ch. iv.] REMINISCENCES. 87 



an orchid (Spiranthes), and also made out the relations of 

 the sexes in Thyme. 



He rejoiced at his return home after his holidays, and 

 greatly enjoyed the welcome he got from his dog Polly, who 

 would get wild with excitement, panting, squeaking, rush- 

 ing round the room, and jumping on and off the chairs ; 

 and he used to stoop down, pressing her face to his, letting 

 her lick him, and speaking to her with a peculiarly tender, 

 caressing voice. 



My father had the power of giving to these summer 

 holidays a charm which was strongly felt by all his family. 

 The pressure of his work at home kept him at the utmost 

 stretch of his powers of endurance, and when released from 

 it, he entered on a holiday with a youthf ulness of enjoyment 

 that made his companionship delightful ; we felt that we 

 saw more of him in a week's holiday than in a month at 

 home. 



Besides the holidays which I have mentioned, there were 

 his visits to water-cure establishments. In 1849, when very 

 ill, suffering from constant sickness, he was urged by a 

 friend to try the water-cure, and at last agreed to go to Dr. 

 Gully's establishment at Malvern. His letters to Mr. Fox 

 show how much good the treatment did him ; he seems to 

 have thought that he had found a cure for his troubles, but, 

 like all other remedies, it had only a transient effect on him. 

 However, he found it, at first, so good for him, that when 

 he came home he built himself a douche-bath, and the 

 butler learnt to be his bathman. 



He was, too, a frequent patient at Dr. Lane's water-cure 

 establishment, Moor Park, near Aldershot, visits to which 

 he always looked back with pleasure. 



Some idea of his relation to his family and his friends may 

 be gathered from what has gone before ; it would be impos- 

 sible to attempt a complete account of these relationships, 

 but a slightly fuller outline may not be out of place. Of 

 his married life I cannot speak, save in the briefest manner. 

 In his relationship towards my mother, his tender and sym- 

 pathetic nature was shown in its most beautiful aspect. In 

 her presence he found his happiness, and through her, his 

 life which might have been overshadowed by gloom be- 

 came one of content and quiet gladness. 



The Expression of the Emotions shows how closely he 

 watched his children ; it was characteristic of him that (as 

 I have heard him tell), although he was so anxious to ob- 

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