A very dignified gentleman, dressed in black velvet, with a fine head,
made his way through the throng, and sat down by me, introducing
himself as Lord Chief Baron Pollock. He told me he had just been
reading the legal part of the "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin," and remarked
especially on the opinion of Judge Ruffin, in the case of _State_
v. _Mann_, as having made a deep impression on his mind.
Dinner was announced between nine and ten o'clock, and we were
conducted into a splendid hall, where the tables were laid.
Directly opposite me was Mr. Dickens, whom I now beheld for the first
time, and was surprised to see looking so young. Mr. Justice Talfourd,
known as the author of "Ion," was also there with his lady. She had a
beautiful, antique cast of head. The lord mayor was simply dressed in
black, without any other adornment than a massive gold chain. We rose
from table between eleven and twelve o'clock--that is, we ladies--and
went into the drawing-room, where I was presented to Mrs. Dickens and
several other ladies. Mrs. Dickens is a good specimen of a truly
English woman; tall, large, and well developed, with fine, healthy
color, and an air of frankness, cheerfulness, and reliability. A
friend whispered to me that she was as observing and fond of humor as
her husband.
After a while the gentlemen came back to the drawing-room, and I had a
few moments of very pleasant, friendly conversation with Mr.
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