Well, Sir Ralph in
his long period of office had served the Midland faithfully, with a
single eye to its interests, and good wishes followed him in his
retirement. Mr. Nugent was a small man, that is physically, but
intellectually was well endowed. He had scholarly tastes and business
ability in pretty equal parts. Movement and activity he loved, and, as
he often told me, preferred a holiday in Manchester or Birmingham to the
Riviera or Italian Lakes. He liked to be occupied, was fond of details,
and possessed a lively curiosity. Sometimes he was thought, as a
chairman, to err in the direction of too rigid economy, but on a railway
such as the Midland, and in a country such as Ireland, economy was and is
an excellent thing, and if he erred, it was on the right side. Truth,
candour, courage and enthusiasm marked his character in a high degree.
Fearless in speech, the art of dissimulation he never learned. I shall
not readily forget a speech he once made at the Railway Companies'
Association in London. It was on an occasion of great importance, when
all the principal companies of the United Kingdom were present.
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