THE DEEPDENE, DORKING
FRONT HALL AT THE DEEPDENE
One of the ambitions of Lord William’s life was to win the Derby, and he began looking about him for likely winners; it did not take him long to collect some useful horses, though I doubt very much if his racing in England ever gave him as much pleasure as it did in India. His wife was most interested in his horses and was as anxious as he was that he should own the best. She was a kind-hearted woman who did a great deal for the comfort and happiness of all around her, the poor of Dorking are not likely to forget her or her husband, for they closely associated themselves with all the local charities and philanthropic undertakings.
Nothing pleased Lord William better than to have a house full of people; he loved to have some of the old 9th with him. It had been hoped when he settled down to home-life he would take things more easily, but he still continued to cram two or three days’ work into one, just as he did in India, he had not yet found a day quite long enough for all he wanted to do.
On his birthday he always gave all the Dorking school children a treat in the park at Deepdene, entertaining about 1800 of all denominations, and surely no children were ever so entertained before, no expense was spared that would add to their pleasure, and he always took part in the proceedings himself, which added much to the children’s pleasure, while, I believe, he enjoyed it himself thoroughly; he loved to see children happy and hear them laugh. He arranged their races, threw bags full of pennies to be scrambled for, taking particular notice of any child, girl or boy, who after striving was not strong enough to capture any pence amongst the hustling crowd of eager bairns, these he used to reward with pennies privately; he said he could not bear the look of disappointment on their faces when time after time they failed.
Lord William never imagined he could be imposed upon, with the exception perhaps of a certain section of the racing fraternity, but children managed to do it fairly successfully sometimes.
One New Year’s morning, for instance, he had asked Mr. Palmer, who attended to all his wife’s business when she was Duchess of Marlborough (and afterwards to the time of her death) to breakfast with him at nine o’clock. Arriving at the Deepdene and finding his lordship had not finished dressing he went to his room to talk to him until his toilet was completed. On entering he found Lord William with the French windows open and a small crowd of children standing outside uttering the time hallowed, “Wish you a happy New Year, sir,” while the recipient of those kindly wishes was throwing occasional shillings and sixpences to the expectant little crowd. Mr. Palmer watched for a short time and then said, “Well, these kiddies are getting the best of you.” “How?” asked Lord William. “Why,” said Mr. Palmer, “in the first place, they go away and bring others, and in the second, some of them have been up, gone, and come back again without your noticing it, possibly may have been two or three times.” “Oh, no!” replied Lord William, but he turned to one group who were very fervent in their wishes for his happiness and asked, “How many times have you been here this morning?” The reply came, “Only twice, sir,” without a moment’s hesitation. He then turned to a group of three boys, one somewhat older than the other two, and said to the biggest, “If I give you a shilling, how will you divide it among the three of you?” The boy considered for a moment and then replied, “I would keep sixpence myself and give the other sixpence to the other two.”
Lord William foretold a great career for this specimen. While walking into the dining-room Lord William said to Mr. Palmer, “I suppose some of those kids have been too bright for me, but after all what does it mean; I suppose I have given away a fiver and with that fiver I have carried joy and satisfaction to many a child’s heart, better so than losing fifty to some bookie. In the one case I do get something for my money, in the latter case nothing.”