196 Life and Times of " The Druid." 



seemed to know whether he had dined or 

 not. A sister-in-law, at whose house he was 

 staying en roiite for Scotland, tells how the 

 family were all sitting round the dinner table, 

 after that meal was over, listening to his 

 varied anecdotes, when he suddenly pulled 

 out his watch and said, " Laura, do you know 

 how late it is ? When are we going to have 

 our dinner?" Nevertheless, he always ex- 

 pected to find hot meat, vegetables, and 

 pudding awaiting him when he reached 

 home, however late it might be, and it was 

 often after midnight. His favourite dish 

 was roly-poly jam pudding. He always 

 swallowed his food scalding hot, and one 

 evening after his meal was over, he com- 

 plained of a very sore throat, and sending for 

 the family physician, declared himself to be 

 the victim of diphtheria ! After a brief ex- 

 amination the doctor found he had burnt 

 a large bit of skin off his throat. On 

 another occasion it was intimated to him that 

 an unduly large amount of food was being 

 consumed habitually in the kitchen, and he 

 resolved, very reluctantly, to speak to his 

 five maidservants in a body. They filed 



