1888-1892] Parnellism and Crime 287 



My mother's life-long friend Ellen Toilet died in January, 

 1890. She wrote: " I have been thinking that it is a great 

 loss to be the youngest of a family, and this death cuts oil 

 my last link with past life." 



In old days my mother had played a great deal of 

 concerted music with her son Francis and my husband. 

 She took the piano parts, and they went through a great 

 many of the Mozart and Haydn trios and slow move- 

 ments out of Beethoven. But now when she was nearly 

 eighty-two she was not often strong enough for the exer- 

 tion. Still this winter she wrote : " I had a little tootling 

 with Frank on his new bassoon." 



On 13th February, 1890, the report of the Special Com- 

 mission was laid on the table of the House of Commons. 

 The verdict acquitted Parnell of all responsibility for the 

 Phoenix Park murders, but the Judges asserted that Parnell 

 and his colleagues " did not denounce the system of intimida- 

 tion which led to crime and outrage, but persisted in it with 

 knowledge of its effect." 



Feb. 15, 1890. 



To think of my not mentioning the Commission. It 

 has quite satisfied me. The Standard says that the whole 

 House was reading it, and not troubling themselves about 

 the debate. 



In April, 1890, her brother, Hensleigh Wedgwood, was very 

 ill. She wrote: "I feel very thankful to Effie for having 

 brought him to see me last summer. I suppose one's feel- 

 ings are grown more dull at my age with respect to those 

 whom I see so seldom; for those who belong more closely 

 to me I do not perceive any change in caring about them 

 for joy or sorrow." 



May 13, 1890. 



We had a Mrs H. to tea. B. took her afterwards in the 

 garden and gave her flowers. She did not care a pin for 

 the garden, which pleased me, as it shews she can't mind 

 living in the Huntingdon Road. Yes, I think I shall work 

 my will on the old acacia. 



This meant cutting it down. She was always more revolu- 

 tionary in the matter of tree-cutting than her children. 

 The next letter is written after the move to Down and 



