In one letter he tells his correspondent that he has been spending some days in the country with his cousin and an old friend, whose estates adjoin each other.

They had sent out scouts to catch him and bring him back for a week and took it in turns to entertain him.

There are games of tennis on the lawn before breakfast or backgammon for the older men.

There is an hour or two in the library before we sit down to an excellent luncheon followed by a siesta.

Then we go out riding and return for a hot bath and a plunge in the river.