When asked, not long before his death, how it
was that he had first thought of starting his extensive Car
establishment, he answered, "It grew out of my back!" It was the
hundred weight of pictures on his dorsal muscles that stimulated
his thinking faculties. But the time for starting his great
experiment had not yet arrived.
Bianconi wandered about from town to town for nearly two years.
The picture-case became heavier than ever. For a time he
replaced it with a portfolio of unframed prints. Then he became
tired of the wandering life, and in 1806 settled down at
Carrick-on-Suir as a print-seller and carver and gilder. He
supplied himself with gold-leaf from Waterford, to which town he
used to proceed by Tom Morrissey's boat. Although the distance
by road between the towns was only twelve miles, it was about
twenty-four by water, in consequence of the windings of the river
Suir. Besides, the boat could only go when the state of the tide
permitted. Time was of little consequence; and it often took
half a day to make the journey. In the course of one of his
voyages, Bianconi got himself so thoroughly soaked by rain and
mud that he caught a severe cold, which ran into pleurisy, and
laid him up for about two months. He was carefully attended to
by a good, kind physician, Dr. White, who would not take a penny
for his medicine and nursing.
Pages:
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295