Reprinted Pieces

, and place a large impression in the hands of an active sticker. I can scarcely imagine a more terrible revenge. I should haunt him, by this means, night and day. I do not mean

es. If he sought refuge in an omnibus, the panels thereof would become Belshazzar’s palace to him. If he took boat, in a wild endeavour to escape, he would see the fatal words lurking under the arches of the bridges over the Thames. If he walked the streets with downcast eyes, he would recoil from the very stones of the pavement, made eloquent by lamp-black lithograph. If he drove or rode, his way would be blocked up by enormous vans, each proclaiming the same words over and over again from its whole extent of surfac

windows were billed out, the doors were billed across, the water-spout was billed over. The building was shored up to prevent its tumbling into the street; and the very beams erected against it were less wood than paste and paper, they had been so continually posted and reposted. The forlorn dregs of old posters so encumbered this wreck, that there was no hold for new posters, and the stickers had abandoned the place in despair, except one enterprising man who had hoisted the last masquerade to a clear spot near the level of the stack of chimneys where it waved and drooped like a shattered flag. Belo

oachful thought associated with pills, or ointment? What an avenging spirit to that man is PROFESSOR HOLLOWAY! Have I sinned in oil? CABBURN pursues me. Have I a dark remembrance associated with any gentlemanly garments, bespoke or ready made? MOSES and SON are on my track. Did I ever aim a blow at a defenceless fellow-creature’s head? That head eternally being measured for a wig, or that worse head which was bald before it used the

terrific announcements they conducted through the city, which being a summary of the contents of a Sunday newspaper, were of the most thrilling kind. Robbery, fire, murder, and the ruin of the United Kingdom — each discharged in a line by itself, like a separate broad-side of red-hot shot — were among the least of the warnings addressed to an unthinking people. Yet, t

impression passed quickly from me; the former remained. Curious to know whether this prostrate figure was the one impressible man of the whole capital who had been stricken insensible by the terrors revealed to him, and whose form had been placed in the car by th

a p

eld, reclining on his back upon the floor, on a kind of mattress or divan, a little man in a shooting-coat. The exclamation ‘Dear me’ which irresistibly escaped my lips caused him to sit upright, and surve

t of beer, a pipe, and what I understand is called ‘a screw’ of tobacco — an object whi

again admitted of my presenting my face at the portal. ‘But — excus

composedly laying aside a pipe he had smoked

T live here t

inder-box, and replied, ‘This is my carriage. When things are flat, I t

ank his beer all at once, and

great idea

d the little man, wit

cribe your name upon the tab

rned the little man, ‘ — no name particul

acious!’

ber of ‘the old school of bill-sticking.’ He likewise gave me to understand that there was a Lord Mayor of the Bill-Stickers, whose genius was chiefly exercised within the limits of the city. He made some allusion, also, to an inf

ill-Sticker to the parish of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, in the year one thousand sev

hole subject of bill-sticking, fro

l so,’ was

I; ‘but I am a sor

is Majesty, hastily removi

no,’

e?’ said H

,’ I re

? Sewers?’ sai

soothingly. ‘Not that sort of colle

d banishing the great mistrust that had suddenly fallen upon him, ‘come in and welcome! If it

mall aperture. His Majesty, graciously handing me a little three-leg

t is, I can,

o the attendant charioteer. ‘Do you pr

is usual liquor, and to concede to me the privilege of paying for it. After some delicate reluctance on his part, we were provided, through the instrumentality of the attendant charioteer, with a can of cold rum-and-water, flavoured with sugar and l

madness; but they fell harmless upon us within and disturbed not the serenity of our peaceful retreat. As I looked upward, I felt, I should imagine, like the Astronomer Royal. I was enchanted by the contrast between the freezing nature of our external mission on the blood of the populace, and the perfect composure reigning within those sacred precincts: where His Majesty, reclining easily on his lef

ed app

repose and t

e, ‘of posters — wa

a surprising fancy of dear THOMAS HOOD’S, and wondered whether this monarch e

using himself, ‘it’s

s,’ s

eadle, and Bill-Sticker to the parish of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, he employed women to post bills for him. He employed women to post bills at the

rence and silently. His Majesty, taking a scroll from his pocket, proceede

ime being ten shillings per day, besides expenses. They used sometimes to be stationed in large towns for five or six months together, distributing the schemes to all the houses in the town. And then there were more caricature wood-block engravings for posting-bills than there are at the present time, the principal printers, at that time, of posting-bills being Messrs. Evans and Ruffy, of Budge Row; Thoroughgood and Whiting, of the present day; and Messrs. Gye and Balne, Gracechurch Street, City. The largest bills printed at that period were a two-sheet double crown; and when they commenced printing four-sheet bi

were, before me, in a great proclamation. I took advantage of the paus

d the King, ‘is a bill thirty-nine

splaying to the multitude — which were as infants to some of the posting-bills on the r

s undoubtedly so.’ Here he instan

et, Chancery Lane, and engaged some of the new bill-stickers to do their work, and for a time got the half of all our work, and with such spirit did they carry on their opposition towards us, that they used to give us in charge before the magistrate, and get us fined; but they found it so expensive, that they could not keep it up, for they were always employing a lot of ruffians from the Seven Dials to come and fight us; and on one occasion the old bill-stickers went to Trafalgar Square to attempt to post bills, when they were given in custody by the watchman in their employ, and fined at Queen Square five pounds, as they would not allow any of us to speak in the office; but when they were gone, we had an interview with the magistrate, who mitigated the

