Such misery could not be permitted; and we
transferred half the task at once to the laundries of Aberystwith.
On the afternoon of this day took place the distribution of "studies."
That is to say, some sixty or eighty boys (a number more than doubled
afterwards), in order to relieve the pressure on our sitting-rooms, were
billeted upon some of the village people, who let their rooms for the
purpose. From two to six boys were assigned to each room according to
its capacity. We shall speak again of these studies. Here we will only
pause to thank our good landladies for the intrepidity with which they
threw their doors open to the invasion, the more so as they mostly
claimed to belong to the category of "poor widows"--a qualification upon
which they were disposed to set a price in arranging their charges. Their
daring proved no indiscretion. The writer, who has the honour of knowing
them all, was the depositary of many and emphatic testimonies on their
part to the cordial relations between them and "the children." This
endearing term was exchanged for another by one good old lady, who
appealed to him against the "very wicked boys," whom she charged with
having "foolished" her.
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