The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-08-27

his brougham generally.fcllowing him,
to the Portland club; there he spent a
couple of hours, every afternoon, in the
season. 1t was in this locality I met
him, two days, think, after his name
appeared in the Gazette. In later life
he was generally deaf; but I said,
Good morning, my lord" He heard
me, and, laughing, replied I was the
first person who had called him BY his
new title.
The last time | met this distinguish
ed man was at st. Leonards, where /
had gone for a short holiday. I came
quite suddenly upon him, one wet, stor-
my November evening, and not far
from the archway by the South Saxon
hotel. It was blowing gale of wind,
and his slender figure waved and reelcd
almost as he tried to make head against
the blast. He had no overcoat, and
that which he did wear locked, ! thought
faded and shabby. l was trying to
slip past him unobserved, for he never
met me without stopping to say few
kind words; but he recognized me at
a glance, caught hold of my arm. and
asked me to come home with
him to the Queens hotel at Hastings,
where he was staying, and dine. He
was without any umbrella, the rain fell
in torrents, and l covered him as we'll
as l could with mine. l found he occu-
pied apartments on the ground floor Of
the hotel. They seemed in sad state
of confusion. The floor was strewn
with litter Of books and papers, and
copiously sprinkled with Turkish to-
bacco, an odor Of which pervaded the
air. The table was laid with covers for
three, but only myself and the host sat
down. He ate, | observed, but sparing-
ly. and drank nothing but water, With
dash Of sherry in it In the evening,
as | was taking my departure, came
upon the German waiter who had at
tended at the table. and limited that the
rooms might be kept in a little better
order.
'BIess you, SIR said the waiter,
"the place has not been swept or busted
for fortnight: that gent is out
rageous like if book or paper is
touched. The manager wants to get
him away, but he has taken the rooms
for month and won't go; and he is
such good pay that our governor don't
like to disoblige him.
waiter" l said, sternly, " do you
know who that'ere gent as you call
him, isi''
''Yiz, sir-no. sir, replied the waiter
in breath, puzzled by the solemnity
of my tone.
THAT is Lord Lytton," l said, 'the
greatest man in all England. If you
see much of him and note down care
fully what he does and what he says,
you may become a second Boswell .
Lor, SIR said the waiter, you
don't say so! Our manager thinks this
gent is cracked. He goes out in all
weathers without any great-coat, and
wont even take an umbrella; then he
never examines his bills, but scribbles
off a check on any scrap Of paper that
comes to hand. It was only the day
before yesterday, poor woman came
with one Of those bits of paper. She
said the misunderstanding gent who
lived in our house had given it to her.
and she did not know what
to do with it. He had come into her
abin to light his pipe, while her husband,
a poor fisherman who was drowned
in the last gale. lay there dead. He
wrote it on the back Of an old letter,
and said he hoped it would do her good.
You can't think Of the poor woman's
surprise when / brought her back ten
sovereigns which the manager gave me
when he saw the paper. Surely, sir,
the gent cannot be all right here; and
the waiter significantly touched his
forehead. He promised to preserve
faithful diary of his lordship's proceed
ings; but when / returned to the hotel,
about two weeks afterward, found
that he, like the poor fisherman, had
been drowned in storm. and left moth
ing behind him but small boy, his
son, who had been sent to school at the
expense of the hotel company, with
view of educating him for the onerous
situation of page.
Considering Lord Lytton only occu-
pied himself in composition for four
hours every day, it is surprising the
amount Of work he contrived to get
through. He never had st any time
during my acquaintance with him any
thing like good health; he was al
ways placing himself under the care Of
some physician, and if he heard Of any
new remedy which he thought might
be applicable to his own case he was
sure to avail himself Of it. Like his
brother, the distinguished diplomatist,
he became later in life nearly con-
frmed hypochondriac, although his in
tellectual power did not seem in any
way diminished.
was on q visit to Sudbrook park,
near Richmond, about twenty years
ago. 1t was then a hydropathic es.ab-
ishment, presided over by a physician
of eminence. To my surprise l met
Lord Lytton strolling up the avenue,
one morning, carrying his pipe in one
hand and a small travelling bag in the
other. The London season was at its
height and Parliament sitting; but he
remained for at least = month. taking
his meals at the public table, walking
much in Richmond mark and occunv.