Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-08-25
From Belgravia.l
A~TRUS ST.

The time has now come to fulfill a
trust which was committed to my
keeping many years ago, and which |
have ever held as sacred. The few
still living who knew the man whose
behest am carrying out, on reading
my narrative will at once recognize
him, and their faith in the nobility in
herent in human nature, which, for g.
time at least, must have been shaken,
will be strengthened. To the general
public the story ought to prove
scarcely less interesting, as it reveals
an instance of boundless love and sac
rifce.
Terrier was the most brilliant of my
contemporaries at Oxford and not only
was he the most distinguished scholar
of his time, but it may be doubted if
ever before there had been any mem
Der of the university whose acadenical
success wasgreater. Though OF course
d steady worker, he had achieved his
great distiction without any excep-
tional effort, and as he possessed all
the qualities which command success
in the more ambitious paths of life,
his friends had formed the highest ex-
pectations regarding his future career.
To a man endowed with Ferrler's
great gifts ambition is a second nature;
so, instead of remaining as resident
fellow of this college, and engaging in
tuition, he was called to the bar; and
with the determination to succeed in
his profession was united the desire to
earn both literary and political fame.
In London he became the center of g.
small and exclusive band of young
men, who, like himself, had taken high
hOnors at the university, and were al
ready making their mark in the sever
al careers which they had adopted.
The aim OF that talented group was
no less than that OF influencing the
thought OF the age in which they lived;
and more than one of them-for good
or in-has since attained this end.
Ferrier was their acknowledged leader,
but [ trust he was not responsible for
some of the opinions which I was
grieved to learn prevailed among them.
|, too, had come to town; but, though
I knew most of its members, I was
neither invited nor did | care to be-
come one of the coterie.
There were several reasons which
kept US apart. Though I had done as
well as most OF them at the university,
| seemed recently to have dropped be-
hind them, and could scarcely now be
considered as their intellectual equal.
Our religious and political views were
opposed; and lastly, they were all
eager for social and material success
and | was working hard III a poor
curacy. Like most of his Oxford con-
temporaries, | was much interested in
Terriers career, and by-and-by heard
with surprise that he was rapidly
making his way at the chancery bar,
and was already looking out for seat
in Parliament. | still occasionally
saw him, as we belonged to universe
ty club, and on all occasions when we
met he showed toward me an undi-
minished friendship. We had been
members of the same college, and,
though never one of his most intimate
companions, I had at one time enjoyed
considerable share Of his society.
| can remember the surprise with
which heard from common friend
that Terrier was about to be married.
I had not thought he was a man who
was likely to take g. wife on the thresh-
old of his career, but that he would
more probably wait till his position
was secure. | was told it was love
match. That, too, caused me to won
der, as | knew that he was one who
was very unlikely to permit sentiment
to interfere with his ambition. And
that he would be hampered by his
marriage was clear, as was informed
that the lady had no money, and I
knew that Terrier had not much OF
his own, and could not yet be making
a large professional income. Soon
afterward learned the tidings from
his own lips, and our intimacy had
never seemed to me so close as when
he made me his confident on this oc-
casion. He asked me to come to his
rooms, and we had a long talk togeth-
er. He had been staying in the coun-
try, he said. during the long vacation,
and had fallen in love. Then he re-
lated to me some incidents In his
courtship which I am sure he would
never have revealed to his more intel
lectual and cynical companions.
Soon afterward | read his marriage
il the papers and wondered what man
ner of woman she could be with whom
the brilliant Terrier had linked his
fate. When he returned to town after
the honeymoon he invited me to his
house. ''You are the first Of my OK
ford friends who has dined with u.s."
he said gayly, as he received me. On
seeing Terriers wife | was no longer
surprised at his love match. There