Twice round the clock; or, The hours of the day and night in London . the lowermost degree, I can assure I am a master-mason, free and accepted, and can hold my own ;albeit I shall never be an Office-bearer, or Grand, of my lodge, orrise to the superlatives of the Royal Arch or the Thirty-third. Behold Regent Street at two , in the accompanying cartoon. Notwithout reason do I declare it the most fashionable street in the call it not so for the aristocratic mansions it might possess; for thelower parts of the houses are occupied as shops, and the furnishedapartments are let,
Twice round the clock; or, The hours of the day and night in London . the lowermost degree, I can assure I am a master-mason, free and accepted, and can hold my own ;albeit I shall never be an Office-bearer, or Grand, of my lodge, orrise to the superlatives of the Royal Arch or the Thirty-third. Behold Regent Street at two , in the accompanying cartoon. Notwithout reason do I declare it the most fashionable street in the call it not so for the aristocratic mansions it might possess; for thelower parts of the houses are occupied as shops, and the furnishedapartments are let, either to music or operatic celebrities or to un-ostentatious old bachelors. But the shops themselves are innatelyfashionable. There was a dash of utilitarianism mingled with theslightly Bohemian tinge of my Regent Street of twenty years ago;there were bakers shops, stationers, and opticians, who had models ofsteam engines in their windows. There was a grocer not above sellingorange marmalade, brown sugar, and Durham mustard. I remember 156 TWICE ROUND THE TWO —FROM REGENT STREET TO HIGH CHANGE. 157 buying a penny cake of chocolate of him one morning ; but I find theshop now expanded into a magnificent emporium, where are sold wines,and spirits, sweetmeats and preserves, liqueurs and condiir nts, Bayonneham, Narbonne honey, Bologna sausages, Russian cavi? c, Iceland moss,clotted cream, and terrifies o£pate cle foie gras. Indeed, Regent Streetis an avenue of superfluities—a great trunk-road in Vanity watchmakers, haberdashers, and photographers ; fancy stationers,fancy hosiers, and fancy staymakers; music shops, shawl shops, jewellers,French glove shops, perfumery, and point lace shops, confectioners andmilliners : creamily, these are the merchants whose wares are exhibitedin this Bezesteen of the world. Now, whatever can her ladyship, who has been shopping in RegentStreet, have ordered the stalwart footman, who shut the carriage doorwith a resoundin
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Keywords: ., bookauthormcconnel, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1859
