givinginafewwordstheimpressionthateachonemadeonhim——butthesenotesareunfortunatelylost。Hewassensitivetodifferencesinstyle，andenjoyedthelateMrs。VernonLushington’splayingintensely，andinJune1881，whenHansRichterpaidavisitatDown，hewasrousedtostrongenthusiasmbyhismagnificentperformanceonthepiano。Hemuchenjoyedgoodsinging，andwasmovedalmosttotearsbygrandorpatheticsongs。
HisnieceLadyFarrer’ssingingofSullivan’s"Willhecome"wasanever—
failingenjoymenttohim。Hewashumbleintheextremeabouthisowntaste，andcorrespondinglypleasedwhenhefoundthatothersagreedwithhim。
Hebecamemuchtiredintheevenings，especiallyoflateyears，whenheleftthedrawing—roomaboutten，goingtobedathalf—pastten。Hisnightsweregenerallybad，andheoftenlayawakeorsatupinbedforhours，sufferingmuchdiscomfort。Hewastroubledatnightbytheactivityofhisthoughts，andwouldbecomeexhaustedbyhismindworkingatsomeproblemwhichhewouldwillinglyhavedismissed。Atnight，too，anythingwhichhadvexedortroubledhiminthedaywouldhaunthim，andIthinkitwasthenthathesufferedifhehadnotansweredsometroublesomeperson’sletter。
Theregularreadings，whichIhavementioned，continuedforsomanyyears，enabledhimtogetthroughagreatdealoflighterkindsofliterature。Hewasextremelyfondofnovels，andIrememberwellthewayinwhichhewouldanticipatethepleasureofhavinganovelreadtohim，ashelaydown，orlightedhiscigarette。Hetookavividinterestbothinplotandcharacters，andwouldonnoaccountknowbeforehand，howastoryfinished;
heconsideredlookingattheendofanovelasafemininevice。Hecouldnotenjoyanystorywithatragicalend，forthisreasonhedidnotkeenlyappreciateGeorgeEliot，thoughheoftenspokewarmlyinpraiseof’SilasMarner。’WalterScott，MissAusten，andMrs。Gaskell，werereadandre—
readtilltheycouldbereadnomore。Hehadtwoorthreebooksinhandatthesametime——anovelandperhapsabiographyandabookoftravels。Hedidnotoftenreadout—of—the—wayoroldstandardbooks，butgenerallykepttothebooksofthedayobtainedfromacirculatinglibrary。
Idonotthinkthathisliterarytastesandopinionswereonalevelwiththerestofhismind。Hehimself，thoughhewasclearastowhathethoughtgood，consideredthatinmattersofliterarytaste，hewasquiteoutsidethepale，andoftenspokeofwhatthosewithinitlikedordisliked，asiftheyformedaclasstowhichhehadnoclaimtobelong。
Inallmattersofarthewasinclinedtolaughatprofessedcritics，andsaythattheiropinionswereformedbyfashion。Thusinpainting，hewouldsayhowinhisdayeveryoneadmiredmasterswhoarenowneglected。Hisloveofpicturesasayoungmanisalmostaproofthathemusthavehadanappreciationofaportraitasaworkofart，notasalikeness。Yetheoftentalkedlaughinglyofthesmallworthofportraits，andsaidthataphotographwasworthanynumberofpictures，asifhewereblindtotheartisticqualityinapaintedportrait。Butthiswasgenerallysaidinhisattemptstopersuadeustogiveuptheideaofhavinghisportraitpainted，anoperationveryirksometohim。
Thiswayoflookingathimselfasanignoramusinallmattersofart，wasstrengthenedbytheabsenceofpretence，whichwaspartofhischaracter。
Withregardtoquestionsoftaste，aswellastomoreseriousthings，healwayshadthecourageofhisopinions。Iremember，however，aninstancethatsoundslikeacontradictiontothis:whenhewaslookingattheTurnersinMr。Ruskin’sbedroom，hedidnotconfess，ashedidafterwards，thathecouldmakeoutabsolutelynothingofwhatMr。Ruskinsawinthem。
Butthislittlepretencewasnotforhisownsake，butforthesakeofcourtesytohishost。HewaspleasedandamusedwhensubsequentlyMr。
Ruskinbroughthimsomephotographsofpictures（IthinkVandykeportraits），andcourteouslyseemedtovaluemyfather’sopinionaboutthem。
MuchofhisscientificreadingwasinGerman，andthiswasagreatlabourtohim;inreadingabookafterhim，Iwasoftenstruckatseeing，fromthepencil—marksmadeeachdaywhereheleftoff，howlittlehecouldreadatatime。HeusedtocallGermanthe"Verdammte，"pronouncedasifinEnglish。
