Ch. IV.] KEMINISCENCE8. 77 



these games, bitterly lamenting his bad luck and exploding 

 with exaggerated mock-anger at my mother's good fortune. 



After playing backgammon he read some scientific book to 

 himself, either in the drawing-room, or, if much talking was 

 going on, in the study. 



In the evening — that is, after he had read as much as his 

 strength would allow, and before the reading aloud began — 

 he would often lie on the sofa and listen to my mother playing 

 the piano. He had not a good ear, yet in spite of this he had 

 a true love of fine music. He used to lament that his enjoy- 

 ment of music had become dulled with age, yet within my 

 recollection his love of a good tune was strong. I never heard 

 him hum more than one tune, the Welsh song " Ar hyd y nos," 

 which he went through correctly ; he used also, I believe, to 

 hum a little Otaheitan song. From his want of ear he was 

 unable to recognise a tune when he heard it again, but he 

 remained constant to what he liked, and would often say, 

 when an old favourite was played, " That's a fine thing ; what 

 is it ? " He liked especially parts ol Beethoven's symphonies 

 and bits of Handel. He was sensitivo to differences in style, 

 and enjoyed the late Mrs. Vernon Lushington's playing 

 intensely, and in June 1881, when Hans Richter paid a visit 

 at Down, he was roused to strong enthusiasm by his magni- 

 ficent performance on the piano. He enjoyed good singing, 

 and was moved almost to tears by grand or pathetic songs 

 His niece Lady Farrer's singing of Sullivan's " Will he come " 

 was a never-failing enjoyment to him. He was humble in the 

 extreme about his own taste, and correspondingly pleased when 

 he found that others agreed with him. 



He became much tired in the evenings, especially of late 

 years, and left the drawing-room about ten, going to bed at 

 half-past ten. His nights were generally bad, and he often 

 lay awake or sat up in bed for hours, suffering much dis- 

 comfort. He was troubled at night by the activity of his 

 thoughts, and would become exhausted by his mind working 

 at some problem which he would willingly have dismissed. 

 At night, too, anything which had vexed or troubled him 

 in the day would haunt him, and I think it was then that 

 he suffered if he had not answered some troublesome corre- 

 spondent. 



The regular readings, which I have mentioned, continued 

 for so many years, enabled him to get through a great 

 deal of the lighter kinds of literature. He was extremely 

 fond of novels, and I remember well the way in which 

 he would anticipate the pleasure of having a novel read 



