134 THE EARLY DAYS OF 



lutions of the brain lead nolens volens, the owner to such nefarious 

 acts, I would propose returning the young gentleman to those who 

 produced and reared him, as they probably are most to blame. 



A grim smile of deep satisfaction will now steal over the counte- 

 nance of those who are for the torture system, when they have read 

 thus far. They will lay down the book and piously exclaim, " Here's 

 a pretty fellow ; he bags rabbits, purloins fish, runs off with a Tom- 

 cat which he owns did not belong to him, and now he poses as a 

 preacher! What a wicked world we live in !" Well, I confess they 

 have me there; but still I am not going to alter what I have written; 

 because if ever I was certain of an3'thing, I am of this ; that had my 

 master called me by my number, or my father by my name, and 

 kindly said, " Look here my lad, I want to ask a favour of you, viz., 

 that you should at once give up, your poaching excursions, and 

 placing yourself and others in danger with your old rusty gun," I 

 would joyously have given a promise to comply with the request, 

 without the slightest fear of ever breaking it. 



But we can't conceal the fact that man is more or less a savage 

 animal, and say what one will, two opinions will surely remain 

 regarding the proper way to manage boys. 



Fireworks, which were strictly forbidden, having been introduced 

 freely into the school on Guy Fawkes Day, lighted up the insub- 

 ordination which had long been smouldering. When the masters 

 appeared in the play ground, squibs and crackers shot out noise 

 and fire round them; and one day when the Head-master had taken 

 up a position in the school, in order to overawe the boys, a bottle, 

 filled with gunpowder exploded with a fearful bang in the fireplace 

 before which he was standing, and made him jump as high as I did 

 when the cane descended on my back. 



He was fortunately unhurt, though he must have had a narrow 

 escape. I forget whether the perpetrator of this outrage was 

 ever known ; but the boy who introduced the fireworks, and got up 

 the subscription for their purchase was discovered, and as he was 

 very popular, his expulsion was made the cause of a monster 



