1884 PROPOSED RETIREMENT gj 



On the 21st he writes home about the steps he had 

 begun to take with respect to giving up part of his official 

 work. 



I have had a long letter from Donnelly. He had told Lord 

 Carlingford of my plans, and incloses a letter from Lord Car- 

 lingford to him, trusting I will not hastily decide, and with some 

 pretty phrases about " support and honour " I give to the School. 

 Donnelly is very anxious I should hold on to the School, if only 

 as Dean, and wants me in any case to take two months' holiday 

 at Christmas. Of course he looks on the R.S. as the root of all 

 evil. Foster per contra looks on the School as the deuce, but 

 would have me stick by the Royal Society like grim death. 



The only moral obligation that weighs with me is that which 

 I feel under, to deal fairly by Donnelly and the School. You 

 must not argue against this, as rightly or wrongly I am certain 

 that if I deserted the School hastily, or if I did not do all that 

 I can to requite Donnelly for the plucky way in which he has 

 stood by it and me for the last dozen years, I should never shake 

 off the feeling that I had behaved badly. And as I am much 

 given to brooding over my misdeeds, I don't want you to in- 

 crease the nurnber of my hell-hounds. You must help me in 

 this . . . and if I am Quixotic, play Sancho for the nonce. 