HewasespeciallyindignantwithGermans，becausehewasconvincedthattheycouldwritesimplyiftheychose，andoftenpraisedDr。F。HildebrandforwritingGermanwhichwasasclearasFrench。HesometimesgaveaGermansentencetoafriend，apatrioticGermanlady，andusedtolaughatherifshedidnottranslateitfluently。HehimselflearntGermansimplybyhammeringawaywithadictionary;hewouldsaythathisonlywaywastoreadasentenceagreatmanytimesover，andatlastthemeaningoccurredtohim。WhenhebeganGermanlongago，heboastedofthefact（asheusedtotell）toSirJ。Hooker，whoreplied，"Ah，mydearfellow，that’snothing;I’vebegunitmanytimes。"
Inspiteofhiswantofgrammar，hemanagedtogetonwonderfullywithGerman，andthesentencesthathefailedtomakeoutweregenerallyreallydifficultones。HeneverattemptedtospeakGermancorrectly，butpronouncedthewordsasthoughtheywereEnglish;andthismadeitnotalittledifficulttohelphim，whenhereadoutaGermansentenceandaskedforatranslation。Hecertainlyhadabadearforvocalsounds，sothathefounditimpossibletoperceivesmalldifferencesinpronunciation。
Hiswideinterestinbranchesofsciencethatwerenotspeciallyhisownwasremarkable。Inthebiologicalscienceshisdoctrinesmakethemselvesfeltsowidelythattherewassomethinginterestingtohiminmostdepartmentsofit。Hereadagooddealofmanyquitespecialworks，andlargepartsoftextbooks，suchasHuxley’s’InvertebrateAnatomy，’orsuchabookasBalfour’s’Embryology，’wherethedetail，atanyrate，wasnotspeciallyinhisownline。Andinthecaseofelaboratebooksofthemonographtype，thoughhedidnotmakeastudyofthem，yethefeltthestrongestadmirationforthem。
Inthenon—biologicalscienceshefeltkeensympathywithworkofwhichhecouldnotreallyjudge。Forinstance，heusedtoreadnearlythewholeof’Nature，’thoughsomuchofitdealswithmathematicsandphysics。Ihaveoftenheardhimsaythathegotakindofsatisfactioninreadingarticleswhich（accordingtohimself）hecouldnotunderstand。IwishIcouldreproducethemannerinwhichhewouldlaughathimselfforit。
Itwasremarkable，too，howhekeptuphisinterestinsubjectsatwhichhehadformerlyworked。Thiswasstrikinglythecasewithgeology。InoneofhisletterstoMr。Juddhebegshimtopayhimavisit，sayingthatsinceLyell’sdeathhehardlyevergetsageologicaltalk。Hisobservations，madeonlyafewyearsbeforehisdeath，ontheuprightpebblesinthedriftatSouthampton，anddiscussedinalettertoMr。Geikie，affordanotherinstance。Again，intheletterstoDr。Dohrn，heshowshowhisinterestinbarnaclesremainedalive。Ithinkitwasallduetothevitalityandpersistenceofhismind——aqualityIhaveheardhimspeakofasifhefeltthathewasstronglygiftedinthatrespect。Notthatheusedanysuchphrasesastheseabouthimself，buthewouldsaythathehadthepowerofkeepingasubjectorquestionmoreorlessbeforehimforagreatmanyyears。Theextenttowhichhepossessedthispowerappearswhenweconsiderthenumberofdifferentproblemswhichhesolved，andtheearlyperiodatwhichsomeofthembegantooccupyhim。
Itwasasuresignthathewasnotwellwhenhewasidleatanytimesotherthanhisregularrestinghours;for，aslongasheremainedmoderatelywell，therewasnobreakintheregularityofhislife。Week—daysandSundayspassedbyalike，eachwiththeirstatedintervalsofworkandrest。
Itisalmostimpossible，exceptforthosewhowatchedhisdailylife，torealisehowessentialtohiswell—beingwastheregularroutinethatIhavesketched:andwithwhatpainanddifficultyanythingbeyonditwasattempted。Anypublicappearance，evenofthemostmodestkind，wasanefforttohim。In1871hewenttothelittlevillagechurchfortheweddingofhiselderdaughter，buthecouldhardlybearthefatigueofbeingpresentthroughtheshortservice。Thesamemaybesaidofthefewotheroccasionsonwhichhewaspresentatsimilarceremonies。
Irememberhimmanyyearsagoatachristening;amemorywhichhasremainedwithme，becausetouschildrenitseemedanextraordinaryandabnormaloccurrence。IrememberhislookmostdistinctlyathisbrotherErasmus’sfuneral，ashestoodinthescatteringofsnow，wrappedinalongblackfuneralcloak，withagravelookofsadreverie。
When，afteranintervalofmanyyears，heagainattendedameetingoftheLinneanSociety，itwasfelttobe，andwasinfact，aseriousundertaking;
