466 THE LAST YEAKS 



Koyal Society were followed by an attack of ' phalangitis,' bu^ 

 on the day felt strong enough to venture it. 



To Mrs. Paisley 



July 12, 1908. 



For this occasion Lady Hooker took me up to Londoi 

 (where I had not been a day for many months) on the previou 

 day, in great dread of my knocking up ! I was overwhelmer 

 with visitors and letters of congratulation on my age no les 

 than upon my apparently robust health, which continue t< 

 pour in. All this seems to be very vainglorious, but respec 

 and consideration for old age is very pleasing — whethe 

 shown by the very few old friends that are spared to me or th 

 comparative strangers who compete with their kind feeling 



As for me, I am in rude health as far as appearance goes 

 can take little walks, read small print and use the microscop 

 as well as ever I did, but there is a skeleton in the closet 

 I am troubled with eczema, which, with the stiffening of agt 

 obliges me to have a nurse always hard by. Of course 

 am taken far more care of than I am worth — am not allowe 

 to go out if there is a drop of rain, or too much wind, &c 

 &c. This damps all hope of ever getting to Scotland agaii 

 dearly as I should like to see you and the Clyde again. ] 

 takes long to think out the fact that we shall not in huma 

 probability meet again on this earth, and can only loo 

 hopefully to a future existence. 



I fear you will have trouble in your kind anxiety to rea 

 this scrawl ; the first two pages were written by lampligh 

 I have tried to be larger handed in the following. All I ca 

 say is what the porters at Broomielaw used to say as yo 

 staggered up the gangway from the steamers : ' Tak yoi 

 time.' 



I must exhaust my vanity. I have just received a phot< 

 graph of a drawing of my head made by command of tl 

 King by the Countess Feodora Gleichen for his collection < 

 portraits of members of the Order of Merit at Windsor, 

 is a charming drawing but ' reproduction is prohibited I 

 command, 1 so I cannot have it repeated and send you a cop; 



The great event of 1909 was the centenary of Darwin 

 birth. Of all the galaxy of notable men who saw the lig] 



