his only son and only child, and later
of the boy being sent to Eton, and eventually entering the army.

This was very shortly before the breaking out of the South African War,
and the young fellow was one of many who were drafted from India, after
a few months' service there, to help to defend their Queen's possessions
and their countrymen's lives and property in South Africa.

Later, young Forbes was shut up in Ladysmith, and one cold, dismal day
in January (6th January 1900) I was lying very ill in bed with a severe
bronchial attack in the house of my eldest brother in Hampshire, when
the latter came home one evening from the Winchester Club and told us of
the celebrated _sortie_ and the death of three young English officers.
The name of Forbes of the Royal Rifles figured amongst these, and I
felt convinced that it must be the only child of my old friend.

Without hesitation I prepared to write a few short lines of sympathy
with the heart-broken father. In vain my sister-in-law protested against
my concluding at once that it must be the judge's son, since other
members of the family of the same name were known to be in the army. I
had not a moment's doubt that this was the boy already mentioned, and
even a silence of over twenty years seemed to present no difficulty in
expressing one's deep sympathy, in the face of such a sorrow.

The real drawback lay in my weak state of health and physical inability
to write more than a few lines. But in these I expressed a hope that _in
time_ my poor friend might come to realise that his boy was "as much
alive and as near to him as ever--perhaps nearer."

It will indicate how entirely all relations between us had been broken
off for many years, when I say that I did not even know the judge's
private address, and was forced to send my letter to his court. In a day
or two I received a very touching and grateful answer, pathetic not only
in its grief, but even more in his frankly avowed inability to derive
any consolation from the thoughts that my short note had suggested.
Resignation to the inscrutable will of God was the keynote of the
letter. In some far-distant future he might be permitted once more to
see his beloved son, but meanwhile all was gloom and misery.

The episode was over. I had expressed my sincere sympathy with an
overwhelming sorrow, I had received a most kind and appreciative
answer--no more could be done in the matter.

This was _my_ conclusion, but eviden