90 THE EARLY DAYS OF 



ment in such ribald trash," His Majesty, looking supernaturally 

 grave, replied, 



" Mah que non ! C'est mauvais, c'est execrable ! Mais" and here the 

 royal countenance lit up again, " il faut avoue que le drole a de 

 Vespritr* 



One of the masters, when he came upon us unawares perpetrating 

 any peccadillo would exclaim, as he seized us by the hair or neck, 

 " Slippery fellow, I've got you at last ! " He also affected a highly- 

 polished satin stock with an iron buckle which fastened it behind, 

 the end sticking out several inches and presenting in the distance a 

 formidable horn or pigtail, and as this from long usage had become 

 much frayed, the boy who sat next to me in school exercised his 

 wit in writing a poem; describing the master's supposed search 

 through the various shops in the town for a new stock of the same 

 antiquated shape and pattern, describing it as " one of the old sort, 

 buckle behind." This description being incomprehensible to the 

 shopmen, various forms of banter, in which the words " slippery 

 fellow" were freely used, filled up the poem, which at last concluded, 

 by a cupboard, fastened by a rusty lock unused for a century or 

 more, being opened and disclosing the long sought for article. On 

 which the joyous purchaser skipped out of the shop, very fast, 

 crying, 



" Slippery fellow, I've got you at last ! 

 The old sort, buckle behind ! " 



But, of course, there were some favourites amongst the masters. 

 When I was staying, years ago, in the Riviera ; a man came to 

 me and said, " There is an old Marlborough master staying at our 

 hotel, would not you like to meet him ? " 



Somewhat hastily, I was about to return an answer similar to 

 that which Boswell says Johnson would have given had he been 

 asked to meet Jack Wilks, when checking myself, I sternly said, 

 " What is the master's name ? " and hearing that it was Tweed, I 



* " It is bad ; Indeed it's really shocking ; but we must acknowledge that the rogue has wit." 



