HOLIDAYS. I0 ~ 



the anticipation, and in the miserable sinking feeling from 

 which he suffered immediately before the start ; even a fairly 

 long journey, such as that to Coniston, tired him wonderfully 

 little, considering how much an invalid he was ; and he cer- 

 tainly enjoyed it in an almost boyish way, and to a curious 

 extent. 



Although, as he has said, some of his aesthetic tastes had 

 suffered a gradual decay, his love of scenery remained fresh 

 and strong. Every walk at Coniston was a fresh delight, and 

 he was never tired of praising the beauty of the broken hilly 

 country at the head of the lake. 



One of the happy memories of this time [1879] is that of 

 a delightful visit to Grasmere : " The perfect day," my sister 

 writes, " and my father's vivid enjoyment and flow of spirits, 

 form a picture in my mind that I like to think of. He could 

 hardly sit still in the carriage for turning round and getting 

 up to admire the view from each fresh point, and even in re- 

 turning he was full of the beauty of Rydal Water, though he 

 would not allow that Grasmere at all equalled his beloved 

 Coniston." 



Besides these longer holidays, there were shorter visits to 

 various relatives to his brother-in-law's house, close to Leith 

 Hill, and to his son near Southampton. He always particu- 

 larly enjoyed rambling over rough open country, such as the 

 commons near Leith Hill and Southampton, the heath-covered 

 wastes of Ashdown Forest, or the delightful " Rough " near 

 the house of his friend Sir Thomas Farrer. He never was 

 quite idle even on these holidays, and found things to ob- 

 serve. At Hartfield he watched Drosera catching insects, 

 &c. ; at Torquay he observed the fertilisation of an orchid 

 (Spiranthes), and also made out the relations of the sexes in 

 Thyme. 



He was always rejoiced to get home after his holidays ; 

 he used greatly to enjoy the welcome he got from his dog 

 Polly, who would get wild with excitement, panting, squeak- 

 ing, rushing round the room, and jumping on and off the 

 r.hairs ; and he used to stoop down, pressing her face to his, 



