had the whole plan of his story arranged in his head, and one evening he repeated a sketch of it, and from such scanty materials his physician vamped up his story of the "Vampire," which, says Moore, was received with great enthu siasm in France, under the impression that it was written by Lord Byron.

But the novel of "Frankenstein " proceeded steadily on, and from its wild and wonderful character, on its first appearance, it took so strong a hold on the public mind, that it was greedily read in every circle; the name of its hero became familiar to every ear, and soon furnished a subject for the stage, both in France and England. More than once it has been quoted in Parliament, and still holds its place among the classics of our country.

The period of Shelley's residence at Geneva was soon brought to a close, for on the 29th of August, he departed again for England, where he arrived about the 6th of September, and as it appears, proceeded direct to London; which brings us to a new epoch in his life.

CHAPTER VI.

Shelley arrives in London-His intimacy with Leigh Hunt-Their meetings at Hampstead-Paper-boat building again-Shelley's domesticity-His love of humour-His desponding moods-Anecdote of his benevolence.

"THE saddest events awaited his return to England," says Mrs. Shelley; but what were the immediate circumstances which brought Shelley home so much earlier than he seems to have intended by the letter already given, I am unable to trace.

Probably, as on his first visit to the Continent, some sudden discovery of the emptiness of his purse, and the consequent inability to carry out his projects, had much to do with it. The

prodigality with which he administered to the necessities of his fellow creatures early taught him the narrowness of his means compared to the largeness of his heart.

On his arrival in London, he probably took

up his abode with or near William Godwin, then, I believe, living in Holborn. His literary circle of friends was very small, but now commenced his close intimacy with Leigh Hunt, with whom he had been, prior to this, but partially acquainted. He had addressed a letter to him in 1811, while at Oxford, on the subject of Reform, and had called upon him some time after his expulsion, at the "Examiner" office, which, however, according to Leigh Hunt, produced no intimacy, although we find Shelley administering to his necessities some time before this period.

The circumstance which brought them closer together was the imprisonment to which Leigh Hunt had been condemned for two years, for a libel in the "Examiner" on the Prince Regent. The high treason which he had committed on this occasion consisted in calling the Prince Regent "a fat Adonis of fifty," a huge offence

against "the divinity" that "doth hedge a king."

"To evils," says the unfortunate victim of royal displeasure, "I owe some of my greatest blessings. It was imprisonment that brought me acquainted with my friend of friends, Shelley. I had seen little of him before, but he wrote to me making me a princely offer, which at that time I stood in no need of."

The period of Leigh Hunt's imprisonment expired on 3rd Feb., 1815, and in the spring of 1816 he went to reside at Hampstead, renting a cottage in that locality known as "The Vale of Health." Here Shelley frequently came to see him, sometimes to stay for several days.

The best feelings were not long in being reciprocrated, and enthusiastic admiration on the one side, and the due appreciation of a warm genial nature on the other, soon produced one of those enduring friendships which time only cemented the more closely, and which lasted till rudely broken by the hand of death.

Of the nature of this friendship we may form a fair estimate, when, many years after the death of Shelley, we hear Leigh Hunt relating that

for his part he never could mention the poet's name without a transport of love and gratitude.

"I rejoice," he says, "to have partaken of his cares, and to be both suffering and benefiting from him at this moment; and whenever I think of a future state, and of the great and good spirit that must pervade it, one of the first faces I humbly hope to see there is that of the kind and impassioned man whose intercourse conferred on me the title of the friend of Shelley.'"

They frequently took long rambles across the Heath together, and here as ever, Shelley enjoyed the never-ending sport of making paper boats, and setting them afloat on the various ponds in the neighbourhood which afforded so many facilities for this peculiar kind of enjoyment. The natural ruggedness of the Heath delighted him, and his love of wild flowers also found a gratification in the many specimens which the Heath produces.

The poet's propensity for sketching is remarked by Leigh Hunt. He would indulge in this while waiting for his companion at an inn or in a door way, scratching his oaks and