onenottobedeterminedonwithoutmuchsinkingofheart，andhardlytobecarriedintoeffectwithoutpayingapenaltyofsubsequentsuffering。Inthesamewayabreakfast—partyatSirJamesPaget’s，withsomeofthedistinguishedvisitorstotheMedicalCongress（1881），wastohimasevereexertion。
Theearlymorningwastheonlytimeatwhichhecouldmakeanyeffortofthekind，withcomparativeimpunity。ThusitcameaboutthatthevisitshepaidtohisscientificfriendsinLondonwerebypreferencemadeasearlyasteninthemorning。Forthesamereasonhestartedonhisjourneysbytheearliestpossibletrain，andusedtoarriveatthehousesofrelativesinLondonwhentheywerebeginningtheirday。
Hekeptanaccuratejournalofthedaysonwhichheworkedandthoseonwhichhisillhealthpreventedhimfromworking，sothatitwouldbepossibletotellhowmanywereidledaysinanygivenyear。Inthisjournal——alittleyellowLett’sDiary，whichlayopenonhismantel—piece，piledonthediariesofpreviousyears——healsoenteredthedayonwhichhestartedforaholidayandthatofhisreturn。
ThemostfrequentholidayswerevisitsofaweektoLondon，eithertohisbrother’shouse（6QueenAnneStreet），ortohisdaughter’s（4BryanstonStreet）。Hewasgenerallypersuadedbymymothertotaketheseshortholidays，whenitbecameclearfromthefrequencyof"baddays，"orfromtheswimmingofhishead，thathewasbeingoverworked。Hewentunwillingly，andtriedtodrivehardbargains，stipulating，forinstance，thatheshouldcomehomeinfivedaysinsteadofsix。Evenifhewereleavinghomefornomorethanaweek，thepackinghadtobebegunearlyonthepreviousday，andthechiefpartofithewoulddohimself。Thediscomfortofajourneytohimwas，atleastlatterly，chieflyintheanticipation，andinthemiserablesinkingfeelingfromwhichhesufferedimmediatelybeforethestart;evenafairlylongjourney，suchasthattoConiston，tiredhimwonderfullylittle，consideringhowmuchaninvalidhewas;andhecertainlyenjoyeditinanalmostboyishway，andtoacuriousextent。
Although，ashehassaid，someofhisaesthetictasteshadsufferedagradualdecay，hisloveofsceneryremainedfreshandstrong。EverywalkatConistonwasafreshdelight，andhewasnevertiredofpraisingthebeautyofthebrokenhillycountryattheheadofthelake。
Oneofthehappymemoriesofthistime[1879]isthatofadelightfulvisittoGrasmere:"Theperfectday，"mysisterwrites，"andmyfather’svividenjoymentandflowofspirits，formapictureinmymindthatIliketothinkof。Hecouldhardlysitstillinthecarriageforturningroundandgettinguptoadmiretheviewfromeachfreshpoint，andeveninreturninghewasfullofthebeautyofRydalWater，thoughhewouldnotallowthatGrasmereatallequalledhisbelovedConiston。"
Besidestheselongerholidays，therewereshortervisitstovariousrelatives——tohisbrother—in—law’shouse，closetoLeithHill，andtohissonnearSouthampton。Healwaysparticularlyenjoyedramblingoverroughopencountry，suchasthecommonsnearLeithHillandSouthampton，theheath—coveredwastesofAshdownForest，orthedelightful"Rough"nearthehouseofhisfriendSirThomasFarrer。Heneverwasquiteidleevenontheseholidays，andfoundthingstoobserve。AtHartfieldhewatchedDroseracatchinginsects，etc。;atTorquayheobservedthefertilisationofanorchid（Spiranthes），andalsomadeouttherelationsofthesexesinThyme。
Hewasalwaysrejoicedtogethomeafterhisholidays;heusedgreatlytoenjoythewelcomehegotfromhisdogPolly，whowouldgetwildwithexcitement，panting，squeaking，rushingroundtheroom，andjumpingonandoffthechairs;andheusedtostoopdown，pressingherfacetohis，lettingherlickhim，andspeakingtoherwithapeculiarlytender，caressingvoice。
Myfatherhadthepowerofgivingtothesesummerholidaysacharmwhichwasstronglyfeltbyallhisfamily。Thepressureofhisworkathomekepthimattheutmoststretchofhispowersofendurance，andwhenreleasedfromit，heenteredonaholidaywithayouthfulnessofenjoymentthatmadehiscompanionshipdelightful;wefeltthatwesawmoreofhiminaweek’sholidaythaninamonthathome。
Someoftheseabsencesfromhome，however，hadadepressingeffectonhim;
