302 HOSPITALITY. 



Every preparation was made by the 

 authorities for the proper reception of 

 such guests, and every means at the dis- 

 posal of the more humble inhabitants 

 were made available for the enjoyment of 

 their London or country relatives. Con- 

 sequently, not only the town, but every 

 village and hamlet within reach, was 

 crowded with visitors. Strangers daily 

 poured in from all quarters. Not a bed 

 was to be had, and such places were set 

 aside for sleep as would not be thought of 

 for such a purpose on ordinary occasions. 



I, with some other of the inhabitants, 

 kept open house, and, living two miles 

 on the London road, had never any lack 

 of customers. My wife's relatives and 

 friends from Dorsetshire, my own from 

 London, my married sister, and her hus- 

 band's family, my co-partners from North- 

 ampton and Salisbury, with their wives 

 both admirable and amiable specimens 

 of their sex ; my naval acquaintances 



