r and
book on his knee, invent and tell a story, making rapid little
pictures of each _dramatis persona_ that came upon the stage.
The plot was woven and spread out with much ingenuity, and the
characters were various and well discriminated. But two of
them were sure to turn up in every tale, the Devil and the
Pope, and the working of the drama invariably had the same
issue--the utter ruin and disgrace of these two potentates. I
had often thought that there was a presage here of the mission
which produced _The Bible in Spain_.--I am, dear sir, very
truly yours,

JAMES MARTINEAU.[42]

Yet it is amusing to trace the story through various phases. Dr.
Martineau's letter was the outcome of his attention being called to a
statement made in a letter written by a lady in Hampstead to a friend in
Norwich, which runs as follows:

_11th Nov. 1893._

Dr. Martineau, to amuse some boys at a school treat, told us
about George Borrow, his schoolfellow: he was always reading
adventures of smugglers and pirates, etc., and at last, to
carry out his ideas, got a set of his schoolfellows to promise
to join him in an expedition to Yarmouth, where he had heard of
a ship that he thought would take them. The boys saved all the
food they could from their meals, and what money they had, and
one morning started very early to walk to Yarmouth. They got
half-way--to Blofield, I think--when they were so tired they
had to rest by the roadside, and eat their lunch. While they
were resting, a gentleman, whose son was at the Free School,
passed in his gig. He thought it was very odd so many boys,
some of whom he had seen, should be waiting about, so he drove
back and asked them if they would come to dine with him at the
inn. Of course they were only too glad, poor boys: but as soon
as he had got them all in he sent his servant with a letter to
Mr. Valpy, who sent a coach and brought them all back. You know
what a cruel man that Dr. V. was. He made Dr. Martineau take
poor Borrow on his back, 'horse him,' I think he called it, and
flogged him so that Dr. M. said he would carry the marks for
the rest of his life, and he had to keep his bed for a
fortnight. The other boys got off with lighter punishment, but
Borrow was the ring-leader. Those were the 'good ol