204 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



On November 14th an event took place which had 

 long been looked forward to with great pleasure viz., 

 .an interview with Oliver Wendell Holmes, the famous 

 American author. My father had for many years been 

 a great admirer of his works, and we had all shared in 

 his admiration ; and so the meeting was regarded with 

 special interest, not only by my father himself, but by 

 us all. He writes about it as follows : 



Be envious, all of you. I have had a long talk with O. W. 

 Holmes. He was more than cordial, not to say affectionate, and 

 spoke in the highest terms of my books, especially of the " Natural 

 History of Man," which he characterised as an " encyclopedia of 

 anthropology." He gave me another signed photo [one such had 

 already been sent by him], and signed two more which I brought 

 with me. Such a lovely view from his study window. It over- 

 hangs the bay, which is called " Charles Eiver," but which is really, 

 sea, and which comes within four or five yards of the window. 



My father met the doctor again before very long, 

 this time at a dinner party of professors given in his 

 honour by one, of the leading publishers of Boston. 



I was next O. W. Holmes (he writes, on December 1st), who 

 was in high feather. Only fancy, he and I were the only two who 

 had read " Little Pedlington " and " Uncle Remus." He is de- 

 lighted with " Brer Rabbit," and especially so with " Tar Baby." It 

 was a wpnderful evening. No one was in the least dignified, and 

 the chaff was merciless, and spared no one. There was a delightful 

 Oerman professor of natural history, whose description of a baby 

 elephant was excruciatingly funny, especially when the baby in 

 question " did walk from os, wearing ze preeches ob his fader." 



There is nothing like cheek. Next day Dr. Holmes called on 



Mr. H , and said that he had enjoyed the evening immensely. 



Because, as he said, all the talking was done by the old men 



