The boys made fun of the way in which he talked, as boys are apt to make sport of those who do not talk as they do.
"What is your name, new boy ?" the big boy of Autun school called out to Napoleon, as on that first day of the new year, which was, as I have said, his first day at school, the Bonaparte brothers wandered about the schoolyard, strangers and shy.
"Na-polle-o-nay!" answered the little new-comer, giving the Corsican pronunciation to his name of Napoleon.
"Oho! so!" cried the big boy, mimicking him.

"Na-pailli-au-nez, is it?
See, fellows, see! this is Mr.Straw-Nose!" For, you see, the way Napoleon pronounced his name sounded very much like the French words that mean "the nose of straw." That, of course, gave the boys at the school a rare chance to nickname; and so poor Napoleon was called "Mr.Straw-Nose" all the time he was at that school.
This was not very long, however; for in three months he had made sufficient progress in his study of French to permit him to pass into the military school at Brienne, into which his father was at last able to procure his admission.
But, while he was at Autun, Napoleon seems to have been a favorite with his teachers.

One of them, the Abbe Chardon, spoke of him as "a sober, thoughtful child." He wished very much to get into the military school; so he worked hard, learned quickly, and was proud of what he called his ability.
But when the boys tried to plague him, or to twit him for being a Corsican, the boy was ready enough to talk back.
The French boys knew but little about Corsica, and had a certain contempt for the little island which, so they declared, was the home of robbers, and which France had one day gone across and conquered.
"Bah, Corsican!" one of the big boys called out to the new scholar, "and what is Corsica?
Just an island of cowards.

Just see how we Frenchmen whipped you out of your boots!" Napoleon clinched his little fist, and turned hotly on his tormentor.
But he was already learning the lesson of self-control.
"And how did you do it, Frenchman ?" he replied.

"By numbers.