tgtwnrtO's Canrl; Tefans.
FRANK:
A SEQUEL TO FRANK IN
EARLY LESSONS.
BY MARIA EDGEWORTH.
IN TWO VOLUMXN.
VOL. II.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY MUNROE AND FRANCIS.
1851.
This series of MAIIA E nOWOBaTa' EARLY LESSONS
consists of
HARRY AND LUCY.. ......................... I vol
FRANK ........................................ vol.
SEQUEL TO FRANI ........................2 vols
ROBAMOND ...................................2 vola.
HARRY AND LUCY CONCLUDED............4 vols.
To be had separately, as above,-or all together, in
G thick volumes.
FRANK:
A SEQUEL
TO
EARLY LESSONS.
FoR this evening there had been amusement
enough; the engineer therefore did not ask
Frank for his second request, till the next
evening at tea-time ; then, when he had fin-
ished all his business, as he said, for that day,
he turned to Frank, and said,-
'Now, my little friend, what can I do for
you ? what is your second request ?'
Sir,' said Frank, there are some wonder-
ful things, very long sticks with knobs at the
end of them, which you desired should be
locked up very carefully : you said that they
might do mischief if they were not taken care
of: and when I asked you what they were,
you said to me in a great hurry,as you were go-
ing by, some very odd names, which I thought
EARLY LESSONS.
were mistakes, for you said one was a sort of
flower, and the other a sort of wheel-I cannot
recollect the names ; would you tell them to
me again, and tell me what they are ?'
Perhaps,' answered the engineer, I said
Rockets, and a Catherine wheel.'
'Yes,' cried Frank, those were the very
names; but how can those sticks be wheels
or flowers ?'
The engineer began to explain to him, that
these are names which are given to a sort of
.fireworks. At the sound of the word fire-
works, Mary and Frank both exclaimed,-
'How I should like to see fireworks !'
0, sir,' said Frank, may I ask, may this
ibe my second request, that you should show
,us some fireworks ?'
His friend, smiling, said, that he was hap-
py to oblige him ; and that he would show
Ihim two rockets and a Catherine wheel.'
The key of the closet was brought to get the
)rockets, and a lantern being procured, they all
went out upon the open grass plat, before the
,door, to let off the fireworks. The engineer pla-
icedFrank and Mary so that they could see well.
He told Frank, that what he called the
'knobs at the top of the sticks were cases of
stiff paper, filled with a preparation of gun-
tpowder; and that when he should hold a can-
dle to the paper; it would set fire to the gun-
powder, which when it blew up would carry
the stick to a considerable height in the air;
Ithe rest they would see.
Mary was so much startled by the first
FRANK.
burst of fire, that she shut her eyes, and did not
see the course of the rocket. It was very well
for her that the engineer had another, which
she did look at, and liked very much: high in
the air it exploded and blazed like a vast star
of fire, from which little stars broke, and fell
scattering themselves all around, lasting sev-
eral seconds of time. The Catherine wheel
was still more beautiful, whirling round and
round like a wheel on fire. They were de-
lighted with the fireworks, which more than
equalled their expectations. Frank said that
he should like to make some for himself, if his
father would be so good as to give him some
gunpowder. But his father said he could not
trust him with gunpowder, and enjoined him
never to attempt to play with it, or to set it
on fire.
Frank was, he said, very sorry that this
was to be the last day of the engineer. Frank
had shown some instances of ingenuity and
ready recollection of his knowledge, with
which he had been much pleased. He repea-
ted some of these to Frank's mother, who lis-
tened with pleasure, mixed with some degree
of apprehension, that by such praise Frank
would be too much elated. She knew his foible
of vanity, and so did he, and had been lately on
his guard against it. But this was too strong
for him ; his spirits were high, and he wanted
to raise his friend's opinion of him by display-
ing at once his whole stock of learning. It
happened to a fine starlight night': he called
every body to look at the stars, on purpose
246 EARLY LESSONS.
that he might talk of them; for Frank had
read Sandford and Merton, and had learned at
least as much as Tommy Merton. He knew the
Greater Bear and the Lesser, and the Pole-star,
and Orion and Lyra; and, not aware how
much more there is to be known, imagined that
he was very near being a great astronomer.
The engineer had brought out a telescope,
and was fixing it for him, that he might show
him the planet Saturn and its ring; but Frank
never looked at it, but was intent only on
showing his little stock of learning, and inter-
rupted whatever the engineer was saying; he
began counting to Mary all the stars, whose
names he had lately learned, talking of them
as if they were all his own familiar acquain-
tance, and had scarcely been heard of by any
body else in the world. He asked Mary if
she knew that there was a great circle in the
heavens called the ecliptic, and wondered that
she could not name all the signs of the zodiac :
he named them all as fast as possible. He
talked on, hoping that every body was admir-
ing him, but no applause ensued : his friend
the engineer was too good a friend to encour-
age him in conceit. When at last he stop-
ped, there was a mortifying silence. Mary
felt what was thought of Frank; she was a-
shamed for him: and now he saw this; he
perceived that his father and mother were a-
shamed for him. He grew very hot all over,
and stood quite still and abashed, pinching
his little finger very hard to relieve the pain
of his mind. His father soon called to him and
FRANK.
kindly lowered the telescope for him to look at
Saturn's ring-this was a humane relief.
Mary asked where the circle in the heavens
called the ecliptic was to be seen ?
The engineer told her that there was no such
circle in reality, but that it was a supposed
circle, by which the heavens are divided.
Mary again asked, of what use it was to
Suppose that there is this circle 7
The engineer turned to Frank and asked
him if he knew.
Frank answered very humbly, that he did
not. The engineer asked him if he knew, in
general, of what use astronomy, or the knowl-
edge of the stars and of their motions, can be
to human creatures ?
Frank had a general idea, that astronomy
was of use, but he did not know of what use.
He knew that Harry Sandford found his way
out of the moor by the help of the pole star;
but how, he could not well tell: and he be-
lieved that people know whereabouts they are
at sea, by looking at the stars, by the north
pole and the compass. The degrees of latitude
on the earth, he was almost certain, were con-
nected with the great circle called the ecliptic,
but he did not know how.
Here Frank felt so much puzzled, and so
conscious of his own ignorance, that he stop-
ped short, saying, 'I cannot explain myself-
for I do not understand anything about these
things distinctly ; and I am sorry, sir,' ad-
ded he, that I began to talk about the eclip-
tic to Mary, and talk so conceitedly.'
EARLY LESSONS.
My dear Frank,' said the engineer, you
are a very candid boy ; and as to your little
fits of vanity, those will go off when you know
more; and that you will know more I am con-
vinced, because you show such a desire to im-
prove yourself. You worked very hard to
make yourself master of summer and winter,
and you succeeded. I will mark for you some
more passages in your little book of Scientific
Dialogues, and in some other books, which I
will leave with you ; and, if you read these
carefully, you will, I hope, before I see you
again, comprehend clearly what you now wish
to learn. You will understand exactly the use
of dividing into degrees that imaginary circle
in the heavens called the ecliptic, and you
will learn of what use astronomy and trigo-
nometry are to man, in sailing upon the sea,
and in measuring the earth.'
This is a great deal to learn,' said Mary:
Swill Frank indeed be able to learn all this 1
Yes, I think he will, if he goes on, little
by little, and steadily; and if he reads
with his kind mother, who is ready to assist
him in all difficulties, and who will not let
him go on too fast.'
'I will begin,' said Frank, to-morrow,
sir, as you shall see.'
I hope you will, though I shall not see it,'
said the engineer, 'for I am obliged to go a-
way very early in the morning.'
Frank and Mary were sorry, for they were
very fond of him. Sensible children always
love those who do not flatter them: who open
FRANK.
to them new views of knowledge, and who
excite them continually to improve.
While they were talking,the servant brought
in letters. Here, sir,' cried Frank, running
to the engineer with his letters, here are let-
ters for you. Perhaps these may bring good
news for us, and that you may find you can
stay one other day.'
No, there was nothing in the letters which
changed his determination as to going away;
but there was something about his son Lewis,
which gave him pleasure.
I must show this to you,my dear madam,'
said he, turning to Frank's mother; and he
looked very happy as he pointed to the follow-
ing passage in the letter, which he laid down
before her:-
We have your Lewis with us; his holy-
days began last Monday: and glad we are to
have him, if you were out of the question; for
a very generous, good-tempered, obliging boy
he is, and ever on the watch for information:
a most hopeful disposition.'
He must be very likeFrank,' thought Mary.
The other letter was from the master of the
school at which Lewis was. It concluded
thus:-
Your son Lewis did admirably at our last
examinations. If his brother treads in his
footsteps, he cannot fail to be approved by his
masters, and loved by his companions.'
O !' thought Frank, how happy I shall
be if my father ever has such a letter about
me after I go to school '
250 EARLY LESSONS.
Frank's father and mother asked the engin-
eer to bring his son Lewis with him the next
time he should come.
He promised that he would, for he said
that he should be glad that his son and Frank
should become acquainted, and he hoped that
they would also become friends.
'Here is mother, alone, and settled at her
tambour frame, Mary. How happy!' cried
Frank. Now we can talk to her about it as
much as we please. Mother, may I read you
this?'
'Yes, and welcome, my dear, while I am
working; but I am afraid I shall soon have
done. What is the book, my dear ?'
Mother, it is a short account of the life of
the author.'
'What author, Frank ?'
I do not know his name, mother, it says
only the author of this book.'
What book, my dear ?'
'The book I brought home the other night
from the gardener's; the book from which his
son learnt how to make the sun-dial. 0, moth-
er, do not look into this part, that is too diffi-
cult.'
We cannot understand that,' said Mary,
' that is about tables of falling bodies,' and
terrible things. But it is this Short Account
of the Life of the Author,' which Frank is
going to read to you, mother.'
FRANK.
Mother, I will tell you part, and read only
what I like best,' said Frank.
The beginning tells only that the man was
corn somewhere, I forget where.'
He was born in a low station, I know,' said
Mary; but I do not recollect exactly where.'
'Well, never mind,' continued Frank; 'but
you must know that he was at first very poor.'
'He was originally a peasant boy, mother,'
and you shall hear all that he did.'
'But first tell me his name,' said Frank's
mother.
His name, mother ? that I really do not
know,' said Frank.
What, not know the name of the man
whose life you have been reading !'
No, mother, he never once tells his name
in his whole life,' said Frank. You may
look it over yourself, mother, every page. I
have looked it over twice.'
And I, too,' said Mary, and I do not
think you will find it. It does not tell even
the name of his father or mother.'
Pray look and try if you can find it, moth-
er,' said Frank.
His mother looked at the title page, and
pointed to the name of the author, James Fer-
guson.
'You have found it, mother, after all!
I thought I had looked thoroughly; but I did
not begin at the very beginning you will say;
next time I really will look even at the title-
page. But now let me go on.'
EARLY LESSONS.
This James Ferguson's father was very
poor, and had a large family, and he was obli-
ged to work all day ; but whenever he had
any time, he taught some of his children to
read and write. He had not leisure however
at first to teach James, and James learned by
listening, while his father was teaching his
elder brother to read his catechism.'
Now read on here, Frank,' said Mary, lest
you should forget to tell about the old woman.'
Frank read what follows fromFerguson's life.
Ashamed to ask my father to instruct me,
I used, when he and my brother were abroad,
to take the catechism and study the lesson,
which he had been teaching my brother; and
when any difficulty occurred,I went to a neigh-
boring old woman, who gave me such help as
enabled me to read tolerably well, before my
father had thought of teaching me.'
'Dear good old woman !' said Mary.
'Some time after, he was agreeably surpri-
sed to find me reading by myself ; he there-
upon gave me further instruction, and also
taught me to write.'
'I will miss the grammar school,' said
Frank, for I am sure that will not interest
you : but I must go on here.'
My taste for mechanics arose from an odd
accident. When about seven or eight years of
age, a part of the roof being decayed, my father,
desirous of mending it, applied a lever to raise
it to its former situation : and to my great as-
tonishment I saw him lift up the ponderous
roof as if it had been a small weight. I attrib-
FRANK.
uted this to a degree of strength, that excited
my terror as well as wonder; but thinking far-
ther of the matter, I recollected that head ap-
plied his strength to that part of the lever which
was farthest from the prop; and finding on
inquiry that this was the means by which the
seeming wonder was effected, I began making
levers, which I then called bars.'
Frank's father now came into the room to
look for some papers, and stood still to listen
to what they were reading.
Father,' said Frank, I understand all this
as well as the man did; because we read a
great while ago to mother, in Sandford and
Merton, the account of the boys using the lever
to move the great snowball, which they could
not roll without it. And that very day you
were so good, father, as to call me to look at
one of the workmen, who was using a leve-
to move a heavy root of a tree. How pleasant
it is to find in a book what puts us in mind
of things we have seen and heard, and quite
understand.'
Very true,' said Mary, but now will you
go on with the book, Frank, because I want
to come to the little knife, and then to the
wooden watch.'
O, my dear,' said Frank, 'don't tell all be-
forehand. Let me tell of the stars first.'
Being rather too young and too weak for
hard labor, my father put me out to a neighbor
to keep sheep, which I continued to do for
some years, and in that time began to study
the stars in the night.'
564 EARLY LESSONS.
'How happy he must have been!' saidFrank.
In the day-time I amused myself by ma-
king models of mills, spinning-wheels, and
such other things as I happened to see.'
'I wish, Frank, that you could do the
same !' said Mary.
0, father, I am sorry you are going away,'
said Frank ; cannot you stay while 1 read
about the blanket and the stars ?'
I am sorry I cannot, my dear ; but there
is a man waiting for me on business.'
SThen, mother, I will go on to you.'
'I then went to serve a considerable farmer
in the neighborhood, whose name was James
Glashan. I found him very kind and indul-
gent; but he soon observed, that in the even-
ings, when my work was over, I went into the
field with a blanket over me, lay down on my
back, and, stretching a small thread, with
small beads upon it, at arm's length, between
my eye and the stars, sliding the beads upon it
till they hid such and such stars from my eye,
in order to take their apparent distances from
one another ; and then laying the thread down
on a paper, I marked the stars thereon by the
beads, according to their respective positions,
having a candle by me. My master at first
laughed at me; but when I explained my mean-
ing to him, he encouraged me to go on ; and
that I might make fair copies in the day-time
of what I had done in the night, he often
worked for me himself. I shall always have
a respect for the memory of that man.'
To be sure,' said Frank,' or you would have
FRANK.
been horribly ungrateful, Mr. James Ferguson.
Do you know, mother, this uncommon master,
as he calls him, used often to take the thrash-
ing flail out of his hands, that he might have
time for his pleasant employment ?'
Frank's mother joined with him in liking
this uncommon master very much ; but she
said, that she had now unfortunately done
her work, and that she must go away ; but,'
added she, I am glad you have such an en-
tertaining book.'
