1889 AT THE MALOJA 129 



M. Foster, who had been sitting on the Vaccination 

 Commission : — 



I wonder how you are prospering, whether you have 

 vaccination or anti-vaccination on the brain ; or whether 

 the gods have prospered you so far as to send you on a 

 holiday. We have been here since the beginning of July. 

 Monte Generoso proved lovely — but electrical. We had 

 on the average three thunderstorms every two days. 

 Bellagio was as hot as the tropics, and we stayed only a 

 day, and came on here — wliere, whatever else may happen, 

 it is never too hot. The weather has been good and I 

 have profited immensely, and at present I do not know 

 whether I have a heart or not. But I have to look very 

 sharp after my Uver. H. Thompson, who has been here 

 with his son Herbert (clever feUow, by the way), treats 

 the notion that I ever had a dilated heart with scorn ! 

 Oh these doctors ! they are worse than theologians. 



And again on August 31 : — 



I walked eighteen miles three or four days ago, and I 

 think nothing of one or two thousand feet up ! I hope 

 this state of things will last at the sea-level. 



I am always glad to hear of and from you, but I have 

 not been idle long enough to forget what being busy 

 means, so don't let your conscience worry you about 

 answering my letters. 



... X. is, I am afraid, more or less of an ass. The 

 opposition he and his friends have been making to the 

 Technical BiU is quite unintelligible to me. Y. may be, 

 and I rather think is, a knave, but he is no fool ; and if I 

 mistake not he is minded to kick the ultra-radical stool 

 down now that he has mounted by it. Make friends of that 

 Mammon of unrighteousness and swamp the sentimentalists. 



... I despise your insinuations. All my friends here 

 have been theological — Bishop, Chief Rabbi, and Catholic 

 Professor. None of your Maybrick discussors. 



VOL. Ill K 



