THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 69 



scholar whose opinion can be said to be entirely his own ? 

 Or where is the genius that we wish to have trammelled 

 by the impressions of others? Are we sure Shakspeare 

 would have been what he was, had he been a deeply-read 

 scholar ? At all events, our public seminaries of learning 

 do not exactly correspond with the precept delivered by 

 the Spartan king, 'that the child should be instructed 

 in the arts which will be useful to the man ; ' and if my 

 father had had nothing to boast of but a first-class degree 

 at one of your Universities, I should have never had the 

 honour of being a banker's son. Nevertheless, although 

 it is possible that a finished scholar may emerge from our 

 schools and colleges, in total ignorance of the business and 

 conversation of English gentlemen in the latter end of 

 the eighteenth century, I am still ready to admit the 

 advantages to be derived from the study of the Latin 

 and Greek languages. They deposit in the hands of a 

 disciple, the keys of two valuable chests : and it is his 

 own fault if they are afterwards lost, or laid aside." 



The morning of setting forward for school having 

 arrived, it produced various sensations at Amstead Abbey. 

 As for the two boys, the novelty of the thing, the thoughts 

 of the journey, and the pocket-money, made their hearts 

 light ; but there were other hearts very differently 

 affected, and one overpowered with its weight. This, as 

 may be supposed, was that of the good and affectionate 

 Lady Charlotte, who, as she could not command her 

 tears, declined taking leave of her sons. Xor was Mr. 

 Raby very fit to appear in their presence, although he 

 strove to conceal what he felt. But there were two 

 belonging to the establishment of the Abbey, whose 

 feelings could not be controlled, and these were Dick 

 Perren and the cook : the one absohitely bellowed from 

 the effect of his grief at the loss of Master Francis, his 

 young master ; and the other, who, notwithstanding what 

 she occasionally suffered from his tricks, loved him as 

 the apple of her eye, betrayed the amiable weakness of 

 woman, but by no means to her discredit. Her method 

 of exhibiting it, however, was a singular one : she had 

 taken her station at the first gate in the park, at which 

 she knew the carriage must stop while the footman opened 

 it, and approaching, with her face nearly inclosed in 

 her apron, she chucked into the carriage two half-guineas, 

 wrapped in a bit of white paper, with these words 



