ron in a
Midland estate. In the bank crisis of that year the whole truth was
revealed; and it came out that his agent at the Oak Farm (and
formerly also at Hawarden) had involved him to the extent of
L250,000; to say nothing of minor blows to your uncle Lyttelton and
myself.

At a conversation in the library of 13 Carlton House Terrace, it
was considered whether Hawarden should be sold. Every obvious
argument was in favour of it, for example the comparison between
the income and the liabilities I have named. How was Lady Glynne's
jointure (L2500) to be paid? How was Sir Stephen to be supported?
There was _no_ income, even less than none. Oak Farm, the iron
property, was under lease to an insolvent company, and could not be
relied on. Your grandfather, who had in some degree surveyed the
state of affairs, thought the case was hopeless. But the family
were unanimously set upon making any and every effort and sacrifice
to avoid the necessity of sale. Mr. Barker, their lawyer, and Mr.
Burnett, the land agent, entirely sympathised; and it was resolved
to persevere. But the first effect was that Sir Stephen had to
close the house (which it was hoped, but hoped in vain, to let); to
give up carriages, horses, and I think for several years his
personal servant; and to take an allowance of L700 a year out of
which, I believe, he continued to pay the heavy subvention of the
family to the schools of the parish, which was certainly counted by
hundreds. Had the estate been sold, it was estimated that he would
have come out a wealthy bachelor, possessed of from a hundred to a
hundred and twenty thousands pounds free from all encumbrance but
the jointure.

In order to give effect to the nearly hopeless resolution thus
taken at the meeting in London, it was determined to clip the
estate by selling L200,000 worth of land. Of this, nearly one-half
was to be taken by your uncle Lyttelton and myself, in the
proportion of about two parts for me and one for him. Neither of us
had the power to buy this, but my father enabled me, and Lord
Spencer took over his portion. The rest of the sales were effected,
a number of fortunate secondary incidents occurred, and the great
business of recovering and realising from the Oak Farm was
laboriously set about.

Co