'But, mother, it is double entertainment
when I am reading it to you, and talking to
you about it.'
Frank can go on reading while you are ta-
king your work out of the frame, may not he,
mother 7' said Mary.
'Very well then, mother, let me just tell
you,' said Frank, all this Ferguson did when
he was a boy; he made a globe himself out of a
block of wood, turned it, finished it in three
weeks, covered it with paper, and painted and
divided it all rightly; and, mother, besides this
globe of the earth,and I do not know how many
little windmills, and watermills, he made a
wooden watch, that went, mother and- '
'Now comes the great wonder !' sai8 Mary.
'Hush my dear Mary. I must just read
to you, mother,' said Frank, about the gen-
tleman on horseback, showing him a watch
for the first time.'
'I should like to hear it very much, my dear,'
said Frank's mother. But now I really
have other things to do, and I must go.'
EARLY LESSONS.
Frank pursued her from room to room with
the book, reading at every interval when he
could be heard.
I thanked the gentleman, and told him that
I understood the thing very well. I then tried
to make a watch with wooden wheels, and
made the spring of whalebone; but found that
I could not make the watch go, when the
balance was put on, because- '
Frank skipped the cause, which he thought
either too difficult for his mother or himself to
understand, and he went on-
'I enclosed the whole in a wooden case,
very little bigger than a breakfast tea-cup.'
0! now comes the misfortune !' cried Mary.
By this time Frank had followed his mother
without well knowing where, through bed-
chamber, and dressing-room and passage, till
at last she was at the head of the back stair-
case, and he saw her descending.
'Where are you going now, mother ? '
'Down stairs to the housekeeper's room,
my dear,' said she.
'May we come with you, mother '
'No, my dear, certainly not, I cannot listen
to you and to Mrs. Catherine at the same time.'
Well, then, I will finish the misfortune for
you as you go down stairs, mother.' He read
on as loud and fast as he could-
'A clumsy neighbor one day looking at
my watch, happened to let it fall, and turning
hastily to pick it up, set his foot upon it and
crushed it all to pieces, which so provoked
my father, that he was almost ready to beat
the man ; and this discouraged me so much,
that I never attempted to make such another
machine again, especially as I was thorough-
ly convinced I could never make one that
would ever be of any real use.'
But mother is quite out of hearing, Frank,'
said Mary. What a pity to have wasted all
that, as she was going down stairs ?'
True, I will keep the rest for her dressing
time,' said Frank.
At her dressing time, Frank appeared again
before his mother, with the same book in his
hand; he read to her again the accountof the
breaking of the wooden watch, and had reason
to be satisfied with her pity for the boy; but
he was not quite contented, because she a-
greed with Ferguson in being thoroughly con-
vinced, that he could never make a watch that
would be of any real use.
Frank had formed an intention of attempting
to make such a watch, and had seen a bit of
whalebone among Mrs. Catherine's treasures,
which he thought would do for the spring.
Now,my dear Frank,' said his mother, 'all
this is very entertaining and ingenious; but we
must not neglect other things; I am ready to
look at the Stream of Time' with you, and
to hear you read the Grecian history.'
Frank looked at the Stream of Time' with
fixed eyes, without well knowing what he saw,
or what he heard from his mother, which she
observing, rolled up the chart; and Frank then
opened the Grecian history, reading so fast,
22
257
FRANK.
EARLY LESSONS.
that it was clear he only wanted to get it over
He even hurried and stumbled when he came
to what he loved most, Leonidas in the Straits
of Thermopyle.
My dear Frank,' said his mother, you
had better put down the book, and empty
your head quite of Mr. Ferguson, before you
go on with Leonidas.'
Frank put down the book, and said,
Thank you, mother, I am thinking that I
wish I had been born a peasant boy, like Fer-
guson, that I might have learned every thing
by myself, as he did, in a wonderful way,
and that I might have surprised every body;
how happy he must have been He taught
himself vulgar arithmetic; mother, what is
vulgar arithmetic ?'
Common arithmetic, my dear.'
What? addition, multiplication, subtrac-
tion, and division, which we have learned ? '
said Frank. But then, mother, it is no great
glory to us to have learned these things: now
it was wonderful for him : and he was so hap-
py, working through all his difficulties. 0,
mother I wish I was what is called in the
book a self-taught genius.'
My dear,' replied his mother, laughing,
'since you cannot be a self-taught genius now,
you had better content yourself with being, if
you can, a well-taught genius.'
That I shall be, certainly,' said Frank,
'because father and you teach me, and I am
sure I am very much obliged to you.' But
still Frank looked not quite happy.
FRANK.
To comfort you, Frank,' said his mother,
'I can tell you, that I do not believe one in
ten of these self-taught persons ever distin-
guish themselves in the world, or excite that
wonder, or obtain that glory, of which you
are so desirous.'
But, mother, I might have been that one
in ten.'
True, my dear ; after struggling through
great difficulties.'
But that is what I should have liked of
all things, mother.'
Yet you do not seem to me particularly to
like even the little difficulties you do meet
with,' said his mother.
What do you mean, mother ?'
Don't you remember,' said Mary, Latin
grammar for one thing, and sums in division
of pounds, shillings, and pence '
But, my dear, those are not at all the sort
of difficulties I mean.'
And yet,' said his mother, those are some
of the difficulties which your poor self-taught
boy must have gone through, before he be-
came master of arithmetic and a Latin schol-
ar, must not he ?'
STrue: yes; I did not think of that,' said he.
Besides, the self-taught genius has another
disadvantage,' said his mother. Often,' for
want of friends, and books to tell him what has
been done, he wastes his time and ingenuity in
inventing what others have invented before
him.'
That is true,' said Frank. I remember
EARLY LESSONS.
Ferguson thought he was the first person who
had ever discovered the use of a lever, and a
wedge, and a screw; and wrote a book about
them; and was very much surprised and dis-
appointed to find, that nothing that he had
written was new to anybody.'
Yes, poor man,' said Mary. Now you
can't make such a mistake, Frank, for you
have friends and books.'
Now that you have emptied your head,
Frank,' said his mother, let us go on with
the Grecian history.'
Frank now read with attention. When the
business of the day was finished, he returned
to his projects. His first project was to make
a globe, such as Ferguson had made; and he
would have it all painted and divided in right
circles, and ready, he said, by the time the
engineer should come back, and this would
surprise him delightfully.
Frank recollected to have seen, behind some
rubbish in the back-yard, a stone ball, which
had once stood on the top of the pier of an
old gate. He asked his father if he might
have this ; and his father told him that he
might, but that he could not guess what use
he could make of it.
So much the better,' thought Frank.
With the help of leversFrank rolled the ball
happily home; and next it was to be cleaned,
for it was covered with green stains, and spots
of thick brown moss. The moss was scraped
off by Mary with an oyster shell, but the stains
could not be removed. Frank determined to
FRANK.
cover it with paper, through which he thought
they would not be seen. But it was no easy
matter to cover it: Mary cut paper in all forms
and pasted and pasted, and it crinkled and crin-
kled,and it never would lie smooth on the stone
nor would the quarters (asFrank called them),
the gores (as Mary called them), join rightly.
Frank it never, never will do,' said
Mary, after she had pasted at it till she was
quite tired.
Frank gave up the ball; he had just thought
of something much better. This was a wind-
mill, which, as Mary observed, would be use-
ful to stick up in the garden to frighten away
the birds. Frank had carpenter's tools, and
had been used to work with them, and he had
wood, and nails, and all he wanted for his
windmill; he persevered, and really did make
what the gardener called a whirligig; and it
was put up in the garden, and frightened away
the birds from one cherrytree for a whole day;
but the next day something was amiss with it;
the gardener said, one of the vanes, or leaves
of the mill, had dropt out, and, in short, it fell
to pieces. But still as one scheme failed, a-
nother rose in Frank's imagination; and he
went on from one to another, pleased always
with the last new idea, yet finishing few; for
some he found impossible, some not sufficient-
ly surprising, and almost all were too tire-
some, he said, to be worth completing. But at
last he formed a new grand project of an orrery,
a machine, as he told Mary, by which,with the
help of little balls representing the earth, sun,
EARLY LESSONS.
moon, and stars, he could show the motions
of all the heavenly bodies. It was a bold un-
dertaking, especially as he did not yet know
half their motions: but these he could learn,
he thought, as he went on with his work, be-
cause there was a description and an engra-
ving of an orrery in his dear Mr. Ferguson's
book. Frank prevailed upon his mother to
lend him her round tambour frame, in which,
luckily, there was no work; he assured her
that he would neither break nor injure it in
any way; and she was willing to trust him,
because he was always very careful of what
he promised not to spoil.
My dear Frank,' said she, I am glad you
amuse yourself; and you will soon find out,
by your own experience, what you can, and
what you cannot do: but you now give up too
much time to these amusements; you neglect
and forget all that you had resolved to do and
to learn of more useful things.'
Mary's eye turned consciously towards the
'Stream of Time.' She recollected, and so did
Frank, that it had been quite disregarded,
while he had been making the whirligig, and
endeavoring to make the globes: the Roman
history, and the Grecian, and Scientific Dia-
logues too, with the marked passages that
were to have been studied before the return
of the engineer-all these had been neglected.
His lessons in writing, in arithmetic, had been
ill attended to: the lists of the must wants
and may wants of man had been quite forgot-
ten; in short, he had been so much devoted
FRANK.
his new schemes, that he had no time, no to
thought for any thing else.
It is all very true, mother,' said he:' but
if you will only be so good as to lend me the
tambour frame, I will do all that I have resol-
ved to do in time, and my project also.'
And he resolved that he would only work
at his orrery every day after he should have
finished all more useful things. To this res-
olution he kept for three days: but he told
Mary, that he found his head was always
running upon his orrery, therefore he thought it
best to finish that as soon as possible, and then
he should be able to attend to better things.
All day, except during the time when Mary
was occupied with her lessons and her needle-
work, she was assistingFrank. She had been
working some tent-stitch for the covering of a
stool ; and Frank borrowed from her several
balls of various colored worsteds, which he
saw in her basket: and he employed her in
winding and unwinding these, making some
larger, some smaller, to bring them, as he said,
to the proper sizes, to represent the earth, sun,
moon, and planets. How these were to be fix-
ed, or made to turn, on long hat pins, or to be
pulled or pushed round on circles of cap wire,
with which his friend Mrs. Catherine had fur-
nished him from her never-failing stores, we
pretend not to describe, nor are we quite sure
that Frank himself understood. All we know
is,that the evening came, and found Frank sur-
rounded with tangled balls of worsted, some
fastened on their pins, and on their circles, to
EARLY LESSONS.
the tambour frame; but several of the planets
rolling about the room, uncertain of their des-
tination. Meantime Frank's fingers were
pricked and scratched in every direction, and
the inside of Mary's were dyed with streaks
of red, blue, green, from the winding of the
worsted worlds. Mary's patience never failed
when she was assisting Frank; 'or, more diffi-
cult still, when she was reduced merely to stan-
ding by to look on at his work; she now re-
frained from making any noises of pity when
things went wrong; and, after he begged her
not, she never once repeated, Indeed, Frank,
it never will do.'
But still it never would do; and Frank, per-
plexed and disappointed, was forced at last to
go to bed. His mother, wondering what he
had been doing all day, gravely said to him,
when he wished her good night,-
Frank, you have not this day done any one
of those useful things you had intended to do.'
No, mother,' said Frank; but I have been
doing a very ingenious thing; exceedingly in-
genious, mother.'
Frank, we believe, was up before the lark
in the morning, and he was obliged to work
alone, for Mary could not come to him before
breakfast. He was indefatigable in pulling to
pieces and putting together again, changing
and repairing, coaxing and bungling, till at
last Mary knocked at the door.
PRANK.
'What is the matter, Mary ?' cried Frank,
going to the door,
Matter !' said Mary: why, what are you
about, my dear ? It is breakfast time: father
is calling for you.'
My dear,' said Frank, is it possible ? I
thought 1 had an hour to come !'
Well, well; run down now and say your
Latin.'
Say it O, Mary !' cried Frank, clasping
his hands, do you know I forgot to learn it; I
thought I should have time; O what shall I do'
What shall we do, indeed !' said Mary,.
struck with the greatness of the immediate-
danger.
my resolution what will become of
me !' cried Frank. 0, disgrace !'
'Do not think of the disgrace, or of anything,
but take the grammar and learn it as fast as
you can : you will have time while father is at
breakfast : you know he has the newspaper
to read before he rings for the horses.'
'Horses O, I don't mind about the horses.'
'Well, never mind what you do not mind,'
cried Mary, speaking as fast as the words could
come out of her mouth. 'Here's the book-
here's the place : take care, your feet are in a
tangle of worsted.'
'O, my sun and moon! Mary! Mary!'
'Never mind them, never mind them: come
quite away out of the room: sit down here on
this stair, and I will sit beside you to hear it
when you are ready.'
23
EARLY LESSONS.
'Thank you. But no, no, I cannot get it
while I am thinking that you are losing your
breakfast.'
'Never mind my breakfast, my dear.'
'No, no, Mary, do not stay, or it's all over
with me; I cannot get it if you stay.'
'Then I will go-I'm gone,' said Mary,
running down stairs as quick as lightning.
Mary,' said Frank, calling to her over the
banisters, do not say a word about my or-
.rery, or you will spoil the surprise.'
But what shall I say when father and moth-
,er ask me for you and your Latin ?'
'The truth to be sure-that I forgot it.'
'A pretty thing to say thought Mary,
slackening her pace as she crossed the hall.
Frank had, by his regular practice for
months past, acquired the power of turning
his attention at once full and strong upon
these Latin lessons, and he had learned to get
by heart readily. He gave his soul to it, and
he did learn this lesson now, in his utmost
.need, in a surprisingly short time.
Quick, indeed!' thought Mary, as he entered
the breakfast-room; 'but, I am afraid, not well.
She was frightened for him when he laid the
.book confidently before his father : and, while
he was saying it, she sat with the untasted
toast in her hand. Frank got through it all.
'Without missing one word !' said Mary,
exultingly.
Frank now took breath, and relieved himself
by a good stretching of both arms. He had
not yet sufficiently recovered from the agita-
FRANK.
tion into which he had been thrown, to begin
to boast or triumph in his escape: he sat down
to eat his breakfast, and did not even observe,
till he had half done, the unusual silence of
both his father and mother. But his father
might be silent because he was deep in the
newspaper, Frank thought; and his mother
might be silent because she was intent upon
her work.
Frank, now primed by his breakfast, began
a little boasting to Mary.
'Did not I get it quickly, Mary ? and well '
'Yes; but I hope you never will do so a-
gain,' said Mary.
What not get my lesson quickly and
well said Frank, laughing.
