150 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



with which a quantity of emery powder had been 

 mixed. The object of this, of course, was to give a 

 certain amount of roughness to the face of the canvas, 

 and so to enable it to hold the chalk. After this 

 " flatting " had dried the canvas was ready for use, 

 and would generally last for a whole season without 

 needing repair ; and when it began to show signs of 

 wear and tear, a fresh coat of flatting was generally 

 all that was required. 



When not in use this frame reposed in a strong 

 canvas case, protected by stout cushions at the ends, 

 and fastened by means of a rather complicated system 

 of lacing. It was a very good case, and did its work 

 well ; but the worst of it was that it looked so dread- 

 fully suggestive of a corpse. Even the railway autho- 

 rities noticed this, and so striking was the resemblance 

 that, shortly after the mysterious disappearance of the 

 body of the late Lord Crawford, my father was actually 

 stopped upon one occasion by the officials, and com- 

 pelled to open his great black package before they could 

 be induced to believe that the body of the missing 1 

 nobleman was not reposing therein. Ever after this, of 

 course, the frame went by the title of " Lord Crawford," 

 and so it was known upon almost every railway in the 

 kingdom. And there were few of the larger stations, 

 at any rate, at which all the porters were not thoroughly 

 acquainted with the familiar black parcel. 



This frame was entirely my father's own invention, 

 and very proud of it he was ; so much so, indeed, that 

 he always objected to more help than was absolutely 



