"There are so many of you to be greeted,--old friends out of the past, old pupils, comrades, children! Ah, children! Sixteen societies of laryngologists, and mostly come of age, calling me 'Father'! They will have it so, and I am pretty proud of the title, I can tell you. Well, do you think one solitary man could find fit word to answer all these voices? But you can do it for me. There is an old story some of you may remember, which, when I read it, changed the aspect of things for me by its very name, for that was a stroke of genius: 'Put yourself in his place.' What a different world it would be if we all did that! Well, you try now. Try hard. Think yourself each one hundred years old to-day. Not the ladies. I will not ask them. Though they may come to that they will never look it, and they will never know it, and no one will ever believe it. But you men can try. Fancy you each lived one hundred years and woke to-day to find yourself surrounded by kindly clamorous voices, 'troops of friends'! What would you say? I think you would say nought. Only the infinite nought which circles all things could give an adequate answer to you all. I shall say nought to this great master of the brush, Mr Sargent, who with his creative touches in a moment brought life from void. It is a strange experience to see one's very self spring out at one from nothing in a flash. I shall say nought to this rash friend of mine, Sir Felix Semon, who into the midst of a busy life crammed all the work and worry of the labour of love that has brought you here to-day. Nought, nought to the friends so very near my heart, the Laryngological Society of London, and the chosen band whose terrible labours fill me with remorse whenever I think of them, the Members of the Garcia Committee. I shall say nought, nought, nought to all of you, except just this, 'God bless you every one!'" The chairman next proposed "Our Foreign Guests," for whom Herr Emanuel Stockhausen (son of one of his most distinguished pupils), Dr Puttner, Dr Harman Smith, Dr Goris, Dr Lermoyez, Dr Poli, Dr Botella, Dr Burger, and Professor Chiari responded. During the dinner a number of congratulatory telegrams were received. Among them was one from the Prime Minister. Between the speeches of foreign delegates, which were delivered in various tongues, Mme. Blanche Marchesi, Mme. Ada Crossley, Mr Ben Davies, and Mr Arthur Oswald sang, and then that wonderful evening came to an end. CHAPTER XXI. LAST DAYS. (1905-1906.)