AFTER RETURN HOME MARRIAGE 157 



He afterwards overtaxed his heart by exertion to 

 catch a train, which, among other effects, brought on 

 a considerable degree of blindness, and made him in 

 many respects invalided before the age of eighty. 

 But his mind was apparently in full vigour, and his 

 interests were most keen. Few persons had a more 

 courtly demeanour. I was fated never to know him as 

 a father-in-law. When I reached the Deanery from 

 London, in order to be formally accepted into the 

 family, I found the blinds drawn, and learnt that the 

 Dean had died suddenly at luncheon. There had 

 been some discussion in the morning about Cathedral 

 matters in the Chapter House, and the excitement 

 told fatally upon him, as it was always feared that any 

 exceptional emotion might do. I was taken upstairs 

 to look upon his dead face. 



The Dean was father of an exceptionally gifted 

 family. All of his four sons distinguished themselves 

 highly at the Universities. The youngest was the 

 Senior Classic of his year, subsequently Headmaster 

 of Harrow, as his father had been before him, then 

 for a brief time Dean of Gloucester, now and 

 for many past years Master of Trinity College, 

 Cambridge. 



The same gifts of nature have descended in 

 large measure to the grandchildren. Out of the 

 eighteen grandsons of Dr. George Butler, Dean of 

 Peterborough, a full half have already shown 

 exceptional ability. Five have won a University 

 Scholarship or prize, two others have given promise 

 of high administrative power in India, one of whom 

 now occupies the important post of Foreign Secre- 

 tary to the Indian Government. Out of the five 



