Francis Hopkinson Smith

“ Years of soot and dust, due to the movings in and movings out of many "maggots" in their changing of "nuts," followed by a liberal use of friendly whitewash, have obliterated all traces of the "Roman" and "the outstretched hand" and "flowers" and "clouds," but the façade of the grim dignified old house is still as Charles Dickens knew it. All the more wonderful when I realise that the stealthy fingers of modern greed are within reach of its door-step. ”

“ Dickens for the first time read "The Chimes,"—and in that very room behind the window-panes. seen in my sketch;—and behind the same panes, no doubt, if one can judge from the purple tones in the wavy glass which only great age can give. Here Mr. Tulkinghorn defied the Frenchwoman; here he plotted against Lady Dedlock, and here he was found one morning "lying face down on the floor, shot through the heart." And here, to-day, true to its traditions it is still a mansion "let off in sets of chambers," where, to quote the author of "Bleak House," "lawyers lie like maggots in nuts." ”

“ A thick and dingy Turkey-carpet muffles the floor where he sits, attended by two candles in old-fashioned silver candle-sticks, that give a very insufficient light to his large room....
"A fine night, and a bright large moon, and multitudes of stars. Mr. Tulkinghorn, ... looks up casually, thinking what a fine night, what a bright large moon, what multitudes of stars!...
"A little after the coming of the day, come people to clean the rooms. And either the Roman has some new meaning in him, not expressed before, or the foremost of them goes wild ”