Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/178

 time and dearer by recollection of hard-fought battles. They were associated in nearly every movement for cheapening postage and telegraph rates. A very frequent exchange of letters was kept up, and by the courtesy of Lord Blyth I am able to produce one or two. The following was written from the Sackville Hotel, Bexhill-on-Sea:

Very pleased I am to get your long and genial letter. I think I told you of my doings since leaving you and my beloved Carlsbad. You may depend upon it there is no more kind or restful place in Europe; but it is difficult to follow the ideal life, feeding the birds under the trees, taking breakfast there, and attending the beautiful concerts in the Post Hof and other places. You must try to rest more next year, although my little wife says I ought to be the last to preach on this subject of rest. I think I told you of the splendid steamer from Bremen. Marconi and his charming Irish girl-wife met me at the Wharf at Southampton, and perfect happiness followed at Eaglehurst. There were two beautiful Irish-Italian children in care of an ideal nurse from Italy. I would like Claude Rome's fine little boy to play with Marconi's children, and to hear their unsurpassed baby Italian songs.

You are a judge, and you like good letters. Well, I received one from Lord Halsbury the other day, very unique. Liberals may not consider him the greatest living Englishman, but I would like you to mention the name of one with more force of character, more manly, or more sound in judgment, or whose law is made to conform with justice and fairness. Let me quote an amusing passage from Lord Halsbury's letter to me on his birthday: