xxxii MEMOIR 



and his capacity for suffering was always as intense 

 as his powers of enjoyment. This very rarely 

 appeared in his writings, for he always preferred 

 to write of the happier side of things, and for the 

 time being could completely identify himself with 

 his subject. But as his health declined, his powers 

 of enjoyment waned, while even the lesser worries of 

 life fretted him, until they became at times an almost 

 intolerable burden. 



The Christmas of 1904 was spent at Sidmouth, 

 which he had not visited for several years. He 

 thoroughly enjoyed meeting old friends again, talked 

 of buying some of the land which his cousin Bishop 

 Kestell-Cornish was offering for sale, and returned to 

 London rather better in health. But immediately 

 afterwards he had a slight attack of influenza, and 

 from that he never recovered. 



He never would leave his post at St. Paul's for 

 a single day if it could possibly be avoided, and on 

 this occasion (as on many others) he returned to 

 work when quite unfit to go out. From that time 

 his health became much worse, but he would not 

 acknowledge himself to be really ill, though the fact 

 was painfully apparent to those about him ; he worked 

 on the same as ever, steadily maintaining that if he 

 could do his work properly there could not be 

 much the matter with him, and that a good rest 

 later on would set him right again. The following 

 autumn the asthma from which he had been suffering 

 so increased that he was obliged to seek medical aid. 

 His condition was then found to be most alarming, 