0, Frank !' said Mary, how soon you
forget danger.'
Because I am a man, my dear; but you need
not look so melancholy, Mary ; I am only jo-
king now, because I am happily 6ver the
danger; but seriously I will never do so again;
I was near losing all; but it's over now. Had
not I better ring for the horses now ?'
'No, Frank,' said his mother, in a tone
which somewhat checked Frank's rising spir-
its. Laying aside the newspaper, his father
asked him, what could have tempted him to
run this chance of losing all ;' and how it
happened that he could have forgotten to
learn his lesson, till so late.
Father,' said Frank, will you be so good as
not to ask me, because I do not wish to tell you
EARLY LESSONS.
yet what I am about: I want to surprise you
with something I know you will like.'
You were very near surprising me with
something that I should have disliked,' said
his father. I would rather, Frank, as your
father and friend, much rather, that you had
the power of keeping your resolutions, than
that you made the most ingenious thing that
ever was thought of by a boy of your age.'
But I thought you liked ingenuity so very
much, father T'
'I like ingenuity much, but resolution more.'
'So do I,' said his mother. 'I have known
an ingenious, a very ingenious man, who, for
want of resolution to do that which he intend-
ed, never finished during his whole life any
one of the many ingenious things he had be-
gun ; and from the same want of resolution
broke all his promises, ruined himself and his
whole family, lived in misery, and died in
disgrace.'
mother what a shocking picture.'
'What a shocking reality,' said his father.
'But, mother,' said Mary, 'you need not be
afraid of Frank's wanting resolution ; only
look at his hands,' said she, opening one of
Frank's passive hands, and showing the
wounds which had been made by the pins
and wires. Frank drew back his hand as if
ashamed to claim pity for such trifling hurts.
My dear Mary, that is nothing; they do
not give me any pain.'
'But they did give him pain yesterday,'
persisted Mary: and all day he worked on,
FRANK.
mother, never minding even when the wounds
were ever so much hurt by the worsted.'
S0, hush, Mary !' cried Frank ; do not
say worsted,-you will tell all.'
But, mother, surely he did not fly about
from one thing to another yesterday,' said Ma-
ry: 'he stuck to-I must not tell you what,all
daylong, and was at it very, very early this
morning, and it was his eagerness to finish
one thing, mother, that made him forget every
thing else in the world, and almost brought
him to- '
Don't say disgrace,' interrupted Frank;
'I cannot bear that word.'
'It is rather hard, I allow, Mary,' said his
mother, to reproach poor Frank at the same
moment with two seemingly opposite faults,
with his not finishing any thing, and with his
being too eager to finish one thing. But there
is a fault with which I can never reproach
him-want of candor.'
Frank's countenance brightened, and he
looked up full in his mother's eyes, grateful,
and conscious that he deserved this.
'Therefore I need only appeal to himself:
he knows whether I accuse him justly or un-
justly, when I say, that though he is all eager-
ness about a new thing, and perhaps intent
upon completing a favorite project, yet for
this he neglects and forgets what he had for-
merly intended : then some new fancy comes,
and he sweeps away the old one all unfinish-
ed.'
True, mother, till yesterday; quite true of
EARLY LESSONS.
all but my last project : I did certainly stick to
my last.'
Yes, my dear, because it was your last,'
said his mother ; however, I will not be hard
upon you ; one day is a long trial for a boy of
youi age.'
And a great piece of this morning,' said
Frank, recollect, mother, and I would wil-
lingly go on all day to-day, if I might; but
then you would say I did not keep my reso-
lutions about attending to the useful things:
so what can I do '
Cannot you abide by the determination
you once made, to do the useful things, as
you properly call them, first, and at fixed
hours, which is the surest way of doing them
regularly, and then divert yourself as you
please afterwards, with your new or old pro-
jects ?'
'Mother,' said Frank, may I say one thing?'
Yes, my dear,' said his mother, smiling;
'but you have said so many already that this
question seems unnecessary.'
Only make haste,' said his father,' for this
is growing rather long,and I have much to do.'
'Only, father, only, mother,' looking first
at one and then at the other : I think what I
am doing up stairs, my last project, is really as
useful as any of those which you call useful
things, because it has a great deal to do with
astronomy, and is full as grand as any thing
in Scientific Dialogues.'
Possibly,my dear,' said his father: but you
know of this we cannot judge till we see it.'
FRANK.
Then,' said Frank, making a great effort
over himself, I will give up the surprise, and
you shall see it: Mary, come with me, and
we will bring it down.'
Frank ran up stairs, and returned carrying
into the room his mother's round tambour-
frame, with its two circular rims set in opposite
directions, and hung round with divers balls of
many-colored worsteds, stuck with pins and
circles, in an undescribable manner. Mary
followed, holding the trains of the many-color-
ed balls ; and Frank looked back to beg her
not to entangle the tails of his planets.
'What have we here ?' said his father.
'My orrery, father,' said Frank, setting it on
the table before him, with such a sense of im-
portance, that his father could hardly refrain
from laughing. However, Frank did not see
this; his father struggled to keep the corners of
his mouth in order; and his mother looked on
in silence, while Frank proceeded to point out
his worsted earth, sun, moon, and planets.
That they were some of them far from moving
rightly in, or on, or off, their wiry orbits,
Frank candidly acknowledged.
'But now, father, is it not worth finishing ?
SAn orrery, sir,' said Mary, to whom the
word was not yet quite familiar, and sounded
very grand; an orrery, sir Only think,
mother, of that all made by himself at his
age when, as he told me yesterday, even Mr.
-, the man in the book, did not make an
orrery till he was a great many years older !-
Worth finishing my dear Frank ; to be sure
EARLY LESSONS.
father will think it worth finishing; don't
you, father 7'
If it were possible to finish it,' said his
father.
Nothing appeared to Frank more easy, till
his father pointed out the defects, the deficien-
cies, the mistakes-in one word, the absurdi-
ties ; but he did not use that offensive word,
he was tender of Frank's feelings for his wast-
ed work. His father, he saw, understood and
commended every part that was ingenious,
but lamented that so much ingenuity had been
used in vain. To finish it, to make any part
of it exact or useful, to make it any thing but
a child's bungling, falling-to-pieces toy, it
would, as candid Frank was soon made to
perceive, be necessary to possess a knowledge
of astronomy, which he had not yet acquired.
But still Frank urged, that, though he did not
know such and such necessary things, yet he
knew where to find them in Scientific Dia-
logues, or in Mr. Ferguson's own receipt, as he
called it, for making an orrery. Frank ran
for the book, to show and consult his father;
and, though his father was in a hurry to be
gone, he stayed to enter into the schemes and
counsels of his little son. Mary crept close to
him, for she loved him very much.
Well, father,' said she, what is your ad-
vice to Frank ?'
My first advice to you, Frank,' said his
father, and indeed the condition upon which
I now stay and give up my time to you, is,
that you abide steadily by whatever resolution
FRANK.
you now make, either quite to finish, or quite
to give up this orrery. If you choose to finish
it, you must give up, for some time, reading
any thing entertaining or instructive; you
must give up arithmetic and history.'
'And the Stream of Time, and the lists,'
said Mary.
Everything,' said his father, to this one
object of making an orrery; and when made,
as well as you possibly could, with my assist-
ance, make it, observe, your orrery will only
be what others have repeatedly made before.
It is not an invention that will surprise any
body that has sense or knowledge; and to sur-
prise ignorant people or fools, I suppose you
would disdain. It might perhaps be a wonder
that master Frank made it at master Frank's
age; but then master Frank would grow older,
and when, or how, or why he made this orrery,
few, when he grows to be a man, will know or
care; but all will see whether he has the knowl-
edge which is necessary for a man and a gen-
tleman to possess. Now choose, Frank.'
'Father,' said Frank, I choose to give up
the orrery, since I cannot finish it now with-
out giving up every thing else.'
As he spoke, Frank seized his orrery. Mary,
bring your work-basket, my dear,' said he.
And she brought it; and he pulled off, one
by one, deliberately, the worsted sun, moon,
earth, and stars, and threw them into the bas-
ket which Mary held. Mary sighed, but Frank
did not sigh. He was proud to give his father
a proof of his resolution; and when he looked
274 EARLY LESSONS.
round, he saw tears, but they were tears of
pleasure, in his mother's eyes. His father
shook hands with him, and said,-
This gives me pleasure, Frank : this pays
me for giving up my time to you.'
'But you are not sure yet, father,' said
Frank to his father, who was leaving the room,
'that I shall keep to my good resolutions.'
'I am not quite sure; but this is a good be-
ginning,' said his father, looking back with a
smile, which delighted Mary; and Mary
knows, that a good beginning makes a good
ending.'
It shall,' said Frank : 'therefore, mother,
before I stir from this spot, let us settle what
things are most necessary for me to do every
day, and what hours will be most convenient
to you, and best for me to do them in.'
Willingly his mother assisted him in mak-
ing this arrangement of his time. The feel-
ings of this moment would have inclined him
to do too much, and to fix upon too many
hours for useful studies; but his mother advi-
sed him to attempt little, and engage but for
few, that he might be more likely to keep to
his intentions.
During the whole of the following month
Frank never failed in being punctual to his ap-
pointed hours ; but it must be owned, that he
owed much to Mary, his dear good little friend,
who always reminded him at the right hour,
and minute, of what was to be done. Frank
often found it difficult to obey her summons,
especially once when he was dusting and re-
FRANK.
pairing Mrs. Catherine's cuckoo clock : but he
conquered himself, and at the appointed hours
he did all that he intended to do.
To his surprise he found, that he had after-
wards more time than usual, or that he enjoyed
his leisure more. He returned at intervals with
greater pleasure to the cuckoo clock, and suc-
ceeded in setting it going again, entirely to his
own and to Mrs. Catherine's satisfaction; for,
as all who may doubt the possibility of this
fact should be informed, there was nothing the
matter with it,but that it had been clogged with
the dust of years. Mary trembled for him on
the last day of the month, when, just at the ap-
pointed time for his sum in the rule of three, he
longed to stay to hear the cuckoo clock, which,
as he observed to Mary, wanted but five min-
utes of cuckooing; but he took her advice,
and kept his good resolutions.
Late one evening, a servant came into the
room, and whispered to Frank, There is a
person wants to speak to you, master Frank,
at the gate.'
To me at the gate !' repeated Frank. I
wonder who it is, and why does he not come
to the door ? Do you know who the person
is, James ?'
I do, sir ; but I was desired only to say a
person, sir,' answered the servant.
'It must 'be master Tom,' said Mary.
'Or Squire Rogers,' said Frank.
EARLY LESSONS.
'Go and see who it is, my dear,' said his father.
But I wish you would come with me,
father,' said Frank ; 'for perhaps it is to ask
me to do something that I cannot do-I mean
that I should not do.'
'And what then ?' said his father. You
have tried and found that you could say No,
when it is necessary, without having me at
your back.'
Certainly,' said Frank, and away he ran.
He stayed some time, and he returned look-
ing as if he had done something important.
You are right, Mary : it was Tor.'
'And what did he want ?'
He wanted me to lend him Felix.'
'And did you ?' said his father, mother,
and Mary.
'You shall hear,father; you shall hear,moth-
er; Mary, you will find I have done right.'
'I do not doubt it,' said Mary.
'I hope so,' said his mother.
'Let us hear,' said his father.
'When I went to the back gate,' said Frank,
'there I saw Tom in the greatest distress.'
SSay what distress plainly.'
'Why, sir, on a horse in such a condition !
-oh as I never saw, as never was seen in
this world before! Such a condition Mother,
its knees were cut and bleeding, and its sides
frothing; and it looked dreadfully hot, as if it
had been dragged through the river. It stood
stiff with one leg before, and both far out be-
hind, and its head poking, like the bad horses
you used to cut out in paper, Mary : it could
FRANK.
not go on. Tom declared he could not make
it stir a foot farther : and to prove this to me,
he said, he would give him a cut with his
whip, if I pleased.'
But you did not please, I am sure,' said
Mary.
Certainly not. I begged Tom would not;
I told him I believed him. But he said the
horse was an obstinate brute, and he did give
him one slash.'
0 !' cried Mary.
'The poor horse never stirred : Tom said
his arm was tired beating him on, and that he
must go on beating him all the way, for I for-
get how many miles, if I did not lend him
Felix to carry him home. So I lent him Fe-
lix, and I hope I did not do wrong.'
'No, my dear,generous boy,' said his mother
'WV rong, no, Frank, I am glad you did
what was good-natured,' said his father. Be-
sides, Felix is your own horse, and you had
a right to lend it or not, as you please. But
is Felix gone ?
Off, father !'
'I wish I had known of this, and I would
have lent Mr. Tom a horse less valuable than
yours; he is not fit to be trusted with a good
one.'
'I hope he will not hurt Felix,' said Mary.
'No,' said Frank, I think Tom will really
ride him gently, because he promised me. So
I am almost sure he will, mother; do not you
think he will, when he promised upon his
word and honor ?'
EARLY LESSONS.
I should be quite sure you would, Frank,'
said his father, if you promised, whether you
said upon your word and honor, or not; but
I cannot feel so sure about master Tom's truth.'
Frank and Mary looked at one another, rec-
ollecting at this moment what had happened
about swinging on a gate.
I did not recollect that,' said Frank But
perhaps, he did not promise that time; I never
thought of doubting him.'
'So much the better,' said his father, 'I
should be very sorry you were suspicious.
You did what was right and what was hu-
mane; and I hope you will not suffer for it.'
'I hope Felix will not suffer for it,' said
Frank. I wish I had thought of coming back
to tell father, and to ask him for a worse horse.
But one cannot think of every thing.'
Now, father, you see that Frank was right
in wishing you to go with him at first,' said
Mary; for you would have thought of that
for him.'
But, my dear Mary, it does Frank much
more good to think for himself, than to be sa-
ved from making little mistakes by my think.
ing for him. Besides, though he did not do,
perhaps, what was most prudent, I like him
the better for not being selfish. If master Tom
deceives him, that is master Tom's fault, not
Frank's.'
There's no danger, I think,' said Frank;
'you will see Felix will come back safe to-
morrow.'
To-morrow came, and no Felix; but a groom
FRANK.
brought a note to Frank from Mrs. J-.
The note began with many compliments, and
thousands of thanks, and a million of regrets
-but Felix had met a little accident! he had
fallen down on the road, as Tom was trotting
him quite gently; Tom was fortunately un-
hurt; but the horse by the fall had strained
his shoulder; the hurt however was very slight,
it would be almost well probably to-morrow;
but it would be best however not to think of
stirring him,till the strain should be quite over,
because a strain is an awkward thing.'
Frank looked blank, and Mary was almost
as sorry as he was. His father desired to see
the groom, and questioned him about the
horse, and how the accident had happened.
