[Chap, xxxni] LITERARY WORK, ETC., 1887-1905 201 



flamed again ; both overcoat, trousers, and cushion were 

 burning. Then he got down, took off his overcoat, trampled 

 on it, and beat out the rest We went on. A third time it 

 burst out in smoke and flame. Again I shouted, and passers- 

 by called out and stopped to look. And then at last, with 

 their help, he finally extinguished the conflagration. A cab- 

 man on fire ! No more curious incident occurred during my 

 six thousand miles of travel in America. It originated, no 

 doubt, from his having put a lighted pipe in his pocket, or 

 perhaps from a loose phosphorous match. But he did not 

 seem to mind it much, even when in a blaze. 



The rest of the year 1887 was occupied at home in over- 

 taking my correspondence, looking after my garden, and 

 making up for lost time in scientific and literary reading, and 

 in considering what work I should next occupy myself with. 

 Many of my correspondents, as well as persons I met in 

 America, told me that they could not understand Darwin's 

 ■ Origin of Species," but they did understand my lecture on 

 " Darwinism ; " and it therefore occurred to me that a popular 

 exposition of the subject might be useful, not only as en- 

 abling the general reader to understand Darwin, but also 

 to serve as an answer to the many articles and books pro- 

 fessing to disprove the theory of natural selection. During 

 the whole of the year 1888 I was engaged in writing this 

 book, which, though largely following the lines of Darwin's 

 work, contained a great many new features, and dwelt 

 especially with those parts of the subject which had been 

 most generally misunderstood. 



The spring of 1889 was occupied in passing it through the 



>ress, and it was published in May, while a few corrections 



,ere made for a second edition in the following October. 



)uring this time, however, I gave several of my American 

 lectures in various parts of the country — at Newcastle and 

 Darlington in the spring of 1888; in the autumn at 



iltrincham and Darwen ; and in 1889 at Newcastle, York, 



Arlington, and Liverpool. 

 In the autumn of this year the University of Oxford did 



