NE WFO UNDLAND. 37 



became the arena of constant mental gladiatorship between 

 these ardent and vigorous young intelligences. " Whatever 

 of humour or wit in conversation I possess," my father has 

 written ; " whatever of logical precision of thought ; what- 

 ever of readiness of speech or power in debate, I largely 

 owe to those years of merry companionship." St. John 

 went to Boston, U.S.A., where he died on March 13, 

 1874. 



The establishment of Mr. Elson in Carbonear was com- 

 posed of two contiguous buildings — the upper house, where 

 the family resided, and where the head of the firm slept ; 

 and the lower house, where all the clerks slept and boarded, 

 and where Mr. Elson took his meals with them, spending 

 the day from breakfast-time till about eleven o'clock at 

 night. The lower house, a large but low structure of 

 wood, was old and ramshackled ; the only ornament on its 

 rude colonial front, opposite the counting-house, was an 

 antique sundial. Immediately before this facade, and 

 running along its entire extent, was a raised platform of 

 boards, known as " the gallery," so old and rotten that in 

 a year or two it was cleared away and replaced by a walk 

 of hard gravel. On this platform it was usual for the 

 officials to assemble, as well as all those captains of ships 

 in port who were free of Mr. Elson's table, at one o'clock, 

 when a bell aloft was rung as the signal for dinner. Here 

 they would form in knots, conversing, until the man-cook 

 appeared at the door and announced that Mr. Elson was 

 served. The bedrooms of the clerks were barns of places, 

 destitute of carpet or curtain, the unpainted deal of the 

 walls and floors being black with age. Whatever bedding 

 was required was supplied from the shop, without any 

 supervision from Mr. Elson, and the young fellows took 

 care to sleep warm enough. They made their own beds, 

 and did for themselves whatever service was needed, 



