272 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. ix. 



him with Princess May and the Duke of Teck, 

 and stayed for some time and talked at his bed- 

 side. This visit Sir Richard greatly appreciated, 

 and when he was told that His Royal Highness 

 was downstairs and wished to see him, he put 

 his black velvet skull-cap straight, smoothed 

 his hair, and said : * Then I must try and pull 

 myself together.' 



Although his deafness made conversation very 

 difficult on this occasion, he was still able to con- 

 verse for a short time with his royal visitors. 



During the whole of his illness the Duke 

 and Duchess of Teck and Princess May fre- 

 quently came to Sheen Lodge, and were often 

 good enough to stay and talk with him. 



Towards the end of November he seemed to 

 be not so well again, and complained of coldness 

 in the extremities. Any attempts at conversation 

 now exhausted him exceedingly ; he began to 

 take less and less nourishment, and from the first 

 week of December he never exhibited the smallest 

 disposition to rally. On December 16 he ceased 

 to recognise those that were standing round him, 

 and became very restless. Soon after his breath- 

 ing became stertorous, and it was plain that the 

 end could not be far off. A little before three 

 o'clock on Sunday morning, December 18, 1892, 

 he passed peacefully away, without a struggle, 

 leaving the world poorer by the loss of an untiring 

 worker and of a most genial and kind-hearted man. 



