Part 19 (1/2)

July 18th, 1901

I have just had such a cheerful quarter-of-an-hour--a packet of YOUR letters to Mr G Think--! I've read the the writer back to e from Bishops!!! Why do you never address hty-five yet, but I soon shall be

Ever yours, JOHN MORLEY

I have heard people say that the Gladstone fa hostile to hireatest rubbish; no one interfered with his reading The sareat men of that day as of this and will continue to be said; and the saeese will believe them I never observed that Gladstone was more easily flattered than other men He WAS er er life; but he was reh at a good thing, if you chose the right moment in which to tell it to him; but there were moods in which he was not inclined to be a of Jane Welsh Carlyle, I told him that a friend of Carlyle's, an old man whom I met at Balliol, had told me that one of his favourite stories was of an Irish to, said:

”Cark ” (Cork)

”But,” said his interlocutor, ”your head is turned to Mullingar!”

To which the hted Mr Gladstone I also told hie IV went down to Ports function and met a famous admiral of the day He clapped him on the back and said in a loud voice:

”Well, uard in Portsmouth!”

At which the Ad and said:

”I hope, Sir, YOU have not come down to take away my reputation”

I find in an old diary an account of a drive I had with Gladstone after my sister Laura died This is what I wrote:

”On Saturday, 29th May, 1886, Mr and Mrs Gladstone came to pay us a visit at 40 Grosvenor Square Papa had been arranging the drawing-rooh spirits I was afraid he ht resent my wish to take Mr

Gladstone up to my room after lunch and talk to him alone

However, Aunty pussy--as we called Mrs Gladstone--with a great deal of winking, led papa away and said toto have a little talk!'

”I had not met or seen Mr Gladstone since Laura's death

”When he had climbed up to my boudoir, he walked to theand ad their uselessness and asking whether the street lamp--which crossed the square path in the line of our eyes--was a child

”I asked hi taken away and the glass and trees n towns, notdown, but for the happiness of invalids and idlers who court the shade or the sun This met with his approval, but he said with some truth that the only people who could do this--or prevent it--were 'the resident aristocracy'

”He asked if Laura had often spoken of death I said yes and that she had written about it in a way that was neither morbid nor terrible I showed hiainst worldliness and high spirits He listened with reverence and interest I don't think I ever saw his face wear the expression that Millais painted in our picture as distinctly as when, closing the book, he said to me:

”'It requires very little faith to believe that so rare a creature as your sister Laura is blessed and with God'

”Aunty pussy came into the room and the conversation turned to Laurence Oliphant's objection to visiting the graves of those we love They disagreed with this and he said:

”'I think, on the contrary, one should encourage oneself to find consolation in the few tangible memories that one can claim; it should not lessen faith in their spirits; and there is surely a silent lesson to be learnt from the tombstone'