who seems to have managed the diplomacy of the 

 business, did not find him intractable in matters of innocent 

 form. So it was agreed that he should present himself before 

 royalty in the scarlet doctorial gown, the colour of which, as 

 Dalton was colour blind, would not seem a very demonstrative 

 tint. The man who considered red sealing-wax to be of the 

 colour of grass, a lady's face sky-blue, her lips purple or the 

 colour of mud, would not, after all, be dazzled by the colour 



