It is, he says, a deserted little sea-coast place.
"Mrs. Grundy has a small house there, but she does not know me by
sight. If Madame Novikoff were to come, the astonished little
town, dazzled first by her, would find itself invaded by
theologians, bishops, ambassadors of deceased emperors, and an ex-
Prime-Minister." But as time goes on he speaks more often of his
suffering throat; of gout, increasing deafness, only half a voice:
his last letter is written in July, 1890, to condole with his
friend upon her husband's death. In October his nurse takes the
pen; Madame Novikoff comes back hurriedly from Scotland to find him
in his last illness. "It is very nice," he told his nurse, "to see
dear Madame Novikoff again, but I am going down hill fast, and
cannot hope to be well enough to see much of her." This is in
November, 1890; on New Year's Eve came the inexorable, "Terminator
of delights and Separator of friends."
CHAPTER VI--LATER DAYS, AND DEATH
For twenty years Kinglake lived in Hyde Park Place, in bright
cheerful rooms looking in one direction across the Park, but on
another side into a churchyard.
Pages:
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114