VII 



The End 205 



also he developed a taste, but never quite made up 

 his mind whether he preferred the cricket on Parker's 

 Piece or that on Fenner's — there was a certain wild- 

 ness and an element of danger to onlookers in the 

 former which endeared it to him. Unfortunately, 

 the illness of his old friend Sir William Gull led to 

 his spending a winter in Suffolk in attendance on a 

 case of Sir William's, and that winter killed my 

 father. He contracted rheumatic fever ; he re- 

 covered from it, thanks to the infinite kindness and 

 careful nursing given to him, but the fever left his 

 heart badly damaged. We hoped that a voyage 

 round the world, which he afterwards took, would 

 have restored him, but it did not ; and the increasing 

 illness of my mother gave him great anxiety. On 

 the morning of 5th February 1892, I, who had been 

 sitting up all night with mother as usual, went up- 

 stairs with my father's letters. Knocking at his 

 door, I got no answer, and on entering his room I 

 found him dead in bed, evidently having passed away 

 quietly in his sleep. It was a terrible grief, but still 

 there was the comfort of knowing he had not had a 

 day's illness. He had gone to bed rather better than 

 usual, quite cheerful, and intent on going across on a 

 visit to his friend Lord Sandwich the next day ; and 

 he was spared the grief of my mother's death, which 

 occurred six weeks later, and also the grief of the 

 death of his deeply beloved Earl of Pembroke, which, 

 alas ! also followed his only too soon. It was a merci- 

 ful and happy ending to the very happy, honourable 



