1885-1888] Hangrove and Orchis Bank 279 



Hangrove, where she had not been for so long, had been 

 one of our favourite near walks in old days a wood, with 

 hazel undergrowth cut down periodically, and in the hedges 

 gnarled old beeches good for children to climb. On the left 

 of Cudham Lane there was a grassy ten-ace under one of the 

 shaws of old beeches, which we called " Orchis bank." 

 Here grew bee, fly, musk, and butterfly orchises. From 

 this terrace looking across the quiet valley we saw the 

 shingled spire of Cudham church showing above its old 

 yews. 



Sunday, Sept., 1887. 



I was so pleased with Professor Newton's 1 address at 

 Manchester (about your father) that I wrote to tell him so. 

 He has been always so kind and friendly to me that I felt 

 warranted to do it. ... 



[Nov., 1887]. 



Snow's letter impelled me to write to Fanny, and I liked 

 to do so, as I wanted to talk to a contemporary about Sis- 

 mondi and his letters and journal, and there are few now 

 to care about him. I keep putting his sentences into his 

 voice and manner ; and I perceive that though I should now 

 have patience with his foibles, he would always go against 

 my taste as wanting manliness the very antipodes to my 

 father. 



Dec., 1887. 



I am wading through Emerson, as I really wanted to 

 know what transcendentalism means, and I think it is that 

 intuition is before reason (or facts). It certainly does not 

 suit Wedgwoods, who never have any intuitions. 



My mother had a school-board pupil-teacher to read 

 aloud to her during part of the winter; she wrote: 

 embarked with her in such a frivolous novel all about flirta- 

 tions and lovers that I have changed it for Miss Yonge 

 all about scarlet-fever and drains." 



My father's Life was published in the autumn of 1887 

 and is alluded to below. 



1 Professor of Zoology and Fellow of Magdalene Coll. at Cambridge. 



