CHAPTER V 



HERTFORD : MY HOME-LIFE 



i 



As the period from the age of six to fourteen which I spent 

 at Hertford was that of my whole home-life till I had a home 

 of my own twenty-eight years later, and because it was in 

 many ways more educational than the time I spent at school, 

 I think it well to devote a separate chapter to a short account 

 of it. 



During the year or two spent at the first house we occu- 

 pied in St. Andrew's Street very little occurred to impress 

 itself upon my memory, partly, I think, because I was too 

 young and had several playfellows of my own age, and partly, 

 perhaps, because the very small house and yard at the back 

 offered few facilities for home amusements. There was also 

 at that time too much inequality between myself and my 

 brother John for us to become such constant companions as 

 we were a little later. 



When we moved to the house beyond the Old Cross, 

 nearly opposite to the lane leading to Hartham, the con- 

 ditions were altogether more favourable. The house itself 

 was a more commodious one, and besides a yard at one side, 

 it had a small garden at the back with a flower border at 

 each side, where I first became acquainted with some of our 

 common garden flowers. The gable end of the house in the 

 yard, facing nearly south, had few windows, and was covered 

 over with an old vine which not only produced abundance of 

 grapes, but enabled my father to make some gallons of wine 

 from the thinnings. But the most interesting feature of the 

 premises to us two boys was a small stable with a loft over 



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