whenhehadbeenpreviouslymuchoverworkeditseemedasthoughtheabsenceofthecustomarystrainallowedhimtofallintoapeculiarconditionofmiserablehealth。
BesidestheholidayswhichIhavementioned，therewerehisvisitstowater—cureestablishments。In1849，whenveryill，sufferingfromconstantsickness，hewasurgedbyafriendtotrythewater—cure，andatlastagreedtogotoDr。Gully’sestablishmentatMalvern。HisletterstoMr。
Foxshowhowmuchgoodthetreatmentdidhim;heseemstohavethoughtthathehadfoundacureforhistroubles，but，likeallotherremedies，ithadonlyatransienteffectonhim。However，hefoundit，atfirst，sogoodforhimthatwhenhecamehomehebuilthimselfadouche—bath，andthebutlerlearnttobehisbathman。
HepaidmanyvisitstoMoorPark，Dr。Lane’swater—cureestablishmentinSurrey，notfarfromAldershot。Thesevisitswerepleasantones，andhealwayslookedbacktothemwithpleasure。Dr。LanehasgivenhisrecollectionsofmyfatherinDr。Richardson’s’LectureonCharlesDarwin，’
October22，1882，fromwhichIquote:——
"Inapublicinstitutionlikemine，hewassurrounded，ofcourse，bymultifarioustypesofcharacter，bypersonsofbothsexes，mostlyverydifferentfromhimself——commonplacepeople，inshort，asthemajorityareeverywhere，butliketohimatleastinthis，thattheywerefellow—
creaturesandfellow—patients。Andneverwasanyonemoregenial，moreconsiderate，morefriendly，morealtogethercharmingthanheuniversallywas。"……He"neveraimed，astoooftenhappenswithgoodtalkers，atmonopolisingtheconversation。Itwashispleasurerathertogiveandtake，andhewasasgoodalistenerasaspeaker。Heneverpreachednorprosed，buthistalk，whethergraveorgay（anditwaseachbyturns），wasfulloflifeandsalt——racy，bright，andanimated。"
Someideaofhisrelationtohisfamilyandhisfriendsmaybegatheredfromwhathasgonebefore;itwouldbeimpossibletoattemptacompleteaccountoftheserelationships，butaslightlyfulleroutlinemaynotbeoutofplace。OfhismarriedlifeIcannotspeak，saveinthebriefestmanner。Inhisrelationshiptowardsmymother，histenderandsympatheticnaturewasshowninitsmostbeautifulaspect。Inherpresencehefoundhishappiness，andthroughher，hislife，——whichmighthavebeenovershadowedbygloom，——becameoneofcontentandquietgladness。
The’ExpressionoftheEmotions’showshowcloselyhewatchedhischildren;
itwascharacteristicofhimthat（asIhaveheardhimtell），althoughhewassoanxioustoobserveaccuratelytheexpressionofacryingchild，hissympathywiththegriefspoiledhisobservation。Hisnote—book，inwhicharerecordedsayingsofhisyoungchildren，showshispleasureinthem。Heseemedtoretainasortofregretfulmemoryofthechildhoodswhichhadfadedaway，andthushewroteinhis’Recollections’:——"Whenyouwereveryyoungitwasmydelighttoplaywithyouall，andIthinkwithasighthatsuchdayscanneverreturn。"
Imayquote，asshowingthetendernessofhisnature，somesentencesfromanaccountofhislittledaughterAnnie，writtenafewdaysafterherdeath:——
"Ourpoorchild，Annie，wasborninGowerStreet，onMarch2，1841，andexpiredatMalvernatmid—dayonthe23rdofApril，1851。
"Iwritethesefewpages，asIthinkinafteryears，ifwelive，theimpressionsnowputdownwillrecallmorevividlyherchiefcharacteristics。FromwhateverpointIlookbackather，themainfeatureinherdispositionwhichatoncerisesbeforeme，isherbuoyantjoyousness，temperedbytwoothercharacteristics，namely，hersensitiveness，whichmighteasilyhavebeenoverlookedbyastranger，andherstrongaffection。Herjoyousnessandanimalspiritsradiatedfromherwholecountenance，andrenderedeverymovementelasticandfulloflifeandvigour。Itwasdelightfulandcheerfultobeholdher。Herdearfacenowrisesbeforeme，assheusedsometimestocomerunningdownstairswithastolenpinchofsnuffformeherwholeformradiantwiththepleasureofgivingpleasure。Evenwhenplayingwithhercousins，whenherjoyousnessalmostpassedintoboisterousness，asingleglanceofmyeye，notofdispleasure（forIthankGodIhardlyevercastoneonher），butofwantofsympathy，wouldforsomeminutesalterherwholecountenance。
