Pray give my kind remembrances to Mrs. Reeve.
Yours sincerely,
CYPRIAN A. G. BRIDGE.
It has been seen that for some years back Reeve had been occasionally thinking of retiring from his post of Registrar. The near completion of fifty years' service revived the notion, and his illness at Wiesbaden, following an earlier attack in April, confirmed it. When his mind was once made up, the rest was a matter of detail. The Journal notes:—
August 10th.—Taxed costs and wound up business at the Council Office for the last time again; but went there again on October 11th.
12th.—To Foxholes, where fever and bad fit of gout came on; I was very unwell till September 3rd.
21st.—My dog Sylvia [Footnote: A collie, so called after her donor, M. Sylvain van de Weyer. A brother of hers belonged to the Queen.] died. A fond and faithful companion of sixteen years.
September 5th.—Mr. G. H. Dorrell came as my secretary, and I dictated an article on foreign affairs.
From Mr. C. L. Peel [Footnote: Clerk of the Council in succession to Sir Arthur Helps. Now Sir Charles Peel.]
56 Eccleston Square, October 5th.