He greatly enjoyed company and looked eagerly forward to the visits of friends. He had to be carried around the house on the back of a strong servant, but sometimes, if he wished to cross a room and the servant were not present, he would cross the room by a series of springs and jumps, meanwhile keeping an upright position. He was appointed justice of the peace and sheriff of Kilkenny County, and, some time later, chairman of the Board of Guardians. For many years he sat under an oak tree in the courtyard of Borris House and acted as advisor and general counsellor to the people. The simple folk of the countryside had great faith in his sound judgement and everyone knew how anxious to help he was. He made up quarrels and even arranged marriages. In the winter time he distributed help and blankets to the poor and made sure that no unfortunate people were overlooked. In 1866 he was elected to the British Parliament and represented the people there until 1880. Naturally, a man without arms and legs was a most unusual sight among such an assembly, and he received great consideration. He was a man of strong opinions and he was not afraid to express them. He took a very active interest in everything which went on and made several important speeches. The great William E. Gladstone said that he always listened to Mr. Kavanagh with the utmost respect and appreciation. Arthur Kavanagh died at Chelsea, London, in 1889, worn out by overwork and anxiety. His passing was mourned by all who had known him personally and by a vast number who knew of him by repute. It is no wonder that a leading magazine of that time referred to him as, “One of the most extraordinary men that ever lived.” CHAPTER III THE DELICATE BOY WHO BECAME ENGLAND’S GREATEST SCULPTOR In the middle of the eighteenth century there was a little shop in the heart of London, England, where the owner sold antique plaster casts of famous people. Most of these casts were of persons written of in classic history such as Niobe, Venus, Hercules, Ajax and Achilles, but others were of more recent times as Lord Howe, Admiral Hawke and George II who was reigning at that time. Visitors to this place saw at the back of the shop a delicate little lad, with a pale face, generally seated in a chair stuffed with cushions and propped by pillows. Never far from him was his mother, the shopkeeper’s wife, whose greatest care in life seemed to be her sick boy who looked as though he would never grow up to become a man.