"Theotherpointinhercharacter，whichmadeherjoyousnessandspiritssodelightful，washerstrongaffection，whichwasofamostclinging，fondlingnature。Whenquiteababy，thisshoweditselfinneverbeingeasywithouttouchinghermother，wheninbedwithher;andquitelatelyshewould，whenpoorly，fondleforanylengthoftimeoneofhermother’sarms。
Whenveryunwell，hermotherlyingdownbesideherseemedtosootheherinamannerquitedifferentfromwhatitwouldhavedonetoanyofourotherchildren。So，again，shewouldatalmostanytimespendhalfanhourinarrangingmyhair，’makingit，’asshecalledit，’beautiful，’orinsmoothing，thepoordeardarling，mycollarorcuffs——inshort，infondlingme。
"Besideherjoyousnessthustempered，shewasinhermannersremarkablycordial，frank，open，straightforward，natural，andwithoutanyshadeofreserve。Herwholemindwaspureandtransparent。Onefeltoneknewherthoroughlyandcouldtrusther。Ialwaysthought，thatcomewhatmight，weshouldhavehadinouroldageatleastonelovingsoulwhichnothingcouldhavechanged。Allhermovementswerevigorous，active，andusuallygraceful。WhengoingroundtheSand—walkwithme，althoughIwalkedfast，yetsheoftenusedtogobefore，pirouettinginthemostelegantway，herdearfacebrightallthetimewiththesweetestsmiles。Occasionallyshehadaprettycoquettishmannertowardsme，thememoryofwhichischarming。
Sheoftenusedexaggeratedlanguage，andwhenIquizzedherbyexaggeratingwhatshehadsaid，howclearlycanInowseethelittletossofthehead，andexclamationof’Oh，papawhatashameofyou！’Inthelastshortillnessherconductinsimpletruthwasangelic。Sheneveroncecomplained;neverbecamefretful;waseverconsiderateofothers，andwasthankfulinthemostgentle，patheticmannerforeverythingdoneforher。
Whensoexhaustedthatshecouldhardlyspeak，shepraisedeverythingthatwasgivenher，andsaidsometea’wasbeautifullygood。’WhenIgavehersomewatershesaid，’Iquitethankyou;’andthese，Ibelieve，werethelastpreciouswordseveraddressedbyherdearlipstome。
"Wehavelostthejoyofthehousehold，andthesolaceofouroldage。Shemusthaveknownhowwelovedher。Oh，thatshecouldnowknowhowdeeply，howtenderly，wedostillandshalleverloveherdearjoyousface！
Blessingsonher！
"April30，1851。"
Wehischildrenalltookespecialpleasureinthegamesheplayedatwithus，butIdonotthinkherompedmuchwithus;Isupposehishealthpreventedanyroughplay。Heusedsometimestotellusstories，whichwereconsideredespeciallydelightful，partlyonaccountoftheirrarity。
ThewayhebroughtusupisshownbyalittlestoryaboutmybrotherLeonard，whichmyfatherwasfondoftelling。Hecameintothedrawing—
roomandfoundLeonarddancingaboutonthesofa，whichwasforbidden，forthesakeofthesprings，andsaid，"Oh，Lenny，Lenny，that’sagainstallrules，"andreceivedforanswer，"ThenIthinkyou’dbettergooutoftheroom。"Idonotbelieveheeverspokeanangrywordtoanyofhischildreninhislife;butIamcertainthatitneverenteredourheadstodisobeyhim。Iwellrememberoneoccasionwhenmyfatherreprovedmeforapieceofcarelessness;andIcanstillrecallthefeelingofdepressionwhichcameoverme，andthecarewhichhetooktodisperseitbyspeakingtomesoonafterwardswithespecialkindness。Hekeptuphisdelightful，affectionatemannertowardsusallhislife。Isometimeswonderthathecoulddoso，withsuchanundemonstrativeraceasweare;butIhopeheknewhowmuchwedelightedinhislovingwordsandmanner。Howoften，whenaman，Ihavewishedwhenmyfatherwasbehindmychair，thathewouldpasshishandovermyhair，asheusedtodowhenIwasaboy。Heallowedhisgrown—upchildrentolaughwithandathim，andwas，generallyspeaking，ontermsofperfectequalitywithus。
Hewasalwaysfullofinterestabouteachone’splansorsuccesses。Weusedtolaughathim，andsayhewouldnotbelieveinhissons，because，forinstance，hewouldbealittledoubtfulabouttheirtakingsomebitofworkforwhichhedidnotfeelsurethattheyhadknowledgeenough。Ontheotherhand，hewasonlytoomuchinclinedtotakeafavourableviewofourwork。WhenIthoughthehadsettoohighavalueonanythingthatIhaddone，heusedtobeindignantandinclinedtoexplodeinmockanger。Hisdoubtswerepartofhishumilityconcerningwhatwasinanywayconnectedwithhimself;histoofavourableviewofourworkwasduetohissympatheticnature，whichmadehimlenienttoeveryone。
