CHAPTER XVII 

 1890-91 



THE new house at Eastbourne has been several times 

 referred to. As usually happens, the move was considerably 

 delayed by the slowness of the workmen ; it did not actually 

 take place till the beginning of December. 



He writes to his daughter, Mrs. Roller, who also had 

 just moved into a new house : 



You have all my sympathies on the buy, buy question. I 

 never knew before that when you go into a new house money 

 runs out at the heels of your boots. On former occasions, I have 

 been too busy to observe the fact. But I am convinced now that 

 it is a law of nature. 



The origin of the name given to the house appears from 

 the following letter : 



GRAND HOTEL, EASTBOURNE, Oct. 15, 1890. 



MY DEAR FOSTER Best thanks for the third part of the 

 " Physiology," which I found when I ran up to town for a day 

 or two last week. What a grind that book must be ! 



How's a' wi' you? Let me have a line. 



We ought to have been in our house a month ago, but fitters, 

 paperers, and polishers are like bugs or cockroaches, you may 

 easily get 'em in, but getting 'em out is the deuce. However, I 

 hope to clear them out by the end of this week, and get in by 

 the end of next week. 



One is obliged to have names for houses here. Mine will be 

 ' Hodeslea," which is as near as I can go to " Hodesleia," the 

 poetical original shape of my very ugly name. 



There was a noble scion of the house of Huxley of Huxley 

 who, having burgled and done other wrong things (temp. Henry 

 294 



