ing for a long time on the hard soil of the neighbouring
road, till the sound finally died away in the distance. The strange
people were not slow in completing their preparations, and then, flogging
their animals terrifically, hurried away seemingly in the same direction.

The boy Jasper was last of the band. As he was following the rest, he
stopped suddenly, and looked on the ground, appearing to muse; then,
turning round, he came up to me where I was standing, leered in my face,
and then, thrusting out his hand, he said, 'Good-bye, Sap, I daresay we
shall meet again, remember we are brothers; two gentle brothers.'

Then whining forth, 'What a sap-engro, lor!' he gave me a parting leer,
and hastened away.

I remained standing in the lane gazing after the retreating company. 'A
strange set of people,' said I at last; 'I wonder who they can be?'

CHAPTER SIX

THREE YEARS--LILLY'S GRAMMAR--PROFICIENCY--IGNORANT OF FIGURES--THE
SCHOOL BELL--ORDER OF SUCCESSION--PERSECUTION--WHAT ARE WE TO
DO?--NORTHWARD--A GOODLY SCENE--HAUNTED GROUND--THE FEATS OF
CHIVALRY--RIVERS--AND OVER THE BRIG

Years passed on, even three years; during this period I had increased
considerably in stature and in strength, and, let us hope, improved in
mind; for I had entered on the study of the Latin language. The very
first person to whose care I was entrusted for the acquisition of Latin
was an old friend of my father's, a clergyman who kept a seminary at a
town the very next we visited after our departure from 'the Cross.'
Under his instruction, however, I continued only a few weeks, as we
speedily left the place. 'Captain,' said this divine, when my father
came to take leave of him on the eve of our departure, 'I have a
friendship for you, and therefore wish to give you a piece of advice
concerning this son of yours. You are now removing him from my care; you
do wrong, but we will let that pass. Listen to me: there is but one good
school-book in the world--the one I use in my seminary--Lilly's Latin
grammar, in which your son has already made some progress. If you are
anxious for the success of your son in life, for the correctness of his
conduct and the soundness of his principles, keep him to Lilly's grammar.
If you can by any means, either fair or foul, induce him to get by heart
Lilly's Latin grammar, you may set your heart at rest with respect to
him; I, myself, will be his warrant. I never yet knew a boy that was
induc