The groom, who had been with master Tom
at the time of the fall, said exactly the same
as the note ; ending with the same words;
' that it would be best not to think of stirring
him till the strain should be quite got over,
because a strain is an awkward thing.'
After Frank's first sorrow and disappoint-
ment at not seeing his horse were over, he said,
that since Tom was trotting gently, he did
what he promised, and that he was not to
blame for the horse's falling. Mary said, she
was glad it had never fallen when Frank was
riding him. She supposed that was because
Frank rode better than master Tom.
Tom's horse, which had been well rubbed
down and taken care of, was by this time rest-
ed, and able to move again; and he was taken
back by Mrs. J-'s groom, who, as he went
EARLY LESSONS.
off, said he would take the greatest care of Fe-
lix, if he was left with him a few days longer.
But Frank's father thought it best to bring
the horse home directly; and as soon as the
groom was gone, he asked Frank if he could
walk with him four miles and back again, to
see Felix ?
With you 0 yes, father; four miles! five!
six! ten miles and back again, I'i sure Icould.'
Well, four miles will do for the present
business.'
There was a way across the fields and thro'
lanes, by which they walked to Mrs. J- 's.
They arrived unexpectedly, and Tom, who
"first met them, looked guilty, and spoke in a
very confused, embarrassed manner. But he
recovered himself when his friend the groom
appeared, who spoke for him very fast.
Frank's father said nothing, but that he wish-
ed to see the horse, which was at last brought
out of the stable : it was very lame.
Poor Felix poor fellow my poor Felix !'
said Frank.
Felix, the moment he saw Frank and heard
his voice, tried to quicken his pace towards
his master. The groom led him on to the grass
plot before the door, to show how well he
could walk: but he seemed to step with so
much pain that Frank called to beg he would
stop. His father began to examine the shoul-
der, and found the hurt much more serious
than it had been described. The farrier, to
whom the groom had constantly referred, now
joined them, and while the groom and farrier
FRANK.
were talking to his father on one side of the
horse, Frank on the other side leaned his face
against Felix, trying to keep in his tears-not
unseen by Tom, who, coming close to him, mut-
tered,-' Crying what good crying Crying
for a horse That's too bad !'
And if I were,' said Frank, looking up,
'and for a horse too, it is not so bad as being
cruel to a horse, or to any thing !'
Surprised by the indignation that flashed
from Frank's little eyes, through his tears,
and alarmed by the strong and loud emphasis
upon cruel, Tom answered only,-
Hush hush Who's cruel ? I was only
joking. Nobody's cruel! I'm very sorry. Ev-
ery body's very sorry. Here's my mother.'
His mother came out, so sorry, so very,
very sorry !' she said she was so shocked, so
anxious, about poor dear master Frank's
horse; for if it had been any body else's, she
should not have been half so shocked :' and,
as she spoke, she would have wiped away a
fly from Felix's forehead with her embroider-
ed pocket handkerchief, but Felix did not like
it, and she started back, exclaiming,-
0, master Frank, take care, the brute will
tread on your foot !'
'No danger,' said Frank.
'So cool quite a little hero. I so admire
his taking it all so coolly. But you have no
idea what Tom has suffered. But Tom never
can speak when he feels; he was stamping
about last night, and crying !'
24
EARLY LESSONS.
'Crying was he,' said Frank. Crying
for a horse, too !'
And why not, love a person who has any
humanity, any sensibility and such a sweet
horse I could have cried myself, I am sure.
Why should you think it extraordinary that
Tom should cry for a horse ?'
Do you hear what the farrier is saying a-
bout Felix ?' said Tom; and Frank immedi-
ately went to listen to him.
The farrier was prophesying and promising
that Felix should be well and as sound as ever
soon, if he was but left to his care ; and the
groom and he went on talking of potions and
lotions, and washes and mashes, and a num-
ber of things, which Frank did not understand;
but all the time kept close to his father,repeat-
ing, in a low voice, 0 do take him home,
father. Do let me take him home, father.'
Right glad was Frank when he heard his fa-
ther order that the bridle should be put on Fe-
lix, and say that he would take him home di-
rectly. The groom declared that no man that
ever wore spurs could get the horse to go four
miles with that shoulder in two hours.
So you will never be home in time for din-
ner,' said Tom.
'And mamma will be angry,' said Mrs.J-.
'No, ma'am, mother will not be angry, beg-
ging your pardon,' said Frank. She is nev-
er angry about those things, and father will
not care about dinner. May I go on, father ?'
Then my groom must lead him,' said Mrs.
J.
FRANK.
No, no; father, pray let me lead him.'
His father said that he might, and put the
bridle into his hand, saying, that they should
return the same way that they came, in which
there were no difficulties, no stiles, no ditches,
and only two gates, which the farmers would
open.
Come along, Felix,' cried Frank.
'But, my dear sir,' added Mrs.J- join-
ing her remonstrances to those of the groom
and farrier; you would not let master Frank
lead the horse himself 0 pray let my groom:
if any body meets you how odd they will think
it. If any body sees him, what will they say?'
I do not mind what they say,' said Frank.
'I do not care who sees me: there is nothing
wrong in my leading Felix. No, no, Mr.
Groom,' said he, resisting the groom, who of-
fered to take the bridle from his hand. No,
no, father says I may-and I will.'
Will !' repeated Mrs. J- Dear me !
who would ever have expected to hear such a
word from master Frank ? I thought master
Frank was so good, that he had no will of his
own. I thought he always said just as father
pleases.'
Father pleases, that I should have a will
of my own,' said Frank. Look, father, how
Felix follows me,' said he, going on, patting
him on the well shoulder. Poor fellow-
good Felix.'
Sweet creature how I admire that ten-
derness One kiss at parting,' cried Mrs. J-,
stepping up to him with intent to kiss him,
EARLY LESSONS.
but Frank put his arm across his face at that
instant, so that no kiss could be had. She
laughed and said, Who'd have thought he
was so ungallant ? but his heart and soul are in
his horse; he can't think of nothing but Felix.'
And much more, Mrs. J- said, but what
more, Frank did not hear, for he led Felix
away as well as he could ; but as he passed
he saw Tom leaning against the stable door,
and looking very gloomy : and believing he
must be really very unhappy, Frank held out
his hand to him, saying, Shake hands, Tom;
you see Felix can walk pretty well, and I
dare say he will get quite well.'
Tom, now really touched, gave his hand,
and said, Jack, the groom, told me you never
would forgive me.'
'Did he said Frank. Not forgive you
for an accident Besides, I know you must
be very sorry.'
'I am, now,' said Tom, turning away his
head, that I am; and do you forgive me,
Frank '
That I do,' said Frank' and so does Fe-
lix, I am sure; he would say so, if he could.
Pat him, pat him; that's as good as shaking
hands,' said Frank.
But the horse started back as Tom ap-
proached.
He's only a horse,and has not sense enough
to forgive,' said Frank but there's my hand
for him.'
Tom grasped Frank's hand and was going
to say something, but the groom came by to
I
FRANK.
open the gate. Tom's countenance changed,
and letting go Frank's hand, he did not utter
whatever it was that he had been going to say.
With fond words and frequent patting, and
careful choosing of his paths through the fields,
Frank drew Felix on, slowly indeed, but with-
out much difficulty, till they came to a bit of
cross road, where, at the sight of certain flat
stepping stones across a ford, he gave signs of
terror, and became, what he had never before
appeared, quite restive.
Frank's father advised the taking him
round another way, and with his counsel and
assistance Felix was brought home, exceed-
ingly tired indeed, but safely. As soon as all
that could be devised for his comfort was done,
Frank went to Mary, who was anxiously wait-
ing for him to ask many questions: several a-
bout Felix and his strain, several about Tom
and his promise. To all that concerned Felix,
Frank answered minutely and clearly. But
with respect to Tom, he could not be so satis-
factory : he could only answer shortly, that
he hoped he had kept his promise. That he
had not inquired, and that he would rather
not think about it.
But now you have made me think about it,'
said Frank, there was something very pale
and confused in his countenance at first, and
at last too ; but it is not fair to judge by
countenance.'
No,' said Mary, for when people are
frightened they look pale and confused.'
But do not let us talk of him,' said Frank,
EARLY LESSONS.
'any more. I have never thought of him once
all the way home; indeed I could not, for I
had to mind every step that poor Felix was
taking. My dear Mary, you cannot think how
gentle and good he was, or how excessive-
ly kind my father was all the way to me and
Felix. I shall never forget it if I live an
hundred years.'
Nor I neither,' said Mary.
After a night's rest, the first questions that
were anxiously asked in the morning were,
'How does Felix do to-day ? Do you think
he will get well ? and how soon ?'
The result of all the consultations was, that
Felix would, if great care were taken of him,
get well : but that his recovery could not be
expected in less than six weeks, and that du-
ring that time he must not be ridden.
'O if he do but get well, I do not mind that,'
said Frank. Must not ride him no, to be sure,
not till he is quite, quite well. Upon no ac-
count I should. But will you take me with
you to the stable to see him, father ?'
His father did so, and his mother was glad
to observe, that Frank thought more of the
pain his horse suffered, than of the loss of the
pleasure of his own rides.
Mother,' said Mary, I think Frank is not
at all selfish. I like people who are not selfish.'
The old pony had been sold to the clergy-
man of the parish,who was very fond of Frank,
and who, as soon as he heard of the accident
that had happened to Felix, came to offer to
lend Frank the pony every second day. But
FRANK.
Frank, who knew that he wanted it for his
daughter, who was out of health, thanked him
with all his heart, but would not accept of this
kind offer. He would put riding quite out of
his head till Felix should be well, he said, and
could make himself contented without it.
'Mary, you know we can find plenty of
happy things to do. 0 my dear, there is Mrs.
Wheeler's arbor, which I had almost forgot-
ten; we will set about it directly.'
And so he did. His father, pleased with
his energy, lent him a laborer to assist in
making the holes, in which the first rods for
the archers were to be put down. With the
assistance and instructions of the gardener's
basket-making son, and with vigorous and
constant work on his own part for an hour a
day, the arbor advanced, not perhaps so rapid-
ly as Frank expected, but well and solidly.
When it was closed in, with well-wove wick-
er work, Mary was brought to see it, and not
even Mrs. Wheeler herself delighted in it more.
Mary said, that she would plant cuttings of
ever-blowing roses, and of clematis, and cut-
tings of honeysuckle, early and late blowing
woodbine, so that there might be, as the gar-
dener said, a succession of flowers in blow,
both in spring and autumn. 'Bhe only disa-
greeable consideration was, that now was not
the proper season for these cuttings, nor could
they be planted before the next spring or au-
tumn. Frank's mother said she would give
them some sweetbriar berries. Of these Mary
thought but little; but Frank, who had had
EARLY LESSONS.
more experience, and who recollected a
sweetbriar hedge which had grown up a foot
high in one year, from berries which he had
seen his mother sow, rejoiced now in the
thoughts of putting them into the ground next
spring.
'But when will they come up?' said Mary.
'Next summer,' said Frank: 'next autumn
they will be this high, and the year after they
will be that high,' said he, marking different
stages on the wicker work.
'But you will be at school then,' said Mary.
'But I shall come home in the holidays,
shall not I mother ? And then I shall see them
and smell them too; besides,we are doing this
for Mrs. Wheeler, and she will not go to school
next year, you know.'
Old Mrs.Wheeler, who was just seated in
her new seat in the arbor, rocked with laughing
at the idea of her going to school with Frank;
though she said she was so fond of him, God
bless his little bones,which had worked so hard
for her, she would go even to school to please
him, if he asked her. Then she began to tell
something of a woman,whohad learned to read
in her sixtieth year. But though Frank's mo-
ther listened, neither Frank nor Mary paid
much attention to what she was saying; for
Mary was sweeping away some litter with a
new broom, and Frank's mind had gone back
to the sweetbriars and to former times.
As he was walking home he said, Do you
remember, mother, the time when you were
sowing those sweetbriar berries, and I was
FRANK.
holding the little basket for you ? I have not
forgotten the verses you then repeated for me,
and that I learnt that day about the lark,who
was to-
come in spite of sorrow,
And at my window bid good morrow,
Through the sweetbriar or the vine,
Or the twisted eglantine.'
Mary asked, What is eglantine?' And
Frank said he knew she would ask that ques-
tion, and he bid her guess.
She guessed that it was woodbine, honey-
suckle. So Frank had thought, he said, till
his mother that day told him that it was sweet-
briar. But Mary repeated Twisted eglan-
tine;' woodbine twists more than sweetbriar,.
I think, and, besides, in the line before, it
says, through the sweetbriar, or the vine.
Then you see the man mentions sweetbriar
twice over.'
SVery true, very well, Mary, indeed !' said
Frank; is not it, mother, the very thing the
critic in the book said ? But I can show you,
Mary, in a book when we go home, that it is
supposed eglantine meant, in former days,
some other kind of dog rose, different from
sweetbriar.'
Here the conversation was interrupted by
George Wheeler riding by on his cart-horse,
who bid them good day, and trotted on.
'How merrily he goes! O! when will poor
Felix trot as well again ?' said Mary.
'Just what I was thinking,' said Frank.
25
890 EARLY LESSONS.
'But.do not let us think of him. Mother, I
am very glad we have had something else to
do : for it would not be of any use to Felix that
I should be unhappy all day long ; would it,
mother ? Mother, I think that 1 had better
begin to learn French, because Mary is learn-
ing it; and she used to learn it when I was
out riding; and to tell me some of the French
words when I came home.'
'He will soon be able to read the fairy tale
I am reading, mother,' said Mary, The Gol-
,den Ram.' But first he must go through
' Toiles d'Arraignies pour attraper lesMou-
ches.' Cobwebs to catch Flies.'
Cobwebs why must I go through them T
.said Frank.
'Because I did,' said Mary.
'It is not absolutely necessary that he
should begin with the same book that you read
first, Mary,' said his mother: but it is neces-
sary that he should learn the verbs.'
Always those verbs V' cried Frank.
'Yes,' said his mother; you know how
useful it is to learn the verbs, which are per-
petually wanted in every sentence.'
I know it, mother. Father and Latin gram-
mar taught me that long ago. Colonel Birch
advised me to learn French, and told me that
he was sorry he had not learnt it early ; for,
once when he was in France and Spain, he
was very near losing his life and many men's
lives by not understanding French.'
When they had rested after this walk, and
when Frank had finished all he had to say, or
FRANK.
to hear, about Felix, Mary brought Cobwebs
to catch Flies,' and sat down beside him, wait-
ing for the happy moment to catch his attention.
Read the title page,' said Frank. Since
Ferguson's life, they had regularly reminded
each other to read title pages.
Toiles d'Araignies pour attraper les Mou-
ches, ou Courts Dialogues pour Instruction
des Enfans, depuis l'age de trois ans jusqu'a
l'age de huit.'
