against scurvy, extracted from the peel of his oranges and a little economised juice. He made a North Pole one morning fromthe whole of his bedclothes except the bolster, and reached it in a birch-bark canoe (in private life the fender), after aterrible encounter with a polar bear fashioned from the bolster and four skittles dressed up in “Da’s” nightgown. Afterthat, his father, seeking to steady his imagination, brought him Ivanboe, Bevis, a book about King Arthur, and Tom Brown’sSchooldays. He read the first, and for three days built, defended and stormed Front de Boeuf’s castle, taking every part inthe piece except those of Rebecca and Rowena; with piercing cries of: “En avant, de Bracy!” and similar utterances. Afterreading the book about King Arthur he became almost exclusively Sir Lamorac de Galis, because, though there was very littleabout him, he preferred his name to that of any other knight; and he rode his old rocking-horse to death, armed with a longbamboo. Bevis he found tame; besides, it required woods and animals, of which he had none in his nursery, except his twocats, Fitz and Puck Forsyte, who permitted no liberties. For Tom Brown he was as yet too young. There was relief in thehouse when, after the fourth week, he was permitted to go down and out.

The month being March the trees were exceptionally like the masts of ships, and for little Jon that was a wonderfulSpring, extremely hard on his knees, suits, and the patience of “Da,” who had the washing and reparation of his clothes.Every morning the moment his breakfast was over, he could be viewed by his mother and father, whose windows looked out thatway, coming from the study, crossing the terrace, climbing the old oak tree, his face resolute and his hair bright. He beganthe day thus because there was not time to go far afield before his lessons. The old tree’s variety never staled; it hadmainmast, foremast, top-gallant mast, and he could always come down by the halyards — or ropes of the swing. After his