Hekeptuptowardshischildrenhisdelightfulmannerofexpressinghisthanks;andIneverwrotealetter，orreadapagealoudtohim，withoutreceivingafewkindwordsofrecognition。HisloveandgoodnesstowardshislittlegrandsonBernardweregreat;andheoftenspokeofthepleasureitwastohimtosee"hislittlefaceoppositetohim"atluncheon。HeandBernardusedtocomparetheirtastes;e。g。，inlikingbrownsugarbetterthanwhite，etc。;theresultbeing，"Wealwaysagree，don’twe？"
Mysisterwrites:——
"Myfirstremembrancesofmyfatherareofthedelightsofhisplayingwithus。Hewaspassionatelyattachedtohisownchildren，althoughhewasnotanindiscriminatechild—lover。Toallofushewasthemostdelightfulplay—fellow，andthemostperfectsympathiser。Indeeditisimpossibleadequatelytodescribehowdelightfularelationhiswastohisfamily，whetheraschildrenorintheirlaterlife。
"Itisaproofofthetermsonwhichwewere，andalsoofhowmuchhewasvaluedasaplay—fellow，thatoneofhissonswhenaboutfouryearsoldtriedtobribehimwithsixpencetocomeandplayinworkinghours。Weallknewthesacrednessofworking—time，butthatanyoneshouldresistsixpenceseemedanimpossibility。
"Hemusthavebeenthemostpatientanddelightfulofnurses。IrememberthehavenofpeaceandcomfortitseemedtomewhenIwasunwell，tobetuckeduponthestudysofa，idlyconsideringtheoldgeologicalmaphungonthewall。Thismusthavebeeninhisworkinghours，forIalwayspicturehimsittinginthehorsehairarm—chairbythecornerofthefire。
"Anothermarkofhisunboundedpatiencewasthewayinwhichweweresufferedtomakeraidsintothestudywhenwehadanabsoluteneedofsticking—plaster，string，pins，scissors，stamps，foot—rule，orhammer。
Theseandothersuchnecessarieswerealwaystobefoundinthestudy，anditwastheonlyplacewherethiswasacertainty。Weusedtofeelitwrongtogoinduringwork—time;still，whenthenecessitywasgreatwedidso。
Irememberhispatientlookwhenhesaidonce，’Don’tyouthinkyoucouldnotcomeinagain，Ihavebeeninterruptedveryoften。’Weusedtodreadgoinginforsticking—plaster，becausehedislikedtoseethatwehadcutourselves，bothforoursakesandonaccountofhisacutesensitivenesstothesightofblood。Iwellrememberlurkingaboutthepassagetillhewassafeaway，andthenstealinginfortheplaster。
"Lifeseemstome，asIlookbackuponit，tohavebeenveryregularinthoseearlydays，andexceptrelations（andafewintimatefriends），Idonotthinkanyonecametothehouse。Afterlessons，wewerealwaysfreetogowherewewould，andthatwaschieflyinthedrawing—roomandaboutthegarden，sothatwewereverymuchwithbothmyfatherandmother。Weusedtothinkitmostdelightfulwhenhetoldusanystoriesaboutthe’Beagle’，oraboutearlyShrewsburydays——littlebitsaboutschool—lifeandhisboyishtastes。SometimestoohereadaloudtohischildrensuchbooksasScott’snovels，andIrememberafewlittlelecturesonthesteam—engine。
"Iwasmoreorlessillduringthefiveyearsbetweenmythirteenthandeighteenthyears，andforalongtime（yearsitseemstome）heusedtoplayacoupleofgamesofbackgammonwithmeeveryafternoon。Heplayedthemwiththegreatestspirit，andIrememberweusedatonetimetokeepaccountofthegames，andasthisrecordcameoutinfavourofhim，wekeptalistofthedoubletsthrownbyeach，asIwasconvincedthathethrewbetterthanmyself。
"Hispatienceandsympathywereboundlessduringthiswearyillness，andsometimeswhenmostmiserableIfelthissympathytobealmosttookeen。
Whenatmyworst，wewenttomyaunt’shouseatHartfield，inSussex，andassoonaswehadmadethemovesafelyhewentontoMoorParkforafortnight’swater—cure。IcanrecallnowhowonhisreturnIcouldhardlybeartohavehimintheroom，theexpressionoftendersympathyandemotioninhisfacewastooagitating，comingfreshuponmeafterhislittleabsence。
"Hecaredforallourpursuitsandinterests，andlivedourliveswithusinawaythatveryfewfathersdo。ButIamcertainthatnoneofusfeltthatthisintimacyinterferedtheleastwithourrespectorobedience。
