A V I C T O R I A N C H I L D H O O D the fresh morning and then perhaps four hours’ ride over the most beautiful country in the world, and real danger, for it is no light thing to gallop straight down a hill­ side that most people would fear to run down. One awful day the whole field went down a hill which had been pitted for cinchona-trees and one man, I think his name was Gore Langton, went literally head over heels, horse and all. Sir Frederick, after­ wards Lord Roberts, the Commander-inChief, used to come out with his very nice girls, Edwina and Aileen, and his charm­ ing aide-de-camp, now Sir Ian Hamilton. The Roberts’ family disapproved of me, a bad small child not at all properly brought up. I had a great admiration for them, but I secretly thought I had a more amus­ ing time owing to my vices. They and their good governess, Miss Pride, were often at tea with us, for our fathers were much thrown together. But their attitude towards life was a different one to ours, and we were none of us ever the least intimate. Sir Ian, however, I have always thought a charm­ ing person and his wife equally so. My father had a great affection for him.