34 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. II 



He was a tall, shrewd-looking old gentleman, with a 

 broad Scotch accent, and I think I see him now as he 

 entered with my card in his hand. The first thing he 

 did was to return it, with the frugal reminder that I 

 should probably find it useful on some other occasion. 

 The second was to ask whether I was an Irishman. I 

 suppose the air of modesty about my appeal must have 

 struck him. I satisfied the Director-General that I was 

 English to the backbone, and he made some inquiries as 

 to my student career, finally desiring me to hold myself 

 ready for examination. Having passed this, I was in 

 Her Majesty's Service, and entered on the books of 

 Nelson's old ship, the Victory, for duty at Haslar 

 Hospital, about a couple of months after my application. 

 My official chief at Haslar was a very remarkable 

 person, the late Sir John Richardson, an excellent 

 naturalist and far-famed as an indomitable Arctic traveller. 

 He was a silent, reserved man, outside the circle of his 

 family and intimates ; and having a full share of youthful 

 vanity, I was extremely disgusted to find that " Old 

 John," as we irreverent youngsters called him, took not 

 the slightest notice of my worshipful self, either the first 

 time I attended him, as it was my duty to do, or for 

 some weeks afterwards. I am afraid to think of the 

 lengths to which my tongue may have run on the subject 

 of the churlishness of the chief, who was, in truth, one of 

 the kindest-hearted and most considerate of men. But 

 one day, as I was crossing the hospital square, Sir John 

 stopped me and heaped coals of fire on my head by tell- 

 ing me that he had tried to get me one of the resident 

 appointments, much coveted by the assistant-surgeons, 

 but that the Admiralty had put in another man. " How- 

 ever," said he, " I mean to keep you here till I can get 

 you something you will like," and turned upon his heel 

 without waiting for the thanks I stammered out. That 

 explained how it was I had not been packed off to the 

 West Coast of Africa like some of my juniors, and why, 



