In Westerham, a few miles farther on, we saw the vicarage where Gen. Wolfe, the hero of Quebec, was born.  His parents were tenants of this house for a short time only, and soon after his birth they moved to the imposing residence now known as Quebec House, and here Wolfe spent the first twelve years of his life.  It is a fine Tudor mansion and has been little altered since the boyhood of the great warrior.  Visitors are not now admitted.  There are many relics of Wolfe in Westerham, and the spot where he received his first military commission is marked by a stone with an appropriate inscription.  Wolfe’s memory is greatly revered in England and he is looked upon as the man who saved not only Canada, but the United States as well, to the Anglo-Saxon race.

Quite as closely connected with American history as Quebec House is the home of William Pitt, near at hand.  Holwood House, as it is called, is a stately, classic building, situated in a great forest-clad park.  It passed out of the hands of Pitt more than a hundred years ago, and being in possession of a private owner, is no longer open to visitors.

Passing again into the hedge-bordered byways, we came to Downe, a retired village four miles from the railway station and known to fame as having been the home of Charles Darwin.  Downe House, where he lived, is still standing, a beautiful old Eighteenth Century place which was considerably altered by Darwin himself.  The house at present is evidently in the hands of a prosperous owner, for it was apparent that watchful care is expended upon it.  But it is in no sense a show-place and the few pilgrims who come to the town must content themselves with a glimpse from the outside.

To get a view of the place, I surreptitiously stepped through the open gateway, the house itself being some distance from the road and partially concealed by the hedges and trees in front of it.  It is a rather irregular, three-story building, with lattice windows surrounded by ivy and climbing roses.  It stands against a background of fir trees, with a stretch of green lawn and flowers in front, and the whole place had an air of quiet beauty and repose.  On the front of the house was an ancient sun-dial, and across it, in antique letters, the legend “Time will show.”  I do not know whether this was placed there by Darwin or not, but it is the most appropriate answer which the great scientist might have made to his hosts of critics.  Time has indeed shown, and the quiet philosopher who lived in this retired village has revolutionized the thought of the civilized world.

XIX

KNOLE HOUSE AND PENSHURST

One of the greatest show-places of England is Knole House, the seat of the Sackville-Wests, near Seven-Oaks.  The owner at the time of our visit was the Lord Sackville-West who was British ambassador at Washington, where he achieved notoriety by answering a decoy letter advising a supposed British-American to vote for Grover Cleveland as being especially friendly to England.  The letter created a tremendous furor in the United States, and the result was the abrupt recall of the distinguished writer from his post.