that rat,' cries Jo, excited. 'Hi, look, there he goes. Ho! Into the ground.' 'Is this place of abomination consecrated ground?' 'I don't know nothink of consequential ground,' says Jo, still staring. Is it blessed ? 'I'm blest if I know,' says Jo, staring more than ever, 'but I should think it warn't. Blest?' repeats Jo, something troubled in his mind. 'It ain't done much good if it is. Blest? I should think it was t'othered, myself. But I don't know nothink.""

A story is told of a navvy looking out of a top window of one of the surrounding hovels on a funeral taking place below. When the clergyman arrived at that part of the service "I heard a voice from Heaven," the navvy called out, "You're a liar; I'm nearer to Heaven than you are, and I can't hear anything."

The site of this place is now directly at the back of the Waldorf Theatre and Hotel, and is paved over. Blocks of workmen's dwellings surround the spot, upon the wall of which a tablet has been erected, thus inscribed:

"A part of the forecourt, as well as the

site on which this wall is erected, is a portion of the old burial-ground of the parish of St. Mary le Strand, and is vested in the Rector of the said parish. The north and south boundaries of the old burial-ground are indicated by red stones let into the foot pavement.

"F. HARCOURT HILLESDON, M.A., Rector. "W. O. READER, Clerk.

"June 1907."

CHAPTER X

Catherine Street-Brydges Street-York and Tavistock Streets-Tavistock Row-Murder of Miss Ray-Wimbledon House in the Strand-D'Oyley's warehouseGaiety Theatre-"Morning Post"-Lyceum Theatre and Exeter Change, Wellington Street-The Victoria Club-"Household Words "-Voltaire-Covent Garden Hotel-Maiden Lane-Andrew Marvell, Southampton Street-J. M. W. Turner-The Cider Cellars-Professor Porson-Rule's-Henrietta Street and its fashionable

inhabitants.

CATHERINE STREET, which now connects Russell Street with Aldwych, was at one time the only direct route to the Strand from the neighbourhood of Covent Garden. The upper part of this street, which extended as far as York Street, was called Brydges Street, whilst the lower portion, which reached to the Strand, was named Catherine Street. The former thorough|fare was named after George Brydges, Lord Chandos, and was built about 1637. There were several taverns of note here,