100 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



and the first luxury which a man denies himself at 

 times of financial difficulty is the purchase of books. 

 Firm after firm of publishers failed, and. were forced to 

 make composition with their creditors. Others escaped, 

 but only by reducing their staff, cutting down expenses 

 to the lowest possible level, and discontinuing the 

 production of new books. And so, like many another 

 writer, my father was forced into practical idleness 

 between the years 1876 and 1878, his literary labours 

 consisting merely in the production of occasional articles 

 for the monthly magazines. 



Partly from this cause, and partly, no doubt, from 

 the reaction consequent upon the severe and incessant 

 labours of preceding years, his health gave way, and for 

 many months, while suffering from no definite com- 

 plaint, he was seriously unwell. If work had come to 

 him he would not have been able to perform it ; and at 

 one time, indeed, it seemed doubtful whether he would 

 ever write again. Early in 1878, however, his strong 

 constitution reasserted itself, and he began to recover. 

 And from that time to the end of his life he was. 

 scarcely really ill for a day. 



In the latter part of 1878 matters began to improve 

 in the literary world ; and in the course of the autumn 

 of that year he received a commission from the Society 

 for Promoting Christian Knowledge to write " The 

 Lane and Field," as one of the series of small volumes 

 which the Committee were making arrangements to 

 publish, under the general title of " Natural History 

 Eambles." Meanwhile the Belvedere house had been 