Mary translated this as she read on: Short
Dialogues for the Instruction of Children, from
the age of three years old to eight years old.'
Frank looked proudly down upon the book
and said, Mary, it is too little for me-three
years old indeed !'
To eight,' said Mary.
'But I am past nine, you know.'
'Never mind your age,' said Mary. The
easiest things are the best to begin with. First
let me read this bit to you about Tom and a
horse.'
'Tom and a horse O, what is it said he.
Mary then read the following sentences,
which she translated for Frank:
Ah, voild un cheval, j'aime bien le cheval.
-Allons, Monsieur, marchez, allez le trot.-
Je ne vous ferai pas trotter dans les mauvais
chemins.'
Skip to Tom at the top of the next page,'
said Frank.
Tom vous lavera les jambes et les pieds,
pour en other le boue et le sable.' Mary transla-
ted, and then said,-
EARLY LESSONS.
You see this Tom was very careful of his
horse, quite different from your master Tom.
But, mother, is not it very extraordinary that
the name should be Tom, and about a horse ?'
'No, Mary, I do not think it very extraor-
dinary-Tor is a common name.'
But is not'it very odd, that Tom takes care
of a horse, mother '
Not very odd: many Toms take care of
horses.'
'But it is curious, mother, that we should
see it in the book to-day, just when we are
thinking about Felix and Tom.'
That was what made you take notice of it,'
said her mother.
'That is true, mother, for I have read it be-
fore twice, and I never took notice of it till
now. But it seems a sort of, I do not know
how to express what I mean, mother.'
'It is like what father observed, yesterday,'
said Frank, about something which you had
been reading of in an old book, which was the
first thing he saw when he opened the news-
paper, just after you had done speaking. I re-
member father said, this is a coincidence: that
was the word, was not it, mother ? and it
means, for I asked him-but I don't recollect
exactly.'
The happening of things at the same time,
that seem to have no connexion, or that really
have no connexion,' said his mother. But
why does Mary look so wondrous grave ? '
I suppose she is thinking of something very
wise,' said Frank.
FRANK.
'I was not thinking of any thing wise,' said
Mary; I was only thinking, mother-but I
know you will say it is so very foolish.'
And suppose I do, if it is not foolish, my
saying so will not make it foolish; and if it is,
perhaps my pointing it out to you may assist
you to make it wise.'
Very true, mother ; then you must know,
that, a few nights ago, the very night before
the day that Felix was hurt, I dreamt, and
you know, mother, I always tell the exact
truth about dreams, as well as about every
thing else- '
Come,' said Frank, do, my dear, make
haste and tell the dream.'
'Well,' said Mary, I dreamt exactly what
happened to Felix the next day, that he fell
down and hurt himself very much; so I think
dreams have something to do with what is to
happen, mother.'
What do you think, mother ?' said Frank,
eagerly.
I think it is more likely that they have
something to do with what has happened,'
answered his mother.
But, mother, you know Felix did not fall
down till the next day, so her dream could not
have any thing to do with what had happen-
ed, but it might have something to do with
what was to come. You will allow this is good
reasoning, mother. So, as grand people in
the books say, we may conclude that- '
'Stay, my dear Frank,' interrupted his
mother, you must not skip to your conclu-
294 EARLY LESSONS.
sion so fast, you are not yet sure of the
facts.'
'0, mother,' said Mary, with a look and
tone of injured innocence, can you doubt my
telling truth ?'
'Not in the least, my dear Mary.'
'And yet you say you do not know the facts.'
'I do not; I have not yet heard even the
dream exactly. You say, Mary, that you
dreamt exactly what happened.'
Yes, mother.'
But I do not know exactly what did hap-
pen; if you do, Mary, tell me.'
Do you not know, mother, that Felix fell
down,' said Frank, 'and sprained his shoulder?'
'But it was not his shoulder that was hurt
in my dream,' said Mary.
What then V said Frank.
'His nose,' said Mary.
'His nose !' repeated Frank, laughing:
'that's very different.'
'That is one difference,' said Mary.
SAnd there were some others,' said she, smi-
ling. Mother, in my dream, when he fell,
he tumbled heels over head-and twice.'
O!' cried Frank, laughing, there is another
difference, indeed did you ever see a horse
tumble heels over head-twice, too ?'
Let her go on, my dear, and tell us the
dream without interruption.'
Twice head over heels I saw him go, and
it was on the grass plot; and you, Frank, were
upon his back the first time, and mother called
out to you Take care of my roses,' which
FRANK.
thought very odd, because I was much more
afraid of your being hurt than the roses, for
you were under the horse; but he scrambled
up again in the oddest way! he had hands
something like yours, but more like monkey's
paws; but you were not on his back when he
got up again: you were changed to Tom, with
his whip in his hand; and when he slashed it,
over went the horse, head over heels again.
and Felix hit his nose against the oddest thing
-the tea chest, mother and when his nose
began to bleed, I ran to him, like a goose, with
my pocket-handkerchief; and Tom slashed
him, and Frank tried to stop his hand; Frank
caught hold of the bridle, but Felix reared;
and then Felix changed into Squire Rogers's
Stamper; and as he put out his foot to knock
Frank down, I was so frightened I wakened
suddenly; and I thought no more about it till
after breakfast: the first thing I heard was,
that Felix had tumbled down with Tom, and
that he was very much hurt. So you see,
mother-'
Yes, I see, my dear, that this dream was
very far from being exactly what happened
afterwards: almost all the parts of it you may
trace back, by your own account to things that
happened before.'
She reminded Mary,that Frank had the pre-
ceding day been tumbling head over heels up-
on the grass plot; that she had said, Take
care of my roses; and then Frank, showing
his hands, said that they looked like monkey's
paws.
EARLY LESSONS.
And a week ago,' said Frank, I fell down
and hit my nose against Mrs. Catherine's tea-
chest, and you ran up wilh your pocket hand-
kerchief; and as to Tom's slashing, that was
very natural; it came from the description I
gave you, of his beating his own horse at the
gate. As mother says, almost the whole of
the dream was from things that had passed,
oddly put together, certainly; but there was
nothing foretold.'
Except the chief thing, Frank,' said Mary,
'which was the fall of Felix with Tom, and
his being hurt-all that came true! and this is
extraordinary.'
Not very extraordinary,' said Frank; be-
cause if you recollect, father, the day before,
when he heard I had lent Felix to Tom, said,
' I should not be surprised if some accident
happens, Tom rides so violently;' and I rec-
ollect now that I tumbled heels over head just
at that time, and said, no, father, I hope not.'
Frank asked Mary if she were now convin-
ced that things, which had passed, had made
out her dream pretty well,and she said she was.
His mothtir observed that it was useful to look
back, and to trace dreams in this manner, be-
cause it pr events our having foolish supersti-
tious fears, or expectations, that they foretell
what will 1 happen. Circumstances,' as she
observed, d to sometimes occur, that are like
what we dre tam of; just as what happens one
day is like w hat happens another; and some-
times coincik fences occur ; like Tom and the
horse in the b ook being seen just at the time
FRANK.
when Tom and the horse were seen in reali-
ty; but though it may be amusing to observe
these odd coincidences, nothing can be learn-
ed from them for guiding our conduct.'
No, mother,' said Frank. But we have
run on a great way, from Cobwebs to catch
Flies and the French verbs: mother, wouldyou
really advise me to begin to learn French V'
Certainly, my dear, I advise you to begin
if you mean to continue, but not else.'
Frank said, he did and he would; and Ma-
ry appealed to the proofs he had given of his
perseverance and punctuality during the last
six long weeks. Time and place were settled
accordingly, and Frank began j'ai, tu as, il
a, nous avons, vous avez, iUs ont.
Here is the engineer's carriage, Frank I
come, come,' said Mary.
But there's nobody in it but himself!'
said Frank. His son is not with him, and
yet he promised to bring Lewis.'
How do you do, sir ? I am very glad to
see you. I thought you promised to bring
your son Lewis with you.'
I promised to bring him if I could, but I
could not; and why, do you think 3'
'I can't guess,' said Frank, for I am sure
you have room enough in that carriage; be-
sides, if he had a mind to come, he could sit
any where, in ever so little room, as I do.'
EARLY LESSONS.
But Lewis did not choose to come,'said the
engineer.
Not wish to come here, and to see Frank 1'
said Mary.
I said, he did not choose to come,' said the
engineer; I never said, he did not wish to
come, did I? Did I, my little lady 7 We
must be accurate in these nice affairs.'
But why did not he choose to come if he
wished it ?' said Frank.
Because he had a kind uncle, who was ill,
and who wished that he should stay with him:
and Lewis stayed, because he thought it was
right.'
'Very right,' said Mary.
'I like him the better for it; but will he
never come ?' said Frank.
Yes, he'll come on Tuesday by the coach.'
Will you be so good,' continued the engineer,
turning to Frank's father, as to send a horse to
meet him, wherever the coach puts up 7'
O, my poor Felix how glad I should have
been to have lent him,' thought Frank; but he
said nothing : it was too tender a subject.
Other means were arranged for bringing
Lewis, and other subjects were talked of, in
which Frank and Mary had no concern. They
took care not to interrupt the conversation,
but Frank hoped that the engineer would not
forget to question him about the ecliptic, and
the uses of astronomy and trigonometry, which
Mary was sure that Frank understood now,
since he had explained them so clearly,
that even she could comprehend them.
FRAIK.
At tea time, his friend the engineer turned
to him, and, laughing, asked if he was, or was
not now, in the situation of 'the triangle
man.'
Frank, who had grown a little more modest
as his knowledge had a little increased, an-
swered, that he hoped he was not; he had
read, and, he believed, he understood, all that
had been marked for him.
Upon examination, his friend found that he
was now quite clear upon all the points to
which he had directed his attention, and into
which his vain attempts to make an orrery
had led him still farther to inquire.
I rejoice, my dear Frank,' said his father,
'that it is now in my power to give you plea-
sure, and a sort of pleasure which you have
in some degree earned for yourself.'
As he spoke, he took out of his pocket a prin-
ted paper, which looked like a playbill. When
he unfolded and held it before Frank's eyes,
the first words he saw in large letters were
Orrery and Eidouranion.
Orrery 0 delightful orrery !' repeated
Frank, seizing the paper, which his father let
fall into his hands. Frank read, and learned
that a man of the name of Bright had brought
an orrery to the neighboring county town, and
that he would show it, and give an explana-
tory lecture upon it the following evening at
nine o'clock : tickets of admission, &c.
His father told him that he would give him
a ticket, and take him to see it.
And Mary, father ?'
EARLY LESSONS.
And Mary, if it will be any pleasure to
her-if she can understand it.'
Frank answered for her pleasure and un-
derstanding ; and she pointed to a line in the
advertisement, which said that the lecture
would be peculiarly adapted to the capacities
of young people.
On Monday evening they all went to see the
orrery. It was to be shown in the playhouse.
They were seated in the box opposite to the
stage, and Mary and Frank were placed in
the front row, beside his mother ; his father
and his friend the engineer were close behind
them,so that they could answer their questions.
It was the first time they had ever been in
any playhouse, and the sight of the lamps, the
light, the company, the boxes, the pit, and the
great curtain before the stage, occupied their
attention fully for some time. Presently they
heard a noise made by the people in the pit
knocking with their canes against the floor.
Frank's father told him, that this was a sign
that the people were growing impatient for the
curtain to draw up. Frank and Mary, who
had not yet finished counting'all the lamps,
wondered how the people could be so impa-
tient. But while they were counting the row
of lights, which were before the stage, these
began to sink down, and the other lamps in
the house were shaded, so that all were nearly
in darkness ; and at the same moment soft mu-
sic was heard, and the curtain began to draw
up. The music was from an harmonica, which
was concealed behind the scenes. While this
FRANK.
soft music played, the curtain drew up slowly,
and they beheld two globes, that seemed self-
suspended in air. One seemed a globe of fire,
with some dark spots on its surface; a blaze
of light issuing from it in all directions, and
its rays half enlightened the other globe, of
which half remained in darkness.
Frank and Mary, in breathless admiration,
looked at these globes, which they knew rep-
resented the sun and the earth; and they be-
gan to watch the motions of these orbs, when
a man in a brown coat came upon the stage,
with a white handkerchief in his hand.
As he entered he looked back and nodded to
some one behind the scenes, and at that nod
the globes representing the sun and earth stood
still. He then blew his nose, which Mary
thought he might as well have done before he
came on the stage: and then he bowed to the
audience, and said, he had the misfortune to
inform them that he was only Mr. Bright's
assistant, for Mr. Bright himself could not ap-
pear this night. At these words he was in-
terrupted by loud cries of 'Off! off!' from a
great part of the audience, and of hisses and
beating of sticks against the floor,while others
in the-pit and boxes clapped their hands, en-
deavoring to overpower the hisses. At last
they were overpowered; and the man,who had
stood bowing, and looking very much fright-
ened, could be heard; and he began again to
speak in rather a trembling voice. He assured
the gentlemen and ladies, that Mr. Bright was
really so ill in bed with a violent cold, that it
EARLY LESSONS.
would have been morally and physically, and
utterly impossible that he could have appear-
ed this night, or that his voice could have had
the happiness of being heard by gentlemen
and ladies, if he had attempted to do himself
the honour of lecturing them this night; that
he, Mr. Bright's assistant, and unworthy sub-
stitute, was therefore under the necessity of
presenting himself to a generous and humane
public, whose favorable hearing he implored.
The generous and humane public, 'on hearing
this, and being convinced that Mr. Bright was
really ill, clapped with one accord; and Mr.
Bright's assistant bowed his thanks, and, quite
re-assured, he began again with Gentlemen
and ladies, this is an orrery, gentlemen and
ladies, as I shall have the honor of explain-
ing to you.'
Frank and Mary sat forward and listened.
But, instead of explaining the orrery, he began
to talk of celestial harmony, or the music of
the spheres, which he told them they had just
heard; yet which had never really existed,
except in the fanciful systems of the ancients.
But he forgot to tell what the music of the
spheres was supposed to be.
Frank looked back in his distress to his
father, who whispered, that the ancients sup-
posed, that the heavenly bodies in moving
made certain musical sounds. There was no
time for more explanation, for the lecturer was
going on to something new. He said much of
the harmonic numbers, and of chaos; and so
much about the Copernican and Ptolemaic sys-
FRANK.
teams, and the disputes of the learned, thatMary
was nearly asleep before he came to the orrery.
Frank too was quite tired, for he had strained
his attention listening to a vast number of
words, which he had thought were all unne-
cessary, and of which nearly one half were
nothing to the purpose.
'I wish he would tell something about the
orrery, before I am quite fast asleep, mother,'
whispered Mary.
'I wish he would leave out all about the
disputes, or knock down at once all the men
that were wrong, father,' said Frank, and
come to those that were right.'
