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Chapter 4 No.4

Word Count: 2563    |    Released on: 06/12/2017

gin soon to educate your son

my father, "you have re

erstand you,

read Martinus Scrib

I have read it;

when he is defacing the first unsullied page of the human history by entering into it the commonplaces of his own pedantry. A scholar, sir,-at least one li

s, whom you quoted the night the boy wa

ve, that childhood and genius have the same master-organ in common,-inquisitiveness. Let childhood have its way, and as it began where genius begins, it may find what genius finds. A certain Greek writer tells us of some man who, in order to save his bees a troublesome flight to Hymettus, cut their wi

grass and plucking daisies on the lawn, while the young m

bill out of your nursery,

t her affection put out new flowers for the new generation. She was a Devonshire woman; and Devonshire women, especially those who have passed their youth near the sea-coast, are generally superstitious. She had a wonderful budget of fables. Before I was six years old, I was erudite in that primitive literature in which the legends of all nati

e solid benefit to be derived from such fantastic

mbolic significations of the highest morality. I have myself written a treatise to prove that Puss in Boots is an allegory upon the progress of the human understanding, having its origin in the mystica

blue eyes, "you don't think that Sisty will di

red that I was no worse for all the quartos that have transmigrated into ideas within me,-ideas that are mysteries even to myself. If Sisty, as you call the child (plague on that unlucky anachronism! which you do well to abbreviate into a dissyllable),-if Sisty can't disco

teaching, therefore thou wert, at heart, indifferent to thy troublesome Neogilos. As I grew older, I became more sensibly aware that a father's eye was upon me. I dis

ul delf blue-and-white flower-pot, which had been set on the window-sill of an upper story, fell to the ground with a crash, and the fragme

the porch, "my poor flower-pot that I prized so mu

fatal window, nodded to the summons, and

light last May,-I would rather the best tea-set were broken! The poor geranium I reared myself, and the dea

are usually afraid of very silent shy ones. She cast a hasty glance at her master, who was beginning to evi

and you knew how I prized them both.

isty, coming out of the house as bold as brass, continued rapidly-"

s hat, and was regarding the scene with serious eyes wide awake. "Hush! And if he did break it, ma'am, it was quite an acci

t; take care in future, my child. You are sorry, I s

e; I don't deserve it. I pushed

said my fathe

ns trembled

to see how you'd look, papa; and that's

wrong: you shall repair it by remembering all your life that your father blessed God for giving him a son who spok

d better, and less of an infant, when I thought over it, and tried to puzzle out the meaning; for he had a way of suggesting, not teaching, putting things into my head, and then leaving them to work out their own problems. I remember a special instance with respect to that same flower-pot and geranium. Mr. Squills, who was a bachelor, and well-to-do in th

ging the ivory parallelograms in the parlor, "ah!

yes,

that box out of the window and break it for fun." I

ou read of could change the domino-box into a beautiful geranium in a beautiful blue-and-w

uld!" said I

good wishes don't mend bad action

by his aphorism. But I know that I played at dominos no more that day. The next morning my father found me se

nd, by the by, fetch your domino-box. I should like to show it to a person there." I ran in

the way, "there ar

hen, my

x be changed into a geranium an

ho is in earnest to be good, carries two fairies about with him,-one her

understan

you do, Pisistrat

he flowers, paused before a large double geranium. "Ah! this is fin

d.," said t

. "I can't afford it to-day," sa

d. Yes, that is the price. Well; when your mamma's birthday comes again, we must buy her another. That is some months to wait. And we can wait, Maste

e, rose again; but the rush of j

pretty toys and knick-knacks. "And by the way," he added, as the smiling shopman looked over his books for the entry, "I think my little boy here can show you

ways well, my boy, to know what a thing is worth, in case one wishes to part with i

to give more than eighteen shillings for it, unless the yo

give that sum! Well, my boy, whenever you do grow

I lingered behind a few moments, and

n buy the geranium; we can buy the flower-pot."

, passing his handkerchief over his e

ng vase and flower on the window-sill, I plucked my

ey!" said my father; "good a

your poor domino-box that you were so fond of! We will g

back, Pisistratus

il all," I cried, burying m

son to our child,-the sanctity and the happiness of self-s

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Contents

Chapter 1 No.1 Chapter 2 No.2 Chapter 3 No.3 Chapter 4 No.4 Chapter 5 No.5 Chapter 6 No.6 Chapter 7 No.7 Chapter 8 No.8 Chapter 9 No.9 Chapter 10 No.10 Chapter 11 No.11
Chapter 12 No.12
Chapter 13 No.13
Chapter 14 No.14
Chapter 15 No.15
Chapter 16 MY UNCLE ROLAND'S TALE.
Chapter 17 No.17
Chapter 18 No.18
Chapter 19 No.19
Chapter 20 No.20
Chapter 21 No.21
Chapter 22 No.22
Chapter 23 No.23
Chapter 24 No.24
Chapter 25 No.25
Chapter 26 No.26
Chapter 27 No.27
Chapter 28 No.28
Chapter 29 No.29
Chapter 30 No.30
Chapter 31 No.31
Chapter 32 No.32
Chapter 33 No.33
Chapter 34 No.34
Chapter 35 No.35
Chapter 36 MY FATHER'S FIRST LOVE.
Chapter 37 No.37
Chapter 38 No.38
Chapter 39 No.39
Chapter 40 No.40
Chapter 41 No.41
Chapter 42 No.42
Chapter 43 No.43
Chapter 44 No.44
Chapter 45 No.45
Chapter 46 No.46
Chapter 47 No.47
Chapter 48 No.48
Chapter 49 No.49
Chapter 50 No.50
Chapter 51 No.51
Chapter 52 No.52
Chapter 53 No.53
Chapter 54 No.54
Chapter 55 No.55
Chapter 56 No.56
Chapter 57 No.57
Chapter 58 No.58
Chapter 59 No.59
Chapter 60 No.60
Chapter 61 No.61
Chapter 62 No.62
Chapter 63 No.63
Chapter 64 No.64
Chapter 65 No.65
Chapter 66 No.66
Chapter 67 No.67
Chapter 68 No.68
Chapter 69 No.69
Chapter 70 No.70
Chapter 71 No.71
Chapter 72 No.72
Chapter 73 No.73
Chapter 74 No.74
Chapter 75 No.75
Chapter 76 No.76
Chapter 77 No.77
Chapter 78 No.78
Chapter 79 No.79
Chapter 80 No.80
Chapter 81 No.81
Chapter 82 No.82
Chapter 83 No.83
Chapter 84 No.84
Chapter 85 No.85
Chapter 86 No.86
Chapter 87 No.87
Chapter 88 No.88
Chapter 89 No.89
Chapter 90 No.90
Chapter 91 No.91
Chapter 92 No.92
Chapter 93 No.93
Chapter 94 No.94
Chapter 95 No.95
Chapter 96 No.96
Chapter 97 No.97
Chapter 98 No.98
Chapter 99 No.99
Chapter 100 No.100
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