HOME RULE BILL 225 



fully afraid of being told that leaves are only made for 

 aphides — not for trees — or me. 



" Do you never get angry with the uses that other 

 people put your discoveries to ? I wish you and Huxley 

 would sometimes say ' I never meant that' — Ever your 

 affectionate J. Ruskin. 



" Sir John Lubbock, Bart." 



Of course most of the political talk at this 

 time was of Gladstone's Home Rule Bill, and it 

 was the subject of numerous conversations and 

 meetings between Sir John and other members 

 of the Liberal Party. The meetings usually 

 were made the occasion of men's dinner-parties ; 

 Lady Lubbock being unable to act as hostess ; 

 but occasionally we find a note such as that 

 under February 6, " Breakfasted at Grillions, 

 sat next E. Stanhope, went home with Derby, 

 and had a long talk with him about the situation. 

 Afterwards to Hartington and Goschen — all strong 

 against Home Rule." 



On Saturday 20 he records : " Had a men's 

 dinner-party — Goschen, Bramwell (Lord), Millais, 

 Browning, Ebrington, etc." There were those 

 at this dinner of whom good conversation on 

 other than the political topic of the day might be 

 expected. Again a week later, he had another 

 men's dinner — " Archbishop of Canterbury, Aber- 

 dare, Tweedmouth, May, Rawlinson, Bramwell 

 (Sir F.), Roscoe, Courtney, Goldsmid, Cozens 

 Hardy, Milman, Paget, A. Kinnaird, Brassey, 

 and Leslie Stephen." 



The Saturday after there was yet another 

 dinner without ladies, when his guests were, 

 " Dean of Westminster, T. Bruce, Sir H. Vivian, 

 Lefevre, Romanes, Carruthers, Sir R. Welby, 



VOL. I Q 



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