An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY scale as I had done at Cawston. Finishing another man's work is bad enough, as I had found with Sir F. Bateman's " History of the Bethel Hospital," but ":finishing'' all but the title-page and table of contents was too big a job. On Christmas Day I had the privilege of presenting the banner to the boys of the Red House at Buxton, who had at my request gone over to Mousehold Heath to welcome Edward VII., who specially noticed their smart– ness and the volume of heartiness they threw into their cheers, and on the same day I was kindly pitied and dined at Hautbois Hall, none of my people turning up, preferring to stay in Norwich and coming in by motor on the Monday to our annual "swan" feast. During the year I was naturally too busy to print any– thing except my Report on the Mayor's Unemployed Fund, a report which my predecessors had not thought it worth their while to print, or my successors to continue. On the 3rd January, 1910, my old athletic and artistic friend, W. W. Ball, who was staying with Mr. Tomes, at Mannington Hall, motored over to lunch at Lammas. I had not seen him for about 20 years, and he was hardly altered. My stomach, which has ever been my weak spot, was troubling me much about this time and I fainted at Surrey Street. On the 15th, M.M.R. had a bad fall at the Skating Rink and hurt her ankle severely, crippling her for a long while. A.L.R. came down to arrange some business, and his wife came with him. I voted at the General Election on 17th, 19th and 21st at Norwich, Dereham, and Coltishall, catching a severe cold in the snow on the last journey, and was laid up at Norwich for four days with stomach com– plaint. Influenza developed on the 20th, and kept me in bed for several days, so I could not give my lecture on ·' Evelyn's Diary" to the Woodpeckers, and it was read for me by A. Howlett. This spring was a very dull, miserable one for all of us. F.G.R. came down on the 27th March to see his mother, and we went over to Horning Ferry to lunch, where we saw some of the most objectionable music hall cads and their women either of us had seen before. I had my first trike ride this year on the 8th April, but only to Aylsham. By this time we had become so uncomfortable at Norwich, chiefly owing to the incessant rowdyism and