An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1 79 piano playing of servants at all hours, who had been placed in the Girls' Friendly Society opposite by an incompetent ..committee, that we determined to move bodily to Lammas, and abandon the little home in Surrey Street, on which I had spent a very large amount to try to secure a quiet home for myself and my wife. I had hoped the change of air and perfect rest in the country might have pulled her round, for she had shown marvellous recuperative power, and my daughter and the doctors motored her over on the 16th April. Unhappily the change had come too late, and on my returning from a ride on Friday, the 6th May, I found she was very bad indeed. I cycled on to Dr. Wright at Coltishall, and he motored over instantly, but found her in a state of collapse and gave us no hope. The next day he reported her as failing very fast. In the evening she just knew me and my daughter Bessy, who was her favourite, but passed away at one o'clock in the early morning of Sunday, the 8th. All my sons who were in England attended her funeral at Lammas churchyard on the 11th, and on the 13th two of my daughters left me. Hubert and his wife and Gilly stayed with me for a fe:w days . On Friday, the 20th, I attended the memorial service to Edward VII. at Lammas on a very hot muggy day. By the 23rd, having been picked up by strychnine and quinine tabloids, I got comparatively well and cycled over to Aylsham, getting the six miles home in 31 minutes, and on the 27th rode to see Swannington, back by Cawston and Aylsham, about 22½ miles, the longest I bad done for many months, and again on the 2nd June round by North Walsham, Vlitton, Mundesley (the Clarence an empty wreck), covering 27 miles. On the 11th I found I could shoot a little, doing 22 for 106. On 21st June, the longest day, I had a long ride of about 26 miles to Hickling, where I had a pleasant sail with H.B. on the Broad, but was very tired and slow return– ing over bad roads. On the 23rd I drove over to Cossey Hall to see the MSS. there, but though it is a big place most of the things of interest, books and pictures, had gone, and the, new work rather reminded me of Strawberry Hill and– there were no MSS. of any value. On Monday, 24th, I suddenly showed greatly improved archery form with a light bow, getting a 31 for 137 at 6or.