236 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER CHAP. 



very different to ours, as you will see in the San Remo journal 

 which Star is sending. Your little Vera's robin is adorning the 

 mantelpiece of my room, please tell her and thank her, and give 

 my love to all four children, as well as to Hal and your dear 

 self, and with all good wishes for a prosperous year in every way 

 from mother and the sisters here, your ever very loving father, 



W. H. FLOWER. 



His two youngest daughters were with him on 

 the Riviera, and his youngest son part of the time, 

 so that with constant letters from the elder married 

 children, it was altogether a happy winter, especially 

 with his intense satisfaction in Lord Cromer's 

 appointment of his second son, Stanley, 1 to the 

 Directorship of the Government Zoological Gardens 

 at Giza, and the energy with which he set to work 

 amid grave difficulties. Stanley had before been 

 "seconded" from the Northumberland Fusiliers for 

 special scientific work at Bangkok, but found that 

 leaving Siam for Egypt was like passing from 

 darkness to light. His father kept some of the 

 letters on this subject under his pillow for re-reading 

 in the wakeful watches of the night caused by 

 illness. Still, with the light of morning always came 

 the beautiful effects of the orange-coloured sunrise 

 over the dark blue waters of the Mediterranean ; 

 then followed a day of flowers, hedges of roses in 

 full bloom at Christmas, drives to the many interest- 

 ing places along that historic coast, and inland 

 through the soft green olive-woods (well described 



1 So named after his godparents, the Dean of Westminster and Lady 

 Augusta Stanley. 



