This love of mechanical construction has never left me, and I shall always remember with affection Samuel Bridge, who first taught me to use the hammer and file.

The last I heard of him was in 1875, when he passed his examination as a schoolmaster, in honours, and was at the head of his list.
"During the next two years, when between twelve and fourteen, I made comparatively slow progress at school.

I remember having to write out the fourth commandment from memory.

The teacher counted twenty-three mistakes in ten lines of my writing.

It will be seen from this, that, as regards learning, I continued heedless and backward.