of goading my brother Fred by petty shafts of domestic insult into
pursuing him, bent on vengeance. Hugh had prepared some small pieces of
folded paper with a view to this contingency, and as Fred gave chase,
Hugh flung two of his papers on the ground, being sure that Fred would
stop to examine them. The ruse was quite successful, and while Fred was
opening the papers, Hugh sought sanctuary in the nursery. Sometimes my
sisters were deputed to do a lesson with him. My elder sister Nelly had
a motherly instinct, and enjoyed a small responsibility. She would
explain a rule of arithmetic to Hugh. He would assume an expression of
despair: "I don't understand a word of it--you go so quick." Then it
would be explained again: "Now do you understand?" "Of course I
understand _that_." "Very well, do a sum." The sum would begin: "Oh,
don't push me--don't come so near--I don't like having my face blown
on." Presently my sister with angelic patience would show him a
mistake. "Oh, don't interfere--you make it all mixed up in my head."
Then he would be let alone for a little. Then he would put the slate
down with an expression of despair and resignation; if my sister took no
notice he would say: "I thought Mamma told you to help me in my sums?
How can I understand without having it explained to me?" It was
impossible to get the last word; indeed he used to give my sister
Maggie, when she taught him, what he called "Temper-tickets," at the end
of the lesson; and on one occasion, when he was to repeat a Sunday
collect to her, he was at last reported to my mother, as being wholly
intractable. This was deeply resented; and after my sister had gone to
bed, a small piece of paper was pushed in beneath her door, on which was
written: "The most unhappiest Sunday I ever spent in my life. Whose
fault?"

Again, when Maggie had found him extremely cross and tiresome one
morning in the lessons she was taking, she discovered, when Hugh at