On one occasion, when suffering much in health, Faraday yet insisted upon taking his place at the lecture table at the Royal Institution; for an obstruction of voice, which was indeed too painfully apparent, he apologised, saying that "in an engagement where the contracting parties were one and many, the one ought not on any slight ground to break his part of the engagement with the many, and therefore, if the audience would excuse his imperfect utterance he would proceed." The audience murmured, and there were cries of "Put off the lecture;" but Faraday begged to be allowed to go on. A medical man rose and said it would in his opinion be dangerous for the Professor to proceed. Faraday still urged his desire to go on with the lecture; he could not give people all the trouble of coming there, having perhaps put off other engagements, for nothing. On this, as by a single impulse, the whole audience rose, and Faraday yielded to the generally expressed desire to spare him the pain and inconvenience of lecturing. After a fortnight's rest he reappeared, and continued the broken course, carrying it on later that his audience should not lose any of the eight lectures which they had anticipated. It was on a reappearance such as this after illness that "as soon as his presence was recognised, the whole audience rose simultaneously, and burst into a spontaneous utterance of welcome, loud and long." FOOTNOTE: [10] It is interesting here to see what Tyndall says, referring to Faraday as a lecturer: "I doubt his unconcern, but his fearlessness was often manifested. It used to rise within him as a wave, which carried both him and his audience along with it. On rare occasions also, when he felt himself and his subject hopelessly unintelligible, he suddenly evoked a certain recklessness of thought; and without halting to extricate his bewildered followers, he would dash alone through the jungle into which he had unwittingly led them; thus saving them from ennui by the exhibition of a vigour which, for the time being, they could neither share nor comprehend." [Illustration] CHAPTER IX. NOTES ON HIS WORK. "So that I draw the breath of finer air Station is nought, nor footways laurel-strewn, Nor rivals tightly belted for the race. God speed to them! My place is here or there; My pride is that among them I have place: And thus I keep this instrument in tune." GEORGE MEREDITH.