FLEEMING AND HIS SONS cxix 



gets discomfited, he laughs a sort of little silver- whistle giggle, 

 which is trying to the unhappy blunderer.' 



' May 9th. Frewen is deep in parachutes. I beg him not to 

 drop from the top landing in one of his own making.' 



c June 6th, 1876. Frewen 's crank axle is a failure just at 

 present but he bears up.' 



1 June 14th. The boys enjoy their riding. It gets them 

 whole funds of adventures. One of their caps falling off is 

 matter for delightful reminiscences ; and when a horse breaks 

 his step, the occurrence becomes a rear, a shy or a plunge as 

 they talk it over. Austin, with quiet confidence, speaks of the 

 greater pleasure in riding a spirited horse, even if he does give 

 a little trouble. It is the stolid brute that he dislikes. (N.B. 

 You can still see six inches between him and the saddle when 

 his pony trots.) I listen and sympathise and throw out no hint 

 that their achievements are not really great.' 



1 June 18th. Bernard is much impressed by the fact that I 

 can be useful to Frewen about the steamboat ' [which the latter 

 irrepressible inventor was making]. * He says quite with awe, 

 " He would not have got on nearly so well if you had not helped 

 him." ' 



' June 27th. I do not see what I could do without Austin. 

 He talks so pleasantly and is so truly good all through.' 



' July 7th. My chief difficulty with Austin is to get him 

 measured for a pair of trousers. Hitherto I have failed, but I 

 keep a stout heart and mean to succeed. Frewen the observer, 

 in describing the paces of two horses, says " Polly takes twenty- 

 seven steps to get round the school. I couldn't count Sophy, 

 bat she takes more than a hundred." 



6 Feb. 18ta, 1877. We all feel very lonely without you. 

 Frewen had to come up and sit in my room for company last 

 night and I actually kissed him, a thing that has not occurred 

 for years. Jack, poor fellow, bears it as well as he can, and 

 has taken the opportunity of having a fester on his foot, so he 

 is lame and has it bathed, and this occupies his thoughts a good 

 deal.' 



' Feb. 19th. As to Mill, Austin has not got the list yet. I 



