246 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xvn 



through her marriage in the spring of 1881 : " We had some 

 trouble with poor Bernard yesterday. He mistook his 

 father to say that Nanna would come after he was in bed. 

 So yesterday morning I found I must tell him the truth or 

 really deceive him. At first I told him that she was at 

 Mrs Parslow's and he should go and see her. He said, c I 

 shall soon have her out of Mrs Parslow's.' When I told him 

 she was going to be married, his poor face crumpled up 

 and he said, ' I don't like it that way at ah 1 .' He cried 

 very quietly but could not get over it for some time." 



When he first saw his nurse after her marriage he said 

 to her. " You ought to have told me, Nana, you ought to 

 have told me." 



[Spring, 1881.] 



I can't think how Gladstone can propose the monument 

 for Lord Beaconsfield with any degree of sincerity. It is 

 not that he thinks Lord B. in the wrong upon almost all 

 public questions. I can fancy getting over that difficulty; 

 but that until ten years ago no party believed him to have 

 any principle. I think the handsomeness about him has 

 been rather immoral. Every Liberal vyeing with the rest 

 to do him honour. The Dean's sermon seems to have been 

 outspoken in some degree. 



On June 2nd we all went to a house at Patterdale taken 

 for a month. I think that this second visit to the Lake 

 country was nearly as full of enjoyment as the first. It was 

 an especial happiness to my mother for the rest of her life 

 to remember her little strolls with my father by the side of 

 the lake. I have a clear picture in my mind of the two 

 often setting off alone together for a certain favourite walk 

 by the edge of some fine rocks going sheer down into the 

 lake. 



[PATTERDALE] Sunday [June, 1881]. 



The day has turned out even more beautiful than the 

 first Sunday. We all, but F., went in the boat, as far as the 

 How Town landing-place, where we got out. Bernard was 

 with us, dabbling his hand in the water and very quiet and 

 happy. It was very charming up among the junipers and 

 rocks. William was much delighted but is rather troubled 



