1860 EAELY LIFE 3 



to his preparatory school career, and the idea of a 

 public school was never entertained. 



He 'tt'as educated in a desultory and aimless fashion 

 at home, and was regarded by his family as a shock- 

 ing dunce. Parts of two years were spent in Heidel- 

 berg, and here he picked up some German, and had a 

 few lessons on the viohn, and saw as he grew up 

 something of student life in Germany. Music was 

 always a perfect passion with George Komanes, and if 

 a Httle wholesome discipline had been exercised, the 

 boy might have become a very good musician. 



Heidelberg and the days at Heidelberg represented 

 to the younger Eomanes the ' golden age.' 



They Hved in an old house outside the town, sur- 

 rounded by woods, and here the children, George and 

 his younger sister, roamed about to their hearts' con- 

 tent, making collections and keeping pets, like the 

 born natm-alists they were. Shockingly idle children 

 but marvellously happy ones, and in the pecuHar ' let 

 alone ' system of their household, they grew up, neither 

 of them remembering any reproof, far less any punish- 

 ment, nor any attempt to make them learn lessons 

 or carry on studies for which they were not incKned. 

 A long interval of years separated the brothers, now 

 only two in number,^ and the younger brother and 

 sister were looked on and treated as children long 

 after they had emerged from childhood. 



The father and mother seem to have attended 

 Presbyterian and AngHcan churches with entire im- 

 partiahty, but the younger members of the family pre- 

 ferred the EngHsh church, and were confirmed in it. 

 Eeligion was a potent influence with the boy in quite 

 early years, and there grew up in him a purpose of 

 takmg Holy Orders, a purpose which met with no en- 

 couragement from either of his parents. 



If of intellectual achievement he gave as yet no 



' Bobert, the second son, died in childhood. 



