Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: years, the Queen employed Gainsborough to paint his portrait, and subsequently presented the picture to the original. This lad, brought up at the palace, became in due time chaplain to George IV. and residentiary of St. Paul's. He married Miss Floyer, a Dorsetshire lady, but, continuing childless, adopted her niece; and narrative and portrait, papers and estate—to say nothing of the ghost's plates and spoons — are, I am told, at the present time in the possession of this lady's representative. Dr. Blomberg And His Fiddles. Dr. Blomberg was an amiable man, that he was a sound divine may be taken for granted, and assuredly he was a very excellent musician. Fiddling was his strong point and his unfailing amusement; there were people who believed that he kept a greased bow for silent play on Sundays. Three fiddles he possessed — three fiddles that he loved, I had almost said, like children. And no wonder; they were mellow, marvelous instruments—one a genuine Straduarius of incalculable value. It is curious how players become attached to their fiddles ! I speak in ignorance, but I never heard of any one conceiving a strong affection for a trombone, or a big drum, or a key bugle, but there appears to be something exceptionally fascinating about a fiddle—something which commends that simple parent of sweet sounds to its master's heart in a degree not attained by organs more powerful or more elaborate. There are some fiddles too, I believe, which love their owners—at least they speak as if they do. But this by the way. One morning Dr. Blomberg came to my father in dire distress. The tears, without figure of speech, were in his eyes as he told his pitiful story. He had been robbed — robbed of his fiddles — nibbed of all three — all three were gone ! A former servant who had been dete...