THE LAST YEAR 63 



guess the cause of that power and fascination which he had exercised over 

 generations of Edinburgh students. 



The Professor never seemed to be far from any one of us ; he disguised 

 the fact that he was in touch with the immortals. 



Mixing with all, and always friendly with all, his heart was nevertheless 

 fixed within the circle of his own home ; and, as we write of him, more 

 particularly on Freddie and his doings on the links. What Freddie had 

 done, what match he was playing, what chance he had at the next 

 Championship, or medal, these were the thoughts always near to him. 



Freddie was his companion in his experiments, making herculean drives 

 against the apparatus prepared by the Professor. Freddie chaffing " the 

 Governor," is still the better loved Freddie. Freddie fighting in South 

 Africa, wounded, but making a good recovery, remains the father's idol. 

 It was little wonder then that in that dark February of 1900, when the 

 bad news came, the Professor, the man of rock, was rent. 



A few months later, when on my way from St Andrews to Sandwich 

 for the Championship meeting, I dined with the Taits in Edinburgh before 

 starting on the night train. Through dinner the Professor seemed very 

 depressed as though afraid to enter into any conversation which might 

 become reminiscent of the golf which had Freddie for its central figure. 

 I tried to draw him on to subjects which involved no risk ; but a most 

 unnatural heaviness seemed to hang over him. After dinner, in his study 

 at the back of the house, he showed some return of his old boyish nature, 

 and made some pithy remarks about the players who were likely to be at 

 Sandwich. I was looking at some shelves full of old text books while he 

 was attending to some small note he had to answer ; suddenly he turned 

 round and called out, "We have new editions of all these." This pregnant 

 remark was followed by his old laugh ; and until I left his conversation was 

 as bright as in former days. Yet I do not think that he ever got back 

 into his true gait after Freddie's death ; the light seemed to have left the 

 eyes which in repose often wore an expression of weariness. 



The passings of Father and Son were in striking contrast; Freddie 

 died before his life was fulfilled : the Professor died after he had searched 

 the philosophies and completed his investigations. The Professor's favourite 

 theme was the Law of Continuity. It has been well said that every 

 ultimate fact is but the first in a new series ; the Professor was still a boy 

 when he left us. 



