CHAPTER XXXIV 



SOME MINOR SUCCESSES 



A Doctor's Advice — Rehearsing an Operation — Great Night at Ostend — 



What Hanlon did for me 



One of those charming friends who had helped in 

 every possible way in Brussels in all I tried to do and 

 who looked after my health was Dr Bouhlle. He was 

 one of the best friends I had in that country. He 

 would give me such excellent advice in regard to my 

 health and some excellent " man of the world " 

 pointers as to what I should do. He was medical 

 officer to the Jockey Club there and had naturally a 

 certain amount of influence. I cannot thank him 

 enough for his dozens of acts of friendship. I have 

 always made friends with medical men. 



At the Cecil in London in 1899 I was suffering, as I 

 thought, from nervous breakdown, and I was sure of 

 the insomnia, for sleep was next to impossible. The 

 Prince of Wales was told of it, and suggested to Lord 

 William Beresford to send me to Sir Francis Laking ; 

 the latter was told that I was coming to consult him. 

 He thoroughly examined me and certainly I had 

 fallen away, not weighing an ounce more than 6-7. 

 Sir Francis was most amiable to me, asked me a lot of 

 questions about myself, and was quite a delightful 

 man to talk to. His verdict was that I was in bad 

 case and must rest up for at least two months. I 

 ought to go away, he said, and be looked after by a 

 trained nurse. He told me also that he would leave 

 the choice of a sanatorium to me. I listened very 



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