"I. LETTSOM.
"This is a liberty I suppose great men take with each other….
"Perhaps you may have been struck at the lateness of the hour set by Mr. Bromfield for dinner [5 o'clock!], but that is considered quite early in London. I will tell you the fashionable hours. A person to be genteel must rise at twelve o'clock, breakfast at two, dine at six, and sup at the same time, and go to bed about three o'clock the next morning. This may appear extravagant, but it is actually practised by the greatest of the fashionables of London….
"I think you will not complain of the shortness of this letter. I only wish you now had it to relieve your minds from anxiety, for, while I am writing, I can imagine mama wishing that she could hear of my arrival, and thinking of thousands of accidents that may have befallen me, and I wish that in an instant I could communicate the information; but three thousand miles are not passed over in an instant and we must wait four long weeks before we can hear from each other."
(The italics are mine, for on the outside of this letter written by Morse in pencil are the words:—
"A longing for the telegraph even in this letter.")
"There has a ghost made its appearance a few streets only from me which has alarmed the whole city. It appears every night in the form of shriekings and groanings. There are crowds at the house every night, and, although they all hear the noises, none can discover from whence they come. The family have quitted the house. I suppose 'tis only a hoax by some rogue which will be brought out in time."
CHAPTER III
AUGUST 24, 1811—DECEMBER 1. 1811
Benjamin West.—George III.—Morse begins his studies.—Introduced to West.—Enthusiasms.—Smuggling and lotteries.—English appreciation of art.—Copley.—Friendliness of West.—Elgin marbles.—Cries of London.— Custom in knocking.—Witnesses balloon ascension.—Crowds.—Vauxhall Gardens.—St. Bartholomew's Fair.—Efforts to be economical.—Signs of war.—Mails delayed.—Admitted to Royal Academy.—Disturbances, riots, and murders.