Chapter II: Prologue: 1

I. EARLY DAYS 3

II. EARLY WORK 20

III. MR. PERCIVAL LEIGH AND LEECH 75

IV. MEETING OF MULREADY AND LEECH 95

V. "THE PHYSIOLOGY OF EVENING PARTIES," BY ALBERT SMITH 104

VI. JOHN LEECH AND THE ETON BOY 130

VII. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR 137

VIII. "THE MARCHIONESS OF BRINVILLIERS," BY ALBERT SMITH 151

IX. "THE MARCHIONESS OF BRINVILLIERS"--CONTINUED 163

X. "A MAN MADE OF MONEY," BY DOUGLAS JERROLD 178

XI. ALBERT SMITH AND LEECH 206

XII. MR. ADAMS AND LEECH 233

XIII. "COMIC GRAMMAR" AND "COMIC HISTORY" 255

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

PORTRAIT OF JOHN LEECH _Frontispiece_

HERCULES RETURNING FROM A FANCY BALL _To face p._ 3

PHYSICIAN AND GENERAL PRACTITIONER 27

"WHERE 'AVE WE BIN? WHY, TO SEE THE COVE 'UNG, TO BE SURE!" 29

AN EYE TO BUSINESS 31

BUT AUGUSTUS'S HEART WAS TOO FULL TO SPEAK 33

"SIR! PLEASE, MR.! SIR! YOU'VE FORGOT THE DOOR-KEY!" 38

ETON BOY (_loq._): "Come, governor! just one toast--'The Ladies'!" 39

THE RETURN FROM THE DERBY 43

THE DERBY EPIDEMIC 44

SOMETHING LIKE A HOLIDAY 46

ALARMING SYMPTOMS ON EATING BOILED BEEF AND GOOSEBERRY-PIE 47

"SO YOU HAVE TAKEN ALL YOUR STUFF, AND DON'T FEEL ANY BETTER, EH?" 50

AWFUL APPARITION TO A GENTLEMAN WHILST SHAVING IN THE EDGWARE ROAD,
SEPTEMBER 29, 1846. 51

"A HOLDER AND A THINNER WINE" 53

"HOLLO! HI! HERE, SOMEBODY! I'VE TURNED ON THE HOT WATER, AND I
CAN'T TURN IT OFF AGAIN!" 54

SYMPTOMS OF A MASQUERADE 55

THE RISING GENERATION 57

THE IRREPRESSIBLE JUVENILE 58

THE RISING GENERATION 59

SERVANT-GAL-ISM 63

THE RISING GENERATION 65

SPECIAL CONSTABLE: "Now mind, you know--if I kill you, it's
nothing; but if you kill me, by Jove! it's murder!" 67

RECREATIONS IN NATURAL HISTORY 69

CABMAN IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE TAKEN A WRONG TURNING, THAT'S ALL 70

MR. BRIGGS DOES A LITTLE SHOOTING 73

"FIDDLE-FADDLE" FASHIONS 90

"FIDDLE-FADDLE" FASHIONS 91

THE MULREADY ENVELOPE 96

FORES'S COMIC ENVELOPE 97

MAMMA AND THE GIRLS 106

TWO RUDE YOUNG MEN 107

THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE 108

AN OLIVE-BRANCH 109

TWO "GANGLING" YOUNG MEN 110

PREPARING FOR THE BALL 111

THE ASSISTANT-WAITER 112

THE BAND 112

WALLFLOWERS 114

MR. LEDBURY 115

MR. LEDBURY AND MISS HAMILTON 116

THE WALTZ 118

IN THE CONSERVATORY 119

THE BELLE OF THE EVENING 120

MR. LEDBURY'S HAT 121

MR. PERCIVAL JENKS 123

CLOWN: "Oh, see what I've found!" 127

MISS CINTHIA SINGS 128

DREADFUL FOR YOUNG OXFORD 131

MISS LUCY AND MR. SPONGE 149

LE PREMIER PAS _To face p._ 160

DEATH OF ST. CROIX " 172

A FAMILY PICTURE 189

AND THERE STOOD JERICHO 203

MR. SIMMONS'S ATTEMPT AT REFORM 215

THE BELLE OF THE MONTH--AUGUST--TAKING A "CONSTITUTIONAL" IN
KENSINGTON GARDENS. TIME, 8 A.M. 221

THE BALCONY NUISANCE 223

THE BELLE OF THE MONTH--NOVEMBER--"IN DISTRESS OFF A
LEE-SHORE--BRIGHTON PIER" 229

"NOW, JACK, MY BOY! THERE'S NO TIME TO LOSE! WE'VE TEN MILES TO
GO TO COVER" 245

EFFECTS OF A FALL 253

BILLY TAYLOR 256

"WHERE GOT'S THOU THAT GOOSE? LOOK!" 257

QUEEN ELEANOR AND FAIR ROSAMOND 261

KING EDWARD INTRODUCING HIS SON AS PRINCE OF WALES TO HIS
NEWLY-ACQUIRED SUBJECTS 262

UNSEEMLY CONDUCT OF HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES 263

THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER GOES INTO MOURNING FOR HIS LITTLE NEPHEWS 264

MARY'S ELOPEMENT 266

JOHN LEECH:

_HIS LIFE AND WORK_