344 MEMOIR OF 



man, he was able in January, 1883, to leave 

 home and go for change of air to East Anstey ; 

 hoping to draw fresh life and vigour from those 

 wild moors he had known and loved so long. 



But the change did him no good ; for on the 

 4th of February he thus wrote : "I fear we shall 

 never meet again ; I don't gain strength here, as I 

 fancy I ought ; and overwhelmed as I am by 

 letters, it is pain and grief to me to write at all." 



Then, on the 25th of March, having returned 

 to Black Torrington, he wrote his last letter to 

 the Author of this Memoir, — "Ten thousand 

 thanks to you, my very dear old friend, for 

 your hearty invitation to the Circus ; but if I 

 were to set out to-morrow in mv little carriage, 

 with George to drive, and Mary to keep me in 

 my place, I shouldn't get to Bath in a fortnight, 

 I am so very weak — a little trip of three miles 

 to Buckland Filleigh House, and back again, 

 quite knocked me up. 



Soon afterwards he went to Bude ; but, 

 writes Dr. Ash, " it did him more harm than 

 good, and I had to hasten his return home on 

 Saturday — none too soon. He is weaker and 

 worse than I have ever seen him, but happily 

 is suffering no pain." 



On the 24th of April the good doctor again 

 writes to say : " Mr. Russell is much the same 

 to-day. There is certainly no improvement in 

 his condition, nor can there be, for he takes in 



