who had suggested Foster, of Richmond, to him. That this is
not purely fanciful will be seen from an account of Edward Chapman kindly
supplied to me by one of his family.

"He was a short, stoutish person, very good-humoured, an affectionate
family man, unaffected, and fond of the country. But touching his
character; the first feature that came into my mind was his extreme
justice; in my very earliest years I remember being impressed by it--one
_felt_ it: all actions and motives were judged with a catholicity and
charity that made us trust him implicity, and I see my sister has the
same remembrance. He was naturally of a quiet, easy disposition; not
much of a talker, but when he spoke he was always worth listening to. I
see also she mentions his sense of humour, when his eyes would light up
with a merry twinkle. I never remember hearing him say an unkind word to
anyone. It is very pleasant to hear that papa is to be mentioned in
connection with Pickwick, and I will gladly tell you all I can regarding
my impressions of his character and tastes, &c. We only saw him for a
short hour in the evening when he was tired after his day's work and
little inclined to talk, but we always had a child-like instinct of his
great justice and impartiality--an impression that I retained all through
his life.

"Later on, at Tunbridge Wells, where we saw more of him, I learned to
admire his vast store of knowledge, as there was hardly a subject that I
asked for information on that he did not know a great deal about. Also
he had a great love of beauty in nature, and was never so happy as when
he had his favourite, shabby old hat on and a long stick, which he had
cut himself, in his hand, and poked about the grounds which surrounded
our house, inspecting the holly hedge and shrubs he had planted--in fact
it used to be a standing joke that he used to measure his holly bushes
every day to see how much they had grown in the night. He was perfectly
happy in such a life, as it suited his peaceful contented nature.

"He was a man who never used a rough word to anyone, but his remarks, if
he were angry, could sting sharply. He had a fund of quiet humour, like
a Scotchman, and his sallies told all the more, as they generally came
when least expected and without an effort. Later on, I travelled with my
mother and him for several years and benefited greatly through his
knowledge and love of art, and his recognition and appreciation of all