Kc'view of Revieics. 1112/13. 



MY FATHER. 



971 



suggestion from oulward circumstances 

 It was in October, 1883. My wife and I 

 were spending a brief holiday in the Isle 

 of Wight, and I remember that the great 

 troopers which had just brought back 

 Lord Wolseley's army from the first 

 Egyptian campaign were lying in the 

 Solent when we crossed. One morning, 

 about noon, we were walking in the 

 drizzling rain round St. Catherine's 

 Point. It was a miserable day, the 

 ground slipper)', and the footpath here 

 and there difficult to follow. Just as we 

 were at about the ugliest part of our 

 climb, I felt distinctly, as it were, a voice 

 within myself saying: "You will have 

 to look sharp and make ready, because, 

 by a certain date (which, as near as I can 

 recollect, was i6th March of the next 

 year), you will have sole charge of the 

 ' Pall Mall Gazette.' " I was just a little 

 startled, and rather awed, because, as 

 Mr. Morley was then in full command, 

 and there was no expectation on his part 

 of abandoning the post, the inference 

 which I immediately drew was that he 

 was going to die. So firmly was this 

 impressed upon my mind that for two 

 hours I did not speak about it to ni)- 

 wife. We took shelter for a time from 

 the rain, but afterwards, on going home, 

 I spoke, not without reluctance, on the 

 subject that filled me wath sadness, and 

 said to my wife : " Something has hap- 

 pened to me which has made a great im- 

 pression on my mind. When we were 

 beside St. Catherine's lighthouse, I got 

 into my head that Mr. Morley was going 

 to die." 



" Nonsense," said she, " what made 

 you think that ?*" 



" Only this," said I, " that I received 

 an intimation as clear and unmistakable 

 as that which I had when I was going 

 to leave Darlington, that I had to look 

 sharp and prepare for taking charge of 

 the ' Pall Mall Gazette,' on March i6th 

 next. That is all, and I do not see how 

 that is likely to happen unless Mr. 

 Morley is going to die." 



" Nonsense," said my wife, " he is not 

 going to die. He is going to get into 

 Parliament ; that is what is going to 

 happen." 



" Well," said I, " that may be. Whe- 

 ther he dies or w^hether he gets into Par- 



liament the one thing certain to me is 

 that I shall have sole charge of the 

 ' Pall Mall Gazette ' next year, and I 

 am' so convinced of this that when we 

 return to London I shall make all ni)- 

 plans on the basis of that certainty." 



And so I did. I do not hedge and 

 hesitate at burning my boats. As soon 

 as I arrived at the " Pall Mall Gazette "' 

 office, I announced to Mr. Thompson, 

 Mr. Morley, and to Mr. Milner, who was 

 then on the staff, that Mr. Morley was 

 going to be in Parliamerit by March i6th 

 next. I need hardly say I did not mention 

 my first sinister intimation. I told Mr. 

 Morley and the others exactly what had 

 happened — namely, that I had received 

 notice to be ready to take sole charge of 

 the " Pall Mall Gazette" by March i6tb 

 next. They shrugged their shoulders, 

 and Mr. Morley scouted the idea. He 

 said he had almost given up the idea 

 of entering" Parliament ; all preceding 

 negotiations had fallen through, and he 

 had come to the conclusion that he- 

 would stick to the " Pall Mall Gazette'" 

 I said he might have come to what con- 

 clusion he pleased, the fact remained 

 that he would go. I remember having a 

 talk at the time with Mr. Milner about 

 it. I remarked that the worst of people 

 having premonitions was that they care- 

 fully hide up their prophecies until 

 after the event, and then no one believed 

 in them. " This time no one shall have 

 any doubt that I have had my premoni- 

 tion well in advance of the fact. It is 

 now^ October. I have told everybody 

 whom it concerns whom I know. If it 

 happens not to come to pass I shall never 

 have faith in my premonitions any more„ 

 and you may chaff me as much as you 

 please for the superstition. But if it 

 turns up trumps, please remember that 1 

 have played double or quits and won." 

 Nobody at the office paid much atten- 

 tion to my vision, and a couple of 

 months later Mr. Morley came to consult 

 me as to some slight change which he 

 proposed to make in the terms of his 

 engagement, which he was renewing for 

 another )'ear. As this change affected 

 me slightly, he came, with that courtes)' 

 and consideration which he always dis- 

 played in his dealings with his staff, to 

 ask whether I should have any objection 



