CHAP. V.] PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 45 



To show his utter indifference to dress, he was going one 

 evening to a large dinner-party, at which he wished to appear 

 at his best. His dress-clothes were duly put out for him (he 

 never looked to such things himself) in his dressing-room ; hy 

 ill luck, an old worn-out garden coat was lying near : my father, 

 thinking of utterly different things from what he should be at 

 that moment, slipped into his old rusty worn-out garden coat, 

 and went off to the dinner-party ; when to his discomfort, whilst 

 sitting at the table next to the hostess, he suddenly discovered 

 the mistake. Speaking of evening dress, it should be observed 

 that my father ever had a great partiality for tail coats, and 

 for many years of his life nothing could induce him to wear any 

 other form of coat. 



Besides this peculiarity in his dress, my father had also a pecu- 

 liarity in his walk if walk we may call it, for he usually used to 

 run along, taking very short steps ; but what with his short steps 

 and his peculiar run, it was no easy matter to keep up with him. 

 He usually had a large bunch of keys in one hand, which he 

 jingled all the time he was running or walking. Oh, those keys ! 

 I cannot think of them without a horror. What have my nerves 

 suffered through ye, keys ? If he was thinking, jingle went 

 the keys ; if he was writing, again jingle went the keys : when- 

 ever an opportunity was afforded him to jingle those precious keys 

 they were jingled. I have often wondered he did not jingle them 

 in his sleep : if they had been near him, I am sure he would have 

 done so. In later life he gave up this dreadful habit, to the 

 satisfaction of his family. 



My father's temper was quick, as indeed was everything he did. 

 When once his mind was made up for any given action, he seldom 

 paused, but acted immediately, and it is thus he got through such 

 an immense amount of work. Whilst others considered he acted. 

 To a supposed slight he was particularly sensitive : this unfor- 

 tunately caused him at times to take offence when none was 

 intended. He had not the slightest tinge of jealousy, and he was 

 always willing to give, and did continually give, a helping hand 

 to any who required it. As a young man he had suffered con- 

 siderably from the jealousy of others, his elders, and it made 

 him have a feeling heart for others in a similar position. 

 Opposition, however, my father could not brook. What he saw 

 distinctly, that he expected others also to see. This made him 

 an impatient teacher. He always expected his hearers to meet 

 him more than half-way in understanding a subject, forgetting, 



