JET. 18.] HOME STUDIES. 27 



also for painting and for his very successful lithog- 

 raphy. As will be seen by the table on page 28, he 

 gave a stated time to read with his sisters, who were 

 respectively fourteen, fifteen, and nearly seventeen 

 years of age. 



This unobtrusive little table is strongly significant. 

 It was planned by no promptings from without. The 

 youth seemed to have had an intuitive consciousness 

 that there was something for him to do, that he him- 

 self might aspire to demonstrate some truth in God's 

 nature, and henceforward every hour he could call his 

 own was set apart to train and gird himself for the 

 task. He had an uplifting purpose in life from which 

 he never swerved, and hindrances seemed to be stimu- 

 lants instead of deterrents. Yet with all this stern and 

 persistent devotion to close study, no one more enjoyed 

 with gladness of heart the Christmas dances and family 

 parties. There was constant and affectionate inter- 

 course between the Prestwiches and their young 

 cousins, the children of Mr John Blakeway. One of 

 that large family of ten cousins was Mrs Houquette, 

 with whom there was close intimacy throughout life ; 

 another is Mrs Mushet ; and one is Mrs G. Murray 

 Smith, wife of the publisher. Young Prestwich had a 

 passion for waltzing, an exercise which suited his active 

 temperament, and as quadrille -parties were also then 

 in fashion, there were frequent opportunities for this 

 welcome relaxation from incessant desk and head work. 

 Music was always a great pleasure to him : the only 

 instrument, however, that he played was the flute. 



Eventually he found that there was time for little 

 else but geology. Saturdays and Sundays came to 

 be regarded as his own, when he went out to observe 

 and learn, and when the foundation was laid of his 



