WCP5559

[1] [p. 422]

He rose about 8 o'clock and breakfasted alone in his study. This meal was merely a cup of tea, latterly cocoa, which he made himself. He read the paper, and went into the greenhouse to look at his seeds or any plant which was of special interest at the time.

After this he usually wrote letters or any book he happened to have on hand. At 11 or 11.30 he drank hot water and often ate an orange, a fruit he was extremely fond of, then he would go out into the garden and visit at his special plants. His chief meal was taken at 1 o'clock, and this consisted of beef cooked in a special way and cut very thin. He ate no bread or vegetables, but liked fruit, and it was a source of much interest to my small pupils to see Dr. Wallace eating bananas and oranges with his meat. After dinner he usually rested till 3 o'clock when he would go for another turn in the garden or see anyone who happened to call.

At 4.30 he had tea, which he also made himself but ate nothing, and he usually had this in his study, excepting when we had old friends or anyone he wanted to see, when he would come into the drawing-room. He was always ready to talk to people about this time in the day, and if he was interested he did not mind how long they stayed. After tea, [2] [p. 423] if there were no people to see, he would do a little more work till supper time at 7:30, which was quite a light meal, usually of fruit and rice pudding. He drank hot water flavoured with orange juice and about a teaspoonful of very light wine. After this he allowed himself to read a novel, never at any other time. He was very fond of a good story, especially what he called a "good domestic story," but he also liked mysteries and adventures. He went to bed between 10 and 11 o'clock. This is typical of most of his days, but of course they varied. Sometimes he worked more if he had a book on hand; at others, if he had no writing, his chief interests were in the garden, where he was always planning fresh beds or moving choice plants to better situations. He raised hundreds of plants from seeds sent from all parts of the world, and if there was any new plant in flower we were always told of it.

[3] He was very independent — always did everything for himself, was never read to, and only quite recently did he have any help with his correspondence. He was very active, too, stepping on to chairs to reach down books, and always walked with a long stride and a peculiar swing of his right leg. He had some enormous boots for the garden, with wooden soles; they measure 13in.[sic] long, and one wonders how he could have walked at all in them. Walking was one of his great pleasures in the early days, and it was a family institution to go out for the whole day, taking lunch with us. Whenever we went for a holiday we walked every day, thoroughly exploring the new district in every direction with the help of an ordinance map which we took with us on our walks. He had no fear as to microbes or any such "nonsense," and would have drunk any water that looked clear. I remember he used to carry a little drinking cup, and on one delightful and never-to-be-forgotten walk in the Epping Forest he produced from his pocket a length of indiarubber [sic] tubing which he let down into a wayside stream and offered me a drink. If we cut our fingers they were bound up with a stamp-paper, and this he always used for himself quite up to the end of his life.

As to general characteristics, he was always cheerful, and always took a hopeful view of life and things in general. He hated pessimism. His interests and knowledge were so varied that he was able to talk on any subject, and to us was a veritable living encyclopedia supplying inexhaustible information. He was fond of little children, and liked me to have one or two pupils. If there were none, he always asked if any were coming, and was quite disappointed if I said no. I don't think he was really fond of animals; he put up with them, but took little notice of them, though he allowed the cat to lie on his table so long as it did not disturb him, and he was fond of watching kittens at play An old cat we still have, aged 19 1/2, was generally to be found in the study asleep amongst the books and papers.