THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE. 23 



to their future destiny. The loss appears to be eternal, 

 though reason strongly testifies to the contrary." 



A week later he writes, " Oh, my poor Puss ! I can- 

 not get him out of my head. I never shall look on his 

 like again in the shape of any animal for warm and 

 definite affection to me, and for sagacity combined. 

 We cling to such, more especially when in our own 

 species we find little but selfishness and hostility." 



We were a large family and almost all of us had 

 "hobbies" of some sort. Indeed we got great en- 

 couragement from our father to ride hobbies. He 

 was a great believer in them, as affording innocent 

 recreation and occupation for youthful energies at 

 leisure-time ; and so helping in no small degree to 

 keep restless young feet and hands and brains from 

 mischievous or dangerous pursuits. Botany was the 

 hobby of one, ornithology that of another, gardening 

 a third, " beasts " a fourth, and so on. For myself I 

 affected mechanics, my labours and progress in the 

 use of tools culminating in the great triumph of manu- 

 facturing, with a little help from an obliging neigh- 

 bour, a small pleasure-boat, which proved an excellent 

 sailer, and of capital sea-boat qualities. The boards 

 were sawn out of a log of Norway pine, which I had 

 found floating in one of the gyos on the east side of 

 Balta, and secured at some risk. The sails were cut 

 and sewed by myself and brother, and the whole rig 

 was our own unaided handiwork. 



It was a proud and memorable day when the 

 Marie was christened and launched and went forth 



