They
were proud of him, and soon fell into their proper places, resigning
all appearance of a parental control, for which indeed there was no
kind of necessity. In return, George was always kindly to them, and to
the end of his life retained a more affectionate feeling towards his
father and mother than I imagine him ever to have felt again for
man, woman or child.
George's visits to Paleham were never long, for the distance from
London was under fifty miles and there was a direct coach, so that the
journey was easy; there was not time, therefore, for the novelty to
wear off either on the part of the young man or of his parents. George
liked the fresh country air and green fields after the darkness to
which he had been so long accustomed in Paternoster Row, which then,
as now, was a narrow gloomy lane rather than a street. Independently
of the pleasure of seeing the familiar faces of the farmers and
villagers, he liked also being seen and being congratulated on growing
up such a fine-looking and fortunate young fellow, for he was not
the youth to hide his light under a bushel. His uncle had had taught
him Latin and Greek of an evening; he had taken kindly to these
languages and had rapidly and easily mastered what many boys take
years in acquiring.
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