Page:William-morris-and-the-early-days-of-the-socialist-movement.djvu/130

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AS GUEST AND COMPANION
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in the glamour of things Jewish that attracted him. But I'm not "begrudging" him his sympathy with the Jews. I'm no Jew-hater. As likely as not I belong to one of the lost ten tribes.'

'But where are we going? Why are we here?' he asked, suddenly halting, as we were walking along one of the cemetery paths.

'Indeed, I do not know,' I replied, and explained that on finding the Cathedral closed I had taken him for a walk round. But it was now time, I said, for us to be getting to the meeting on the Green.

He was much amused. 'And so you brought me to a cemetery by the way of pleasant recreation,' he said with a twinkle. 'I suspect it's in the blood, my boy, and that the saying about Scotchmen enjoying going to funerals is not a defamatory one. But after preaching you, as I did a few minutes ago, a discourse according to the example of my fellow-countryman, Sir Thomas Browne, on funeral urns, I had better not heave any more stones at your Scottish taste for tombstones.'

On the way back, notwithstanding his vexation at the Cathedral and his 'reflection among the tombs,' he was, as usual, brimful of pleasantry about the oddity of things he observed by the way.

Towards the foot of the High Street, the neighbourhood of which at that period was a congeries of slums, the throng of children became so dense that we had to thread our way as through a market crowd. Having almost no room to play in, the youngsters were inclined to be more noisy and mischievous in their pranks, and passengers displaying any peculiarity of appearance rarely escaped their larkish compliments. Morris and myself, with our shock hair, soft hats, and unconventional make-up, doubtless looked a somewhat outlandish pair, and presented a conspicuous mark for their jocosity; and we had to run the gauntlet of a more than usual fairing of their salutation and mimicry. 'Oh, my, look what's coming!' 'Hide yer!' 'Buffalo Bill!'