1 56 SIR GEORGE DARWIN 



years, and the London Library copies of Guillim 

 and Edmonson^ were generally at Down. He 

 retained a love of the science through life, and his 

 copy of Percy's Reliques is decorated with coats 

 of arms admirably drawn and painted. In later life 

 he showed a power of neat and accurate draughts- 

 manship, and some of the illustrations in his 

 father's books, e.g. in Climbing Plants, are by his 

 hand. 



His early education was given by governesses, 

 but the boys of the family used to ride twice or 

 thrice a week to be instructed in Latin by Mr. Reed, 

 the Rector of Hayes — the kindest of teachers. 

 For myself, I chiefly remember the cake we used 

 to have at 1 1 o'clock, and the occasional diversion 

 of looking at the pictures in the great Dutch Bible. 

 George must have impressed his parents with his 

 solidity and self-reliance, since he was more than 

 once allowed to undertake alone the 20-mile ride 

 to the house of a relative at Hartfield in Sussex. 

 For a boy of ten to bait his pony and order his 

 luncheon at the Edenbridge inn was probably more 

 alarming than the rest of the adventure. There 

 is indeed a touch of David Copperfield in his recol- 

 lections as preserved in family tradition. The 

 waiter always said, "What will you have for lunch. 

 Sir?" to which he replied, "What is there?" and 

 the waiter said, "Eggs and bacon"; and though he 

 hated bacon more than anything else in the world, 

 he felt obliged to have it. 



» Guillim, John, A Display of Heraldry, 6th ed., folio 1724. 

 Edmonson, J., A Complete Body of Heraldry, folio, 1780. 



