262 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



preach for a clerical friend. During the week he took 

 cold, and failed to throw it off as usual. And, finally, 

 while waiting upon the platform of one of the Scotch 

 railway stations on a bitterly cold and windy day, he 

 had sustained a severe chill, which a few hours later, 

 under similar circumstances, was repeated. This led to 

 internal inflammation. Still he was not in the least 

 aware of his real state. Although suffering much pain, 

 he refused to see a local physician by doing which, as 

 it afterwards appeared, he might have saved his life 

 and merely wrote to his own medical man, describing 

 his symptoms, and inquiring whether or not they were 

 serious. In his home letters he did not mention the 

 subject of his health ; and still he persisted in going on 

 with his work. 



On the night of Wednesday, the 26th, he did not 

 sleep at all, and on the Thursday was much weakened 

 by pain and want of rest. Still, however, he travelled 

 to Burton-on-Trent, and lectured on " Pond Life," at 

 St. George's Hall, in the evening. On that night again 

 he did not sleep, but yet contrived on the Friday to 

 revise a number of proof-sheets for the press, to write a 

 short letter home still without any reference to him- 

 self and to lecture again, for the last time, in the 

 evening. But he did so only with the utmost difficulty. 

 He could scarcely pull himself together to deliver his 

 lecture ; he was compelled more than once to leave the 

 hall, in order to obtain a little warmth at the fire in the 

 ante-room ; and finally he brought his remarks to a 

 close rather suddenly, omitting the carefully elaborated 



