Introduction

With Photogravure Portrait of the Author and a number of Original Letters, of which one by George Meredith and another by Robert Louis Stevenson are reproduced in facsimile.

My Father—The Murrays—The Courage of Childhood—The Girl from the Workhouse—Witchcraft—The Dudley Devil—The Deformed Methodist—A Child's Idea of the Creator—The Policeman—Sir Ernest Spencer's Donkey—The High Street Pork Butcher.

My Father's Printing Office—The Prize Ring—The Fistic Art—First Steps in Education—A Boy's Reading—Carlyle—Parents and Children—A School Chum—Technical Education—Plaster Medallions.

A First View 01 London—Charles Dickens—The Photograph—On the Coach to Oxford—The Manuscript of Our Mutual Friend—An Unpublished Chapter—Dickens as Reader—The British Museum Reading-Room.

I Enlist—St George's Barracks—The Recruits—From Bristol to Cork—Sergeants—The Bounty and the Free Kit—Life in the Army—My Discharge—A Sweet Revenge.

Towards Journalism—Dr Kenealy as Parliamentary Candidate—The Wednesbury Advertiser—George Dawson—The First Private Execution—Misprints—The Black Country Sixty Years Ago—Aunt Rachel Old Servants—Local Poets—Mining Dangers.

George Dawson as Editor—Birmingham Politicians—John Bright's Nervousness—The Black Lake Rescue—The Pelsall Hall Colliery Disaster—Archibald Forbes—Out of Work—Edmund Yates and The World—The Hangman—Human Oddities—A Mislaid Cheque—Hero Worship—Three Stories of Carlyle—Journalism.

The House of Commons Press Gallery—Disraeli as Orator—The Story of the Dry Champagne—The Labour Member—Dr Kenealy's Fiasco—Mr Newdigate's Eloquence—Lord Beaconsfield's Success—“Stone-Walling”—Robert Lowe's Classics—The Press Gallery and Mr Gladstone.

The Russo-Turkish War—Constantinople—His Friend the Enemy—Col. Archibald Campbell—The Courage of Non-Combatants—Father Stick—Turkish Economy—Memories of Constantinople.

Constantinople—The Massacre of Kesanlyk—A Sketching Expedition—Failure of Supplies—Correspondent for the Scotsman and the Times—Adrianople—The Case of the Gueschoffs—The Bulgarians.

First Fiction—A Life's Atonement—The Casual Tramp—Poor Law Relief—Charles Reade—The Cloister and the Hearth—Wilkie Collins—The Figure in Mediaeval Costume—Joseph's Coat—At Roche-fort—Rainbow Gold—The Anarchist—The Police—The Text of Scripture.

Eight Hours in Melbourne—The Australian Born—Australians and the Mother Country—The Governor—The Sydney Bulletin—The Englishman in Australia-Australian Journalism—The Theatre—The Creed of Athleticism—The Future.

The Dreyfus Case—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Opinion—Meeting at the Egyptian Hall—Interview with Zola—Maître Labori—M. Henri Rochefort—Major Esterhazy.

A Few Letters—George Meredith—J. M. Barrie—Advice on Going to America—A Statue to Washington—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P.—Robert Louis Stevenson—Mr Edmund Gosse on the Neo-Scottish School—My Contemporaries in Fiction—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—Mr Joseph Hocking—Robert Buchanan—Mr E. Marshall Hall, K.C.