LAST ROYAL GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS 35 



to call a " massacre." But next morning, when he 

 looked out from the window of the town house, and 

 saw the surging crowd of people in King Street, on 

 their way from Faneuil Hall to the Old South Church, 

 and when he exclaimed that their spirit seemed to be 

 as high as that of their ancestors when they rose 

 against Andros, one cannot but wonder if his thoughts 

 did not go back for a moment to the winter day when 

 as a little child he had stood by the grave of the grand- 

 father who had stoutly opposed that agent of tyranny. 

 Did it seem quite right for the grandson, with whatso- 

 ever honest intent, to be standing in Andros's place ? 

 A few hours later, when Samuel Adams, for the second 

 time that day, came into the council chamber, with the 

 final message from the people, and with uplifted finger 

 solemnly commanded Hutchinson to remove all sol- 

 diery from Boston, the king's representative obeyed. 

 That his knees trembled and his cheeks grew pale, 

 as Adams afterward told, we may well believe. Not 

 from fear, however, but more likely from a sudden 

 sickening sense of the odium of his position. Not 

 long afterward he wrote to London, asking to be re- 

 lieved of all further share in the work of administration. 

 But before the letter was received his commission as 

 royal governor of Massachusetts had been drawn up. 

 Lord North was at this time earnest in the wish to 

 pursue a conciliatory policy, and Hutchinson was 

 appointed governor because it was supposed that the 

 people would prefer his administration. Indeed, except 

 for the unfortunate affray in King Street, the departure 

 of Bernard already seemed to have done much to clear 

 the air. After the troops had been sent out to the 

 Castle, there was a general sense of relief, and many 



