140 REMINISCENCES. 



as resembling that of a " savant " of Oxford or Cambridge. 

 This does not strike me as quite a good comparison ; in 

 his ease and naturalness there was more of the manner of 

 some soldiers ; a manner arising from total absence of pre- 

 tence or affectation. It was this absence of pose, and the 

 natural and simple way in which he began talking to his 

 guests, so as to get them on their own lines, which made him 

 so charming a host to a stranger. His happy choice of matter 

 for talk seemed to flow out of his sympathetic nature, and 

 humble, vivid interest in other people's work. 



To some, I think, he caused actual pain by his modesty ; 

 I have seen the late Francis Balfour quite discomposed by 

 having knowledge ascribed to himself on a point about which 

 my father claimed to be utterly ignorant 



It is difficult to seize on the characteristics of my father's 

 conversation. 



He had more dread than have most people of repeating 

 his stories, and continually said, " You must have heard me 

 tell," or " I dare say I've told you." One peculiarity he had, 

 which gave a curious effect to his conversation. The first few 

 words of a sentence would often remind him of some exception 

 to, or some reason against, what he was going to say ; and 

 this again brought up some other point, so that the sentence 

 would become a system of parenthesis within parenthesis, and 

 it was often impossible to understand the drift of what he was 

 saying until he came to the end of his sentence. He used 

 to say of himself that he was not quick enough to hold an 

 argument with any one, and I think this was true. Unless it 

 was a subject on which he was just then at work, he could 

 not get the train of argument into working order quickly 

 enough. This is shown even in his letters ; thus, in the case 

 of two letters to Prof. Semper about the effect of isolation, he 

 did not recall the series of facts he wanted until some days 

 after the first letter had been sent off. 



When puzzled in talking, he had a peculiar stammer on the 



