A Life-long Friend : Lord Minto 



" Without embarking on racing or training, it is difficult to 

 say all one would like, but as Finch Mason is doing that part, 

 I think it is much better to keep clear of it and to be general, 

 and I shall be quite short. 



" Ever so many happy years to you from 



" Yours very sincerely, 



(Signed) " Minto." 



Naturally after this letter I expected the eagerly awaited 

 "Impression" every day, and even wrote to Messrs. Vinton 

 and Co., who were just as anxious as I was to have such 

 important matter for the book, and told them I had as good as 

 got it. 



Then to my great disappointment on January 18th I had a 

 letter from Lady Minto to say her husband was in bed, and 

 had been for over two weeks, with malarial fever, and it would 

 be impossible for him to do any writing for some time. 



I possessed my soul in patience, always hoping for the 

 best, and that he would pull round as he had done many times 

 before. But he never rallied, and I have but the sad con- 

 solation left to me that most probably his last literary effort 

 in life was to give to the world something of the joy the long 

 friendship of my brother had been to him, and to add his 

 testimony to the character of the man he had so loved and 

 admired. 



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