om that day forward he was generally
kind and good-natured, and especially so to Arthur Mallet. He helped
him in his lessons, and was constantly making him presents of such
things as boys prize, though older people may not set much value on
them. Though he might lose his temper with others, he never did so with
Arthur, and always seemed anxious to show his friendly feeling in a
variety of ways. I have seldom seen a fellow so greatly changed for the
better as Houlston became, owing, I believe, greatly to the way Arthur
had pleaded his cause when the rest of us seemed inclined to revenge
ourselves still further than we had already done.

I should not have mentioned the circumstance, except for the sake of the
moral it taught me. There is an old saying, that when a bull runs at
you the best way of escaping him is to seize him by the horns; and from
the manner we overcame Houlston, I am convinced of the wisdom of the
advice. Ever since, when a difficulty has occurred, I have seized it
boldly, grappled with it as we grappled with Houlston, summoned up all
my courage, resolution, and strength, just as Tony and I called our
companions to our assistance, and dragged it, metaphorically speaking,
to the ground, gagged it as we gagged the bully, and not let it loose
again till I have been convinced that it would no longer trouble me.
Again, when I have had any difficult thing to do, I have done it at
once, or tried my best to do it. I have never put off a disagreeable
thing which I may have had to do till another day. I have got it over
as soon as possible, whatever it may have been. I have generally found
that the anticipation is worse than the reality. I cannot understand
what made Houlston take to bullying; and I must say after this he showed
much good feeling, and became a firm friend both to Tony and me, not
appearing to harbour any ill-feeling for the way we had treated him.

I must hurry over my school-boy days. I was not able to carry out my
plan of the menagerie the next summer. My uncle, instead of going to
his country house, took us all to the sea-side. I, however, on that
occasion picked up a good deal of knowledge about vessels and boats, and
fish, and marine animals; and instead of a menagerie we had an aquarium,
into which we used to put the small fish and other creatures we caught
in the pools on the rocks. I was making an important step in the study
of natural history--gaining the custom of observing