298 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY. CHAP. XII 



Mrs. Huxley passed through it on their way home. He 

 had at that time seen none of his old friends, and was 

 only slowly regaining strength. After his severe illness 

 Mrs. Huxley encouraged me to take Mm out for many 

 short walks, and I did my best to cheer him in his 

 depressed condition. He did not then think that he 

 had ten years of on the whole happy life before him. 

 He told me that he was about to retire from all his work, 

 and he added, that he had never enjoyed the Inspector- 

 ship after I had left it I am happy in believing that 

 the remark was due to the depression from which he was 

 suffering, for he had written to me two years ago, " The 

 office would be quite perfect, if they did not want an 

 annual report. I can't go in for a disquisition on river 

 basins after the manner of Buckland, and you have 

 exhausted the other topics. I polished off the Salmon 

 Disease pretty fully last year, so what the deuce am I 

 to write about ? " 



I saw Professor Huxley for the last time on the 

 Christmas day before his death. I spent some hours with 

 him, with no other companions than Mrs. Huxley and 

 my daughter. I had never seen him brighter or happier, 

 and his rich, playful and sympathetic talk vividly recalled 

 the many brilliant hours which I had passed in his 

 company some twelve or thirteen years before. 



One word more. No one could have known Professor 

 Huxley intimately without recognising that he delighted 

 in combat. He was never happier than when he was 

 engaged in argument or controversy, and he loved to 

 select antagonists worthy of his steel. The first public 

 inquiry which we held together was attended by a great 

 nobleman, whom Professor Huxley did not know by sight, 

 but who rose at the commencement of our proceedings to 

 offer some suggestions. Professor Huxley directed him 

 to sit down, and not interrupt the business. I told my 

 colleague in a whisper whom he was interrupting. And 

 I was amused, as we walked away to luncheon together, 



