I] MY RELATIVES AND ANCESTORS 13 



more involved, till at last the family became almost wholly 

 dependent on my mother's small marriage settlement of less 

 than a hundred a year, supplemented by his taking a few 

 pupils and by a small salary which he received as librarian to 

 a subscription library. While at Hoddesdon my sister Fanny 

 got up a small boarding-school for young ladies in a roomy, 

 old-fashioned house with a large garden, where my father 

 passed the last few years of his life in comparative freedom 

 from worry about money matters, because these had reached 

 such a pitch that nothing worse was to be expected. 



During the latter part of the time we lived at Hertford 

 / his troubles were great. He appears to have allowed a 

 solicitor.and friend whom he trusted to realize what remained 

 of his property and invest it in ground-rents which would 

 bring in a larger income, and at the same time be perfectly 

 secure. For a few years the income from this property was 

 duly paid him, then it was partially and afterwards wholly 

 stopped. It appeared that the solicitor was himself engaged 

 in a large building speculation in London, which was certain 

 to be ultimately of great value, but which he had not capital 

 enough to complete. He therefore had to raise money, and 

 did so by using funds entrusted to him for other purposes, 

 among them my father's small capital, in the absolute belief 

 that it was quite as safe an investment as the ground-rents 

 in which it was supposed to be invested. But, unfortunately, 

 other creditors pressed upon him, and he was obliged to 

 sacrifice the whole of the building estate at almost a nominal 

 price. Out of the wreck of the solicitor's fortune my father 

 obtained a small portion of the money due, with promises to 

 pay all at some future time ; and I recollect his having 

 frequently to go to London by coach to interview the 

 solicitor, and try to get some security for future payment. 

 Among the property thus lost were some legacies from my 

 mother's relations to her children, and the whole affair got 

 into the hands of the lawyers, from whom small amounts 

 were periodically received which helped to provide us with 

 bare necessaries. 



As a result of this series of misfortunes the children who 



