A YORKSHIRE NATURALIST 21 



youthful disasters. But he proposed sending me to 

 his father, the Abbe Montieus, who had a school some 

 hundred miles south of Bourbourg. Unfortunately, 

 I not only had no money left to pay the expense of 

 so long a journey, but I had been compelled to spend 

 ten shillings entrusted to me by friends of the Leeds 

 boy. The case appeared desperate, but it was at 

 last concluded I must remain where I was until my 

 parents could be communicated with. I was, how- 

 ever, presently told a vacancy could be found for me 

 as parlour boarder, a sort of extra respectable 

 class, which dined at a small table in the centre of 

 the salle a manger, whilst the other boys were 

 seated at tables ranged round the walls of the room. 

 This upper crust had also the privilege of remaining 

 in the salon on Sundays for dessert and French 

 wine after the other boys had departed. To all 

 this, however, although considerable extra fees 

 were to be paid, my parents unfortunately con- 

 sented. 



I soon found I was practically in an English school 

 in France. Madame Montieus was an excellent 

 English lady, the usher was the son of a Yorkshire 

 farmer, and we had more English boys than French. 

 Though a nominal fine was imposed upon every lad 

 caught speaking other than French, we really 

 talked little else than English. Sending English lads 

 to learn French at schools of this type was common 

 then, and may be so still. I can only marvel that 

 any parents with a modicum of worldly wisdom 



