Frederick James Furnivall Author:John James Munro Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: berries, uncorking gingerbeer and lemonade. But, here too, it was Furnivall who worked the hardest. Only after the trestle-table over which he so jovially presid... more »ed had been cleared did he lay him down beneath a tree to gather fresh energy for the homeward row. Between meeting and parting, the hands of the clock had usually completed their circuit, but the Doctor's pace was brisk as ever through Richmond streets, slackening only at a certain little shop, where it was his custom to regale his guests with chocolate and lemonade. Then the good-byes, and the pleasant sensation of having spent a day with a man who mattered. Francis Bickley. When, twenty-five years ago, I met Furnivall for the first time, nothing could have seemed to me less likely than that I should one day count him amongst my dearest friends. Although I valued his great services to the study of English literature, I had heard so much of his bitter quarrels with men with whom he had once been closely associated, that I had formed the impression that, while perhaps it might be interesting to know him slightly, any intimate acquaintance with him was not to be desired. For a special reason, also, there seemed to be very little prospect of anything like friendship between us. It had happened that certain actions of mine which seemed to me very innocent had incurred his strong displeasure. I had received from him one or two sharply-worded letters, and fromseveral persons I had heard that he had expressed his opinion of me in very unfavourable terms. More than one of my friends, indeed, had thought it necessary to warn me that I had made an implacable enemy. I believed the warning, but did not feel greatly disturbed. However, when I introduced myself to Furnivall at a meeting of the Philological Society, his demeano...« less