Whateverhesaidwasabsolutetruthandlawtous。Healwaysputhiswholemindintoansweringanyofourquestions。Onetriflinginstancemakesmefeelhowhecaredforwhatwecaredfor。Hehadnospecialtasteforcats，thoughheadmiredtheprettywaysofakitten。Butyetheknewandrememberedtheindividualitiesofmymanycats，andwouldtalkaboutthehabitsandcharactersofthemoreremarkableonesyearsaftertheyhaddied。
"Anothercharacteristicofhistreatmentofhischildrenwashisrespectfortheirliberty，andfortheirpersonality。Evenasquiteagirl，I
rememberrejoicinginthissenseoffreedom。Ourfatherandmotherwouldnotevenwishtoknowwhatweweredoingorthinkingunlesswewishedtotell。Healwaysmadeusfeelthatwewereeachofuscreatureswhoseopinionsandthoughtswerevaluabletohim，sothatwhatevertherewasbestinuscameoutinthesunshineofhispresence。
"Idonotthinkhisexaggeratedsenseofourgoodqualities，intellectualormoral，madeusconceited，asmightperhapshavebeenexpected，butrathermorehumbleandgratefultohim。Thereasonbeingnodoubtthattheinfluenceofhischaracter，ofhissincerityandgreatnessofnature，hadamuchdeeperandmorelastingeffectthananysmallexaltationwhichhispraisesoradmirationmayhavecausedtoourvanity。"
Asheadofahouseholdhewasmuchlovedandrespected;healwaysspoketoservantswithpoliteness，usingtheexpression，"wouldyoubesogood，"inaskingforanything。Hewashardlyeverangrywithhisservants;itshowshowseldomthisoccurred，thatwhen，asasmallboy，Ioverheardaservantbeingscolded，andmyfatherspeakingangrily，itimpressedmeasanappallingcircumstance，andIrememberrunningupstairsoutofageneralsenseofawe。Hedidnottroublehimselfaboutthemanagementofthegarden，cows，etc。Heconsideredthehorsessolittlehisconcern，thatheusedtoaskdoubtfullywhetherhemighthaveahorseandcarttosendtoKestonforDrosera，ortotheWesterhamnurseriesforplants，orthelike。
Asahostmyfatherhadapeculiarcharm:thepresenceofvisitorsexcitedhim，andmadehimappeartohisbestadvantage。AtShrewsbury，heusedtosay，itwashisfather’swishthattheguestsshouldbeattendedtoconstantly，andinoneoftheletterstoFoxhespeaksoftheimpossibilityofwritingaletterwhilethehousewasfullofcompany。Ithinkhealwaysfeltuneasyatnotdoingmorefortheentertainmentofhisguests，buttheresultwassuccessful;and，tomakeupforanyloss，therewasthegainthattheguestsfeltperfectlyfreetodoastheyliked。ThemostusualvisitorswerethosewhostayedfromSaturdaytillMonday;thosewhoremainedlongerweregenerallyrelatives，andwereconsideredtoberathermoremymother’saffairthanhis。
Besidesthesevisitors，therewereforeignersandotherstrangers，whocamedownforluncheonandwentawayintheafternoon。HeusedconscientiouslytorepresenttothemtheenormousdistanceofDownfromLondon，andthelabouritwouldbetocomethere，unconsciouslytakingforgrantedthattheywouldfindthejourneyastoilsomeashedidhimself。If，however，theywerenotdeterred，heusedtoarrangetheirjourneysforthem，tellingthemwhentocome，andpracticallywhentogo。Itwaspleasanttoseethewayinwhichheshookhandswithaguestwhowasbeingwelcomedforthefirsttime;hishandusedtoshootoutinawaythatgaveonethefeelingthatitwashasteningtomeettheguest’shands。WitholdfriendshishandcamedownwithaheartyswingintotheotherhandinawayIalwayshadsatisfactioninseeing。Hisgood—byewaschieflycharacterisedbythepleasantwayinwhichhethankedhisguests，ashestoodatthedoor，forhavingcometoseehim。
Theseluncheonswereverysuccessfulentertainments，therewasnodragorflaggingaboutthem，myfatherwasbrightandexcitedthroughoutthewholevisit。ProfessorDeCandollehasdescribedavisittoDown，inhisadmirableandsympatheticsketchofmyfather。（’Darwinconsidereaupointdevuedescausesdesonsucces。’——Geneva，1882。）Hespeaksofhismannerasresemblingthatofa"savant"ofOxfordorCambridge。Thisdoesnotstrikemeasquiteagoodcomparison;inhiseaseandnaturalnesstherewasmoreofthemannerofsomesoldiers;amannerarisingfromtotalabsenceofpretenceoraffectation。Itwasthisabsenceofpose，andthenaturalandsimplewayinwhichhebegantalkingtohisguests，soastogetthemontheirownlines，whichmadehimsocharmingahosttoastranger。Hishappychoiceofmatterfortalkseemedtoflowoutofhissympatheticnature，andhumble，vividinterestinotherpeople’swork。
