30 HIS SCHOOLMASTERS. CHAP. III. 



teacher in the village of Walbottle. He kept a night- 

 school, which was attended by a few of the colliers and 

 labourers' sons in the neighbourhood. George took 

 lessons in spelling and reading three nights in the week. 

 Tommy Musgrove, the lad who " sled out " the engine 

 at the Water-row Pit, usually went with him to the 

 evening lesson. Eobin Cowen's teaching cost three- 

 pence a week ; and though it was not very good, yet 

 George, being hungry for knowledge and eager to 

 acquire it, soon learnt to read. He also practised " pot- 

 hooks," and at the age of nineteen he was proud to be 

 able to write his own name. 



A Scotch dominie, named Andrew Eobertson, set up 

 a night-school in the village of Newburn, in the winter 

 of 1799. It was more convenient for George to attend 

 this school, as it was nearer to his work, and not more 

 than a few minutes' walk from Jolly's Close. Besides, 

 Andrew had the reputation of being a skilled arithmeti- 

 cian ; and this was a branch of knowledge that Stephen- 

 son was desirous of acquiring. He accordingly began 

 taking lessons from him, paying fourpence a week. 

 Robert Gray, the junior fireman at the Water-row Pit, 

 began arithmetic at the same time ; and Gray afterwards 

 told the author that George learnt " figuring " so much 

 faster than he did, that he could not make out how it 

 was " he took to figures so wonderful." Although 

 the two started together from the same point, at the 

 end of the winter George had mastered "reduction," 

 while Robert Gray was still struggling with the diffi- 

 culties of simple division. But George's secret was his 

 perseverance. He worked out the sums in his bye- 

 hours, improving every minute of his spare time by 

 the engine -fire, and there solving the arithmetical 

 problems set for him upon his slate by the master. In 

 the evenings he took to Robertson the sums which he 

 had thus " worked," and new ones were " set " for him 

 to study out the following day. Thus his progress was 



