16 BIOGRAPHY [CHAP. in. 



next operation was a more difficult matter. The great heavy 

 central epergne of rosewood had to be lifted a little way up 

 by a strong man-servant or two, whilst the tablecloth was 

 slipped from beneath it and the cloth was started on its 

 travels down the table till it came into the hands of the 

 butler, who gathered it up. The beautifully polished table 

 then appeared in full lustre. The shining surface sparkled 

 excellently and presently reflected the bright silver and 

 glass and the fruit and flowers with a brilliance which to 

 my thinking was much more beautiful than the arrange- 

 ment of later days."] 



The annual visit to London was a great delight to my 

 aunt, who enjoyed meetings with her own family and 

 friends, and visits to exhibitions, &c. Her husband had 

 always occupation in the British Museum, and her daughters 

 took painting and other lessons. Mary, the eldest, was a 

 pupil of Copley Fielding ; Georgiana (pi. xxvn.), and Eleanor 

 later, had lessons from Hunt and learnt from him how to 

 combine birds' nests and objects of still life with fruits and 

 flowers into very lovely pictures. Both were excellent 

 artists with a slight difference in style : Georgiana's pictures 

 had great harmony of colour and composition ; Eleanor's 

 had more chic. Hunt was a very touchy little man almost 

 a dwarf and if by any chance my aunt did not see him and 

 bow as she drove past he cherished resentment for days 

 after. At Sedbury driving tours or picnic excursions to the 

 ruined castles and other objects of interest (pis. v., xvi., xxv.), 

 in the neighbourhood were frequent, and the sketches that 

 resulted were often reproduced as zincographs. Now and 

 then a tour abroad was achieved, but such tours were few and 

 far between. The beautiful copy of Correggio's " Marriage 

 of St. Catherine " which ultimately became Eleanor's pro- 

 perty, was acquired on a visit to Paris and the Louvre. 



This self-contained family life did not lead to the marriage 

 of the daughters, and three only of the seven sons married 

 one very late in life. Mary, the Princess Royal of the 

 family, was the centre of the first group herself and four 

 brothers ; Georgiana that of the second, consisting of two 

 brothers older than herself, one younger, and Eleanor. 

 Georgiana was a most lovable person ; she always believed 

 in her younger sister's capacity and in her projects, which were 

 not approved of nor taken seriously by some of her elders, 

 and could not have been carried out until after the break 

 up of the home on the death of Mr. Ormerod. Meantime, 



