IV] HERTFORD: MY SCHOOL LIFE 57 



bricks or stones placed the width of the foot apart, and the 

 hoop-driver had to pass through without touching. If the 

 hoop touched he gave it up, and kept the turnpike in his 

 place. When there were turnpikes every five or ten yards all 

 round the playground and a dozen or more hoops following 

 each other pretty closely, the game was not devoid of its little 

 excitements. We never played football (so far as I remember), 

 which at that time was by no means such a common game as 

 it is now. Among the smaller amusements which were 

 always much liked were marbles and pegtops. Marbles 

 were either a game of skill or a form of gambling. In the 

 latter game a small hole was made against a wall, and each 

 player in turn asked for a hand of two or four or even a 

 higher number from some other boy ; then with an equal 

 number of his own he tried to pitch them into the hole, and 

 if all or any even number remained in he won the whole, 

 while if the number was odd he lost them. When a boy had 

 lost all his stock of marbles he bought a halfpenny worth 

 and went on playing, and in the end some would lose all the 

 marbles they began with and several pence besides, while 

 others would retire with their trouser-pockets almost bursting 

 with marbles, and in addition several pence resulting from 

 sales in their pockets. I well remember the excitement and 

 fascination even of this very humble form of gambling play ; 

 how we would keep on to the very last moment in hopes 

 of retrieving our losses or adding to our gains, then rush 

 home to dinner, and return as quickly as possible to play 

 again before school began. It was really gambling, and 

 though perhaps it could not have been wholly forbidden, it 

 might have been discouraged and made the text for some 

 important teaching on the immorality of gaining only by 

 another's loss. But at that time such ideas had hardly 

 arisen in the minds of teachers. 



Pegtops, whipping-tops, and humming-tops were all more 

 or less appreciated, but pegtops were decidedly the most 

 popular, and at certain times a large number of the boys 

 would have them. We used to pride ourselves on being able 

 to make our tops keep up as long as possible, and often 



