Thus, it is related of him that, in the spring of 1833, shortly
after his return to Parliament as Member for Berkshire, he was at
The Times office one day, when an express arrived from Paris,
bringing the speech of the King of the French on the opening of
the Chambers. The express arrived at 10 A.M., after the day's
impression of the paper had been published, and the editors and
compositors had left the office. It was important that the
speech should be published at once; and Mr. Walter immediately
set to work upon it. He first translated the document; then,
assisted by one compositor, he took his place at the type-case,
and set it up. To the amazement of one of the staff, who dropped
in about noon, he "found Mr. Walter, M.P. for Berks, working in
his shirt-sleeves!" The speech was set and printed, and the
second edition was in the City by one o'clock. Had he not
"turned to" as he did, the whole expense of the express service
would have been lost. And it is probable that there was not
another man in the whole establishment who could have performed
the double work--intellectual and physical--which he that day
executed with his own head and hands.
Such an incident curiously illustrates his eminent success in
life. It was simply the result of persevering diligence, which
shrank from no effort and neglected no detail; as well as of
prudence allied to boldness, but certainly not "of chance;" and,
above all, of highminded integrity and unimpeachable honesty.
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