Ch. IV.] REMINISCENCES. 85 



he took to disperse it by speaking to me soon afterwards with 

 especial kindness. He kept up his delightful, affectionate 

 manner towards us all his life. I sometimes wonder that he 

 could do so, with such an undemonstrative race as we are ; but 

 I hope he know how much we delighted in his loving words 

 and manner. He allowed his grown-up children to laugh with 

 and at him, and was generally speaking on terms of perfect 

 equality with us. 



He was always full of interest about each one's plans or 

 successes. We used to laugh at him, and say he would not 

 believe in his sons, because, for instance, he would be a little 

 doubtful about their taking some bit of work for which he did 

 not feci sure that they had knowledge enough. On the other 

 hand, ho was only too much inclined to take a favourable 

 view of our work. When I thought he had set too high a 

 value on anything that I had done, he used to be indignant 

 and inclined to explode in mock anger. His doubts were 

 part of his humility concerning what was in any way con- 

 nected with himself; his too favourable view of our work 

 was due to his sympathetic nature, which made him lenient 

 to every one. 



He kept up towards his children his delightful manner of 

 expressing his thanks ; and I never wrote a letter, or read a 

 page aloud to him, without receiving a few kind words of re- 

 cognition. His love and goodness towards his little grandson 

 Bernard were great ; and he often spoke of the pleasure it was 

 to him to see " his little face opposite to him at luncheon. 

 He and Bernard used to compare their tastes ; e.g., in liking 

 brown sugar better than white, &c. ; the result being, " We 

 always agree, don't we ? " 



My sister writes : — 



" My first remembrances of my father are of the delights of 

 his playing with us. He was passionately attached to his 

 own children, although he was not an indiscriminate child- 

 lover. To all of us he was the most delightful play-fellow, 

 and the most perfect sympathiser. Indeed it is impossible 

 adequately to describe how delightful a relation his was to his 

 family, whether as children or in their later life. 



" It is a proof of the terms on which we were, and also of 

 how much he was valued as a play-fellow, that one of his sons 

 when about four years old tried to bribe him with sixpence to 

 come and play in working hours. 



" He must have been the most patient and delightful of 

 nurses. I remember the haven of peace and comfort it 

 seemed to me when I was unwell, to be tucked up on the 



