the hawks
soaring, and the "peert" bird, as Harry Winburn called the gray
plover, gorgeous in his wedding feathers; and so home, racing down the
Manger with many a roll among the thistles, or through Uffington-wood
to watch the fox-cubs playing in the green rides;[35] sometimes to
Rosy Brook, to cut long whispering reeds which grew there, to make
pan-pipes of; sometimes to Moor Mills, where was a piece of old forest
land, with short browsed turf and tufted brambly thickets stretching
under the oaks, amongst which rumor declared that a raven,[36] last of
his race, still lingered; or to the sand hills, in vain quest of
rabbits; and birds'-nesting, in the season, anywhere and everywhere.

[35] #Green rides#: roads cut through woods or pleasure
grounds.

[36] #Raven#: a large black bird of the crow family.

EARLIEST PLAYMATES.

The few neighbors of the Squire's own rank every now and then would
shrug their shoulders as they drove or rode by a party of boys with
Tom in the middle, carrying along bulrushes or whispering reeds, or
great bundles of cowslip and meadow-sweet, or young starlings or
magpies, or other spoil of wood, brook, or meadow, and Lawyer Redtape
might mutter to Squire Straightback at the Board, that no good would
come of the young Browns, if they were let run wild with all the dirty
village boys, whom the best farmers' sons even would not play with.
And the Squire might reply with a shake of his head, that _his_ sons
only mixed with their equals, and never went into the village without
a governess or a footman.[37] But, luckily, Squire Brown was full as
stiff-backed as his neighbors, and so went on his own way; and Tom
and his younger brothers, as they grew up, went on playing with the
village boys, without the idea of equality or inequality (except in
wrestling, running, and climbing) ever entering their heads, as it
doesn't till it's put there by over-nice people or fine ladies' maids.

[37] #Footman#: a man-servant in livery.

I don't mean to say it would be the case in all villages, but it
certainly was so in this one; the village boys were full as manly and
honest, and certainly purer than those in a higher rank; and Tom got
more harm from his equals in his first fortnight at a private school,
where he went when he was nine years old, than he had from his village
friends from the day he left Charity's apron-strings.

FIRST SCHOOL.

Great was the grief amongst the village sch