DECEMBER 123 



into Augustus's eyes while he was lying helpless under- 

 neath. A stout stick the French boy had brought with 

 him had fallen in the struggle under Augustus. I, see- 

 ing the position, dragged the stick out from under the 

 combatants, and began belabouring the Frenchman with 

 all my might. This soon converted our defeat into a 

 victory, and the enemy, extricating himself from his 

 antagonist, fled from the field. The lad's father then 

 appeared on the scene and relieved himself by a torrent 

 of abuse. In those days the memories of the old 

 struggles between England and France were still alive 

 among the populace, and we were constantly followed by 

 gamins shouting after us "Goddam Anglish " and other 

 contemptuous expressions. 



'During our residence in Touraine Augustus and I 

 went with Mr. Nicholl, the tutor, to visit the old castles 

 of the neighbourhood, and I remember going to Loches, 

 Chinon, Chenonceaux, and Chambord, travelling in the 

 little country diligences. 



1 In the winter evenings at the " Capucins " my father 

 used to read Walter Scott's novels to us, and I recall how 

 we looked forward with excitement to the time of resump- 

 tion of the stories. " Quentin Durward" was especially 

 interesting to us, as the scene of a great part of his ad- 

 ventures was within sight of our own house, Plessis les 

 Tours being just across the river. 



' On the whole my life at Tours was the part of my 

 youth to which I look back with the greatest pleasure. It 

 has tinged my whole existence with a great love of France 

 and until the experience of late years showed me the 

 childish petulance in political affairs of her people I had 

 a sincere admiration and affection for them. 



' The time came at last when I had to go to school. I 

 was eleven years old when my father took me to Paris, to 

 a school for English boys kept by a M. Eosin, a Swiss. It 



