HORSES AND DOGS
"_Amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the
dog, has made an alliance with us._"--MAURICE MAETERLINCK.
In 1885 I had a new room built on to my house at Eltham, adjoining my
sitting-room and leading into the greenhouse, and thence to the
garden. Parnell and I took the greatest interest in the building of
this room; he superintended every detail, saw that the cement was
laid to the proper depth under the flooring, and sent to Avondale for
sufficient sweet-chestnut wood to have the room panelled half-way up
and to make beautiful, heavy double-doors, window settings and the
mantelpiece and fittings. It was a very comfortable and warm room
when finished, and, to celebrate its completion--it was to be
Parnell's own study and workroom--I photographed him in it, sitting
in his own special easy chair, surrounded by his assaying
paraphernalia and holding his pestle and mortar. This photograph was
published years ago without permission or acknowledgment by one or
other of two persons to whom I had given it, after my husband's
death, as a very private and special memento of him. It hurt me much
when I first knew of it--but people do these things.
Early in 1885 Parnell bought a new horse in Ireland which he arranged
to bring to England, and subsequently brought others over. The two
letters which follow refer to these matters, and were written to me
in case the horses {231} should be noticed arriving in Eltham and the
fact reported to Captain O'Shea.
AVONDALE,
_January_ 14, 1885.
MY OWN QUEENIE,--A word to say that your promised letter has not
yet reached me, and I suppose it may turn up to-morrow. The
parcel came safely to Dublin, and the hamper here. Mary and I
unpacked it with fear and trembling, lest there should have been
no tea and sugar, as I had forgotten to say anything to you about
them; but they were all right.
The new horse is very quiet and a very fine one; strong and short
legs, with plenty of bone, a splendid fore-quarter, and a good
turn of speed. I suppose I may bring him back with me. The
telegram I sent you on Day of Convention was found late at night
posted in a letter box, and was returned to bearer, who never
said anything to me about it, otherwise you would have heard
result about six o'clock.--With best love to my little wife, YOUR
KING.
MORRISON'S HOTEL, DUBLIN.
_February_ 3, 1885.
MY DEAR MRS. O'SHEA,--I have sent two horses to London to-day
(Euston) and should feel very much obliged if you would allow
them to stand in your stables for a few days, until I can make
other arrangements.
They will reach Euston about 1 p.m. to-morrow. Could you find
two careful men to meet them? One saddle is gone with the
horses, so another saddle would be necessary. They should be
walked carefully through London, as one of them specially is very
shy and unused to town.
I am going over to Liverpool to-night. I enclose order for the
horses.---Yours very truly, CHAS. S. PARNELL.
Parnell rented some stables fairly near my house for his horses, and
took much interest in their welfare. He was not a man who had very
much knowledge of horses, but he was a fine horseman, and on his
hunter President, a beautiful horse of sixteen hands and a
weight-carrier, {232} he looked remarkably well. He took a
scientific interest in the shoeing of the horses and, to the great
annoyance of his grooms, would constantly try new methods of shoeing
in order to deaden the "jar" of the contact of the road. This trial
of new methods proved a boon to my horse Dictator--given me by
Parnell--for the tenderness of his feet was completely cured when
Parnell, dead against the conservative ideas of my stableman,
insisted on his having leathers inserted between Dictator's foot and
shoe.
This horse Dictator was a great pleasure to us, though he pulled
rather badly. He was very fast and extraordinarily sure-footed,
keeping his feet in the worst frost, even when driven on the slippery
London paving in hard night frosts. He would trot away to London in
much less time than Parnell could get there by any other means.
Parnell did not drive well, leaving the reins slack upon the horse's
back, so that he had no control over it in any emergency. My
nervousness in this was so great that he very good-naturedly left all
the driving to me, saying: "Well, that's how the jarveys drive in
Ireland!" in answer to my plaintive "I've never seen anyone drive
like that."
