BOYHOOD OF THE EIGHTH DUKE 



leading and noticeable figure. He had the gift of 

 a charming personality, and this means that he 

 possessed both the will and the power of shedding 

 happiness about his path in life. The unfailing 

 kindness of his heart, the fine courtesy of his 

 manner, the unaffected desire to make those around 

 him happy, marked him out as one who was to win 

 the affection of his fellows for his good qualities, 

 and to obtain their forgiveness for his errors. 



The courtesy and thoughtfulness that marked his 

 conduct in life are not so common that they may 

 pass unnoticed. Many people are good or are 

 thought to be so, many are considerate or try to 

 be, but very few are pleasant at the same time. Yet 

 when we come to sum up the lives of our friends, 

 we find that our strongest affections are drawn to 

 those human characters, whose very faults have made 

 them tolerant of the infirmities and weaknesses 

 of their fellows, and whose desire to brighten the 

 lives of those around them has been a continual 

 and conscious effort. Such characters, it is true, 

 may lack the backbone of strength, but when we 

 find them succeeding in all they undertake, we know 

 they must have power and ability as well as the 

 milk of human kindness. 



The Somerset family, as we have seen, had been 

 for some generations somewhat out of the main 

 stream of public life. They had therefore thrown 

 themselves into matters of lesser moment. But 

 sports and pastimes, though they may seem of trivial 



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