202 Life and Times of " The Druid" 



undergo one or two operations every year 

 for polypus in the nose — a disease which, 

 combined with asthma, made it almost im- 

 possible for him to breathe at times. Yet no 

 one ever heard him utter a word of com- 

 plaint, and, unless exceptionally ill, he was 

 invariably very cheerful. Still, towards the 

 end, he undoubtedly felt life to be a burden 

 almost too heavy to bear, and was ready and 

 eager to lay it down. Indeed, almost the 

 last words he said to me, when I broke down 

 on receiving some minute directions from him 

 as to his funeral, were, " Don't grieve, dear 

 boy ; I shall be the happiest man at my own 

 funeral." 



Owing mainly to his incessant exertions at 

 Rugby and Cambridge, to make up for the 

 time lost by enforced idleness through illness, 

 " The Druid " does not appear to have taken 

 part in any of the customary boyish games ; 

 yet never was there a more catholic lover 

 of almost every branch of sport. Perhaps 

 cricket was his greatest favourite, and, though 

 he had never touched a bat or ball, he had a 

 fine theoretical knowledge of the game. On 

 a few never-to-be-forgotten occasions he took 



