was--rather red and embarrassed, and promised a written reply. To our
astonishment we learnt that this reply was to the effect that he must
unfortunately decline the honour, as he had never been in France, had
never heard anyone speak French, and was not proficient in the language.
Thus this tiger of a savage Frenchman suddenly cast his tiger's skin and
revealed himself in his native wool.

Unfortunately, the instruction of this master left long and deep traces
upon me. When I was fifteen and my French uncle began to carry on his
conversations with me in French, the Parisian was appalled at my
abominable errors of pronunciation. The worst of them were weeded out in
those lessons. But there were enough left to bring a smile many a time
and oft to the lips of the refined young lady whom my friends procured
me as a teacher on my first visit to Paris.


XII.

Among the delights of Summer were picnics to the woods. There would be
several during the course of the season. When the weather seemed to
inspire confidence, a few phaetons would be engaged for the family and
their relations and friends, and some Sunday morning the seat of each
carriage would be packed full of good things. We took tablecloth and
serviettes with us, bread, butter, eggs and salmon, sausages, cold meat
and coffee, as well as a few bottles of wine. Then we drove to some
keeper's house, where for money and fair words they scalded the tea for
us, and the day's meal was seasoned with the good appetite which the
outdoor air gave us.

As a child I preserved an uncomfortable and instructive recollection of