22 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CUAP. 1 



"but I have not thought of commencing a house 

 yet" However, he gave up the idea; Shanklin was 

 too far from town. 



But though he was well enough as long as he kept 

 out of London, a return to his life there was not 

 possible for any considerable time. On May 19, just 

 before a visit to Mr. F. Darwin at Cambridge, I find 

 that he went down to St. Albans for a couple of 

 days, to walk ; and on the 27th he betook himself, 

 terribly ill and broken down, to the Savernake Forest 

 Hotel, in hopes of getting "screwed up." This 

 " turned out a capital speculation, a charming spick- 

 and-span little country hostelry with great trees in 

 front." But the weather was persistently bad, " the 

 screws got looser rather than tighter," and again he 

 was compelled to stay away from the x. 



A week later, however, he writes : — 



The weather has been detestable, and I got no good 

 till yesterday, which was happily fine. Ditto to-day, so 

 I am picking up, and shall return to-morrow, as, like an 

 idiot as I am, I promised to take the chair at a public 

 meeting about a Free Library for Marylebone on Tuesday 

 evening. 



I wonder if you know this country. I find it 

 charming. 



On the same day as that which was fixed for the 

 meeting in favour of the Free Library, he had a very 

 interesting interview with the Premier, of which he 

 left the following notes, written at the Athenaeum 

 immediately after : — 



