boat, accompanied by two immense portfolios of music,
which it would take at least a week's incessant playing
to get through.

At a subsequent stage of the proceedings they were asked to
play, and after replacing a broken string, and a vast deal of
screwing and tightening, they gave 'a new Spanish composition,
for three voices and three guitars,' and secured an encore,
thus completely overwhelming their rivals. In the account of
the _French Watering-Place_ (_R.P._) we read about a guitar
on the pier, 'to which a boy or woman sings without any voice
little songs without any tune.'

On one of his night excursions in the guise of an 'Uncommercial
Traveller' Dickens discovered a stranded Spaniard, named
Antonio. In response to a general invitation 'the swarthy youth'
takes up his cracked guitar and gives them the 'feeblest ghost
of a tune,' while the inmates of the miserable den kept time
with their heads.

Dora used to delight David Copperfield by singing enchanting
ballads in the French language and accompanying herself 'on a
glorified instrument, resembling a guitar,' though subsequent
references show it was that instrument and none other.

We read in _Little Dorrit_ that Young John Chivery wore
'pantaloons so highly decorated with side stripes, that each
leg was a three-stringed lute.' This appears to be the only
reference to this instrument, and a lute of three strings is the
novelist's own conception, the usual number being about nine.