I had a very
worthy godfather who was half-brother to my father. He was connected
with a family of great respectability at Royston, in Cambridgeshire,
and inherited from them a moderate-sized landed estate. A portion
of this property was a little farm situate at _Brampton_, in
Huntingdonshire, from which village I took the title I now enjoy.

The farm was left, however, to my aunt for life, who lived to a good
old age, as most life-tenants do whom you expect to succeed, and I got
nothing until it was of no use to me. When I came into possession I
was making a very fair income at the Bar, and the probability is my
aunt did me, unconsciously, the greatest kindness she could in keeping
me out of it so long.

So much for my ancestors. About the rest of them I know nothing,
except an anecdote or two.

There was one more event in my boyhood which I will mention,
because it is historic. I assisted my father, on my little pony, in
proclaiming William IV. on his accession to the throne, and I mention
it with the more pride because, having been created a Peer of the
Realm by her late gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, I was qualified
to assist as a member of the Privy Council at the accession of his
present most gracious Majesty, and had the honour to hear him announce
himself as _King Edward of England_ by the title of _Edward the
Seventh_!

Arrived in London, full of good advice and abundance of warnings as
to the fate that awaited me, I entered as a pupil the chambers of
a famous special pleader of that time, whose name was Frederick
Thompson. This was in the year 1841.

I have the right to say I worked very hard there for several months,
and studied with all my might; nor was the study distasteful. I
was learning something which would be useful to me in after-life.
Moreover, being endowed with pluck and energy, I wanted to show that
my uncles--for the godfather warned me as well--and my father were
false prophets. So I gave myself up entirely to the acquisition of
knowledge, this being absolutely necessary if I was to make anything
of my future career. "Sink or swim," my father said, was the
alternative, so I was resolved to keep my head above water if
possible.

After being at Thompson's my allotted period, I next went to Mr.
George Butt, a very able and learned man, who afterwards became a
Queen's Counsel, but never an advocate. I acquired while with him
a good deal of knowledge that was invaluable, became his favou