'Have my lessons borne so little fruit that you should ask that question?' The Professor looked disappointed. 'My dear boy, they played in the playing-fields, they swam and rowed in the river, they studied in the school, they worshipped in the chapel. When it was resolved to divide the endowments, women naturally got the first choice, and they chose Eton. Afterwards the boys' public schools fell gradually into decay, and bit by bit they were either closed or became appropriated by girls. There was once a famous school at a place called Rugby. That died. The Lady of the Manor, I believe, gradually absorbed the revenues. Harrow and Marlborough fell in, after a few years, for girls. You see, when once mothers realised the dangers of public school life for boys, they naturally left off sending them.' 'Yes--I see--the danger that----' 'That they would become masterful, Lord Chester, like yourself; that they would use their strength to recover their old supremacy; that they would discover'--here she sank her voice, although they were not within earshot of any one--'that they would discover how strength of brain goes with strength of muscle.' She led the young man back across the river to the Windsor side. On the way they passed an open gate; over the gate was written 'Select school for young gentlemen.' Within was a gymnasium, where a dozen boys were exercising on parallel bars swinging with ropes, and playing with clubs. 'As for your education,' said the Professor, 'we have discovered that the best chance for the world is for a boy to be taught three things. He must learn religion--_i.e._ submission, and the culture of Perfect Womanhood; he must learn a trade of some kind, unless he belongs to the aristocracy, so as not to be necessarily dependent; and he must be made healthy, strong, and active. History will credit us with one thing, at least; we have improved the race.' It wanted an hour of dinner. The Professor, who was never tired, led her pupil over such portions of the old Castle as could still be visited--the great tower and one or two of the terraces. 'This was once yours,' she said. 'This is the castle of your ancestors. Courage, my lord; you shall win it back.' It was in a dream that the young man spent the rest of the evening. The Professor had ordered a simple yet dainty dinner, consisting of a Thames trout, a Châteaubriand, quails, and an omelette, with some Camembert cheese, but her young charge did scanty justice to it. After dinner, when the coffee had been brought, and the door was safely shut, the Professor continued the course of lectures on ancient history, by which she had already upset the mind of her pupil, and filled his brain with dreams of a revolution more stupendous than was ever suspected by the watchful bureau of police.