“I met him at a country house in Shropshire.  He came down rather late for breakfast, and when he was asked how he was, he quoted something about ‘being apt to be rather fatigued with his night’s rest.’  I remember it very clearly, because it struck me as being so pointless at the time.  He went out shooting most of the day, and I think, as far as I can remember, he was a good shot.  He smoked a fearful amount, ‘all the time,’ in fact; they were always attacking him for that.  When he came in he used to have some tea in the nursery.  We found that out the last day—­the children were sent for, and Mr. Hamilton came down with them, looking rather sheepish, and saying that he had tried sitting on at one side of the table, with the nursery maid at the other, after the children had gone, but that it didn’t do.  I remember we were very much amused at the idea; the picture was such a ridiculous one.

“The children certainly seemed to like him extraordinarily—­they would talk to no one else:  and I can’t think why, because children are so impressionable, and he had quite the gravest face I ever saw—­almost forbidding.  However, so it was.

“He used to disappear to his room, to read and write, before dinner.  At dinner he was often very good fun.  I have heard him tell some very funny stories, not very racy perhaps, but amusing; and these, coming from that grave face, were very ridiculous.  He always made friends with the younger ladies.  He never seemed to flirt, and yet he used to say things to them in public that even I felt inclined to pull him up for.  And then he used to ask them to go out walks with him, and, what’s more, he went out with certainly two, alone; and you know that is rather a marked thing.

“He looked about forty, but he always gravitated toward the young people; made great friends with boys, and in a curious way, too.  Generally, if men make friends with schoolboys in a country house it is at the loss of their dignity—­they run the risk of having to swallow all sorts of practical jokes, such as getting water thrown on their head and salt put into their tea; but he never compromised himself, and they always behaved to him with respect, but were quite impatient if he wouldn’t come with them everywhere.  I overheard him talking to a boy once, and I didn’t so much wonder; he spoke in such an affectionate way, and boys like to feel that grown-up people take the trouble to like them.

“He was very friendly with the governess, and would try to include her in the conversation.  I can’t say he succeeded, for we were down on that.  I don’t myself consider it good form to encourage your governess to have opinions.

“Everybody was always very deferential to him.  He always made a sensation if he came into the room.  No one could help looking at him.  He wasn’t one of those tame sneaking creatures that are to be met in country houses, of whom no one takes the least notice; he was much more inclined to take no notice of any one else; but it was impossible to forget he was in the room.  And the servants were invariably respectful to him, quite as if he was a real swell; and yet he didn’t dress well and hadn’t a servant of his own.  He was just the sort of man you would have thought flunkeys would have despised.