CHAPTER XXII.

Lockinge and Ardington, Lord Wantage's: The Scene of My earliest Camera Experiences-The House Party-Rustic Sports-A Donkey Race-The Bishop's Sympathy for a Lad who did not Win-How he spoilt a Good Story-The Lockinge House Murillo: Interesting History.

IN July, 1869, Colonel Loyd Lindsay now Lord Wantage-invited me to Lockinge. The Berkshire Volunteers under his command were then "camping out" at Abingdon; the honorary colonel, H.R.H. Prince Christian, being present.

The Ardington estate, which belonged to the late Robert Vernon, adjoined the Lockinge property, and at his decease both the Ardington and Lockinge estates were bought by Lord Overstone, the father of Lady Wantage.

It will readily be imagined that as it was at Ardington that my first experiments with the camera were made, and that its neighbourhood was the scene of my earliest work, it was with

no small gratification, so many years afterwards, I found myself in the midst of all the old subjects; and it will go without saying that, most naturally, I repeated the whole of them. Nor needless to add with how much interest, on returning to London, I compared the negatives that were obtained with the Talbotype negatives of 1842-twenty-seven years previously!

The house-party at Lockinge included the Prince and Princess Christian, Lord Overstone, Lord and Lady Bury, Colonel Charles Lindsay, Miss Violet Lindsay, and the Bishop of Oxford.

One day Colonel Loyd Lindsay, for the entertainment of his guests, arranged to hold rustic sports and pastimes on the ridge of the beautiful Berkshire Downs on the Lockinge

estate.

There were the usual sports and amusements : jumping in sacks, climbing greasy poles, and all that which constitutes a rustic fête. There was also a donkey race, and to witness this the Bishop, Lord Bury, and myself, stood near the startingpost.

Amongst the competitors was a lad on a wellbred white donkey, who declared, with certain

very forcible adjectives, that his mount would most unquestionably win.

But this was not to be. His donkey was last, and in explaining this result the rider was guilty of expressing himself in language especially unfit for the ears of a Church dignitary.

For the convenience of the Princess and the ladies, a marquee had been pitched on one side of the ridge, to which we three went. The Bishop, addressing Her Royal Highness, said, "Oh, madam, I have felt so sorry for a poor boy, who believed that he would with certainty win the donkey race; he was, however, last, and he explained that it was due entirely to the shouting and noise that frightened his donkey."

"Yes," mischievously remarked Lord Bury, "there is no doubt he gave that as the reason, and that may have been so, but most certainly he did not say so in your language."

"No," rejoined the Bishop, in his kind manner, "I admit he did not, and I fear that I have spoilt a good story by leaving all its best points out."

Lockinge had been much altered and improved since I first knew it, and is now all a country house should be. A large and beautiful

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saloon has been added, in which are the pictures and other works of art collected by Lord Overstone, who had consummate taste and great experience.

Amongst the pictures is a Murillo of priceless value, in relation to which persistent search and inquiry enables me to relate one of the most interesting and striking picture stories ever heard in the artistic world.

No picture can have had a more chequered career than the Lockinge Murillo. Idolised by its original custodians, and even in their days believed to be the best of the "Assumptions" of the master, it was looted by the rapacious Marshal Soult at the time the French invaded Spain.

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It had been painted by Murillo as an altarpiece for a church in Seville. The subject was "The Virgin," wearing a crimson robe, a blue mantle, and a light blue veil on her head, standing on clouds, and supported by cherubs, the size of the canvas being 91 by 64 inches.

After Soult had captured it, and while it was yet in Spain an attempt-due, no doubt, to the instigation of the authorities of the church who had had it in their charge-was made to recover it.

This only partially succeeded; for those who undertook the task, failing to remove it in its entire state, cut out and carried away the centre portion, comprising the child and the halflength figure of the Madonna-a portion which measured 40 by 30 inches, or nearly one-half the lineal dimensions of the picture.

This fragment was subsequently brought to England, and purchased by Mr. Gray, of Harringhay House, from whom Mr. Samuel Jones Loyd-afterwards Lord Overstone-acquired it. I have been unable to trace what sum he gave for it; but being only a part of a picture, whatever was paid must have been a mere bagatelle compared to the value of the work in its original state.

The mutilated remainder of the canvas Marshal Soult took to Paris, where, by the aid of engravings and other means at command, the artist Lejeune made a facsimile of the missing portion. This he accomplished with marked success, the colour and tone of the picture being accurately followed; and then a picture restorer put Lejeune's work in its place in the canvas.

But the intrinsic value of the picture was even