At last he came to the right as far as we know
at present: and then he gave his nod, and the
earth and sun having been released, they resu-
med their motions. Frank stood up, and Ma-
ry wakened, and they were delighted with all
they saw, as much as they had been tired with
all they had heard. They saw the earth, as
it turned on its axis, enlightened on the side
next the sun, and dark on the other, represent-
ing day and night; and they saw at the same
time the earth pursue its annual journey round
the sun in its path aslant, with its north and
south pole each alternately turning to the sun,
so as to produce summer and winter for the
southern and northern hemispheres (or halves
of the globe). And they saw the sun in the
midst, turning round slowly.* Mary obser-
ved the moving of the spots on his face, which
made his motion more apparent. This scene
In twenty-five days and a quarter.
EARLY LESSONS.
was particularly interesting to Frank, from
the pains he had taken, and the various at-
tempts he had made, to understand and to rep-
resent them. In the second scene, they saw
the earth and sun, with the addition of anoth-
er globe representing the moon; and the object
of this scene was to represent the changes, and
the causes of the changes of the moon. They
saw the moon, without any light of her own,
receiving light from the sun. They saw her
journeying in her monthly course round the
earth, sometimes showing more, sometimes
less, of the enlightened part. Next they saw
an eclipse of the moon, and they understood
its cause. Whenever Frank found any thing
above his comprehension, he was not asham-
ed to ask his father, or the engineer, who kind-
ly explained to him what he wished, for, as
they said, he deserved it.
'Are you tired, Frank ?' said his mother.
Not in the least, mother, thank you.'
'And you, Mary, are you awake or asleep ?
I am awake now, mother; I was very
sleepy, but I am better since I saw the moon
and the eclipse.'
By this time the lecturer had come to an
explanation of the cause of the tides, which
neither Mary nor Frank could comprehend.
His father judiciously and kindly took them
out to rest their attention, and refresh them-
selves while this lasted. They went into a
cool room, where they ate oranges and bis-
cuits, and drank lemonade, till the tides were
over. When they returned to the box, they
FRANK.
found that the last scene was just begun, and
this was the most beautiful. It showed the
whole solar system, as it is called, with every
planet and satellite in their annual rotation;
and there they saw bright Venus, and red Mars,
and Jupiter with his satellites, and Saturn
with his ring, and last, not least, they saw a
comet with its bright tail. The curtain fell,
and Frank and Mary were sorry, for they were
now much more awake than they had been
at first. It was very different with some of the
other little children,who had not been awaken-
ed by the moon or the eclipse, nor even by the
comet, but were now in Mary's late condition,
dead asleep, in various attitudes. Of some,
only the hairy heads could be seen in the front
of the boxes : others lolling on their mothers'
laps, or propped against fathers' shoulders, or
stretched at lubber length upon the benches,
filled the place of those who had fairly given
up, and had been carried home before the lec-
ture was done. When the curtain fell, num-
bers of little bodies re-appeared, and rose,
stretching, gaping, writhing: and were push-
ed, pulled, lifted, or hauled over the benches,
and along the passages. Mother,' said
Frank, as soon as they were all seated in the
carriage, 'do you not think it was a pity to
bring such very little children to this lecture?
Did you see that they were all asleep ?'
And I will tell you what, mother,' said
Mary, I should have been just in the same
condition, if Frank had not explained a great
26
EARLY LESSONS.
deal beforehand; and, after all, I was rather
sleepy at first while the preface was speaking.'
Frank, and his father, and mother, and the
engineer, all agreed in expressing their dislike
to long prefaces for young people; and Frank
added, for Mary's comfort, that even he, after
all his reading in Scientific Dialogdes, had
much difficulty sometimes in understanding
both the machine and the lecturer.
And, besides, the man often lowered his
voice so much,that I could scarcely hear him,'
said Mary.
You remember, mother,' continued Frank,
'how I was puzzled, at first reading Scientific
Dialogues; and how much more difficult it
would have been here, in the midst of all the
lights and noise, and new things, to have un-
derstood it at all : I never could, I am sure,
unless I had read the description and explana-
tion beforehand.'
Frank thanked his friend the engineer for the
trouble he had taken to mark the passages for
him. His father and mother now began to
talk about something that did not interest the
children, and Mary fell asleep, and slept till
Frank wakened her, saying, Mary, the moon
is rising !' and Mary started up and looked
at the moon.
How beautiful!' said she: and how- '
sublime she would have said, but she did
not know the word well enough: she knew the
feeling. She asked if she might let down the
glass, which Frank accomplished for her direct-
ly; it was a fine clear frosty night, and she
FRANK.
stood perfectly still and silent, enjoying the
feeling of the fresh air, and the sight of the
moon, the blue sky, and the innumerable stars.
'Mary,' said Frank, 'only think of that
moon's being another world !'
'I do not know how to imagine it,' said Mary.
'But it is really so,' said Frank : and all
these stars are worlds! How wonderful! What
is the orrery compared to this, Mary !' said
Frank in a serious tone. How grand how
different from any thing that the most inge-
nious man in this world can make !'
They were both silent again for a little while.
What have you been thinking of, that has
kept you so silent, Mary ?'
Mother, I was thinking of a great many
things-of the stars, and of the moon, and of
- at the very instant you spoke I was
thinking of some verses upon the moon.'
'I know,' said Frank.
As when the moon, refulgent lamp of night.'
'Not those,' said Mary, but the others
which I learnt from your book, Frank :-
'By thy command the moon, as daylight fades,
Lifts her broad circle in the deepening shades;
Array'd in glory, and enthroned in light,
She breaks the solemn terrors of the night;
Sweetly inconstant in her varying flame,
She changes, still another, yet the same I
Now in decrease, by slow degrees she shrouds
Her fading lustre in a veil of clouds ;
Now of increase her gathering beams display
A blaze of light, and gives a paler day ;
Ten thousand stars adorn her glittering train,
Fall when she falls, and rise with her again.'
EARLY LESSONS.
* *
Through the wide heavens she moves, serenely bright,
Queen of the gay attendants of the night;
Orb above orb in sweet confusion lies,
And with a bright disorder paints the skies !'*
'Good morning to you, father; do you
know there is a man in the hall who is wait-
ing to speak to you, sir ?' said Frank; 'a very
hoarse man, father.'
Coarse or fine, he must not be kept wait-
ing, Frank,' said his father, rising from the
breakfast table.
Hoarse, not coarse, I said, father: shall I
ring or go myself, and ask him to come in.'
'Does he look like a gentleman ?'
I do not know, father; but he speaks like
a gentleman.'
Then go and tell him we are at breakfast,
and ask him to walk in, if he pleases; and if
he does not choose to come in, I will go to him.'
Frank went, and returned-with a person,
who, as Mary thought, exactly suited Frank's
description. It was Mr. Bright, the lecturer,
to whom the orrery belonged, and who had
been prevented from lecturing himself by hav-
ing a severe cold. He was still so hoarse, that
he could scarcely be heard, but he hoped that
he should recover his voice in a day or two;
and his present object was to announce his in-
Paraphrase of Ecclesiasticus.-BnooMa's Pomus.
FRANK.
tention of giving a course of lectures on nat-
ural philosophy, and of adapting some to the
use of young people. He hoped for subscrip-
tions and encouragement; and he particularly
wished for advice, he said, from those who
had children, and who knew what was likely
to suit their taste and comprehension. Frank's
father and mother were pleased with the mod-
est, sensible manner in which he spoke; and,
after looking over his prospectus or view of the
subjects on which he intended to lecture, they
pointed out what they thought might be best
adapted to different ages: they advised divi-
ding the lectures into those fit for the younger
and the elder auditors ; and recommended that
these should be given on separate days; and
that those for the younger children should
never exceed half an hour at a time.
Mary thought this an excellent regulation.
She and Frank listened to all that was said,
while his father and mother and the engineer
advised with the lecturer upon what subjects
and experiments should be chosen.
She was glad that some facts were to be told
of the history of birds, and bees, and dogs, and
elephants, and different animals. And Frank
rejoiced that something was to be said of roof-
ing houses, and of windmills, and of the sails
of ships. And he was glad to hear that this
gentleman had an electrical machine, for he
wished exceedingly to feel the electrical shock,
and to see the electrical spark, and an electrical
horse race, and several entertaining wonders,
of which he had heard rumors. Mary was
EARLY LESSONS.
not very anxious to feel the electrical shock,
but she was particularly happy to hear that
there was to be an air-pump.
She had been told that in an air-pump a
guinea, in falling to the bottom, makes no more
noise than a feather. She wished to see and
hear if this were true. She had also read, in
one of her little books,a curious anecdote about
a cat, who had saved her life when put into
an air-pump, by stopping, with her paw, the
hole out of which the air was going. Mary
wished to see whether any other cat would do
the same. Yet she hoped no cruel experiments
would be tried; none such as even a mouse
would petition against.
The lecturer smiled, and said, he presumed
the young lady alluded to The Mouse's Pe-
tition,' written by Mrs. Barbauld, which Dr.
Priestley found one morning on his table.
When the lecturer took leave, he said that
he should have pleasure'in showing Frank
the orrery again, and in letting him see the
concealed machinery, by which it was moved.
He said, he had heard from his assistant how
very attentive Frank had appeared to be at
the lecture; that, without knowing who he
was, he had taken notice of him as the most
attentive of all the young auditors; and that
he had afterwards inquired, and had been told
who Frank was. He had observed, that al-
most all the other children were either inat-
tentive or asleep.
Mr.Bright promised that the children's lec-
ture should not last longer than half an hour;
FRANK.
and with this agreeable promise he departed,
after thanking Frank's father and mother for
their advice and assistance, and saying, that he
wished that all the young people,whom he had
to teach, had had some previous instruction
before they came to hear public lectures.
Frank was glad that the lectures were not
to begin till Wednesday, because by that time
the engineer's son would have arrived.
On Tuesday morning, just as they were go-
ing to luncheon, his father exclaimed,-
Here's Lewis !'
Mary, and to tell the truth, Frank, felt a lit-.
tie afraid, for they had heard the engineer say,
that his son was translating Milton's Samson
Agonistes into Latin verse, and reading Hero-
dotus in Greek, and the (Edipus Tyrannus of
Sophocles : they fancied that he must be too
grand and learned for them. They were agree-
ably surprised when they saw his good-natur-
ed, good-humored face. Mary thought he did
not look in the least conceited, nor too wise and
solemn. He could stand, and sit, and speak
like any body else, but quite different from
master Tom His manner of speaking es-
pecially was very gentlemanlike.
The moment that luncheon was finished,
Frank asked him if he would like to go out
and walk.
Yes, he said, he should.
Mary, who recollected that master Tom had
told Frank that he would be laughed at by
schoolboys, if he walked with little girls, did
not offer to follow them, till Lewis, looking
nX EARLY LIaSONS.
back, in a very good-natured manner, said to
Frank, Is not your sister coming with you 3'
'Thank you,' said Frank. Come, Mary.
She is not my sister, but it is just the same.
Lewis said he had sisters of his own, to
whom he was always glad to go home in the
holidays; but his home was a great way off,
he never went there above once a year. His
sisters always took care of his garden for him
when he was away; and he was fond of it and
of them. Frank and Mary were sorry that it
was winter, because their gardens and island
would not be worth looking at, at this season ;
however, he liked seeing them, and said, that
pany things here put him in mind of his own
home.
When they came in, after this walk, Lewis
went to his father; and, as Mary was running
up stairs to put by her bounet, Frank called to
her, and said, Mary, how do you like him V
Very well,' said Mary: was not it good-
natured of him to ask me to walk with you
and when I was following you through the
wood, he held back the boughs for me. He
is not at all a bear.'
No,' said Frank. Mrs. J- may say
what she pleases, but all boys are not natural-
ly little bears, No, nor even all schoolboys.!
But, Frank,' said Mary,' you did not ask
him many questions about school and his
schoolfellows.'
'My dear, how could I,: when most of the
tue we were hare and hounds, or at the gae
7s I had not time.'
FIANK. iaW
SBut why do you not follow him to his
room now 7'
Because his father is with him; and we
must let him have his own talk with his
father,' said Frank.
Certainly; but I do not think his father is
with him. There he is going down stairs.
Now, Frank, run up, and do ask him every
thing about school.'
Frank found Lewis alone in his room, but
not in a condition to ask questions about
school, for he was finishing a little note for
home : a candle lighted on the table, and a
packet of letters open.
I see you are busy,' said Frank. I only
came to ask questions about school, but I will
not talk to hinder you.'
Lewis begged him to come in, and said that
talking never hindered him; but that he could
not be sure of his having any sense for answers,
till he had sent off the letters for home, which
his father had left him to finish and seal.
Before he sealed his little note he began to
shuffle about the room in search of-
What ? said Frank.
My carpet bag,' said he.
Frank found it for him. It was stuffed so s;
never carpet bag was stuffed before ; yet that
is a bold word. Out of it he dragged shoes,
boots, shirts, books, trousers, jackets, innumer-
able little parcels, and strange things directed
to different people, and all these he began to
kick about, and tumble over in search of
something. 27
EARLY LESSONS.
'What I said Frank.
A bit of yellow silk,' said Lewis, rumma-
ging on in the greatest hurry.
0, the post will be too late !'
And Frank tumbled over the things too to
help him, but without well knowing what it
was he was looking for ; but at last, turning
one of a pair of new boots upside down, and
saying to himself Poor Felix !' out dropped
something like a lock of yellow hair, upon
,which Lewis pounced, put it into his note,
.and sealed the letters.
'It is very well,' said Frank, you knew
what you were looking for; I did not. I never
should have known that was yellow silk. But
how you burn your fingers with the wax,with-
out minding it! Give me the packet, and I will
run down, and put it in the post bag for you.'
'And pray,' said Lewis,' come back again.'
He did so; and now Lewis had sense to
answer questions.
The result of all the questions asked, and
answers given, was, that Lewis liked home
much better to be sure than school; but he
liked his own school better than any other.
Boys were never flogged there for making
mistakes in Latin grammar, or for any thing
about learning.
There was no flogging except for the most
,disgraceful faults, such as theft and lying.
He liked his master as well as he could like a
schoolmaster, though he had very little to do
with him; he was a very clever man, a very
good man; he was just, and had no favorites.
FRANK.
Frank begged that Lewis would tell him
the names of all his schoolfellows.
Lewis answered, that this would not be
soon done ; for there were some hundreds.
Some hundreds!' exclaimed Frank. All
in one house What a house it must be !'
Before Frank recovered from his surprise,
the dinner bell rang, and he went down stairs.
