An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY On the 16th I tried shooting at Edenbridge. I shot very badly, but my host even worse, I noticing nearly 21 consecutive misses. Rode about 26 miles against a very heavy head wind,and was glad at last to keep under the lee of a bus from Putney. Hearing that a prominent Norwich solicitor had gone mad went down to Norwich with the idea of trying to buy his practice, but without success. On December 26th, with F.G.R. and young Lucas, called for Seymour Lucas and a friend, called Cotton, set out in the wet, and with W.J.W. we went to Selborne for the Christmas. This was a noisy party, but the weather was very mild, pansies, roses, wallflowers and snapdragons being in bloom. Returning ·in a wagonette, which was. very full, we broke the traces. Dnring the year (1895) I completed and printed three books : a Memoir of Coke of Holkham for the Royal Agricultural Society, the Calendar of the Le Neve MSS. which had been done by my late brother Frank and his wife and the Glossary of words used in East Anglia for the English Dialect Society. On January rrth, 1896, I revisited my old Wimbledon haunts, walking from Combe and Malden across "Long Course" to Roebampton; '' tired, melancholy and slow.'' During January I formed a syndicate as to "Ivy Bank," and also went over to Hampton Court with F.G.R. and visited the galleries, he beginning to develop art tastes. Next month I took E.R.B. to Selborne, driving over to Farnham and Racklesham potteries. Eyre and Grun joined us later. Returning we just lost the early train by two minutes. On the 17th I bought the Le Neve and Norris MSS. at Sotheby's, through Quaritch. On the 22nd I had a good ride to Barnet, " Cock Fosters" and a very good lunch at "Red Lion," a house which has had many changes in my time. On March 7th, with Voelcker to Rugby match, the T.H. & H. v. Rugby, over the Barby run, which we wont and spoke to him as to H. G. R. The inaugural East Anglian dinner was on the 14th. I note that on my diary I thought Arch, M.P.. au old bounder, and Price, M.P., if possible, worse-squatting under the dinner-table singing a comic song: "The Baby on the Shore.'' I came away early.