Tosome，Ithink，hecausedactualpainbyhismodesty;IhaveseenthelateFrancisBalfourquitediscomposedbyhavingknowledgeascribedtohimselfonapointaboutwhichmyfatherclaimedtobeutterlyignorant。
Itisdifficulttoseizeonthecharacteristicsofmyfather’sconversation。
Hehadmoredreadthanhavemostpeopleofrepeatinghisstories，andcontinuallysaid，"Youmusthaveheardmetell，"or"IdaresayI’vetoldyou。"Onepeculiarityhehad，whichgaveacuriouseffecttohisconversation。Thefirstfewwordsofasentencewouldoftenremindhimofsomeexceptionto，orsomereasonagainst，whathewasgoingtosay;andthisagainbroughtupsomeotherpoint，sothatthesentencewouldbecomeasystemofparenthesiswithinparenthesis，anditwasoftenimpossibletounderstandthedriftofwhathewassayinguntilhecametotheendofhissentence。Heusedtosayofhimselfthathewasnotquickenoughtoholdanargumentwithanyone，andIthinkthiswastrue。Unlessitwasasubjectonwhichhewasjustthenatwork，hecouldnotgetthetrainofargumentintoworkingorderquicklyenough。Thisisshowneveninhisletters;thus，inthecaseoftwoletterstoProf。Semperabouttheeffectofisolation，hedidnotrecalltheseriesoffactshewanteduntilsomedaysafterthefirstletterhadbeensentoff。
Whenpuzzledintalking，hehadapeculiarstammeronthefirstwordofasentence。Ionlyrecallthisoccurringwithwordsbeginningwithw;
possiblyhehadaspecialdifficultywiththisletter，forIhaveheardhimsaythatasaboyhecouldnotpronouncew，andthatsixpencewasofferedhimifhecouldsay"whitewine，"whichhepronounced"riterine。"
PossiblyhemayhaveinheritedthistendencyfromErasmusDarwin，whostammered。（MyfatherrelatedaJohnsoniananswerofErasmusDarwin’s:
"Don’tyoufinditveryinconvenientstammering，Dr。Darwin？""No，sir，becauseIhavetimetothinkbeforeIspeak，anddon’taskimpertinentquestions。"）
Hesometimescombinedhismetaphorsinacuriousway，usingsuchaphraseas"holdingonlikelife，"——amixtureof"holdingonforhislife，"and"holdingonlikegrimdeath。"Itcamefromhiseagerwayofputtingemphasisintowhathewassaying。Thissometimesgaveanairofexaggerationwhereitwasnotintended;butitgave，too，anobleairofstrongandgenerousconviction;as，forinstance，whenhegavehisevidencebeforetheRoyalCommissiononvivisectionandcameoutwithhiswordsaboutcruelty，"Itdeservesdetestationandabhorrence。"Whenhefeltstronglyaboutanysimilarquestion，hecouldhardlytrusthimselftospeak，ashetheneasilybecameangry，athingwhichhedislikedexcessively。Hewasconsciousthathisangerhadatendencytomultiplyitselfintheutterance，andforthisreasondreaded（forexample）havingtoscoldaservant。
Itwasagreatproofofthemodestyofhisstyleoftalking，that，when，forinstance，anumberofvisitorscameoverfromSirJohnLubbock’sforaSundayafternooncallheneverseemedtobepreachingorlecturing，althoughhehadsomuchofthetalktohimself。Hewasparticularlycharmingwhen"chaffing"anyone，andinhighspiritsoverit。Hismanneratsuchtimeswaslight—heartedandboyish，andhisrefinementofnaturecameoutmoststrongly。So，whenhewastalkingtoaladywhopleasedandamusedhim，thecombinationofrailleryanddeferenceinhismannerwasdelightfultosee。
Whenmyfatherhadseveralguestshemanagedthemwell，gettingatalkwitheach，orbringingtwoorthreetogetherroundhischair。Intheseconversationstherewasalwaysagooddealoffun，and，speakinggenerally，therewaseitherahumorousturninhistalk，orasunnygenialitywhichservedinstead。Perhapsmyrecollectionofapervadingelementofhumouristhemorevivid，becausethebesttalkswerewithMr。Huxley，inwhomthereistheaptnesswhichisakintohumour，evenwhenhumouritselfisnotthere。MyfatherenjoyedMr。Huxley’shumourexceedingly，andwouldoftensay，"WhatsplendidfunHuxleyis！"Ithinkheprobablyhadmorescientificargument（ofthenatureofafight）withLyellandSirJosephHooker。