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

38 MY LIFEmy father's family, to be paid to us as we came of age,together with a considerable sum that had revertedto my mother on the death of her stepmother in 1828,had remained in Mr. Wilson's hands as trustee, andwere all involved in the bankruptcy. He did all hepossibly could for us, and ultimately, I believe, repaida considerable part of the money, but while the legalproceedings were in progress, and they lasted fullythree years, it was necessary for us to reduce expensesas much as possible. We had to leave our comfortablehouse and garden, and for a time had the use ofhalf a rambling old house near All Saints' Church.Before this, I think, my brother John had gone toLondon to be apprenticed, and the family at homeconsisted only of myself and my younger brotherHerbert till my sister returned from France, whereshe had gone to study the language. It must havebeen about this time that I was sent for a fewmonths as a boarder at the Grammar School, asalready stated ; but this whole period of my life isvery indistinct. I am sure, however, that we movedto the next house in St. Andrew's Street early in1836, because on May 15 of that year an annulareclipse of the sun occurred, visible in England, and Iwell remember the whole family coming out withsmoked glasses into the narrow yard at the side ofthe house in order to see it. I was rather disappointed,as it only produced a peculiar gloom such asoften occurs before a thunderstorm.At midsummer, I think, we again moved to a partof a house next to St. Andrew's Church, where wehad the Silk family for neighbours in the larger halfof the house. They also had most of the garden, onthe lawn of which was a fine old mulberry tree, whichin the late summer was so laden with fruit that the