466 THE LAST YEAES 



Eoyal Society were followed by an attack of ' phalangitis,' but 

 on the day felt strong enough to venture it. 



To Mrs. Paisley 



July 12, 1908. 



For this occasion Lady Hooker took me up to London 

 (where I had not been a day for many months) on the previous 

 day, in great dread of my knocking up ! I was overwhelmed 

 with visitors and letters of congratulation on my age no less 

 than upon my apparently robust health, which continue to 

 pour in. All this seems to be very vainglorious, but respect 

 and consideration for old age is very pleasing whether 

 shown by the very few old friends that are spared to me or the 

 comparative strangers who compete with their kind feeling. 



As for me, I am in rude health as far as appearance goes ; 

 can take little walks, read small print and use the microscope 

 as well as ever I did, but there is a skeleton in the closet ; 

 I am troubled with eczema, which, with the stiffening of age, 

 obliges me to have a nurse always hard by. Of course I 

 am taken far more care of than I am worth am not allowed 

 to go out if there is a drop of rain, or too much wind, &c., 

 &c. This damps all hope of ever getting to Scotland again, 

 dearly as I should like to see you and the Clyde again. It 

 takes long to think out the fact that we shall not in human 

 probability meet again on this earth, and can only look 

 hopefully to a future existence. 



I fear you will have trouble in your kind anxiety to read 

 this scrawl ; the first two pages were written by lamplight. 

 I have tried to be larger handed in the following. All I can 

 say is what the porters at Broomielaw used to say as you 

 staggered up the gangway from the steamers : ' Tak your 

 time.' 



I must exhaust my vanity. I have just received a photo- 

 graph of a drawing of my head made by command of the 

 King by the Countess Feodora Gleichen for his collection of 

 portraits of members of the Order of Merit at Windsor. It 

 is a charming drawing but ' reproduction is prohibited by 

 command,' so I cannot have it repeated and send you a copy. 



The great event of 1909 was the centenary of Darwin's 

 birth. Of all the galaxy of notable men who saw the light 



