CHAPTER XX.

1836.

Curious case of a girl stolen by gipsies--Superstition _re_ light at Christmas in the North of England--Designs for New Houses of Parliament--King William III. statue blown up--Admission of ladies to the House of Commons--Stuart impostors--An inter-university boat race--How Cambridge came to have light blue as a colour.

On January 15th, the Brighton bench heard the following extraordinary tale:--

"A little girl who stated her name to be Charlotte Savage, and that she was thirteen years of age, was brought up by Mr. Solomon, who stated that her story was so extraordinary that he thought it his duty to let her state it to the bench.

"The child, in reply to the questions of the magistrate, stated that her father's name was Robert Savage, that he was formerly a soldier, but, on marrying her mother, turned Custom House officer, and was now living at Bristol. Just before hay-making time last year she and her brother Robert went to the theatre at Bath; and, as they were returning home at night, her brother being a little on before, she was taken up by some gipsies, who gagged her, and put her into a cart. She had ever since been travelling about with them, and knew the names of three, who were called John, Richard, and William Lee. They got a living by selling combs, and by stealing geese, turkeys, sheep, and rabbits, which they killed and skinned, and the skins of the sheep and rabbits they sold. Whenever they travelled through any towns they put her at top of a cart, and when they encamped she was always employed in washing linen or nursing the children; and she could not escape, there being always a great boy and girl with her.

"About three weeks ago they went through Brighton to Lewes. There part of the gipsies took lodgings, and those she was with, having to go into the town, left her in a lodging-house kept by a Mrs. Tickner. There, to amuse herself, she began reading the Testament with a little boy, which Mrs. Tickner observing, said she could not have been brought up to the gipsy life, or she would not have been able to read. She replied that she had not, and then told Mrs. Tickner her story. Mrs. Tickner said she had once had a little boy of her own stolen, and she knew the distraction the loss of children caused parents to feel; and that, therefore, the gipsies should give her up, or she would make them, and she would keep her until she should hear from her parents. She then got a letter written to them, and received an answer (stating her mother was on her deathbed, and had been ill ever since her disappearance), together with five shillings in a parcel. Mrs. Tickner then hearing that there was a steam packet that sailed from the chain pier at Brighton, let her come over to Brighton; she accordingly arrived there, and went to the pier to inquire about the packet, and was told that there was no steam packet that went from Brighton to Bristol, but there was a coach which