Early School Days 



coursing and all its ways, and would sooner, even now, at my 

 age, ride or walk twenty miles in the opposite direction, than 

 go to a coursing meeting, or see a hare chased and killed, in 

 any shape or form. 



It was when this young Fraulein, our last German governess, 

 was in charge, that Mr. Southwell appeared upon the scene, 

 the man who was destined to play no small part in Maunsell's 

 upbringing, and to whose manly influence and firm treatment in 

 his early life, no one was more grateful or showed that 

 gratitude in a more substantial manner than my brother. 



In 1 858, about a year before Mother married for the second 

 time, but when Mr. Southwell was no doubt exercising a great 

 if outwardly unrecognized influence over her decision, my two 

 brothers went to Elstree, and Mother, who felt she could not 

 bear the strain of the separation from them for so long a time 

 as the school term, took a house at Great Stanmore, about 

 four miles from their preparatory school for Harrow. I went 

 with her to live there, and the nice young German governess 

 also accompanied us to look after me for a time. When she 

 went back to her home in Germany, I had daily lessons from 

 the Misses Wilde at Edgeware. These ladies were aunts of 

 the talented but unfortunate Oscar Wilde, and their careful 

 grounding in many scholastic ways I have by no means for- 

 gotten. Naturally during the time my mother and I were at 

 Stanmore both my brothers came over whenever possible for 

 " exeats," also for any special holidays, and very happy they 

 seemed. Both were put almost at once in the Cricket and 

 Football Elevens, and very soon were in the First Elevens of 

 Cricket and Footer. 



The time soon came when we youngsters were, if not 

 exactly to be relegated to the background, at all events not to 

 be the first, final, and only interest in our mother's life — for my 



55 



