396 HIS EXTENSIVE EMPLOYMENT. CHAP. XVIII. 



engineer ; and his father could now look with confidence 

 and with pride upon his son's achievements. From that 

 time forward, father and son worked together as one 

 man, each jealous of the other's honour ; and on the 

 father's retirement, it was generally recognized that, in 

 the sphere of railways, Robert Stephenson was the 

 foremost man, the safest guide, and the most active 

 worker. 



Robert Stephenson was subsequently appointed en- 

 gineer of the Eastern Counties, the Northern and Eastern, 

 the Blackwall, and many other railways in the midland 

 and southern districts. When the speculation of 1844 

 I set in, his services were, of course, greatly in request. 

 I Thus, in one session we find him engaged as engineer 

 / for not fewer than thirty-three new schemes. Projectors 

 thought themselves fortunate who could secure his name, 

 and he had only to propose his terms to obtain them. 

 The work which he performed at this period of his life 

 was indeed enormous, and his income was large beyond 

 any previous instance of engineering gain. But much 

 of his labour was heavy hackwork, of a very uninterest- 

 ing character. During the sittings of the committees 

 of Parliament, almost every moment of his time was 

 occupied in consultations, and in preparing evidence or 

 in giving it. The crowded, low -roofed committee- 

 rooms of the old Houses of Parliament were altogether 

 inadequate to accommodate the rush of perspiring pro- 

 jectors for bills, and even the lobbies were sometimes 

 choked with them. To have borne that noisome atmos- 

 phere and heat would have tested the constitutions of 

 salamanders, and engineers were only human. With 

 brains kept in a state of excitement during the entire 

 day, no wonder their nervous systems became unstrung. 

 Their only chance of refreshment was during an occa- 

 sional rush to the bun and sandwich stand in the lobby, 

 though sometimes even that recourse failed them. 

 Then, with mind and body jaded probably after under- 



