British parents, if you have a garden and fields near your house,
and you would like to make your boys happy, call them home for the
holidays.

* * * * *

Apart from the aristocracy, it has always been a subject of wonder to
me that caste should be so strong among the middle classes, in a
country like England, who owes her greatness to her commercial and
adventurous spirit.

In France, what is required of a _gentleman_ is high education and
refined manners. A peasant's son possessing these is received in any
society.

In England, boys begin swaggering about their social position as soon
as they leave the nursery, and if you would have some fun, you should
follow groups of public school-boys in the playground or on their way
home.

Of course, in public schools, the occupation of parents cannot be an
objection to their sons' admission, and in your class-room you may have
dukes' and saloon-keepers' sons sitting on the same form. These are
treated on an equal footing; although I believe the head-master of a
working public school would prefer the hangman's son, if a clever lad,
to the son of a duke, if he were a fool.

Yes, those groups will afford you a great deal of amusement.

Here are the sons of professional men, of officers, clergymen,
barristers. See them pointing out other boys passing: "Sons of
merchants, don't you know!"

These are not without their revenge, as they look at a group close by:
"Sons of clerks, you know!"

But you should see the contemptuous glance of the latter as they pass
the sons of shopkeepers: "Tradespeople's sons, I believe!"

* * * * *

Here is a little sample conversation I caught as I passed two boys
watching a game of cricket in the playground.

"Clever chap, So-and-So!" said one.

"And a nice fellow too, isn't he?" said the other.

"By-the-bye, did you know his father was a chemist?"

"A chemist! No!" exclaimed the dear boy in a subdued tone, as if the
news had taken his breath away. "A chemist! you don't mean to say so.
What mistakes we are liable to make, to be sure! I always thought he
was a gentleman."

XV.

HE CAN NOT SPEAK FRENCH, BUT HE CAN READ IT, YOU KNOW.--HE HAS A TRY
AT IT IN PARIS.--NASAL SOUNDS AND ACCENTED SYLLABLES.--HOW I REDUCED
ENGLISH WORDS TO SINGLE SYLLABLES, AND WAS SUCCESSFUL IN THE OBJECT I
HAD IN VIEW.--A REMARK ON THE CONNECTION OF WORDS.

When you