64 MY LIFE 



lumber, we had practically to ourselves. The loft especially 

 was most delightful to us. It was reached by steps formed 

 by nailing battens across the upright framing of the stable, 

 with a square opening in the floor above. It thus required a 

 little practice to climb up and down easily and to get a 

 safe landing at top, and doing this became so easy to us that 

 we ran up and down it as easily as sailors run up the shrouds 

 of a vessel. Then the loft itself, under the sloping roof, 

 gloomy and nearly dark in the remote corners, was almost like 

 a robber's cave, while a door opening to the outside by which 

 hay could be pitched up out of a cart, afforded us plenty of 

 light when we required it, together with the novel sensation 

 and spice of danger afforded by an opening down to the floor, 

 yet eight or nine feet above the ground. 



This place was our greatest delight, and almost all the 

 hours of daylight we could spare from school and meals were 

 spent in it. Here we accumulated all kinds of odds and ends 

 that might be useful for our various games or occupations, 

 and here we were able to hide many forbidden treasures such 

 as gunpowder, with which we used to make wild-fires as well 

 as more elaborate fireworks. John was of a more mechanical 

 turn than myself, and he used to excel in making all the 

 little toys and playthings in which boys then used to delight. 

 I, of course, looked on admiringly, and helped him in any 

 way I could. I also tried to imitate him, but only succeeded 

 in some of the simpler operations. Our most valuable guide 

 was the " Boy's Own Book," which told us how to make num- 

 bers of things boys never think of making now, partly because 

 everything is made for them, and also because children get 

 so many presents of elaborate or highly ornamented toys when 

 very young, that by the time they are old enough to make 

 anything for themselves they are quite blase, and can only be 

 satisfied by still more elaborate and expensive playthings. I 

 think it may be interesting to give a short enumeration of the 

 things which at this time John and I used to make for our- 

 selves. 



I may mention first that, owing to the very straitened 

 circumstances of the family during the whole of our life at 



