298 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. Xil 



seen much and overcome much. He read the lecture 

 from a printed copy, not venturing, as he would have 

 liked, upon the severe task of speaking it from 

 memory, considering its length and the importance 

 of preserving the exact wording. He began in a 

 somewhat low tone, nursing his voice for the second 

 half of the discourse. From the more distant parts 

 of the theatre came several cries of " speak up " ; and 

 after a time a rather disturbing migration of eager 

 undergraduates began from the galleries to the body 

 of the hall. The latter part was indeed more audible 

 than the first ; still a number of the audience were 

 disappointed in hearing imperfectly. However, the 

 lecture had a large sale ; the first edition of 2000 was 

 exhausted by the end of the month ; and another 700 

 in the next ten days. 



After leaving Oxford, and paying a pleasant visit 

 to one of the Fannings (his wife's nephew) at Tew, 

 Huxley intended to visit another of the family, Mrs. 

 Crowder, in Lincolnshire, but on re5,ching London 

 found himself dead beat, and had to retire to East- 

 bourne, whence he writes to Sir M. Foster and to 

 Mr. Eomanes. 



HoDESLEA, 3Iay 26, 1893. 



My dear Foster — Your letter has been following me 

 about. I had not got rid of my influenza at Oxford, so 

 the exertion and the dinner parties together played the 

 deuce with me. 



We had got so far as the Great Northern Hotel on 

 our way to some connections in Lincolnshire, when I had 

 to give it up and retreat here to begin convalescing again. 



