282 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xx 



as to be able to get out before it is over. It would amuse 

 me intensely to see Bright, Salisbury, and Grandolph. 

 The latter is LL.D. on the request of the Prince of Wales. 



In the following letter sitting in her ' chair ' means 

 sitting in her bath-chair. She would be pulled out to some 

 favourite spot and there left for an hour with her knitting, 

 a book, and Dicky for her companion. 



Friday, July, 1888. 



These blustering changing days have been especially 

 pretty and I have sat in my chair watching the clouds as 

 much as the earth. 



DOWN, July, 1888. 



It felt so odd yesterday morning going out of the cool 

 house into the warm air full of hay and lime flowers. I am 

 afraid both will be over unless you come to-morrow. . . . 



We blest the fine day yesterday and it was a regular 

 old-fashioned Down Sunday very idle, very talky, and 

 some lawn tennis. I heard such merriment going on at the 

 other side of the room that I was longing to know what little 

 Mrs Prothero was saying to make Wm., Leo, and Bessy 

 laugh so much, but it is never of any use asking. 



DOWN, July, 1888. 



We read aloud one of the New Arabian Nights you 

 mention, which is very amusing. They are all rather like 

 dream characters with no pretence of nature. I particu- 

 larly admire the ending of the bandbox story, when it was 

 too troublesome to get them out of their scrapes. I am 

 delighted with Forster's Life. He is so fresh. We are not 

 delighted with Sir H. Taylor's Letters. They are not a bit 

 fresh or spontaneous. 



Aug., 1888. 



The Irish part of Forster's Life is very painful and inter- 

 esting. He was quite wretched with all the wickedness 



