96 MEMOIR OF FLEEMING JENKIN 



triumphant heroism knew no limit to its beauty. 

 Of course on returning I found Mrs. Austin looking 

 out at the door in an anxious manner, and thinking 

 we had been out quite long enough. ... I am 

 reading Don Quixote chiefly and am his fervent 

 admirer, but I am so sorry he did not place his affec- 

 tions on a Dulcinea of somewhat worthier stamp. 

 In fact I think there must be a mistake about it. 

 Don Quixote might and would serve his lady in 

 most preposterous fashion, but I am sure he would 

 have chosen a lady of merit. He imagined her to 

 be such no doubt, and drew a charming picture of 

 her occupations by the banks of the river ; but in 

 his other imaginations, there was some kind of peg 

 on which to hang the false costumes he created ; 

 windmills are big, and wave their arms like giants ; 

 sheep in the distance are somewhat like an army ; 

 a little boat on the river-side must look much the 

 same whether enchanted or belonging to millers ; 

 but except that Dulcinea is a woman, she bears no 

 resemblance at all to the damsel of his imagination.' 

 illness At the time of these letters, the oldest son only 



jenkin.' was born to them. In September of the next year, 

 with the birth of the second, Charles Frewen, there 

 befell Fleeming a terrible alarm and what proved 

 to be a lifelong misfortune. Mrs. Jenkin was taken 

 suddenly and alarmingly ill ; Fleeming ran a matter 

 of two miles to fetch the doctor, and drenched with 

 sweat as he was, returned with him at once in an 



