310 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xxi 



May 20th, 1896. 



We had some rain in the morning which made things 

 fresh and beautiful. I sat out for a long time, and Helen 

 [nurse] and Billy joined me. His wild delight, rushing 

 about on his twinkling bare feet, was the prettiest thing I 

 ever saw. You must see it before he is older. He some- 

 times dances a little. 



THE GROVE, May 31, 1896. 



I had a snug evening with Mildred reading part of the 

 broken last novel of L. Stevenson, in hic'i he gives most 

 elaborate descriptions of characters you don't care for. He 

 has no notion what is tiresome or not. 



June 21, 1896. 



^ propos to Cardinal Manning, I thii k every convert 

 must be between two stools for a time, but nine or ten years 

 was certainly long. It made him appear deceitful, but I 

 very much excuse him. 



June 29, 1896. 



On Saturday I took a drive into Holwood. It looked a 

 new place to rne from the growth of the trees; especially 

 the band of beeches along the paling, which I used to despise 

 as such poor-looking trees. The mare is perfect on grass 

 and up the hills, not pulling and straining. I went in and 

 out among the green drives, and I shall go again and never 

 drive anywhere else. 



July llth, 1896. 



What a pathetic Essay 1 the last in the volume of Leslie 

 Stephen's. It is evidently a pouring out of his soul on his 

 wife. I also like his notion that the world does not know 

 of a quarter of the goodness and happiness that exists, and 

 that every perfect character causes a sort of halo of influence 

 and example around it. 



All the family came to Down during this last summer. 

 She went out more, and saw some of the old haunts in her 

 bath-chair that she had not visited for years. 



1 Social Eights and Duties, Vol. n., p. 225. 



