1853 PRACTICAL VALUE OF THE MEDAL 153 



It was assigned to me quite unexpectedly, and in the 

 eyes of the world I, of course, am greatly the bigger 

 but I will confess to you privately that I am by no 

 means dilated, and am the identical Boy Tom I was 

 before I achieved the attainment of my golden porter's 

 badge. Curiously it was given for the first Memoir I 

 have in the Koyal Society's Transactions, sent home four 

 years ago with no small fear and trembling, and, "after 

 many days," returning with this queer crust of bread. 

 In the speech I had to make at the Anniversary Dinner 

 I grew quite eloquent on that point, and talked of the 

 dove I had sent from my ark, returning, not with the 

 olive branch, but with a sprig of the bay and a fruit 

 from the garden of the Hesperides a simile which I 

 thought decidedly clever, but which the audience 

 distinguished audience I ought to have said probably 

 didn't, as they did not applaud that, while they did some 

 things I said which were incomparably more stupid. 

 This was in November, and I ought to have written to 

 you about it before, my dear Lizzie, but for one thing I 

 am very much occupied, and for the other (shall I confess 

 it ?) I was rather puzzled that I had not heard from you 

 since I wrote. Now my useless conscience, which never 

 makes me do. anything right in time, is pitching in to 

 me when it is too late. 



The medal, however, must not be jested at, as it is 

 most decidedly of practical use in giving me a status in 

 the eyes of those charming people, " practical men," such 

 as I had not before, and I am amused to find some of 

 my friends, whose contempt for my " dreamy " notions 

 was not small in time past, absolutely advising me to 

 take a far more dreamy course than I dare venture upon. 

 However, I take very much my own course now, even as 

 I have done before Huxley all over. 



However, that is enough about myself just now. In 

 the next letter I will tell you more at length about 

 my plans and prospects, which are mostly, I am sorry to 



