46 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, u 



consciousness, are generally thought to be the most in- 

 teresting, and hers was neither, yet intercourse with her was 

 always full of interest. Her judgment was good, and there 

 was about her a bright aliveness, and a many-sided interest 

 in the world in books, and in politics. Her utter sincerity 

 gave a continual freshness to her opinions, and there were 

 delightful surprises in her way of taking things. She had, 

 too, a happy enjoyment of fun or humour. Jessie Sis- 

 mondi said of her that she would "lark it through life," 

 and this remained true in one sense. To the very end of 

 her eighty-eight years she kept an extraordinary youthful- 

 ness of mind. It was, I think, almost her most remarkable 

 quality. She never stiffened, and continued to understand 

 and sympathise with the joys, the pains, and the needs of 

 youth. Any little unexpected change in her daily habits 

 remained a pleasure to her, instead of becoming a pain as 

 it does to most old people. This youthfulness of nature 

 showed itself in all her enjoyments in her delight at the 

 first taste of spring, and in her warm welcome of anyone she 

 cared for. She would hurry to the front door at Down, 

 eager for the first moment of greeting, or in summer weather 

 she would be on the little mound which overlooks the 

 entrance road, waiting to wave a welcome as the carriage 

 drove up. The contrast of this outspringing warmth with 

 her usual calm demeanour, made every arrival a kind of 

 special festival and fresh delight which I shall never 

 forget. 



She always made the most of the little pleasures of life. 

 I well recollect once calling her to the window to look at 

 two blue titmice, who appeared to be behaving in a ridiculous 

 way. They were playing leap-frog over each other's backs 

 on the lawn, we supposed each trying to get first at some- 

 thing good to eat, and flashing blue in the spring sunshine. 

 I remember thinking how nice it was to show her little 

 things, and that she would laugh and look with the kind of 

 enjoyment one calls girlish. 



But her dignity of character was as remarkable as her 

 light-hear tedness. It would be impossible to imagine any- 

 one taking a liberty with her, or that she should let herself 

 be put in a false position. As I have said, people were some- 

 times afraid of her at first to my great surprise for no one 

 really was more approachable or less uncharitable in judg- 

 ment. It is true that she was easily wearied with tediousness 

 in people, and would flash out against their tedium, though 

 never to themselves. But there was no malice nor shade of 



