An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 47 Christmas I spent with Dr. Jessopp in the Close at Norwich, where I first met J. B. L., and at dinner several literary celebrities including editors galore. During 1879, I was still paper-chasing (I remember one run on 4th Jannary with the' Spartans' at Edmonton, on account of being up to my chin in a frozen brook) and long distance walking, especially a walk through very deep snow to Edenbridge, in which I ran down Titsey Hill to keep myself w,,arm. All this spring I was getting material together for a guide book of~orfolk for E. Stanford, which afterwards ran into five editions, in 1879, 1880, 1885, 1889 and 1902, the most I think of any of Stanford's County Series. During April I was again at Lamport for nearly a week. On the 2nd May I bought a new specimen of Lawson's patent safety bicycle, but the lever bent at once. On 16th May, I got down to 7.35, the best I had done for years and afterwards to 7.31½ and 7.30. In June I walked fairly respectably at Norwich, and wiped out my former defeat, doing 7.41 on grass and got away from Mallett (24) and Cooper (25), Neville Turner, and J. C. Lawrence came with me but were no use in the short steeplechases, and the following Saturday walked well indeed in the rain on a muddy grass course at the South Norwood A.C. Sports, and really won by nearly a lap, in 16.41 in the pouring rain and heavy grass, but the race was given to the second man, a mistake having been made by the lap scorers. That this was so was sufficiently proved by our subsequent performances. Just then, I was walking fast again, for I quite held my own in a mile trial with Venn the then crack (6.59½), but did no good at the following L.A.C. meeting, having taken chloral to make me sleep (it really kept me awake) walked four trials during the week, taking a Turkish bath, and walked down to the ground. I was again at Lamport in July, and went thence to Weedon and Pack's land sale. My autumn holiday was spent in Norfolk, partly at the "Angel," North Walsham, making collections for my history of North Erpingham, seeing a good deal of Griffith and his son, who brought a little man called Cholmondeley, of Magdalen, to lunch. He only stood fi ft. ro ins., and was the biggest undergraduate at Oxford,