is pipe, and took some rum-and-water. I embraced the opportunity of asking how many divisions the art and mystery of bi

for their work, whether in town or country. The price paid by the principal auctioneers for country work is nine shillings per day; th

if there be many of those fighting scenes that

us about, the company had a watchman on duty, night and day, to prevent us sticking bills upon the hoarding in Trafalgar Square. We went there, early one morning, to stick bills and to black-wash their bills if we were interfered with. We WERE interfered with, and I gave the word for laying

ut it didn’t answer. Ah!’ said His Majesty thoughtfully, as he filled the glass, ‘Bill-stickers have a deal to contend with. The bill-sticking clause was got into the Police Act by a member of P

erful face, I asked whose ingenious invention that was, which I g

mitators soon rose up, of course. — When don’t they? But they stuck ’em at low-wate

ike an immense fishing-rod,’ I inquired, ‘w

in Liverpool, another bill-sticker and me were at it together on the wall outside the Clarence Dock — me with the joints — him on a ladder. Lord! I had my bill up, right over his head

rs who can’t read?’ I took

ards of their work. They keep it as it’s given out to ’em. I have

of about three-quarters of a mile in length, as nearly as I could judge. His Majesty, however, entreating

increased in size, they had not increased in number; as the abolition of the State Lotteries had occasioned a great falling off, especially in the country. Over and above which change, I bethought myself that the custom of advertising in newspapers had greatly increased. The completion of many London improvements, as Trafalgar Square (I particularly observed the singularity of His Majesty’s calling THAT an im

nds. It was of no use giving a man a Drury Lane bill this week and not next. Where was it to go? He was of opinion that going to the expense of putting up your own board on which your sticker could display your own bills, was the only complete way of posting yourself at the present time; but, even to effect this, on payment of a shilling a week to the keepers of steamboat piers and other such places, you must be able, besides, to give orders for theatres and public exhibitions, or you would be sure to be cut out by somebody. His Majesty regarded the passion for orders, as one of the most unappeasable appetites of human nature. If there were a building, or if there were repairs, going on, anywhere, you could generally stand something an

ion. The manner of the King was frank in the extreme; and he seemed to me to avoid, at once that slight tendency to repetition which may have been observed in the conversat

refer these unpleasant effects, either to the paste with which the posters were affixed to the van: which may have contained some small portion of arsenic; or, to the printer’s ink, which may have contained some equally deleterious ingredient. Of this, I cannot be sure. I am only sure that I was not affected, either by the smoke, or the rum-and-water. I was assisted out of

MRS. MEEK

When I saw the announcement in the Times, I dropped the paper. I had put i

), ‘you are now a public character.’ We read the review of our child, several times, with feelings of the strongest emotion; an

een expected, with comparative confidence, for some months. Mrs. Meek’s mother, who resides

been from infancy, small. I have the greatest respect for Maria Jane’s Mama. She is a most remarkable woman. I honour Maria Jane’s Mama. In my opinion she would storm a

I will not

months ago. I came home earlier than usual from the office, and, proceeding into the dining-room, found an obstruction behind th

e was consuming a second glassful. She wore a black bonnet of large dimensions, and was copious in figure. The expression of her countenance was severe and disconte

le was Mr

inner, in consequence of feeling that I seemed to intrude, I cannot say. But, Maria Jane’s Mama said to me on her retiring for the ni

animosity towards a female, so essential to the welfare of Maria Jane? I am willing to admit that Fate may have been to blame, a

me out as a being to be shunned. I appeared to have done something that was evil. Whenever Mrs. Prodgit called, after dinner, I retired to my dressing-room — where the temperature is very low indeed, in the wintry time of the year — and sat looking at my frosty breath as it rose before me, and at my rack of boots; a serviceable article of furniture, but never, in my opinion, an exhilarating object. The length of the councils that were held with Mrs. Prodg

. I have no objection to Mrs. Prodgit (aided and abetted by Mrs. Bigby, who I never can forget is the parent of Maria Jane) taking entire possession of my unassuming establishment. In the recesses of my own breast, the thought may linger that a man in possession cannot be so dreadful as a woman, and that woman Mrs.

ge, my infant son. It is for him that I wish to utter a few plaintiv

to know why haste was made to stick those pins all over his innocent form, in every direction? I wish to be informed why light and air are excluded from Augustus George, like poisons? Why, I ask, is my unoffending infant so hedged into a baske

rasp Augustus George? Am I to be told that his sensitive skin was ever intended by Nature to have r

e crimped and small plaited? Or is my child composed of Paper or of Linen, that impressions of the finer getting-up art, practised by the laundres

e intention, as they are the usual practice. Then, why are my poor child’s limbs fettered and t

to Augustus George! Yet, I charge Mrs. Prodgit (aided and abetted by Mrs. Bigby) with systematically forcing Castor Oil on my innocent son, from the first hour of his birth. When that medicine, in its efficient action,

was at the moment, comparatively speaking, in a state of nature; having nothing on, but an extremely short shirt, remarkably disproportionate to the length of his usual outer garments. Trailing from Mrs. Prodgit’s lap, on the floor, was a long narrow roller or bandage — I should say of several yards in extent. In this, I SAW Mrs. Prodgit tightly roll the body of

Mrs. Bigby) entirely alienates Maria Jane’s affections from me, and interposes an impassable barrier between us. I do not complain of being made of no account. I do not want to be of any account. But, Augustus George is a production of Nature (I cannot think otherw

ht them up much better? Maria Jane herself is far from strong, and is subject to headaches, and nervous indigestion. Besides which, I learn from the statistical tables that

rge is in convulsio