The Life of George Borrow | Page 8

and listen to the chirping of the birds, indulging the while in
musing and meditation." {9a} Meanwhile John was earning golden

opinions for the astonishing progress he continued to make at school,
unconsciously throwing into bolder relief the apparent dullness of his
younger brother. George, however, was as active mentally as the elder.
The one was studying men, the other books. George was absorbing
impressions of the things around him: of the quaint old Norfolk town,
its "clean but narrow streets branching out from thy modest
market-place, with thine old-fashioned houses, with here and there a
roof of venerable thatch"; of that exquisite old gentlewoman Lady Fenn,
{9b} as she passed to and from her mansion upon some errand of
bounty or of mercy, "leaning on her gold-headed cane, whilst the sleek
old footman walked at a respectful distance behind." {9c) On Sundays,
from the black leather-covered seat in the church-pew, he would
contemplate with large-eyed wonder the rector and James Philo his
clerk, "as they read their respective portions of the venerable liturgy,"
sometimes being lulled to sleep by the monotonous drone of their
voices.
On fine Sundays there was the evening walk "with my mother and
brother--a quiet, sober walk, during which I would not break into a run,
even to chase a butterfly, or yet more a honey-bee, being fully
convinced of the dread importance of the day which God had hallowed.
And how glad I was when I had got over the Sabbath day without
having done anything to profane it. And how soundly I slept on the
Sabbath night after the toil of being very good throughout the day."
{10a}
During these early years there was being photographed upon the brain
of George Borrow a series of impressions which, to the end of his life,
remained as vivid as at the moment they were absorbed. What appeared
to those around him as dull-witted stupidity was, in reality, mental
surfeit. His mind was occupied with other things than books, things that
it eagerly took cognisance of, strove to understand and was never to
forget. {10b} Hitherto he had taken "no pleasure in books . . . and bade
fair to be as arrant a dunce as ever brought the blush of shame into the
cheeks of anxious and affectionate parents." {10c} His mind was not
ready for them. When the time came there was no question of dullness:
he proved an eager and earnest student.
One day an intimate friend of Mrs Borrow's, who was also godmother
to John, brought with her a present of a book for each of the two boys,

a history of England for the elder and for the younger Robinson Crusoe.
Instantly George became absorbed.
"The true chord had now been touched . . . Weeks succeeded weeks,
months followed months, and the wondrous volume was my only study
and principal source of amusement. For hours together I would sit
poring over a page till I had become acquainted with the import of
every line. My progress, slow enough at first, became by degrees more
rapid, till at last, under a 'shoulder of mutton sail,' I found myself
cantering before a steady breeze over an ocean of enchantment, so well
pleased with my voyage that I cared not how long it might be ere it
reached its termination. And it was in this manner that I first took to the
paths of knowledge." {11a}
In the spring of 1810 the regiment was ordered to Norman Cross, in
Huntingdonshire, situated at the junction of the Peterborough and Great
North Roads. At this spot the Government had caused to be erected in
1796 an extensive prison, covering forty acres of ground, in which to
confine some of the prisoners made during the Napoleonic wars. There
were sixteen large buildings roofed with red tiles. Each group of four
was surrounded by a palisade, whilst another palisade "lofty and of
prodigious strength" surrounded the whole. At the time when the West
Norfolk Militia arrived there were some six thousand prisoners, who,
with their guards, constituted a considerable-sized township. From time
to time fresh batches of captives arrived amid a storm of cheers and
cries of "Vive L'Empereur!" These were the only incidents in the day's
monotony, save when some prisoner strove to evade the hospitality of
King George, and was shot for his ingratitude.
Captain Borrow rejoined his regiment at Norman C Cross, leaving his
family to follow a few days later. At the time the country round
Peterborough was under water owing to the recent heavy rains, and at
one portion of the journey the whole party had to embark in a species
of punt, which was towed by horses "up to the knees in water, and, on
coming to blind pools and 'greedy depths,' were