XIV. appreciated nearly all the great writers of the time; he
seems to have felt that great authors, like great palaces, would add
lustre to his reign."

"I think that we might better change our society on our return into a
reading-club," said Tommy Toby.

"It seems to me your proposal is a very good one," said Master Lewis.
"We may be able to travel again. If we should visit Germany or the
Latin lands together another year, a reading-club would be an
excellent preparation for the journey."

"Very much better than a Secret Society," said Frank. "Suppose you
give the Class the secret you devised for our first meetings, Tommy."

"Oh," said Tommy, soberly, "that, like most of my other plans, was
just _nothing, after all_."

Away from busy Havre the next morning, under the French and American
flags, moved a little ocean world; and on the decks, looking back to
the fading shores of old Normandy, and cherishing delightful memories
of their zigzag journeys in historic lands, were the teacher and the
lads whose winding ways we have followed.

University Press: John Wilson & Son, Cambridge.

Transcriber's Note

Minor punctuation errors have been repaired. Hyphenation and use of
accents has been made consistent.

Use of quote marks is inconsistent, particularly around poetry and for
continuing quotations, but is preserved as printed.

The illustration caption, 'THE BLACK DOUGLAS SURPRISING AN ENEMY' on
page 100 was omitted from the List of Illustrations. It has been added
in this e-text.

The uncaptioned sketch of thread from the Bayeux Tapestry, on page 164,
is not included in the List of Illustrations. This may have been
deliberate, as it is supposed to be a sketch by one of the class,
and so has not been added by the transcriber.

The List of Illustrations had the image on page 187 as 'OLD HAMPTON
COURT', while the caption under the illustration read 'WHITEHALL'. The
Transcriber has confirmed that the illustration is a picture of the
old Whitehall Palace (see painting _The Old Palace of Whitehall_, by
Hendrik Danckerts for comparison), and has amended the text in the
List of Illustrations to match the caption in the text.

Page 166 includes the word 'flustrated'. This may be a typographic
error for 'frustrated', or it may be deliberate on the part of the
author, perhaps a combination of 'flustered' and 'frustrated'. As
there is no way to be sure which is the case, it is preserved as
printed.

The