My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

MY SCHOOL LIFE AT HERTFORD3Qground was covered beneath it, and I and my friendGeorge used to climb up into the tree, where we couldgather the largest and ripest fruit and feast luxuriously.This was the last house we occupied in Hertford,the family moving to Hoddesdon some time in 1837,to a pretty but very small red-brick house calledRawdon Cottage, while I went to London and stayedat Mr. Webster's with my brother John, preparatoryto going with my eldest brother William to learnland-surveying.During the time I lived at Hertford I was subjectto influences which did more for my real educationthan the mere verbal training I received at school.My father belonged to a book club, through whichwe had a constant stream of interesting books,many of which he used to read aloud inthe evening.Among these I remember Mungo Park's travels andthose of Denham and Clapperton in West Africa.We also had Hood's Comic Annual for successiveyears, and I well remember my delight with "ThePugsley Papers " and " A Tale of the Great Plague,"while, as we lived first at a No. i , I associated Hood's" Number One " with our house, and learnt the versesby heart when I was about seven years old. Eversince those early experiences I have been an admirerof Hood in all his various moods, from his inimitablemixture of pun and pathos in his " Sea Spell," to theexquisite poetry of "The Haunted House," "TheElm Tree," and " The Bridge of Sighs."We also had some good old standard works in thehouse, " Fairy Tales," " Gulliver's Travels," " RobinsonCrusoe," and the " Pilgrim's Progress," all of whichI read over again and again with constant pleasure.We also had the « Lady of the Lake," " The Vicar