FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335  
336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   >>   >|  
in the appearance of John Leech. Shirley Brooks afterwards had occasion to notice that at this _Punch_ dinner he "complained of illness and pain, and I saw that it was difficult to make him completely grasp the meaning of things that were said to him without two or three repetitions. He left early with Tom Taylor."[166] On the 28th of October, the artist himself was conscious that something was wrong. He visited Dr. Quain, who assured him that his only chance lay in complete and entire rest; and, on returning home, he wrote a note in pencil addressed to his old friend, Mr. Frederick Evans, in which he mentioned his interview with the medical man, and added that he hoped to complete a cut for which a messenger was to be sent, but that he was not sure of being able to finish it. A messenger was sent in obedience to his desire, but he returned empty-handed. We return at this point to the diary of Mr. Shirley Brooks. "I called," he says (29th of October), "at 27, Bouverie Street, and heard from Evans that he was very ill. We went off to the Terrace, Kensington. He was in bed, but no one seemed frightened, and there was a child's party--a small one. Mrs. Leech was in tears, but certainly had no reason to apprehend the worst. He would have seen us. We remained three-quarters of an hour or so, but an opiate had been given, so it was of course felt that he ought not to be disturbed. Arranged to meet Evans at three next day;" but the fatal messenger, who will call for each and every of us, had already delivered his summons, and never more (in life) were either of the friends fated to see John Leech again. "At seven o'clock that night," continues the narrator (in another place[167]), "it pleased God to release him from sufferings so severe as even to make the brave, patient, enduring man say that they were almost more than he could bear." Mr. Evans called on Brooks the following day (Sunday, 30th October). "After hearing all he could say, I went with him to telegraph to Mark Lemon, and also to Leech's. Millais and Leigh at the door--heard much from them. Mrs. Chester came up--Charles Eaton, Mrs. Leech's brother and best friend, had come. We went in and saw him ... and the poor mother, and two of the sisters, and afterwards to the chamber of death. He looked noble in his calm; the hair and whiskers put back, gave up his fine forehead and handsome features--and the eternal stillness gave his face an elevated expression. I looked a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335  
336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

messenger

 
October
 
Brooks
 

complete

 
called
 
friend
 

Shirley

 

looked

 

release

 

sufferings


severe

 

pleased

 
disturbed
 

friends

 
summons
 

continues

 

narrator

 
delivered
 

Arranged

 

hearing


chamber

 

sisters

 

mother

 

brother

 

whiskers

 
stillness
 

eternal

 

elevated

 
expression
 

features


handsome

 

forehead

 

Charles

 

Sunday

 
patient
 

enduring

 

Chester

 

Millais

 

telegraph

 
Terrace

assured
 
chance
 

visited

 

conscious

 

entire

 

addressed

 

Frederick

 

mentioned

 
pencil
 

returning