the　strangest　part　of　this　story。　　From　the　death　of　the
  treacherous　aunt；　Charles　Jenkin；　senior；　had　still　some　nine　years
  to　live；　it　was　perhaps　too　late　for　him　to　turn　to　saving；　and
  perhaps　his　affairs　were　past　restoration。　　But　his　family　at　least
  had　all　this　while　to　prepare；　they　were　still　young　men；　and　knew
  what　they　had　to　look　for　at　their　father's　death；　and　yet　when
  that　happened　in　September；　1831；　the　heir　was　still　apathetically
  waiting。　　Poor　John；　the　days　of　his　whips　and　spurs；　and　Yeomanry
  dinners；　were　quite　over；　and　with　that　incredible　softness　of　the
  Jenkin　nature；　he　settled　down　for　the　rest　of　a　long　life；　into
  something　not　far　removed　above　a　peasant。　　The　mill　farm　at
  Stowting　had　been　saved　out　of　the　wreck；　and　here　he　built　himself
  a　house　on　the　Mexican　model；　and　made　the　two　ends　meet　with
  rustic　thrift；　gathering　dung　with　his　own　hands　upon　the　road　and
  not　at　all　abashed　at　his　employment。　　In　dress；　voice；　and　manner；
  he　fell　into　mere　country　plainness；　lived　without　the　least　care
  for　appearances；　the　least　regret　for　the　past　or　discontentment
  with　the　present；　and　when　he　came　to　die；　died　with　Stoic
  cheerfulness；　announcing　that　he　had　had　a　comfortable　time　and　was
  yet　well　pleased　to　go。　　One　would　think　there　was　little　active
  virtue　to　be　inherited　from　such　a　race；　and　yet　in　this　same
  voluntary　peasant；　the　special　gift　of　Fleeming　Jenkin　was　already
  half　developed。　　The　old　man　to　the　end　was　perpetually　inventing；
  his　strange；　ill…spelled；　unpunctuated　correspondence　is　full　（when
  he　does　not　drop　into　cookery　receipts）　of　pumps；　road　engines；
  steam…diggers；　steam…ploughs；　and　steam…threshing　machines；　and　I
  have　it　on　Fleeming's　word　that　what　he　did　was　full　of　ingenuity　…
  only；　as　if　by　some　cross　destiny；　useless。　　These　disappointments
  he　not　only　took　with　imperturbable　good　humour；　but　rejoiced　with
  a　particular　relish　over　his　nephew's　success　in　the　same　field。
  'I　glory　in　the　professor；'　he　wrote　to　his　brother；　and　to
  Fleeming　himself；　with　a　touch　of　simple　drollery；　'I　was　much
  pleased　with　your　lecture；　but　why　did　you　hit　me　so　hard　with
  Conisure's'　（connoisseur's；　QUASI　amateur's）　'engineering？　　Oh；
  what　presumption！　…　either　of　you　or　MYself！'　　A　quaint；　pathetic
  figure；　this　of　uncle　John；　with　his　dung　cart　and　his　inventions；
  and　the　romantic　fancy　of　his　Mexican　house；　and　his　craze　about
  the　Lost　Tribes　which　seemed　to　the　worthy　man　the　key　of　all
  perplexities；　and　his　quiet　conscience；　looking　back　on　a　life　not
  altogether　vain；　for　he　was　a　good　son　to　his　father　while　his
  father　lived；　and　when　evil　days　approached；　he　had　proved　himself
  a　cheerful　Stoic。
  It　followed　from　John's　inertia；　that　the　duty　of　winding　up　the
  estate　fell　into　the　hands　of　Charles。　　He　managed　it　with　no　more
  skill　than　might　be　expected　of　a　sailor　ashore；　saved　a　bare
  livelihood　for　John　and　nothing　for　the　rest。　　Eight　months　later；
  he　married　Miss　Jackson；　and　with　her　money；　bought　in　some　two…
  thirds　of　Stowting。　　In　the　beginning　of　the　little　family　history
  which　I　have　been　following　to　so　great　an　extent；　the　Captain
  mentions；　with　a　delightful　pride：　　'A　Court　Baron　and　Court　Leet
  are　regularly　held　by　the　Lady　of　the　Manor；　Mrs。　Henrietta　Camilla
  Jenkin'；　and　indeed　the　pleasure　of　so　describing　his　wife；　was　the
  most　solid　benefit　of　the　investment；　for　the　purchase　was　heavily
  encumbered　and　paid　them　nothing　till　some　years　before　their
  death。　　In　the　meanwhile；　the　Jackson　family　also；　what　with　wild
  sons；　an　indulgent　mother　and　the　impending　emancipation　of　the
  slaves；　was　moving　nearer　and　nearer　to　beggary；　and　thus　of　two
  doomed　and　declining　houses；　the　subject　of　this　memoir　was　born；
  heir　to　an　estate　and　to　no　money；　yet　with　inherited　qualities
  that　were　to　make　him　known　and　loved。
  CHAPTER　II。　　1833…1851。
  Birth　and　Childhood　…　Edinburgh　…　Frankfort…on…the…Main　…　Paris　…
  The　Revolution　of　1848　…　The　Insurrection　…　Flight　to　Italy　…
  Sympathy　with　Italy　…　The　Insurrection　in　Genoa　…　A　Student　in
  Genoa　…　The　Lad　and　his　Mother。
  HENRY　CHARLES　FLEEMING　JENKIN　（Fleeming；　pronounced　Flemming；　to
  his　friends　and　family）　was　born　in　a　Government　building　on　the
  coast　of　Kent；　near　Dungeness；　where　his　father　was　serving　at　the
  time　in　the　Coastguard；　on　March　25；　1833；　and　named　after　Admiral
