An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

80 AUTOBIOGRAPHY My wife joined us on 4th Sept., 1893, and we had very pleasantweek paddling up to Bungay, ShipmeadowLock, &c., she leaving on the 9th with Reay. The rest of our holiday I took with Robert· driving round the coast by Huustanton, where we saw my future daughter-in-law aud her sister on the pier, and on to Lynn. Coming back we could get no accommodation at Swaffham, so trained to Den~ham, and our horse getting tired and a sore back, came on by rail to Norwich where I stayed for the "Show" aud returned 18th September. On the 4th November, 1893, A. L. Rye won the Thames Short Cup easily. A high gale on 10th December blew our front garden wall down. Early in December I went to Edenbridge to see E.R.B. and he told me he had a female descent from Richardson the novelist. Just before Christmas I bad a business journey to Hereford and Bollingham, where on the faith of my athletic reputation I was made to drive a spirited pair of ponies at Hereford, shaving the bridge wall by a fractional part of an inch only, which was taken as a proof of my extreme skill at driving and not the direct interposition of providence which it was. The Cathedral at Hereford struck me as very fine, with ·grand decorated work, and excellent porch. Christmas I spent with George Bennett at Norwich, incidentally revisting Scoulton Mere. During 1893 I had been too busy to print anything except a pamphlet, reviewing the ridiculous judgment of the Court of Appeal in the Hickling case (see pp. 76-7 ante) ; and during 1894 I was too busy to print anythi11g at all except articles. The early part of 1894 was intensely cold at Hamp– stead, said to be the worst for 20 years, and it was most difficult to get up the bill, tobogganing going on continu· ally as before. I began to remodel Upper Frognal Lodge, which I had also bought, Halley being my architect. At the end of the month, having been warned by the decision on Sharpe v Wakefield, I decided to part with the " Maid's Head," and completed the sale on 8th March. In the middle of March all the children and myself were down with German measles. The Easter I spent with Grun at Selborne, when the weather was fine but cold, many butterflies, chiefly brimstones and small tortoiseshells on the hanger, and early in April I had influenza again.