at all would come right (as indeed it generally did),
and latterly he became convinced that all his past troubles were really
blessings in disguise, without which as a stimulant he would have done
no useful work.

His life was a happy one, and even the discomforts caused by his
ailments, which were at times very acute for days together, never
prevented him from enjoying the contemplation of his flowers, nor
disturbed the serenity of his temper, nor caused him to complain.

Although rather delicate all his life, he rarely stayed in bed; in fact,
only once in our memory, during an illness at Parkstone, did he do so,
and then only for one day.

On Saturday, November 1st (1913), he walked round the garden, and on the
following day seemed very bright, and enjoyed his dinner and supper, but
about nine o'clock he felt faint and shivered violently. We called in
Dr. Norman, who came in about an hour, and we heard them having a long
talk and even laughing, in the study. As the doctor left he said,
"Wonderful man! he knows so much. I can do nothing for him."

The next day he did not get up at the usual time, but we felt no anxiety
until noon, when he still showed no inclination to rise. He appeared to
be dozing, and said he wanted nothing. From that time he gradually sank
into semi-consciousness, and at half-past nine in the morning of Friday,
November 7th, quietly passed on to that other life in which he was such
a firm believer.

PART V

Social and Political Views

"When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are
things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches
and honour are things to be ashamed of."--CONFUCIUS.

In the above sentences, written long before the dawn of Christian
civilisation, we have an apt summary of the social and political views
of Alfred Russel Wallace.

As we have stated in a previous chapter, it was during his short stay in
London as a boy, when he was led to study the writings and methods of
Robert Owen, of New Lanark, that his mind first opened to the
consideration of the inequalities of our social life.

During the six years which he spent in land-surveying he obtained a more
practical knowledge of the laws pertaining to public and private
property as they affected the lives and habits of both squire and
peasant.

The village inn, or public-house, was then the only place where men
could meet to discuss topics of mutual interest, and it w