Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/152

 generally thought the United States made the marriage laws the least binding. Wilfrid Meynell summed this up best in his oft-quoted lines:

If H. H. enjoyed telling a good story himself, he was not less appreciative of anyone else's, and his hearty infectious laugh was the best tribute. It was sometimes rather amusing to see the twinkle in his eyes when he listened to a friend "fathering" some little orphan anecdote.

Hardly a day passed without his being sought out by some unknown visitor from foreign shores anxious for introductions or some such help, and it is not too much to say that H. H. never in his life turned a deaf ear to any appeal if it was in his power to help in any way. "For many years it has been my settled conviction that Sir John was the most consistently kind-hearted man I ever met in my life. I have met many benevolent people in my life," wrote Mr Snead-Cox, "but never anyone who was so ready as he was to take personal trouble to do a kindness to others."