School
began at seven in the morning during half the year, but later in
winter. At half-past eight or nine there was an interval of an hour
for breakfast. It was over when I got home, and I had mine in the
kitchen. It was dispatched in ten minutes, and my delight in cold
weather then was to lie in front of the fire and read Chambers'
Journal. Blessings on the brothers Chambers for that magazine and
for the Miscellany, which came later! Then there was Charles and
Mary Lamb's Tales of Ulysses. It was on a top shelf in the shop,
and I studied it whilst perched on the shop ladder. Another
memorable volume was a huge atlas-folio, which my sister and I
called the Battle Book. It contained coloured prints, with
descriptions of famous battles of the British Army. We used to lug
it into the dining-room in the evening, and were never tired of
looking at it. A little later I managed to make an electrical
machine out of a wine bottle, and to produce sparks three-quarters
of an inch long. I had learned the words "positive" and "negative",
and was satisfied with them as an explanation, although I had not
the least notion what they meant, but I got together a few friends
and gave them a demonstration on electricity.
Never was there a town better suited to a boy than Bedford at that
time for out-of-door amusements.
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