Page:Hannah More (1887 Charlotte Mary Yonge British).djvu/167

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BARLEY WOOD.
155

as the Clapham party. Zachary Macaulay had been brought to Barley Wood by Mr. Wilberforce, in 1796, and had there fallen in love with Selina Mills, a former pupil of the elder sisters, who was like one of themselves. Their marriage had taken place after Mr. Macaulay's expedition to Sierra Leone, and visits to their house at Clapham were among Hannah's London pleasures. On calling there one day in one of the last of her thirty-five winters in London, she was met at the door by a fair pretty boy, about four years old, who politely informed her that his parents were out, but if she would be so good as to come in he would give her a glass of old spirits. This was "Master Tommy," known in after life as Lord Macaulay. On being asked what prompted his extraordinary offer, he could only say that Robinson Crusoe always had some!

Hannah took the greatest delight in the quaint little boy, and his sister, her godchild and namesake. The description of the young Stanleys being able to dispense with childish books at seven and eight years old was probably taken from these children, for little Tom was given to sitting up in his nankeen frock expounding from a volume as big as himself, and talking in "quite printed words," and his sister was his close companion. They were often visitors at Barley Wood, where the old ladies knew how to make real companions of children. "Mrs. Hannah 'would keep the boy' with her for