He had been
apprenticed in London, and had attended Mr. Bradshaw's ministrations
there. He was the chosen friend of Zachariah Coleman; but although
he loved Zachariah, he had held but little intercourse with him
during his first marriage. There were family reasons for the
estrangement, due principally to a quarrel between Mrs. Isaac and the
first Mrs. Zachariah. But after Mrs. Zachariah had died and her
husband suffered so much Isaac was drawn to him again. He was proud
of him as a martyr for a good cause, and he often saw him when he
went to London on business.
It was in consequence of these London visits that books appeared on
the little book-shelf in Cowfold Square which were to be found
nowhere else in the town, at any rate not in the Dissenting portion
of it. It was a little bookcase, it is true, for people in country
places were not great readers in those days; but Sir Walter Scott was
there, and upstairs in Mr. Allen's room there was Byron--not an uncut
copy, but one well used both by husband and wife. Mrs. Allen was not
a particularly robust woman, although she was energetic. Often
without warning, she would not make her appearance till twelve or one
o'clock in the day, and would have her fire alight in her bedroom and
take her breakfast in bed.
Pages:
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273