HERTFORD: MY SCHOOL LIFE 57 



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 half-penny 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. 



Peg-tops, 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 

 painted them in rings of bright colours, which showed beauti- 

 fully while they were spinning. Those made of box-wood 

 and of rather large size were preferred, as their weight, and 



