we did not scruple to joke upon their
difference of position. A favourite method of
tormenting them was to bleat at them like
sheep; for none of these boys, unless their
friends paid for them, were provided with
any other meat than mutton, that being the
only viand prescribed for their diet in the
founder's will. We had other odd relics of the
wisdom of by-gone times. We said prayers
in Latin, and sung rejoicings at Christmas
time in doggerel Latin verse. Quainter still,
no boy's admission to the foundation, nor
even his friend's payment, if he was a
commoner, provided him with lights. In the
wintry mornings when we were at school from
six o'clock till eight, each brought his little
roll of coloured taper, for which he paid
sevenpence-halfpenny at Cowan's the
wax-chandler's, and which he stuck upon an iron
pin standing upon his desk; and those
whose friends objected to the school's heavy charge
for fires had always been permitted to bring
each morning a small log, as a contribution
to the school-fire, for we boasted that we
never burnt sea-coal.

I have lived to a good old age; but I was
never a strong boy, and could not take
pleasure in the rougher games and amusements
which the others delighted in. I
had, besides, a pride in being neatly dressed,
and had a dread of getting a spot or soil
upon my little frill. My sky-blue pantaloons,
and neat black silk waistcoat, with
its standing collar, were the pride of the
school; but the crowning glory came when
I first put on a pair of Hessian boots;
a small, but beautifully polished and
elaborately wrinkled pair, cut heart-shaped at
the top, with black tassels hanging from
the fronts. They were made by Oldisworth,
in Salters' Court, the city Hoby of
the day, who served the greatest dandies
among the city volunteers. I believe if any
boy had wished to establish the superior
respectability of our school over Merchant
Taylors', or Saint Pauls', he would have begun
by challenging them to match this pair of
Hessians. Glorious indeed they were; and
I never begrudged a twopence to the
shoe-black round the corner, who would polish
them all the way up, tucking in some paper
round the tops to keep my pantaloons from
being soiled. Even our master, Doctor
Crouch, was at last overawed by them.
He rarely chastised me; but, one day,
I having given him a sharp answer, he
aimed at me a blowwith his cane as
I sat high upon the third form, behind
rows of other boys. I know not what
prompted me to such boldness, though most
likely it was a desire to preserve my
external appearance from injury; but I
instantly raised my right leg with both hands,
and presenting my boot—received the cut full
upon the sole. Some boys tittered at this.
A second and third blow followed; but with
wonderful dexterity, I warded these off in
the same way. A faint murmur of applause
expressed the delight of the school. The
doctor seemed puzzled. He hesitated a
moment, and then desired me to come down,
and walk into his room. I obeyed in great
fear; but, to my surprise, when I had got
there he only pointed out to me the
impropriety and and probable bad effects of my
insubordination, and let me off with an apology.
When school was over, one daring boy
came up to me, and patted, and stroked
my boot with his hand as you would a
favourite horse who had just won a race,
which made us all laugh; and at the next
breaking up, Garnett, the cleverest boy in
the school, privately made Latin verses in
their praise, and called me by the nickname
of Hess from that day forth.

Garnett was the only schoolfellow of mine
with whom I formed a friendship. I was too
little with them, and joined too little in their
amusements, to know them well; though all
were civil to me, as I to them. But Garnett
was an exception. Why this was so at that
time, it would, even now, be hard for me to
tell. Certainly, if a similarity of character
be necessary to close intimacy, it would be
harder still. He was a fine, healthy, open-
faced boy; fair haired, but browned by sun
and wind, and strong and nimble as a
trained wrestler. I never saw him fight, or
heard him brag of his power, or insult anyone.
He would put an and to a quarrel in a
good-tempered way; but it never entered
the head of any of us that he was restrained
by fear. We all knew that boys of greater
size would have little chance against him, if
he chose to attack them. In every other
respect he was as different from me as any
boy could be. He was always clean; but in
other things careless of his appearance. His
rough, starchless, shirt-collar was crushed
and wrinkled; his black neckerchief hung
with two long loose ends fluttering in the air
as he walked the street. His regulation gown
was always rent, and he generally had one
ragged corner tucked into his pocket, which
got him in the good-humoured nickname
of Tatter-Garnett. I have no doubt that
if he could have been dressed as I was, he
would have felt like a malefactor hung in
chains.

I have spoken of his gown, which was
another reason why it was remarkable that I
became intimate with him. He was, in fact,
a foundation-boy. Even foundation-boys were
not educated gratis, as the founder had
intended. Ingenious evasions, which no one
dreamed of using to avoid the absurdity of
the perpetual mutton diet, had nevertheless
been employed to defeat the charitable aims
of his will. Nor could a presentation to the
foundation be obtained without interest with
the great city people, who managed the charity,
and generally gave their patronage to
members of their own class who were reduced,
but still able to pay school fees less heavy by