'Babbage got tired of that sort of thing, refused to fee the Germans any
longer, and ordered them to go and play somewhere else. They refused, and
he, worn out by their music, left his study to seek a policeman and have
them moved on. Like Carlyle, he dressed quaintly, and, moreover, at the
moment, he was bare-headed. Not seeing a policeman, from his door-step,
he walked into the street to search for one.
'Babbage's dispute with the band soon collected a small crowd, eager to
witness the fun. It is impossible for me, to say if those forming it,
knew the mathematician or not. That would depend on the elements of the
gathering, whether local or casual, and who can determine the point in a
city like London? A crowd gathers and disperses here, as the wind plays
with a volume of dust on a March day. But, anyhow, the onlookers favoured
the band against Babbage, and they let their views be understood, by
pelting him with mud. Still, he held to his purpose, routed out a
policeman, and had the band driven off. That time, at all events, he was
able to resume his calculations without molestation.'
It was a far cry, from these home-keeping transactions, to that outermost
fringe of British dominion for which Sir George Grey found himself
sailing:
What time with hand and heart aglow
The sower goeth forth to sow.
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