The Days Before Yesterday

From the opening

The Public has given so kindly a reception to The Varnished Pomps of Yesterday (a reception which took its author wholly by surprise), that I have extracted some further reminiscences from the lumber-room of recollections. Those who expect startling revelations, or stale whiffs of forgotten scandals in these pages, will, I fear, be disappointed, for the book contains neither. It is merely a record of everyday events, covering different ground to those recounted in the former book, which may, or may not, prove of interest. I must tender my apologies for the insistent recurrence of the first person singular; in a book of this description this is difficult to avoid.

Early days--The passage of many terrors--Crocodiles, grizzlies and hunchbacks--An adventurous journey and its reward--The famous spring in South Audley Street--Climbing chimney-sweeps--The story of Mrs. Montagu's son--The sweeps' carnival--Disraeli--Lord John Russell--A child's ideas about the Whigs--The Earl of Aberdeen--"Old Brown Bread"--Sir Edwin Landseer, a great family friend--A live lion at a tea-party--Landseer as an artist--Some of his vagaries--His frescoes at Ardverikie--His latter days--A devoted friend--His last Academy picture

The "swells" of the "sixties"--Old Lord Claud Hamilton--My first presentation to Queen Victoria--Scandalous behaviour of a brother--Queen Victoria's letters--Her character and strong common sense--My mother's recollections of George III. and George IV.--Carlton House, and the Brighton Pavilion--Queen Alexandra--The Fairchild Family--Dr. Cumming and his church--A clerical Jazz--First visit to Paris--General de Flahault's account of Napoleon's campaign of 1812--Another curious link with the past--"Something French"--Attraction of Paris--Cinderella's glass slipper--A glimpse of Napoleon III.--The Rue de Rivoli--The Riviera in 1865--A novel Tricolour flag--Jenny Lind--The championship of the Mediterranean--My father's boat and crew--The race--The Abercorn wins the championship

A short sample. Read the whole book

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