Cramming. 77 



to do,' he continued, 'is to come with me and I will intro- 

 duce you to a man who will get you a job ! ' I expressed my 

 grateful acquiescence and we went to Mr Orellana's agency, 

 which is in Conduit Street. Mr Orellana, a charming man, 

 received us most kindly, and having listened to my 'cherubim ' 

 friend's outrageously flattering 'patter' as to my teaching 

 abilities, said that he could put me on to a good appointment 

 right off. He was a man of his word, and in a few days after 

 that I was installed as a teacher of fortification and military 

 topography at the Rev. Mr Pritchard's army cramming (I 

 really forget the exact title the worthy 'rector' applied to 

 his place) establishment, on a comfortable salary. My dear 

 reader, please do not indignantly exclaim : ' The fellow ought 

 to have been had up for obtaining money under false pre- 

 tences ; for how the mischief could he have managed to have 

 kept himself au courant with the enormous advances made in 

 those branches of military science, since he had left "The 

 Shop " ? ' Very easily, I may reply ; for my pupils were young 

 militia officers going up for ' The Army Competitive ' ex- 

 aminations, by which they hoped to obtain commissions. 

 Though the numbers entered for each event were enormous, 

 the ' form ' to contend against was moderate in the extreme. 

 The dear boys in physique, manners, and sporting instincts, 

 were the beaux ideals of what British subalterns should be. 

 They knew how to fight, ride, row, play cricket, make love, 

 and take their own part in anything that did not require 

 the exercise of brains. They had usually commenced their 

 ' cram ' career by a resolution to enter the Indian Civil Ser- 

 vice. Being unable to master the difficulties of dictation, 

 they thought they would have a better chance of Woolwich, 

 but found the gates of the Royal Military Academy closed 

 against them, on account of their inability to understand the 

 meaning of what a square root was. Their third hope was 

 Sandhurst ; but here again want of ordinary education was 

 a bar to their ambition. Happily for them, Government 

 opens a little back door for militia subalterns who can learn 



