An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY II7 On the 30th August G .B. came down for a short visit, ~nd we had a short sail with Jimmy Gibbs in his boat. In September was the sad accident of a drunken engineer smashing the parapet of Cringleford Bridge and drowning two people. On the 10th my new trike came home, and I rode it ever since till I gave up riding in 1916. The next day was the N. & N.A.S. meeting at Wing– field Castle. We lunched at the Harleston " Magpie," and I rode about 42 miles very well, in fact better than any -other except Miss Newcombe, a new member, who after– wards married the Rev. C. N orgate. My usual autumn tour this year was by Cawston to Dereham, and by very circuitous roads to Wymondham, where I began to copy a very long Pope's Bull for Pomeroy, sen., but left off owing to hunger, and so back to Hingham. On the 16th took my lunch with me, and called at Seam– ing, where I of±ered Dr. Jessopp to pay for back part of the field where he was planting a screen fence, and which would have made a far better job of it, but be was too in– dependent to accept the offer. It was always a pleasure to look in on him, and have a long antiquarian talk, for a better conversationalist than he never lived, and the hospitality of him and his wife was very great. With her I had, as a gardener, a great -sympathy, for she was a very skilled cultivator, and loved her flowers like Rufus did his red deer. She was the only one could grow the little white tobacco, a most shy flower and seeder, with success, and again and again restored my stock of it. Her roses and ai:.,riculas also were superb, for her flowers knew her and she knew their wants. What the doctor felt by her loss is known only to a few, of whom I think I am one. I then went on by Swaffham to Lynn. The next day was wet, and I had lunch and slept at my old schoolfellow's Heriot's, at Summer Hills,Heacham, .and so on to Burnham and round by Holkham Park, Walsingham and Hindringham, and back by coast road by Cley, Cromer and Mundesley, where I slept at the " Clarence." On the 20th called on the Rev. F. Proctor (I think this was nearly the last time I saw this excellent hardworking autiquary), and so back by N orth Walsham and Lammas.