ABSTRACT
BRIDGES returned to England with renewed health and vigour of mind. Life in Bradford was no longer beset with insuperable difficulties; he was not so alone as he had thought. His abilities were becoming known and friends gathered round him. He moved into smaller rooms, and though he never gained more than a small consulting practice, it was sufficient for his wants, and he had the freedom for which he longed. His dog was his devoted companion, and he had another source of deep pleasure, for in Bradford he could hear good music. “ Music,” he had written to Harrison, from Australia, “ is more closely linked with the memory than any other art, and to those away from home is a more vital necessity than ever.” Instead of asking advice from Harrison, he now gives him good, and sometimes trenchant, counsel; a note of playfulness and humour steals into the correspondence, very different from the melancholy of the former letters, and he takes the deepest interest in the fortunes of his friends. He chaffs Harrison on his many activities.