The winter evening would have been a dole-
ful affair to master Tom, or with him. Mary,
remembering Tom's declaration, that he had
enough and too much of books at school,' and
that schoolboys never touched one in the holy-
days, resolved, that she would not mention
any, or even look toward their bookcase ; and
she thought it would not be civil to read, and
begged that Frank would not. But Lewis
went to the bookcase, of his own accord, and
asked if they would lend him anything enter-
taining to read. Then Mary quickly took down
their best books, and spread them before him;
and, far from looking at them with the disgust
and disdain with which Tom had surveyed
her pile of literature, he examined each. He
knew them all, even Bingley's History of
Quadrupeds. This was a disappointment to
Mary; but then, if he had read them all, it was
a comfort to find that he liked those best which
Frank had preferred. There was one of her
books on insects which he had not seen before,
and she began to talk to him of butterflies, and
caterpillars, and spiders. Frank whispered,-
My dear, those things are too little for him.'
t Dialogues on Entomology.
EARLY LESSONS.
No,' Lewis said, not in the least too lit-
tle :' he confessed he knew scarcely any thing
about them; he did know something though
of silkworms ; he and several of the boys at
his school had some.
'Silkworms at school! and at a boy's
school,' said Mary.
'And at a school with hundreds of boys!' ad-
ded Frank. I never should have thought it.'
Yet so it was. And, to Mary's astonishment,
Lewis knew how they were to be fed with
mulberry leaves ; and how the silk was to be
wound from the cocoons. And I have wound
a great deal myself. I sent home some to my
sister to-day. That was the yellow silk,
Frank, which you saw.'
He hoped that he had another bit left for Ma-
ry, and he ran up stairs to look for it, and Frank
ran after him, and they again searched among
the scattered contents of the bag, and at last
found a card of silkworms' silk,which had been
left as a mark in 'AliPasha,' a prize poem. Ma-
ry wondered how boys' great fingers could
wind such delicate silk Fine as the cobwebs
in the telescope, she was going to say, but she
changed it into the finest cobweb I ever saw.'
She was so much pleased with this, that she
wished to have some silkworms to take care
of herself, especially as their friend the garden-
er had a mulberry tree; but Lewis advised her
not. She asked why ? He hesitated to answer;
but when she pressed, he replied, that they
were very dirty, had a disagreeable smell, and
were apt to eat too much, and sometimes eat
FRANK.
till they burst.' Any one of these reasons, but
particularly the last, would have been enough
for Mary. To put the gluttonous silkworms
out of her head, she opened one of her favorite
books, and fortunately this was one of which
Lewis never had heard. It opened at the his-
tory of a canary bird, who could spell the long-
est word that could be required. For instance,
Constantinopolitanus,' not speaking, but pick-
ing out the letters one by one from a pasteboard
alphabet laid before it on the table.
Mary, seeing that Lewis was amused with
this, could not refrain from turning over the
leaf to other anecdotes in honor of horses,
asses, tigers, lions, ants, robin-redbreasts,
water-wagtails, and innumerable others.
Frank's mother smiled, and said, My dear
Mary, have mercy : though Lewis listens with
so much good-nature, all these animals cannot
be interesting to him : he must be tired.'
Lewis however declared, that he was not
tired, and begged to have this book, and any
which Mary could lend him about animals.
As it happened, he had at present a particular
interest, on his own account, in reading histo-
ries of animals; for he and all the boys in his
class at school, had a thesis to write, and it was
tobe inverse. Each was to choose for his theme
any bird, beast, fish, or insect,which they liked
best. Now his first difficulty was which bird,
beast, fish, or insect, he should choose : and
an hour of this evening was merrily spent by
Frank, Mary, and Lewis, in pleading in
honor of insect, bird, beast, and fish.
318 EARLY LESSONS.
Frank's father and mother, the engineer and
all, condescended to join in the pleadings. The
engineer chose, or would have chosen, the half-
reasoning elephant for his hero, and had In-
dian anecdotes, credible and incredible, to tell;
and much to say about the elephant's judging
of the strength of bridges by only putting his
foot on them; and drawing cannon for armies,
where no power of horse or man, or mecha-
nism could avail : but scarcely had the engi-
neer pronounced the words, I choose the
elephant,' when Lewis exclaimed,-
0, sir, you can't have the elephant, for he's
engaged to young Little, one of my friends.'
Then I will take the beaver.'
But, my dear father, the beaver is enga-
ged too, to George Ruddiman.'
Well-may I learn of the bee to build,
the nautilus to sail V''
'No, you must not, father ; the nautilus
and the bee are engaged three deep.'
The whale then ?'
'No, sir, Milliken has the whale.'
The pelican, Frank's mother would have
taken, but the pelican belonged to a particular
friend, Edgeware, and could not be had. She
then chose the she bear, who so heroically de-
fends her cubs: but Frank laughed her out of
the sea bear, by saying that she must leave that
to Mrs. J- who maintained that all little
boys are bears, and her own in particular.
Frank's father took thq lion for his share,
and, with the help of Androcles and Scipio
Africanus, hoped to make much of him.
FANK.
But he was forced to give up the lion and
Scipio; for Joe Thompson had made fifty-nine
verses upon him already ; and, after that,.
would it be fair to take him from Joe '
So many of the best beasts, birds, fishes, and
insects, being thus pre-engaged to particular
friends, and others being objectionable as too
common, and others as too difficult, and quite
unmanageable in poetry, the choice, which
had at first seemed almost impossible, from
the infinite variety of the animal world,
was now limited, and Frank began to com-
plain, that there was really nothing left.
His mother, however, was content with the
eider duck, who, robbed perpetually of the
soft bedding for her ducklings, plucks herself
at last even to death for her young.
Frank's father supported the bird of Jove,
thunderbolt in claw, and would not give him
up, though Lewis warned him that young
Flaxman had a great mind to him.
The engineer was allowed to have the ant
because Milliken, who had had him, could
make nothing of him, and gave him up as too
old and commonplace. But the engineer's ant
proved to be far from commonplace: he was
fresh from Africa, of the great family of the
termites bellicosi, whose houses, palaces, or
pyramids, are from twelve to twenty feet high;
whose kings and queens, if travellers' reports
say true, are lodged in royal chambers, well de-
serving the name, with Gothic arches, fretted
roofs, and long-drawn aisles, with subterra-
nean galleries water-proof and fire-proof, and
EARLY LESSONS.
magazines well stored with provisions, which
to the naked eye seem but raspings of wood or
plants, but, seen through a microscope, resem-
le tiers of gum and amber, and some.srill finer,
sparkling like sugar about preserved fruits.
And when he came to the sparkling sugar,
it appeared that the engineer had not labored
this part in vain, for Mary exclaimed,-
'Beautiful !'
Sublime, too, the poet may make the ter-
mites,' continued the engineer. When they
march out of their palaces, their march is to be
stopped neither by earth, fire, or water. And
if man makes war upon them in their fortres-
ses, he is forced to bring out his cannon be-
fore he can dislodge or conquer them.'
The cannon astonished Mary. Cannon
against ants against an insect !'
Lewis thought, that, according to his father's
description, this species of ant would really
make a great figure in poetry, and he had
just decided to take the termites for his sub-
ject, when Frank produced a formidable
rival in the dog of Herculaneum.
Mary sprang up with joy when she heard this
dog named by Frank, and from her own book.
'How could forget the dear dog Delta! butI
am glad that Frank remembered him.'
Delta was a famous dog whose skeleton was
found in the ruins of Herculaneum, stretched
over the body of a boy of twelve years of age.
Delta's collar, which is now to be seen in
the gallery of the grand duke of Tuscany,
tells, by its Greek inscription, that this dog be-
320
FRANK.
long to aman of the name of Severinus,whose
life the dog three times saved, and history in-
forms us, that he saved him once by dragging
him out of the sea when nearly drowned, once
by driving off four robbers, and the third
time by destroying a she-wolf, who was go-
ing to tear him to pieces.
Delta was afterwards given by Severinus to
his son, and he grew so fond of the boy,.that
he would take food only from his hand ; and
when at last he was unable to save the child,
the faithful animal would not forsake his
young master, but died along with him.
Frank's father observed, in favor of this sub-
ject for Lewis's poem, that it admitted of clas-
sical allusions, and wakened ancient associa-
tions ; if he remembered rightly, the dog's
master, Severinus, had attacked the she-wolf's
little ones, in a grove sacred to Diana.
Frank and Mary did not quite understand
this ; but Lewis rejoiced in it, and the dog of
Herculaneum had all voices, all hearts in his
favor, till the dog of Athens was named by
Frank's mother.
Mary found him, and his history was read,
as follows :-
'A boy ofAthens,of a very amiable charac-
ter, had a dog, that had been his playmate from
the cradle; the animal was so fond of his young
master that he scarcely ever quitted him ; he
accompanied him in all his sports, and when-
ever he saw him again, after a short absence,
he expressed his pleasure by a thousand ca-
resses. He always eat his meals with him,
EARLY LESSONS.
slept at his feet at night, rose with him in the
morning, and both began their day by play-
ing with each other.
One day, this young Athenian, looking out
of the window at some exhibition that was pas-
sing along the street, over-reached himself, and
losing his balance, fell from the upper story of
the house to the ground, and was killed upon
the.spot. Phileros (that was the name of the
dog) immediately leaped after him, and broke
his leg by the fall. But occupied wholly with
anxiety for his master, he crawled about him,
licked him with a mournful howling, and
crept under his body, as if to endeavor to
raise him from the ground.
During the preparations for the funeral,
Phileros would not quit the lifeless body of his
master, and followed the procession that bore
him to the grave. When he came to the place
of burial, he set up a lamentable cry, and re-
mained for five days lying upon the grave.
Compelled by the cravings of hunger, he then
returned to the house, eat a small quantity of
food, after which he ran to the apartment
which the child had inhabited, seemed to seek
every where for his young friend, and in a
short time died of grief.'
Whether from the manner in which it was
read, or from the really touching circumstan-
ces of the story, Lewis now inclined to the
dog of Athens, for he said, that Phileros sacri-
ficed himself voluntarily, and died of grief for
his master : but that Delta could not help be-
ing swallowed up by an earthquake, and that
FRANK.
his being found near his master's body was a
proof only, that he happened to be near him
at the time of the first shock : he could not
run away afterwards. Frank however ob-
served, that Mary's book, and other books, tell
of animals who have escaped from earth-
quakes, by running away when they felt the
first symptoms, as is frequently the case be-
fore they are noticed by man.
'Then,' observed Lewis, 'Delta was to
blame for not having snuffed out the approach
of the earthquake : this was a proof of his
want of sagacity at least.'
But Frank would not admit this, for he said
that nobody could prove that Delta did not
snuff out the danger in time. It was most
likely that the dog had warned the boy, and
done what he could to make him understand,
and to carry him away ; but Frank supposed
that Delta could not make the boy compre-
hend, or follow him.
Lewis answered, that this was supposing
the boy to be stupid or obstinate; but why
should they give up the boy, to make out that
the fault was not in the dog ?
Frank contended, that this was very fair,
because they knew nothing about the boy, and
they might suppose him to be obstinate and
stupid, rather than give up the character of
the dog of Herculaneum.
'What good had the dog of Athens ever
done in his life ?' He broke his leg indeed by
jumping out of a window; but that did no good
to his master: but the dogof Herculaneum had
EARLY LESSONS.
three times saved his master's life; and at last
was he to be accused of not doing enough,
because a foolish boy would not listen to him
at the right moment ? Was this just ?'
'No, indeed !' said Mary. 'Poor,poor Delta!'
Lewis, though he thought he could say more
for the dog of Athens, took for his subject,
Delta, the.dog of Herculaneum.
Good night, mother,' said Mary, as she was
going to bed, after the debate about the dogs.
'What shall I do about the thumb of my glove?
Look, mother, it is burst quite across, I have
mended it twice. I cannotgoto the lectures
to-morrow in such a glove, can I '
No, my dear : I observed that you had
mended it as well as you could, and I have
provided another pair for you.'
0, mother, thank you. Are the gloves in
this parcel T'
Yes, and you may open it.'
While Mary was opening the parcel, which
had come from the neighboring town, the en-
gineer said, that he must set off very early in
the morning about his business, and that he
should not return perhaps till night. Lewis
had a great mind to go with him; but this could
not be, his father said: and Frank inquired,
whether he would like to go with them to the
lectures.
Frank's father observed, that it was hard
rANK.
upon poor Lewis to force him m his holidays
to go to lectures.
Not lectures: only experiments,' said Ma-
ry, looking up from her parcel.
Your changing the name makes no differ-
ence to him,' said Frank's father, smiling.
'What does he choose v'
Lewis said, that as he could not go with his
father, he should like to go with Frank tomor-
row. That he could not tell whether he
should like the lectures or the experiments, till
he had seen them : and that, if he found them
stupid the first day, he would not go the next.
He very much regretted that Felix was lame,
it would have been so pleasant to have ridden
to these lectures; but he hoped they might
walk, which he liked much better than going
in a carriage. Frank begged to walk with
him; it was only five miles, and Frank had
walked four the other day (which now grew
to be four and a half,) and back again, with-
out being tired in the least.
The gloves fit perfectly well,' said Mary.
'Look, mother.'
But her countenance suddenly changed, as
her eye fixed upon the paper in which the
gloves had been wrapped. It was a handbill,
or advertisement, which in capital letters an-
nounced the arrival of a juggler, who would
the next day, at ten o'clock precisely, exhibit
wonderful sights with cups and balls,and tricks
with cards. He would tell any lady or gen-
tleman what cards they thought of.
'Mother,' said Mary, I wish we could see
EARLY LESSONS.
both the juggler and the experiments, but we
cannot; how unlucky, that they are both to
be the same morning, and at the same time
-we cannot have both.'
Frank,' said his father, would you rather
see this juggler's tricks, or the experiments
You have read a list of both.'
Frank hesitated.
Look neither to the right, nor to the left,
my boy, but straight forward : the question is
not, which you think Mary would like, nor
which you think Lewis would like, nor which
you think we should admire you the most for
choosing. I ask you to tell me honestly,
which you would like best yourself.'
Honestly then, father, the juggler I would
rather see, if I am to see but one, and for once
-I know it is foolish, but I cannot help it.'
Besides, it is not so very foolish,I think,' said
Mary, because we can read about Mr.Bright's
experiments in books, cannot we, mother 7 if
we miss seeing the lecturer, we have the books;
but we cannot see the juggler in a book.'
Well reasoned, little miss Mary,' said the
engineer.
So Frank is not foolish, is he, father 7'
said Mary.
He is honest at all events,' said his father,
'and able to speak his mind plainly, which I
like.'
But Frank said, he regretted the experi-
ments, and he wished to see the electrical
machine, and to feel the shock. Mary much
regretted the air-pump and the cat.
FRANK.