  Fleeming；　one　of　his　father's　protectors　in　the　navy。
  His　childhood　was　vagrant　like　his　life。　　Once　he　was　left　in　the
  care　of　his　grandmother　Jackson；　while　Mrs。　Jenkin　sailed　in　her
  husband's　ship　and　stayed　a　year　at　the　Havannah。　　The　tragic　woman
  was　besides　from　time　to　time　a　member　of　the　family　she　was　in
  distress　of　mind　and　reduced　in　fortune　by　the　misconduct　of　her
  sons；　her　destitution　and　solitude　made　it　a　recurring　duty　to
  receive　her；　her　violence　continually　enforced　fresh　separations。
  In　her　passion　of　a　disappointed　mother；　she　was　a　fit　object　of
  pity；　but　her　grandson；　who　heard　her　load　his　own　mother　with
  cruel　insults　and　reproaches；　conceived　for　her　an　indignant　and
  impatient　hatred；　for　which　he　blamed　himself　in　later　life。　　It　is
  strange　from　this　point　of　view　to　see　his　childish　letters　to　Mrs。
  Jackson；　and　to　think　that　a　man；　distinguished　above　all　by
  stubborn　truthfulness；　should　have　been　brought　up　to　such
  dissimulation。　　But　this　is　of　course　unavoidable　in　life；　it　did
  no　harm　to　Jenkin；　and　whether　he　got　harm　or　benefit　from　a　so
  early　acquaintance　with　violent　and　hateful　scenes；　is　more　than　I
  can　guess。　　The　experience；　at　least；　was　formative；　and　in　judging
  his　character　it　should　not　be　forgotten。　　But　Mrs。　Jackson　was　not
  the　only　stranger　in　their　gates；　the　Captain's　sister；　Aunt　Anna
  Jenkin；　lived　with　them　until　her　death；　she　had　all　the　Jenkin
  beauty　of　countenance；　though　she　was　unhappily　deformed　in　body
  and　of　frail　health；　and　she　even　excelled　her　gentle　and
  ineffectual　family　in　all　amiable　qualities。　　So　that　each　of　the
  two　races　from　which　Fleeming　sprang；　had　an　outpost　by　his　very
  cradle；　the　one　he　instinctively　loved；　the　other　hated；　and　the
  life…long　war　in　his　members　had　begun　thus　early　by　a　victory　for
  what　was　best。
  We　can　trace　the　family　from　one　country　place　to　another　in　the
  south　of　Scotland；　where　the　child　learned　his　taste　for　sport　by
  riding　home　the　pony　from　the　moors。　　Before　he　was　nine　he　could
  write　such　a　passage　as　this　about　a　Hallowe'en　observance：　　'I
  pulled　a　middling…sized　cabbage…runt　with　a　pretty　sum　of　gold
  about　it。　　No　witches　would　run　after　me　when　I　was　sowing　my
  hempseed　this　year；　my　nuts　blazed　away　together　very　comfortably
  to　the　end　of　their　lives；　and　when　mamma　put　hers　in　which　were
  meant　for　herself　and　papa　they　blazed　away　in　the　like　manner。'
  Before　he　was　ten　he　could　write；　with　a　really　irritating
  precocity；　that　he　had　been　'making　some　pictures　from　a　book
  called　〃Les　Francais　peints　par　euxmemes。〃　。　。　。　　It　is　full　of
  pictures　of　all　classes；　with　a　description　of　each　in　French。　　The
  pictures　are　a　little　caricatured；　but　not　much。'　　Doubtless　this
  was　only　an　echo　from　his　mother；　but　it　shows　the　atmosphere　in
  which　he　breathed。　　It　must　have　been　a　good　change　for　this　art
  critic　to　be　the　playmate　of　Mary　Macdonald；　their　gardener's
  daughter　at　Barjarg；　and　to　sup　with　her　family　on　potatoes　and
  milk；　and　Fleeming　himself　attached　some　value　to　this　early　and
  friendly　experience　of　another　class。
  His　education；　in　the　formal　sense；　began　at　Jedburgh。　　Thence　he
  went　to　the　Edinburgh　Academy；　where　he　was　the　classmate　of　Tait
  and　Clerk　Maxwell；　bore　away　many　prizes；　and　was　once　unjustly
  flogged　by　Rector　Williams。　　He　used　to　insist　that　all　his　bad
  schoolfellows　had　died　early；　a　belief　amusingly　characteristic　of
  the　man's　consistent　optimism。　　In　1846　the　mother　and　son
  proceeded　to　Frankfort…on…the…Main；　where　they　were　soon　joined　by
  the　father；　now　reduced　to　inaction　and　to　play　something　like
  third　fiddle　in　his　narrow　household。　　The　emancipation　of　the
  slaves　had　deprived　them　of　their　last　resource　beyond　the　half…pay
  of　a　captain；　and　life　abroad　was　not　only　desirable　for　the　sake
  of　Fleeming's　education；　it　was　almost　enforced　by　reasons　of
  economy。　　But　it　was；　no　doubt；　somewhat　hard　upon　the　captain。
  Certainly　that　perennial　boy　found　a　companion　in　his　son；　they
  were　both　active　and　eager；　both　willing　to　be　amused；　both　young；
  if　not　in　years；　then　in　character。　　They　went　out　together　on
  excursions　and　sketched　old　castles；　sitting　side　by　side；　they　had
  an　angry　rivalry　in　walking；　doubtless　equally　sincere　upon　both
  sides；　and　indeed　we　may　say　that　Fleeming　was　exceptionally
  favoured；　and　that　no　boy　had　ever　a　companion　more　innocen