324 LETTERS TO PROFESSOR WALLACE [CHAP. xxvi. 



" Reminiscences " are a perfect blessing, and I enclose 

 two portraits of my father received yesterday to show the 

 illustrations are getting on. Is not the one of him as a 

 little laddie of about five years old, charming ? (pi. xxx.) 



May 15, 1901. 



Many thanks for the additional copy of your lecture, 

 "Agriculture in South Africa." It is so interesting, I am 

 sure I can find a home where it will be welcome. I was 

 glad to find you were out in the country, and I hope the 

 bracing air will enable you to work on this load of papers 

 without killing yourself. 



For myself, I really am afraid that, excepting hope, I have 

 a very indifferent account to give you. I was always getting 

 better off and on ! But the result was, that I got weaker 

 and weaker, until on Saturday Dr. Lipscomb wired for Sir 

 Dyce Duckworth. He was away, but my nephew, Dr. 

 J Arderne Ormerod, who is taking Sir D. D.'s practice 

 at present, came down, and I think the change of treatment 

 that they arranged is really doing good. The trouble was 

 that, though there did not seem any reason why, what they 

 call the " after effects " of influenza should not move off 

 (the sort of gastric catarrh and its detestable allies), yet 

 they didn't, and my medical tormentors made up their 

 minds that it might be from " Liver." The plan has been 

 altered as to treatment, and at my urgent request I am 

 allowed to take one glass of port a day, and I do think 

 it is doing me a great deal of good. But excuse more 

 now, for sitting up at my writing-table tires me. 



May 22, 1901. 



I am very sorry to tell you in reply to your kind 

 letter that I am very ailing. I seem to get fairly well of the 

 influenza, and go down and sit for a few hours in the dining- 

 room in the easy chair by the fire. Then, as sure as can be, 

 in a very few days I get a " recurrence " of illness and have 

 to go to bed for days. I think I am now going through 

 about the fifteenth. Dr. Lipscomb says he does not know 

 the reason, but it is very like the recurrence of Indian fever. 

 I know that there may be scentless or other sewer gas, and 



from what Mr. R F told me some time ago of the 



recurrence of a very parallel attack to the Duchess of C 



from gas under her invalid sofa, I mean to have the matter 

 properly seen to. I know there may be reason close to 

 my door, 



P.S. Since the above was written Dr. Lipscomb has 



