orning when with a company of other little boys I was
marched away from the girls' school where I had hitherto been as a
young scholar, to the boys'. Then followed the long and tedious years
of school-life. Did I like my school-days at Millbrook? To this
question I must give an emphatic No. One day my companion and I
showed this dislike in a very practical manner. It was the custom
to take our books to school in the morning, and to bring them away at
the expiration of the day's teaching. On the day in question we
departed from this rule by bringing away our books at noon, our
object being to spend the afternoon in taking a walk on the country
road. When the bell rang at 2 p.m. for the purpose of resuming work,
we made off in an opposite direction to the school. We considered it
would not be wise to carry our slates and books in our hand, and
therefore by way of protection, we stuffed them under our waistcoats.
This gave us the appearance of an abnormal size, and a curious shape,
at least I thought so; for everyone we met looked upon us with an air
of suspicion. I have often wondered since, whether or not this
suspicion grew out of experience in the life of many whom we passed
that day-whether or not they really knew what we were doing.
Certainly we did not know what we were doing, for we entered the
village at 3.30 p.m. (school-time was over at 4 p.m.) half an hour
too soon. "How is it you are out of school so early?" asked our
respective mothers. What a dilemma we were in! Suffice it to say,
that my mother said "she was not sure but what she should report this
matter to my father." Did she? No; ere my father returned at even, I
resorted to a happy way I had of rendering house-hold assistance,
such as putting coal on the fire, etc., which I knew would go a long
way to dull the memory of my afternoon's walk in my mother's mind. In
the evening when father came home he asked the question as was his
wont: "How has Henry been to-day?" "As good as gold," replied mother.

What about my companion? How fared it with him? He is able to inform
you best on that point, for he learned by experience on that occasion
the awful sting of a leather strap. Never since in his lifetime has
he been half an hour before time. Who can tell the injury a leather
strap may do!

From my very earliest days the desire to become a preacher was ever
present with me, which desire became intensified as the years sped
by. As a strong manifestation of thi