arlic in the carriage; of
the thousands (I was going to say) of dark mornings when I apostrophised
him as "Kernel;" of his losing my invaluable knife in that beastly
stage-coach; of his posting up that mysterious book[11] every night! I
hardly know why, but I have always associated that volume most with
Venice. In my memory of the dear gentle little fellow, he will be (as
since those days he always has been) eternally posting up that book at
the large table in the middle of our Venice sitting-room, incidentally
asking the name of an hotel three weeks back! And his pretty house is to
be laid waste and sold. If there be a sale on the spot I shall try to
buy something in loving remembrance of him, good dear little fellow.
Think what a great "Frozen Deep" lay close under those boards we acted
on! My brother Alfred, Luard, Arthur, Albert, Austin, Egg. Even among
the audience, Prince Albert and poor Stone! "I heard the"--I forget what
it was I used to say--"come up from the great deep;" and it rings in my
ears now, like a sort of mad prophecy.

However, this won't do. We must close up the ranks and march on.

[Sidenote: Rev. W. Brookfield.]

GAD'S HILL, _May 17th, 1863._

MY DEAR BROOKFIELD,

It occurs to me that you may perhaps know, or know of, a kind of man
that I want to discover.

One of my boys (the youngest) now is at Wimbledon School. He is a
docile, amiable boy of fair abilities, but sensitive and shy. And he
writes me so very earnestly that he feels the school to be confusingly
large for him, and that he is sure he could do better with some
gentleman who gave his own personal attention to the education of
half-a-dozen or a dozen boys, as to impress me with the belief that I
ought to heed his conviction.

Has any such phenomenon as a good and reliable man in this wise ever
come in your way? Forgive my troubling you, and believe me,

Cordially yours.

[Sidenote: Rev. W. Brookfield.]

GAD'S HILL PLACE, HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT,
_May 24th, 1863._

MY DEAR BROOKFIELD,

I am most truly obliged to you for your kind and ready help.

When I am in town next week, I will call upon the Bishop of Natal, more
to thank him than with the hope of profiting by that gentleman of whom
he writes, as the limitation to "little boys" seems to stop the way