134 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. V 



and difficult subject, in the very words which he had 

 thought out and afterwards published. 



This would have been a remarkable achievement 

 if he had planned to do so and had learned up his 

 speech ; but the fact was that he was compelled to 

 speak offhand on the spur of the moment. He 

 describes the situation in a letter of February 6, 

 1894, to Professor Ray Lankester : 



I knew that I was treading on very dangerous ground, 

 so I wrote out uncommonly full and careful notes, and 

 had them in my hand when I stepped on to the platform. 



Then I suddenly became aware of the bigness of the 

 audience, and the conviction came upon me that, if I 

 looked at my notes, not one half would hear me. It was 

 a bad ten seconds, but I made my election and turned the 

 notes face downwards on the desk. 



To this day, I do not exactly know how the thing 

 managed to roll itself out ; but it did, as you say, for the 

 best part of an hour and a half. 



There's a story pour vous encourager if you are ever 

 in a like fix. 



He writes home on August 20 : 



Johnny's address went off exceedingly well last night. 

 There was a mighty gathering in the Ulster Hall, and lie 

 delivered his speech very well The meeting promises 

 to be a good one, as there are over 1800 members already, 

 and I daresay they will mount up to 2000 before the 

 end. The Hookers' arrangements l all went to smash as 

 I rather expected they would, but I have a very good 

 clean lodging well outside the town where I can be quiet 



1 I.e. for the members of the a;-club and their wives to club 

 together at Belfast. 



