An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

II4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY At the end of September, my elder sister, M. S. Rye, was in the hospital at Hemel Hempstead, and I went over to see her. I saw her again next year having ridden over to Hemet Hempstead, but she eventually died of cancer, after a long and most painful illness. In October, I bought the most enormous mackerel, a "King Mackerel 1 ' I ever saw, and took it over to Brandon to my old friend Sachs and his wife, who were part of an art colony there, and for whom it actualJy provided a meal. By the way, later on at the Norwich Scotch dinner, I almost persuaded the Scots that the fish took its name from its first discoverer, one McKerell. In October and November I bad two long rides round byStalham, and saw the Rev. N. White who was very dropsical and helpless. Howlett came to see me in November. The boys came down at Christmas, and we lunched at the Wroxham bungalow. This year I had 55 good long rides, as against 72 the year before. I don't see that I published anything during rgoo, being separated trom my library and MSS. A short jonrney to London in January made me renew my acquaintance with the quaintly named '' Bel and the Dragon," at Cookham, which I knew so well in old boating days, and where I found old vVorboys as amusing as ever. The death of Queen Victoria on 22nd January, and the incessant bell tolling everywhere reminded me of the similar experience I had years before, when Prince Albert died, when I walked many miles at night but never lost the sound of melancholy bells. By this time F. G. Rye was engaged to Miss B. On the 3rst we had a party at St. Leonard's. In March I lectured for the first time in my life at Norwich or elsewhere on" Manners and Want of Manners" for the Woodpeckers' Art Club, to which I had become acquainted through that cheery artist and etcher, Miss C. M. Nichols. A fat old lady in the audience, tired out (and I don't wonder at it, for I was not showing any slides), went to sleep and audibly snored, which gave me an opportunity of scoring with what I trust was an apposite piece of gag. On the 26th March Dr. Williams brought me the bad news that my wife was in an advanced state of diabetes, and would need close dieting. I was about this time very busy in arranging and working out the "Victoria History of Norfolk."