Tigerlilly - Lobsang Rampa

member of the Royal Academy and who had the honor of
having paintings hung there. But William was at times some-
what rash which resulted in his being sold various ‘antiques’
which were not authentic, and this left him with money tied up
in what were substantially fakes, which later came as some-
thing of a shock to his family. At his death it was realized that
William was not as wealthy as had been expected because,
although on paper his estate was worth a great deal (partly
owing to the antiques), it made quite a difference when many
of them were exposed and found to be clever forgeries.
I would reiterate that Father William never was a plumber
but rather he was the Chief Water Engineer of the whole
district. I feel very strongly about this because many people,
especially the Press, have implied and said outright, ‘How can
a plumber's son know anything except about plumbing?’ For-
tunately the insinuations no longer affect me, for I have
learned more important things than to be affected by the
media who seem never to mind causing unhappiness if it
makes good copy.
I have learned about happiness, about giving and sharing,
and how it is possible to be cheerful in the midst of desperate
illness, terminal illness. I have learned how to be satisfied on
this sometimes disappointing planet. I have seen how a person
has helped others who have tried to cause only harm to the
benefactor, and if I do not always practice such methods
myself, the fact that I have been immersed in this goodness,
means that some of it will sink into my subconscious mind to
make me a better person now and later.
No, William was not a plumber, and what would it matter if
he had been? William's wife Eve was a member of a very
wealthy family of farmers at Brentnor, having large holdings
there, but the family of Father William and Mother Eve had
considerable battles over the right-of-way between two fields.
Both families (who were wealthy at the time) went to Law,
and if one family lost they lodged an appeal, and so it went on
until everybody was completely impoverished, and nothing
was gained in the end, but financially all were left the poorer.
As is often the case when an important employer has a
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