RECOVERED VIGOUR 245 



Daignez agreer, Madame, I'expression de mes con- 

 dol6ances les plus respectueuses et les plus sympathiques. 



Emm. de Margerie, 

 Ancien President 

 de la Society Geologique de France. 

 44 rue de Fleurus, Paris VI. 



The above was followed, rather more than a 

 week later, by a letter of apology to Lord 

 Avebury himself: 



Tel 1. Chezal-Gaknieh, 



PAK Neuvy Pailloux (Indre), 



September 22nd, 1907. 



My dear Lord — I must congratulate you, first, and 

 thank you for your amiable words. I was misled by 

 an announcement in the Parisian paper Le Journal of 

 September 10th, where the confusion with your brother 

 was accentuated by a somewhat detailed account of 

 your own scientific (and political) career, presented as 

 the deceased Lord's (sic) curriculum. 



It is, really, too kind of you to insist again for receiving 

 my visit. I may assure you it shall afford me great 

 pleasure. Being unacquainted, as yet, with the details 

 of the arrangements taken by the Geological Society, 

 I can only state that my plan should be to stop at 

 Kingsgate in coming back from Cambridge — say the 

 2nd or 3rd of October, and ask you the permission to 

 defer more particulars till I am in London. — Very 

 respectfully yours, Emm. de Margerie. 



Will you excuse me, before Lady Avebury, for my 

 letter of the 11th inst. ? 



The following brief letter of misplaced con- 

 dolence is wittily redeemed by its sequent. 



La Cassine, par Vendresse 

 (Ardennes), 12. Ix. 07. 



Je viens d'apprendre la douloureuse nouvelle de la 

 mort de Lord Avebury, et je me fais un devoir d'adresser 

 a Lady Avebury I'expression de ma profonde et respec- 

 tueuse sympathie. Cette perte sera vivement ressentie 

 par tous les amis de la sienne, et nul ne lui donnera 

 plus de regrets que moi, qui venais d'etre tout recemment 

 de la part du d6funt, I'objet d'un temoignage flatteur 



