Mr.Kirkwood occupied part of a house in St.John's Lane, not thirty yards from the Arch; he was a printers' roller maker, and did but an indifferent business.

A year after the birth of Sidney, his only child, he became a widower.

An intelligent, warm-hearted man, the one purpose of his latter years was to realise such moderate competency as should place his son above the anxieties which degrade.

The boy had a noticeable turn for drawing and colouring; at ten years old, when (as often happened) his father took him for a Sunday in the country, he carried a sketch-book and found his delight in using it.

Sidney was to be a draughtsman of some kind; perhaps an artist, if all went well.