76 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



I am delighted to see your handwriting again, as 

 that proves to me how much better you are. I am going 

 to Dover's to-morrow, and to Cannon Heath on Friday. 

 I saw from the first your illness must be tedious, and that 

 made me send some of the horses to Dover, as I thought 

 it would be too much of a charge for Harry. ... I shall 

 write again on Saturday. Do not fret about the horses ; 

 and I shall do nothing to the back-yard till you return. 

 Now, take my advice — the moment you can move from 

 Doncaster, go to the seaside somewhere. You will 

 regain your strength there ten times as quickly as you 

 would at Cannon Heath. Ask the doctor if I am not 

 right. Write to me if you want money, and tell me 

 where you are going. 



My purpose in reproducing these letters is 

 to emphasise all I have written about Sir Joseph 

 Hawley's good-heartedness. They are charac- 

 teristic of the man, revealing as they do the traits 

 which appealed so strongly to those who had the 

 privilege of being in his service. 



Before my illness began Sir Joseph had decided 

 to build stables at Kingsclere, a mile or two from 

 those we were occupying at Cannon Heath. 

 The land had already been bought when I broke 

 down, but the plans had still to be prepared. 

 It was desirable that no time should be lost. I 

 was very anxious the architect should embody 

 in his designs the ideas I had formed regarding 

 the requirements of a racing stable ; so when I 

 was convalescent I obtained a drawing-board, 

 T-square, pencil and paper, and set to work to 



