Part 34 (1/2)

I shall look forward to your coht is low” But I don't think that this illness which I at present have is serious enough to make any of my friends anxious, and it would be rather aard for my friends to come and take leave of ood reason--because I STILL have a good deal to do

B JOWETT

My beloved friend died in 1893

The year before his death he had the dangerous illness to which he alludes in the above letter Every one thought he would die He dictated farewell letters to all his friends by his secretary and housekeeper, Miss Knight On receiveing mine from him at Glen, I was so much annoyed at its tone that I wired:

Jowett Balliol College Oxford

I refuse to accept this as your farewell letter towhat she says

Love MARGOT

This telegraot steadily better and wrote me a wonderful letter I remember the reason that I was vexed was because he believed a report that I had knocked up against a foreign potentate in Rotten Row for a bet, which was not only untrue but ridiculous, and I was getting a little impatient of the cattishness and credulity of the West-end of London

My week-ends at Balliol were different to my other visits The Master took infinite trouble over them Once on my arrival he asked me which of one or two men I would like to sit next to at dinner I said I should prefer Mr Huxley or Lord Bowen, to which he replied:

”I would like you to have on your other side, either to-night or to-morrow, my friend Lord Selborne:” [Footnote: The late Earl of Selborne]

MARGOT (with surprise): ”Since when is he your friend? I was under the impression you disliked hiht, but even the youngest of us are so, as Dr Thompson said, and I look upon Lord Selborne now as a friend I hope I said nothing against him”

MARGOT: ”Oh dear no! You only said he was fond of hymns and had no sense of huaret, I made an extremely foolish remark I will put you between Lord Bowen and Sir Alfred Lyall Was it not strange that you should have said of Lyall to Huxley that he reminded you of a faded Crusader and that you suspected hi a coat of mail under his broadcloth, to which you will re of female, without which no man is saved!' Your sister, Lady Ribblesdale, said the very sa to me about him”

This interested me, as Charty and I had not spoken to each other of Sir Alfred Lyall, as a new acquaintance of ours

MARGOT: ”I aive her the saave me; you don't think well of my sex, do you?”

JOWETT: ”You are not the person to reproachwoerous and always dishonourable I eous Would you agree to this?”

MARGOT: ”Yes”

I sat between Sir Alfred Lyall and Lord Bowen that night at dinner There was more bouquet than body about Sir Alfred and, to parody Gibbon, Lord Bowen's htful men never existed After dinner, Huxley came across the room to me and said that the Master had confessed he had done hi next to ether and our conversation opened on religion

There was notGod was only there because people believed in Hinito, ”I am that I a he did not believe any ht I would call in Lord Boas standing aimlessly in the middle of the room, to my assistance He instantly responded and drew a chair up to us I said to hies me to produce any ion”

BOWEN (WITH A SLEEK SMILE): ”Between us we should be able to answer him, Miss Tennant, I think Who is your man?”

Every idea seeested at randohts, for it so happened that Huxley adored General Gordon