1890 ROYAL INSTITUTION LECTUEE 195 



They are looking forward with great glee to Dun- 

 skaith ; but you must take care that they do not 

 make it too lively. I never saw such nice children 

 myself, but James may find them over-noisy when 

 they are particularly high-spirited. His godson is 

 the most comical chap that ever was born. He has 

 a passion for what he calls 'loaded matches/ i.e. 

 matches unused, and so ready to ' go off.' Yesterday 

 his fingers were found to be burnt. Asked as to the 

 cause, he said he had lighted some loaded matches 

 and held his fingers in the flames so as to see if he 

 could 'keep back crying.' This he seems to have 

 done to his own satisfaction, and now wants to prove 

 his prowess in public. Little Ethel was found bathed 

 in tears a few days ago in a room by herself, and the 

 grief turned out to have been on account of the death 

 of the Emperor. 1 



You ask how the lectures are 'going on.' They 

 are ' going on ' rather too well. Owing to Schafer 

 having been taken ill with bronchitis, I agreed to 

 relieve him of some engagements he had entered into 

 for giving lectures to a Highgate Institution. Con- 

 sequently I had to give two lectures on Tuesday (in 

 the afternoon at the Institution, and in the evening 

 at Highgate), and another yesterday, besides attend- 

 ing Council meetings, &c. The Institution lectures 

 give much more satisfaction than I anticipated, as I 

 thought the historical character of this year's course 

 would appeal but to a small number of people. But 

 the audience keeps up to between one hundred and 



1 Of Germany. 



o2 



