Little Georgy, who had considerable humour, and used to mimic Mr. Veal

to his face with great spirit and dexterity, would reply that Mr. V.

was quite correct in his surmise.

"Then those friends who had the honour of partaking of Mr. Osborne's

hospitality, gentlemen, had no reason, I will lay any wager, to

complain of their repast. I myself have been more than once so

favoured. (By the way, Master Osborne, you came a little late this

morning, and have been a defaulter in this respect more than once.) I

myself, I say, gentlemen, humble as I am, have been found not unworthy

to share Mr. Osborne's elegant hospitality. And though I have feasted

with the great and noble of the world--for I presume that I may call my

excellent friend and patron, the Right Honourable George Earl of

Bareacres, one of the number--yet I assure you that the board of the

British merchant was to the full as richly served, and his reception as

gratifying and noble. Mr. Bluck, sir, we will resume, if you please,

that passage of Eutropis, which was interrupted by the late arrival of

Master Osborne."

To this great man George's education was for some time entrusted.

Amelia was bewildered by his phrases, but thought him a prodigy of

learning. That poor widow made friends of Mrs. Veal, for reasons of

her own. She liked to be in the house and see Georgy coming to school

there. She liked to be asked to Mrs. Veal's conversazioni, which took

place once a month (as you were informed on pink cards, with AOHNH

engraved on them), and where the professor welcomed his pupils and

their friends to weak tea and scientific conversation. Poor little

Amelia never missed one of these entertainments and thought them

delicious so long as she might have Georgy sitting by her. And she

would walk from Brompton in any weather, and embrace Mrs. Veal with

tearful gratitude for the delightful evening she had passed, when, the

company having retired and Georgy gone off with Mr. Rowson, his

attendant, poor Mrs. Osborne put on her cloaks and her shawls

preparatory to walking home.

As for the learning which Georgy imbibed under this valuable master of

a hundred sciences, to judge from the weekly reports which the lad took

home to his grandfather, his progress was remarkable. The names of a

score or more of desirable branches of knowledge were printed in a

table, and the pupil's progress in each was marked by the professor.

In Greek Georgy was pronounced aristos, in Latin optimus, in French

tres bien, and so forth; and everybody had prizes for everything at the

end of the year. Even Mr. Swartz, the wooly-headed young gentleman,

and half-brother to the Honourable Mrs. Mac Mull, and Mr. Bluck, the

neglected young pupil of three-and-twenty from the agricultural

district, and that idle young scapegrace of a Master Todd before

mentioned, received little eighteen-penny books, with "Athene" engraved

on them, and a pompous Latin inscription from the professor to his

young friends.




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