first wife, who had been a Swiss governess. She was a great reader
and student, but it was not till after her death that my father
became one. The poor lady was fond of bringing her books to the cove,
and pursuing her studies or meditations with the sound of the sea's
chime in her ears. My father, at that time I believe a simple, happy
country squire, but showing strong signs of his Romany ancestry, had
often warned her of the risk she ran, and one day he had the agony of
seeing her from the cliff locked in the cove, and drowning before his
eyes ere a boat could be got, while he and the coastguard stood
powerless to reach her.

The effect of this shock demented my father for a time. How it was
that he came to marry again I could never understand. During my
childhood he had, as far as I could see, no real sympathy with
anything save his own dreams. In after years I came to know the
truth. He was kind enough in disposition, but he looked upon us, his
children, as his second wife's property, his dreams as his own. Once
every year he used to go to Switzerland and stay there for several
weeks; and, as the object of these journeys was evidently to revisit
the old spots made sacred to him by reminiscences of his romantic
love for his first wife, it may he readily imagined that they were
not looked upon with any favour by my mother. She never accompanied
him on these occasions, nor would she let Frank do so--another proof
of the early partiality she showed for my brother. As I was of less
importance, my father (previous to my accident) used to take me, to
my intense delight and enjoyment; but during the period of my
lameness he went to Switzerland alone.

It was during one of my childish visits to Switzerland that I learnt
an important fact in connection with my father and his first