L>30 LORD LILFORD 



which we call Death, mingled, during the last 

 few months, with my brother's ordinary lines of 

 thought ; for he spoke to my sister-in-law, in a 

 manner not usual with him, of his wishes on 

 certain points, and dwelt on the recollection of 

 serene days of happiness spent with her. 



On May 8 his first grandchild ' was born 

 at Lilford, and more welcome even than the 

 appearance in his morning-room of a consign- 

 ment of rare and valuable skins, was the sight 

 of the bundle of flannel that contained the 

 precious little heir. During the beautiful May 

 weather he was out as usual in his bath-chair, 

 and was able to attend the otter hunt of 

 May 30. 



It was in the early morning of June 3 that 

 he was seized with the malady which he most 

 dreaded, the pitiless influenza, which had already 

 attacked him a few years previously with great 

 severity. He made a fair rally however, in spite 

 of a relapse some ten days after the original 

 attack, and seemed to be holding his own up to 

 June 16. But that day chanced to be the most 

 overpoweringly hot one of a hot and dry summer, 



1 The Hon. Thomas Atherton Powys. 