The engineer, who had been pleased with
Frank's honesty, and with Mary's reasoning,
said, that he hoped he could settle the business
to their satisfaction, and manage so that they
should see and hear all they wished. He should
be up very early in the morning, and must go
through the county town, where he could see
the lecturer, and would persuade him to put
off the experiments for the young people till
the next day, which would be for his own inte-
rest; as it would be dangerous for him to come
into competition with the juggler, as probably
most children, if they were permitted to
choose, would make Frank's choice.
This arrangement promised satisfaction to
all parties. The next morning, the ever good-
natured engineer remembered their pleasure
in the midst of all his own business, and sent
back a little pencilled note, which Frank re-
ceived at breakfast time, and which set all
hearts at ease. It was as follows :-
The philosopher has been wise enough to
yield the first day to the juggler ; secure that
the second will be all his o*n.'
And so it proved. The young people were
at first extremely amused by seeing the jug-
gler play his feats with cup and balls, and his
tricks upon cards : but when they knew that
it was all deception, or when they were told
how these tricks were performed, there was
an end of the wonder and the pleasure.
The experiments shown by the natural phi-
losopher were not so amusing, and did not ap-
pear so wonderful at first; but both Frank and
EARLY LESSONS.
Mary agreed, that they liked them better and
better as they went on, because, as they said,
there was no cheating in these; they were true,
they might be of advantage to them afterwards
in conversation, in reading, and, as Frank ob-
served, they might perhaps be useful to them in
trying experiments afterwards for themselves.
For,' as he said, why should not we try
experiments when we grow up, as well as
other people ?'
Frank was somewhat elated, by perceiving,
that at this first lecture he understood as well,
if not more quickly than Lewis, who was a
year older, and had been at school. But, at
school, his attention had been turned to other
subjects, and he had never had an opportu-
nity of seeing any experiments before.
It had often been proposed, he said, that they
should have, at his school, some lectures, and
experiments, on natural philosophy ; and, he
believed, it was to be next half year. Now
that he found these were entertaining, he was
determined he would subscribe, if the lecturer
should come.
In their walk home, after the first of these
lectures, Frank had a great deal of conversa-
tion with Lewis about school : that is to say,
Frank asked Lewis a multitude of questions,
some of which Lewis answered readily and
clearly ; but to others he replied with more
caution and reserve. On all that concerned
the lessons, and the plays, and the hours for
work and play,and the laws and punishments,
he was full and explicit; and this was for the
328 .
FRANK.
present quite enough to satisfy Frank. The
new plays which were new to him, first fixed
his curiosity; he wanted immediately to see,
and to learn them all. Some of these, Lewis
said, he could easily show him; marbles and
ball for instance, but others could not be
played for want of more boys.
With ball Frank was well acquainted ; but
Lewis doubted whether he knew the last fash-
ions of ball-playing at school. When the sub-
ject of the plays and games was exhausted,
Frank went back to the books.
But I am very much surprised,' said he,
'that you, Lewis, do not dislike our books.
And I wonder you are so fond of reading
English.'
'Why should not I be fond of reading Eng-
lish ? am not I an Englishman?' said Lewis
rather bluffly. What do you take me for V
I do not take you for any thing else,' said
Frank ; and Lewis's bluff look went off, and
with a good-humored smile he said,-
'0 well, go on.'
'I was going to say,' continued Frank,'that
I was surprised, because Tom told us, that
schoolboys never read anything but Latin;
that they have no English books at school,
nor time for them.'
Whoever Tom may be, he is mistaken
there,' said Lewis, 'or he exaggerates; he may
speak of his own school if he pleases, and per-
haps he tells truth about that; but, at ours, I
know the boys have a library of their own, of
28
EARLY LESSONS.
excellent English books, to which any sub-
scribe who like it, and almost all do sub-
scribe. We have above a thousand volumes,
several entertaining, and I assure you some
very valuable books.'
Lewis, after the first angry contradiction of
Tom's slander against schools, was careful to
tell the exact fact in his own case. He re-
membered, he confessed, that when he first
went to school he had not had any time for
English, or for thinking 6f entertaining books;
it was as much as ever he could do to get
through his Latin lessons, and Latin grammar.
Now he had got over the first difficulty, he
had more time, and could read,when the books
were entertaining; onThursday andSaturday
evenings, which were holidays, he was always
happy to have an entertaining book if the day
was wet. But Lewis honestly confessed, that
on those holyday evenings, in general, he lov-
ed out of doors bodily exercise, riding if he
could have it; because, said he, we have so
much to do of hard Latin and Greek work,
bodily exercise rests us best. By the by, we
have a workshop, and carpenter's tools, and
two or three lathes. It is a reward to us to
work in the workshop,anda great pleasure it is.
The idle fellows can never get to the lathe. I
know a boy, who, when he first came to our
school, was exceedingly idle, and hated Latin,
because he had been flogged so often for not
having learned his lessons, at the school where
he was before he came to ours. But he loved
turning particularly; and he was so anxious
FRANK.
to get to the lathe, that he set about his Latin
lesson in earnest, and now he scarcely ever
misses one.
'At school,' continued Lewis, I like work-
ing in the workshop better than reading; but
in the holidays, I like reading best. In the
Christmas vacation, in the long winter even-
ings, I am very fond of reading, especially
when I have my sisters, or somebody to talk
to, about books. Then all I knew, before I
went to school, comes back again. That sis-
ter, or cousin, or whatever she is of yours, that
good-natured little Mary, will be a great plea-
sure to you in the holidays, and she will love
reading enough, and not too much neither;
too much of a good thing, you know, is as bad
as too little. So,' cried Lewis, turning sud-
denly, and catching hold of the branches of a
tree, what do you think, Frank, of climbing
this tree 1'
With all my heart,' said Frank.
And after this, they had many climbing
matches at home, Frank showing that he
would not be outdone by his companion, ei-
ther in spirit or dexterity.
But, alas there could be no riding. Poor
Felix was not able to contribute to their amuse-
ment, nor they to his relief. Judges, or at
least doctors, had differed much as to the mode
of his treatment : one had advised that the
lame leg should be hung in a sling, and that
Felix should be kept in the stable; another
was sure that he would never get well unless
he were turned out to grass. The horse and
EARLY LESSONS.
Frank seemed to be of this latter opinion :
therefore Felix was turned out into a paddock
near the house, which he had all to himself,
lest any other animal should hurt him. Tom
and his groom came to see him once, but Fe-
lix showed such signs of dislike, that they did
not repeat the visit. Every morning Frank
and Mary used to go to see him: the moment
Frank appeared at the gate of the field, the
horse knew his voice, and neighed in sign of
pleasure, and would try to come towards him,
as fast as his sprained shoulder would permit.
Mary gathered for him handfuls of fresh grass,
and he always took them from her with the
greatest politeness; though he had, as Frank
observed, the whole field before him all day
long. He would now even rub his nose against
Lewis, as if he knew by instinct, Mary said,
that Lewis was Frank's friend. Something
perhaps was to be attributed to the piece of
read, which Lewis constantly brought him
for breakfast. Colonel Birch came on purpose
to see Felix; and cheered his young master
with the assurance, that he would certainly
get quite well in time.
In the mean while, the Colonel was well
pleased with both the boys for their freedom
from selfishness, observing that their chief
concern was for the horse, and not for them-
selves. He would have lent them a horse of his
own, but, as he could not offer two, the friends
did not wish to accept of it. He did however
what was still better for them; he allowed
them to ride in the riding house belonging to
FRANK.
the barracks. There they had the advantage
of some instructions from an excellent master,
and were amused by seeing various feats ot
horsemanship, and all the exercise of the
manage. Mary could not mix in any of
Lewis and Frank's boisterous plays. Wrest-
ling and boxing she knew were not fit for girls,
though, as she heard, they were very good for
boys:but she could not like such amusements.
There were others however more tempting,
where agility and spirit were more required
than masculine force; for instance, there was
a play called Follow the leader,' for which
Frank was exceedingly eager, and in which
Mary longed to join. The leader is to lead the
way as fast, and as far, and as long as he plea-
ses, and wherever he chooses, and the more
difficult and hazardous the path, the more glo-
rious to follow him. An excellent play this
is for boys, but, as Frank's mother said, not
for girls, as prudence is more necessary for
woman than courage; it stands higher in their
list of must wants. The slightest hint of what
was right was sufficient for Mary; though she
regretted that she could not now play so much
with Frank as she used to do, yet if it was for
his good, she was satisfied; and, if it made
him happy, she was glad; and often, tho' she
did not play, she had as much pleasure in
looking on. She sat by, the little judge of arts
and arms: and she was a very good judge,
especially where Frank was concerned; she
observed that Lewis was fair and kind to him.
Lewis did laugh to be sure, sometimes, for no
EARLY LESSONS.
mortal could help it, as he said, at the odd way
in which Frank made his first attempts at
some of his school games; yet Lewis's way of
laughing was never ill-natured; and he kept
his word, and laughed no more than was
quite good for Frank.
He must learn to bear to be laughed at,'
said he, before he goes to school.'
Between the times of their boys' plays, they
were glad to rest with other amusements and
employment, and in these they were always
anxious that Mary should share. After hav-
ing once or twice tried follow the leader, they
left it off; they said it could not be well play-
ed without more boys. Lewis did not want
to have every "thing in his school fashion, or
his own way; he readily joined in all that
Mary and Frank had been doing before he
came. He helped them in all their in-doors,
and all their out-of-doors work. At their island,
when Frank was Robinson Crusoe, and Mary
Friday, Lewis was the savage who left the
print of his foot in the sand; he would even be
a cannibal, if they desired it. At hare and
hound he transformed himself at pleasure into
hare or hound, and, whichever he was, he
proved himself best of his kind. Who could
have thought that he had translated Samson
Agonistes into Latin, or read (Edipus Tyran-
nus in Greek ?
During a clear hard frost of eleven days'
continuance, they walked many miles a day :
how many the total amounted to, at the end of
the eleventh day, the prudent historian for-
FRANK.
bears to record : it is but justice to the accu-
racy of the pedestrians to state, that, when
the length of one of these walks was question-
ed, and when it was in consequence measured
with the engineer's way-wiser, it was found
to be a quarter of a mile and one furlong more
than they had asserted it to be. Without in-
sisting however upon the wonder and glory
of the length of these walks, it is sufficient to
say they were liked by all, and contributed
to health, gaiety, and good-humor.
But frost cannot last for ever, or, if it could,
we might grow tired of it. Snow, threaten-
ing to be a heavy snow, began to fall.
And there must be an end of all our de-
lightful walks!' said Frank.
But there was some pleasure, Mary thought,
even at the moment he spoke, in looking at the
feathery flakes as they fell thick and thicker,
white on grass, tree, shrub, changing in a few
minutes the appearance of all things. And
Lewis saw, in the snow, the promise of snow-
balls of prodigious size, 'if it would but con-
tinue long enough.' It did continue long en-
ough. The third morning all was snow as far
as they could see.
When the snow was shoveled from the
windows, and from the walk near the house,
there was fine diversion in making and throw-
ing snowballs; and Frank bore stoutly the
pelting of the pitiless storm, proud to prove,
that he could stand as well even as Lewis,
who had stood the snowballs of two winters
at school.
EARLY LESSONS.
The pelting over, the friends joined in ma-
king a ball of enormous size, which at last
they could not roll, even with the help of any
length of lever which they could employ; lea-
ving it during the night, they next day found
it frozen to the ground.
Frank next suggested the making a statue of
snow,such as he had seen in one of the vignettes
to Bewick: they set about it; legs, arms,
trunk, and head, they moulded :-
They worked, and wondered at the work they made.'
But when they attempted to stick the limbs
and body together, difficulties increased, and
the limbs were distorted by every pinch or
squeeze which impatience or awkwardness
hazarded. One arm was shrunk to half the size
of the other, and the neck absolutely melted
away under the warmth of Frank's hands, be-
fore the head could be made to stand rightly
upon the shoulders; the delicacy of the face
too, it must be confessed, was damaged in
fruitless attempts to put on a becoming hat,
which was necessary to hide something mis-
shapen in the top of the head. At last the hat
was fixed, and the head firm, the bridge of the
nose repaired, and the wasted arm restored.
When the whole was finished, the artists went
to call their judge and admirer Mary, who
came out shivering, for it was ten degrees
below the freezing point : yet, always kind,
she came with the best intentions possible to
be pleased. But lo the statue was overturn-
FRANK.
ed, and, in the midst of the fragments, stood
Frank's dog Pompey.
O, Pompey what have you done 7'
Sir Isaac Newton's magnanimous conduct
to his dog Diamond scarcely exceeded Frank's
forbearance on this occasion.
He stood for a moment in despair; then play-
fully pelted Pompey away with the man's head,
renewing the charge with the legs and arms,
as fast as he could mould them into balls.
'After all,' said Frank,'the face of this snow
man was frightful : we will make a better to-
morrow.' But a thaw came on in the night, and
they were forced to abandon their design.
In the last week of Lewis's holidays, Frank
and he were anxious to enjoy a pleasure,
of which they had been deprived by the thaw
-the pleasure of skating. Frank's mother
had expressed some fears of the danger of this
amusement, but his father,on the contrary side
of the question, had observed, that boys must
run some hazards, or else they would become
cowardly. It was settled,that they might skate
when a certain watering place for the horses
should be sufficiently hard. It was shallow,
and the boys could not easily drown them-
selves there, even if the ice should break. This
general permission gained, there was but one
point unsettled-when would the ice be suffi-
ciently hard, and who was to judge of that 7
One morning, very early for a winter morn-
ing, that is, soon after daybreak, Lewis rose
and looked out of his windows, then wakened
29-
Sdd EARLY LESSONS.
Frank, told him it was a hard frost, and bid
him get up and come out and skate, for he was
sure that at this time the ice was strong e-
nough. Frank was eager to try his new skates;
and though he had some scruples, for he was
not clear that he ought to go without having
had his father's express permission, he did not
tell his friend his doubts, but dressed himself
as fast as he could, and followed Lewis, accom-
panied by his dog Pompey. The dog conten-
ted himself with sitting by, watching his mas-
ter sliding about. Frank had several falls,
but he was up again soon, and but little hurt;
and he was so much delighted with the exer-
cise and with his success, that the falls went
for nothing. One part of the ice was more ex-
posed to the beams of the sun than the rest, and
Lewis warned him, that he thought it was in
that spot beginning to crack. Frank took his
advice, and stopped, and began to try how soft
and how hard the ice was in different places.
In the spot on which the sun shone the ice
cracked when he struck it, and a large piece fell
in. Frank exulted in his own and his friend's
prudence in having stopped in time.
They took off their skates, and began to walk
homewards, till suddenly Frank perceived that
his dog was not following them : he called
' Pompey Pompey !' but no Pompey came in
answer to the call. They went back to look
for him, but they could not see him anywhere
on the road or in the fields. They went to
the place where they had been skating, and
.they heard a noise under the ice; they looked
|