President was a very solid horse, in mind as well as in body, and
once when Parnell had ridden him up to New Cross in a frost President
sat down violently and was so impressed with the safety of his
position that he refused to get up again until Parnell--who was of
immense muscular strength--with the help of a couple of stalwart
policemen, literally lifted him to his feet.
Parnell then went into an adjacent saddler's shop to buy a "rubber"
to give President a rub down and, finding a rather original make of
pocket-book on the counter, with beautifully-sewn leather covers,
became so immersed in the selection of one for me that at length an
irate policeman {233} looked in to order him to remove his horse at
once, as it was causing "an obstruction!" Parnell, recalled to the
problem of how to get President and himself to Westminster Bridge,
where his servant was waiting to take the horse, proceeded to rub him
down while considering the matter, thereby delighting the crowd of
onlookers.
The policeman besought him to "get on the 'orse, sir, and ride hoff,"
before the whole street got "'eld hup," but Parnell gently declined,
as he knew that President had now no chance of keeping his feet on
the ice-coated pavement. After fully considering the matter he found
the chief thing was to get himself out of the crowd as quickly as
possible, and, slipping a little comfort into the constable's hand,
he ordered him to put the horse up at the nearest stables and drove
off, ignoring all queries and protests.
He sent me a telegram from the House to assure me of his safe
arrival, but forgot all about his waiting servant, who, after some
hours, not daring to return home, telegraphed to me to know what he
was to do, as his master had not arrived. The whole thing amused
Parnell intensely, but unfortunately he had given the policeman the
name of Prescott, and, in absence of mind, sent his groom the next
day to find and bring back the horse of "Mr. Stewart." It was a most
expensive trial of President's utility. The pocket-book I still use
daily, and prize very highly; it is as perfect, though much worn, as
when he bought it, some twenty-six years ago.
After my old collie Elfie died, Parnell offered to get me another
dog, and, as I wanted an Irish wolf-hound, he and I went to see one
that was advertised for sale. It was a magnificent animal, but we
had much doubt as to {234} its true breed, and decided that Mr.
Parnell should not buy it.
He then suggested bringing me an Irish setter the next time he went
to Ireland, and, as the idea pleased me, he brought a half-grown
setter given him by Mr. Corbett, M.P., who said this dog, Grouse, was
the very best he had ever had. Grouse became at once the constant
companion and pleasure of his master and myself. He was a beautiful
dog, and most faithful and affectionate. Mr. Parnell would tease him
by pretending to be jealous when Grouse lay at my feet with his head
on my foot, and when the dog rose with the dignity that always
characterized him, and went over to Parnell, resting his head on his
knee and assuring him of his absolute devotion, I would in my turn
despair at having no dog to love me.
After a few moments of this game poor Grouse would sit exactly
between us, looking from one to the other, and whining at the
impossibility of pleasing us both at once. Then Parnell would move
to my side on the sofa so that Grouse could rest his chin on our
clasped hands, to his great contentment. The dog always slept in
Parnell's room, and, in his last illness, when the doctors wished to
have Grouse removed, Parnell would not allow it.
Mr. Corbett was very sad when he heard that Grouse had become a
lady's pet, as the old sportsman considered it a sin to "spoil" a gun
dog; but I think that if he had known the pleasure Grouse gave "the
Chief" he would have been glad that the dog should have exchanged the
Wicklow Mountains for the hated Saxon's home. Parnell took Grouse
over for the grouse-shooting one season and telegraphed to me that he
had done very well, but he soon brought him back to me.
Another dog that Parnell brought home to me from {235} Ireland was a
mongrel Irish terrier that he had found wandering in the streets of
Killaloe. He had been dreadfully starved and ill-used, and was quite
savage when handed over to me at Brighton with muzzle and chain on,
but with kindness and good feeding he soon became as devoted to us as
Grouse was, and with him used thoroughly to enjoy following Parnell
when he rode over the Downs for his daily exercise.
