88 REMINISCENCES. [Ca. IV. 



however, they were not deterred, he used to arrange their 

 journeys for them, telling them when to come, and practically 

 when to go. It was pleasant to see the way in which he shook 

 hands with a guest who was being welcomed for the first time ; 

 his hand used to shoot out in a way that gave one the feeling 

 that it was hastening to meet the guest's hands. With old 

 friends his hand came down with a hearty swiDg into the 

 other hand in a way I always had satisfaction in seeing. His 

 good-bye was chiefly characterised by the pleasant way in 

 which he thanked his guests, as he stood at the hall-door, for 

 having come to see him. 



These luncheons were successful entertainments, there was 

 no drag or flagging about them, my father was bright and 

 excited throughout the whole visit. Professor De Candollo 

 has described a visit to Down, in his admirable and sympathetic 

 sketch of my father.* He speaks of his manner as resembling 

 that of a " savant " of Oxford or Cambridge. This does not 

 strike me as quite a good comparison ; in his ease and natural- 

 ness there was more of the manner of some soldiers ; a manner 

 arising from total absence of pretence or affectation. It was 

 this absence of pose, and the natural and simple way in which 

 he began talking to his guests, so as to get them on their own 

 lines, which made him so charming a host to a stranger. His 

 happy choice of matter for talk seemed to flow out of his 

 sympathetic nature, and humble, vivid interest in other people's 

 work. 



To some, I think, he caused actual pain by his modesty ; I 

 have seen the late Francis Balfour quite discomposed by having 

 knowledge ascribed to himself on a point about which my 

 father claimed to be utterly ignorant. 



It is difficult to seize on the characteristics of my father's 

 conversation. 



He had more dread than, have most people of repeating his 

 stories, and continually said, " You must have heard me tell," 

 or " I daresay I've told you." One peculiarity he had, which 

 gave a curious effect to his conversation. The first few words 

 of a sentence would often remind him of some exception to, or 

 some reason against, what he was going to say ; and this again 

 brought up some other point, so that the sentence would 

 become a system of parenthesis within parenthesis, and it was 

 often impossible to understand the drift of what he was saying 

 until he came to the end of his sentence. He used to say of 

 himself that he was not quick enough to hold an argument 



* Darwin contidert au point de vue des causes de son succes (Geneva, 

 1882). 



