124 Life and Times of " The Druid!' 



from church, a tiny sweep thrust his black 

 head through the top of a cottage chimney 

 which stood opposite the church, and, waving 

 his brush wildly in the air, shouted out his 

 congratulations and o-ood wishes for the 

 health and happiness of the bride and 

 bridegroom. 



They did not take any wedding trip, but 

 went straight off to Doncaster, where " The 

 Druid " had already resided for about fifteen 

 months. During that time he was, as I have 

 already said, articled to Messrs. Baxter, the 

 well-known Tory solicitors of Doncaster ; 

 but encouraged by " Martingale " and the 

 proprietors of the Doncastei' Gazette, he 

 had from the first contributed many political 

 and sporting articles to that journal, of which 

 in 1848 he became the editor. 



At Doncaster they passed the first three 

 years of their married life, living at first 

 in very modest lodgings and in a very 

 quiet street. " The Druid " had occupied 

 three rooms before he brought his wife 

 back to them, and the only special pre- 

 paration he had made for her reception 

 consisted in the purchase of four very 