After we went to Brighton Parnell would give the dogs a swim in the
sea every day, and Grouse's strong swimming was a great delight to
his master. Pincher, the terrier, was the cause of much anxiety, as
he used to swim right out to sea--so far that we lost sight of the
little dark head--and Parnell had very often to get a boat out and
fetch the exhausted little beast back. This little dog lived for
many years after his master's death (Grouse only two years), but he
would never allow another man to touch him without trying to bite
him. He was fond of Parnell, but always on guard with other men,
though quite good-tempered with women. Parnell used to say that
Pincher must have been so badly treated by some man that he had
learned distrust of all males. Many a time he came home from his
rides with rueful amusement at the exaggerated value placed upon
their legs by shepherds or labourers he had met on the Downs who had
been bitten by Pincher with a careless indiscrimination that at last
earned him a muzzle.
Parnell also brought to Eltham a very old setter, Ranger. He had
been a splendid dog, and now his limbs were too feeble to follow his
faithful heart in his master's sport. So Mr. Parnell took pity on
him, and asked Mr. Corbett to let him have the dog for a lady who
would care for his old age, and Ranger came to us, spending the {236}
evening of his life in basking on the sunny lawn at Eltham, wagging a
dignified tail of appreciation and greeting to those of us he met on
his stiff walks about the place or dreaming his doggie dreams of the
sport of the past, happy and cared for till he died.
* * * * * *
The following letter was sent to _United Ireland_ on April 11, 1885,
in regard to the proposed visit of the Prince of Wales to Ireland:--
You ask for my views regarding the visit of the Prince of Wales.
In reply, I desire to say that if the usages of the Constitution
existed in Ireland as they do in England there would, to my
judgment, be no inconsistency in those who believe in the limited
monarchy as the best form of government taking a suitable part in
the reception of the Prince. But in view of the fact that the
Constitution has never been administered in Ireland according to
its spirit and precedents, that the power of the Crown as wielded
by Earl Spencer and other Viceroys is despotic and unlimited to
the last degree, and that in the present instance the Royal
personage is to be used by the two English political parties in
Ireland for the purpose of injuring and insulting the Irish
Nationalist Party, and of impeding, if possible, their work, I
fail to see upon what ground it can be claimed from any lover of
constitutional government under a limited monarchy that the
Prince is entitled to a reception from the independent and
patriotic people of Ireland, or to any recognition save from the
garrison of officials and landowners and place-hunters who fatten
upon the poverty and misfortunes of the country. Let me suggest
a parallel. Would it be tolerated in England for a moment if the
Government, for their own party purposes, on the eve of a general
election, were to use the Prince of Wales as an electioneering
agent in any section of the country, and were to send him upon a
Royal progress in order to embarrass their political opponents?
The breach of constitutional privilege becomes still graver when
we consider that it is the march of {237} a nation which is now
sought to be impeded--the fruition of a long struggle and of many
sacrifices which the adventitious aid of this Royal visit is
enlisted to injure. I have, however, every confidence that our
people, having been suitably forewarned, will not allow their
hospitable nature and cordial disposition to carry them into any
attitude which might be taken as one of condonation for the past
or satisfaction with the present state of affairs.
CHARLES S. PARNELL.
This letter was written at Eltham, and there was a laughing battle
between us over the writing of it. I threatened to make him hang out
"Union Jacks" from every window of Avondale if he made things
unpleasant in Ireland for the Prince, and he, in pretended horror,
wrote the above, and tossed it to me for the alterations (which I, of
course, did not make) that my "English prejudices" demanded. But he
seriously believed that this visit of the Prince to Ireland was timed
by the advisers of his Royal Highness with singular and malicious
advertence to the State of the political situation, and he commented
most strongly upon the poverty of imagination and chivalry of a great
country such as England who could find no better use for her Prince
than that of an electioneering agent.
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