Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/189

 politeness into sham. A little slip of printed matter, carried in his pocket till it became threadbare, is before me now: 'I shall pass through this world but once; any good thing that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.'

"Those who knew him will recognize in these words his abiding rule in life.

"This genius for hospitality was not based merely on considerateness for those with smaller means than his own. I have seen men of 'Great possessions' submit as readily as myself to the fascination of this form of his friendliness. Below 'The Champagne Standard' of hospitality he was distressed when far afield to fall, and the sparkle in his eye when success crowned his efforts was more inviting than the sparkle in the wine. His little courtesies like his larger kindnesses were done with the tact that voided the hard rule of an advantage to one being a disadvantage to another. The little boy-scout who felt worried after going to bed because he had done no kindness that day, and who therefore got up and gave the canary to the cat, has many a double among the mature, but Heaton was not of their number. Royalty would not have needed to send him the list of the guests to be invited to meet it—his own instinct would have sufficed. Among the many memories of meetings he brought about I recall particularly a breakfast at the Bath Club with the Hon. John Wanamaker as a fellow-guest. A Postmaster-General himself in one of the administrations of the United States, he talked indeed of posts, then of poets (he loved his Riley) and then of pictures. It was a May morning, the Academy was close at hand, whither we three adjourned to compare impressions, to cavil and in one case at least, to be conquered. For Sargent was in his glory that season, and Sargent belonged to both