112 REMINISCENCES. 



of the room." I do not believe he ever spoke an angry word 

 to any of his children in his life ; but I am certain that it 

 never entered our heads to disobey him. I well remember 

 one occasion when my father reproved me for a piece of care- 

 lessness ; and I can still recall the feeling of depression which 

 came over me, and the care which 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 knew how 

 much we delighted in his loving words and manner. How 

 often, when a man, I have wished when my father was behind 

 my chair, that he would pass his hand over my hair, as he 

 used to do when I was a boy. He allowed his grown-up chil- 

 dren 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 feel sure that they had knowledge enough. On the other 

 hand, he 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 hu- 

 mility concerning what was in any way connected 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 

 recognition. His love and goodness towards his little grand- 

 son Bernard were great ; and he often spoke of the pleasure 

 it was to him to see " his little face opposite to him" at lunch- 

 eon. 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 ? " 



