My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

FRIENDS AND OCCUPATIONS 295I gave several of my American lectures in variousparts of the country—at Newcastle and Darlington inthe spring of 1888 ; in the autumn at Altrincham andDarwen ; and in 1889 at Newcastle, York, Darlington,and Liverpool.In the autumn of this year the University ofOxford did me the honour of giving me thehonorary degree of D.C.L., which I went to receivein November, when I enjoyed the hospitality of myfriend Professor E. B. Poulton.While residing at Godalming, I made the acquaintanceof William Allingham and his wife— the poetand the artist—who then lived at Witley— I think itwas about the year 1886 or 1887. Mr. Allinghamtold me that Tennyson wished to see me, and wouldbe glad if I would come some day and lunch withhim. A day was fixed, and I accompanied Mr.Allingham to the beautifully situated house on Blackdown,near Haslemere, where the poet lived duringthe summer. Lord Tennyson did not appear tillluncheon was on the table, but in the mean time wehad seen Lady Tennyson and her son and daughterin-law,and been shown round the grounds. Afterluncheon we four men retired to the study, withits three great windows looking south-east over thegrand expanse of the finely wooded Weald. HereTennyson lit his pipe, and we sat round the fire andsoon got on the subject of spiritualism, which wasevidently what he had wished to talk to me about.told him some of my experiences, and replied tosome of his difficulties—the usual difficultiesIof thosewho, though inclined to believe, have seen nothing,and find the phenomena as described so differentfrom what they think they ought to be. He wasevidently greatly impressed by the evidence, and