nce of their
cultivated minds; so that friendship with them was a bond of union among
all, and from the vicar to the dairyman every one loved and respected
them, asked their counsel, and sought their sympathy.

They called themselves by no sectarian name, nor could they have told to
what "party" they belonged. They troubled themselves with no theories
of education, but mingled gentle nurture with "wholesome neglect."
There was nothing exotic or constrained in the growth of Eric's
character. He was not one of the angelically good children at all, and
knew none of the phrases of which infant prodigies are supposed to be so
fond. But to be truthful, to be honest, to be kind, to be brave, these
lessons had been taught him, and he never _quite_ forgot them; nor amid
the sorrows of after life did he ever quite lose the sense--learnt at
dear quiet Fairholm--of a present loving God, of a tender and
long-suffering Father.

As yet he could be hardly said to know what school was. He had been
sent indeed to Mr Lawley's grammar school for the last half-year, and
had learned a few declensions in his Latin grammar. But as Mr Lawley
allowed his upper class to hear the little boys their lessons, Eric had
managed to get on pretty much as he liked. Only _once_ in the entire
half-year had he said a lesson to the dreadful master himself, and of
course it was a ruinous failure, involving some tremendous pulls of
Eric's hair, and making him tremble like a leaf. Several things
combined to make Mr Lawley terrific to his imagination. Ever since he
was quite little, he remembered hearing the howls which proceeded from
the "Latin-school" as he passed by, whilst some luckless youngster was
getting caned; and the reverend pedagogue was notoriously passionate.
Then, again, he spoke so indistinctly with his deep gruff voice, that
Eric never could and never did understand a word he said, and this kept
him in a perpetual terror.

Once Mr Lawley had told him to go out, and see what time it was by the
church clock.

Only hearing that he was to do something, too frightened to ask what it
was, and feeling sure that even if he did, he should not make out what
the master meant, Eric ran out, went straight to Mr Lawley's house,
and, after having managed by strenuous jumps to touch the knocker,
informed the servant "that Mr Lawley wanted his man."

"What man?" said the maid-servant, "the young man? or the butler? or is
it the clerk?"

Here was a