THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 341 



late distinguished author, whom the patriarch 

 hved to mourn as his only son and — 



"Last scion of an antient Scottish line." 



Mr. Whyte-Melville was 84, Russell in his 

 86th year, and so they numbered between them 

 170 years. Having regard to this fact Thomson, 

 w^hose drag was to convey them to and fro 

 from Slough to Ascot, deemed it advisable to 

 consult his two venerable guests as to the days 

 on which thev would like to attend the races ; 

 thinking it just probable that going every day 

 might be a turn too much for them. But not a 

 bit of it ; Whyte-Melville, who was first consulted, 

 asked how manv davs the races lasted. 



" Four," replied Thomson, 



"Then," said he, "I should like to go every day." 



The question being put to Russell, he said, 

 " I too should like to go every day ; but I have 

 an engagement to meet a curate on the Thurs- 

 day, and keep it I must." 



The curate, however, did not turn up ; and 

 Russell knew it in time to take the box-seat 

 beside Thomson, and go down to Ascot on that 

 as on every other day. 



Col. Anstruther Thomson declares that his 

 two veterans were the life and soul of the 

 party ; and doubts if a coach-load so cheery 

 and so congenial as his own could have been 

 found on Ascot Heath, 



Again, in the autumn of that year (1881), he 



