1886 GOOD EFFECTS OF ILKLEY 473 



December 8. Harris . . . says that my article " simply 

 made the December number," which pretty piece of 

 gratitude means a lively sense of favours to come. 



December 13. I had a letter from Spencer yesterday 

 chuckling over the success of his setting me on Lilly. 



Ilkley had a wonderful effect upon him. " It is 

 quite absurd," he writes after 24 hours there, "but I 

 am wonderfully better already." His regimen was 

 of the simplest, save perhaps on one point. " Clark 

 told me," he says with the utmost gravity, " always 

 to drink tea and eat hot cake at 4.30. I have 

 persevered, however against my will, and last night 

 had no dreams, but slept like a top." Two hours' 

 writing in the morning were followed by two hours' 

 sharp walking ; in the afternoon he first took two 

 hours' walking or strolling if the weather were 

 decent ; " then Clark's prescription diligently taken " 

 (i,e, tea and a pipe) and a couple of hours more 

 writing ; after dinner reading and to bed before 

 eleven. 



I am working away (he writes) in a leisurely comfort- 

 able manner at my chapter for Ward's Jubilee book, and 

 have got the first few pages done, which is always my 

 greatest trouble. 



December 8. . . . Canon Milman wrote to me to 

 come to the opening of the New Buildings for Sion 

 College, which the Prince is going to preside over on the 

 15th. I had half a mind to accept, if only for the 

 drollery of finding myself among a solemn convocation 

 of the city clergy However, I thought it would be 

 opening the floodgates, and I prudently declined. 



