MEMOIR xxxiii 



for the asthma was in reality a symptom of advanced 

 kidney disease, and it was decided that if his life was 

 to be prolonged he must stop all work and spend the 

 winter in Egypt or Algeria ; but it was too late. 



On the 2 8th October there appeared in the Spectator 

 " a discourse on the shape and colour of leaves, and no 

 paper richer in suggestion or poetic charm ever came 

 from his pen," but it was his last. A few days 

 later his strength suddenly collapsed, and though he 

 recovered to a certain extent after this, it was the 

 beginning of the end. For a time his great vitality 

 still gave hopes of a partial recovery, but the nervous 

 energy which kept him alive also prevented him from 

 resting as completely as he should have done. As 

 soon as he was a little stronger, he insisted on writing 

 a little ; when this exertion was too much for him he 

 would dictate to a shorthand writer ; and though he 

 never wrote another article for the Spectator, several 

 short papers were written for Country Life in this way. 



Early in December he was sufficiently well to be 

 moved to Worthing, and at first he seemed better 

 for the change, as his cough and difficulty in breathing 

 almost disappeared. But an attack of acute peri- 

 carditis on January 22nd made recovery out of the 

 question, and he grew gradually weaker, until in the 

 early morning of January 3Oth he fell asleep so 

 peacefully that those around him scarcely knew when 

 he had passed away. 



" It is possible that if he could have been persuaded 

 in time to limit his work to one or other of the 



