Life of John Coleridge Patteson, Missionary Bishop the Melanesian Islands | Page 6

him go to his friends for some time. The dear boy is so
affectionate, and has so much to work on, that there is no fear of him;
only these things must be looked after promptly, and he must learn
practically (before his reason and religion operate) that he gains
nothing by a lie... He is very well, and wins one's heart in a moment...
'Ever your affectionate Brother,
'F. G. C.'
The management was effectual, and the penitence real, for this fault
never recurred, nor is the boy's conduct ever again censured, though the

half-yearly reports often lament his want of zeal and exertion. Coley
was sufficiently forward to begin Greek on his first arrival at Ottery,
and always held a fair place for his years, but throughout his school
career his character was not that of an idle but of an uninterested boy,
who preferred play to work, needed all his conscience to make him
industrious, and then was easily satisfied with his performances;
naturally comparing them with those of other boys, instead of doing his
own utmost, and giving himself full credit for the diligence he thought
he had used. For it must be remembered that it was a real, not an ideal
nature; not a perfect character, but one full of the elements of growth.
A childish, childlike boy, he was now, and for many years longer,
intensely fond of all kinds of games and sports, in which his light active
form, great agility, and high spirit made him excel. Cricket, riding,
running-races, all the school amusements were his delight; fireworks
for the 5th of November sparkle with ecstasy through his letters, and he
was a capital dancer in the Christmas parties at his London home. He
had likewise the courage and patience sure to be needed by an active
lad. While at Ottery he silently bore the pain of a broken collar-bone
for three weeks, and when the accident was brought to light by his
mother's embrace, he only said that 'he did not like to make a fuss.'
Consideration for others, kindness, and sweetness of nature were
always his leading characteristics, making him much beloved by all his
companions, and an excellent guardian and example to his little brother,
who soon joined him at Ottery. Indeed, the love between these two
brothers was so deep, quiet, and fervid, that it is hard to dwell on it
while 'one is taken and the other left.' It was at this time a rough
buffeting, boyish affection, but it was also a love that made separation
pain and grief, and on the part of the elder, it showed itself in careful
protection from all harm or bullying, and there was a strong underlying
current of tenderness, most endearing to all concerned with the boys,
whether masters, relations, friends, or servants.
CHAPTER II.
BOYHOOD AT ETON. 1838--1845.

After the Christmas holidays of 1837-8, when Coley Patteson was
nearly eleven years old, he was sent to Eton, that most beautifully
situated of public schools, whose delightful playing fields, noble trees,
broad river, and exquisite view of Windsor Castle give it a peculiar
charm, joining the venerable grandeur of age to the freshness and life of
youth, so as to rivet the affections in no common degree.
It was during the head-mastership of Dr. Hawtrey that Patteson became,
in schoolboy phrase, an Eton fellow, being boarded in the house of his
uncle, the Rev. Edward Coleridge, one of the most popular and
successful Eton masters. Several of his cousins were also in this house,
with other boys who became friends of his whole life, and he was
thoroughly happy there, although in these early days he still felt each
departure from home severely, and seldom failed to write a mournful
letter after the holidays. There is one, quite pathetic in its simplicity,
telling his mother how he could not say his prayers nor fall asleep on
his first night till he had resolutely put away the handkerchief that
seemed for some reason a special link with home. It illustrates what all
who remember him say, how thoroughly a childlike being he still was,
though a well-grown, manly, high-spirited boy, quite able to take care
of himself, keep his place, and hold his own.
He was placed in the lower remove of the fourth form, which was then
'up to' the Rev. Charles Old Goodford, i.e. that was he who taught the
division so called in school.
The boy was evidently well prepared, for he was often captain of his
division, and his letters frequently tell of successes of this kind, while
they anticipate 'Montem.'
That of 1838 was a brilliant one, for Queen Victoria, then only nineteen,
and her first year of sovereignty not yet accomplished, came from the
Castle to be