2. Ellen. O papa! not three hours. not been three hours about his sum. Henry has 3. F. I believe I have said rather less, than more than the truth. Is not that the same sum you had to do yesterday morning, Henry? 4. Henry. Yes, father. 5. F. You began to do it at ten, and you were doing that, or at least you were doing nothing else, till a quarter past eleven. This morning you were sitting with the slate in your hand very nearly three quarters of an hour; and this evening we left you at half past five with this terrible sum, and now it is past seven, and it is not yet done. How long is that altogether? 6. H. O papa, you need not reckon. I know that I have wasted a great deal too much time; but the truth is, I have not really been doing the sum all these hours. 7. F. I know that, my dear boy. If you had been steadily employed one third of the time, you might have been running races with Anna on the Common' this evening. However, if you liked better to stay at home 8. H. You are laughing at me, papa. You know very well I would rather have been with you. 9. F. Then why were you not with us? 10. H. I am sure it was not my fault. 11. F. And I am sure it was not mine. 12. H. But, papa, you did say that I must do my sum first. I should never have stopped at home for a sum; for I cannot see that it matters much whether I do it to-night or to-morrow morning. 13. F. It does not matter much, for this sum, or any other sum. So far you are right. But it does matter much that you should correct yourself of one of the very worst habits that either child or man can have that of wasting time. 14. H. I know it is very foolish; I wish I could cure myself of it; but I don't think I can. 15. F. Did you ever try? 16. H. O, yes, I believe so. I have very often thought I would try. 17. F. That is a very different thing. Nothing is easier than to make good resolutions; the difficulty is in keeping them. 18. H. I would make them and keep them too, if I knew how. 19. F. If you had resolved to go out to-morrow to the Common and fly your kite, how would you contrive3 to keep your resolution? 20. H. I suppose I should take my kite, when the time came, and go out. 21. F. Then why cannot you take your slate or your book in the same manner when the time comes? 22. H. I don't know, unless it is because I like to fly kites, and do not like to do sums. 23. F. That is, Henry, you choose to play, but you do not choose to work. 24. H. O, no, father; not so bad as that. I do choose to work sometimes; but you will allow that it is not so easy to do things that are disagreeable as things that are agreeable. 25. F. Not so easy, certainly; but they may be done, if we have a mind. I do not like getting up by candle-light in the winter; but I find that if I do not, I am never in town in proper time, and therefore I de get up by candle-light. 26. H. You, papa! O, to be sure, you can do disagreeable things if they are necessary; but you are a man. 27. F. You will be a man, if you live. 28. H. Yes, to be sure I shall; but it will be a good many years before I am one. 4 29. F. Then you think it will be time enough, when you are a man, to set about acquiring the firmness and resolution that a man ought to have. 30. H. No, I did not think that exactly; but still, I thought there was no hurry. [His father suddenly draws Henry's hand behind his back, and ties it, with a string, fast to the button of his jacket.] 31. E. O papa! why do you tie up Henry's hands? We are soon going to have tea, and how can he hold his cup? 32. F. I will untie his hand when he wants to use it. 33. H. But it will be so numbed' by that time that I shall not be able to use it. 34. F. Wait a little, and then see how it will be. 35. H. (After waiting a short time.) I assure you, father, it is just as I said. My hand is getting so numbed, asleep, I used to call it, that I can scarcely feel I have a hand. 36. F. (Releasing Henry's hand.) I am not surprised at that. But I assure you, your hand could not be more thoroughly numbed and useless to you when tied behind your back, than your power of controlling yourself to any useful purpose will be, if you do not cultivate this power by early use. 37. H. I am not sure that I understand you, рара. 38. F. Do you think your hands and feet are of more use to you now than they were while you were an infant? 39. H. Certainly; I have learned to use them whenever I wish. 40. F. Exactly so; and they have become stronger by use. But supposing you had never been allowed to use them till now; do you think they would be of as much service to you as they are? 41. H. No, I am sure they would not. I have heard of people who had been shut up in prisons, where there was no room to walk about, till they lost the use of their limbs; and the other day, I read of a man who had been kept a long time in prison, with no one to talk to; and when he was let out, he had forgotten how to speak. 8 42. F. In this way, if you do not learn while you are a child to conquer your dislike to do certain things which you ought to do, though not perfectly agreeable, there is great danger that when you are a man you will no longer be able to control your dislike. 43. H. Then, father, I will learn while I am a child. I will try to do what is right, even if I dislike it ever so much. I do not like arithmetic at all, but you shall see I will do my sums to-morrow the very first thing after breakfast. 1 COMMON. A public ground, park. Determination, pur.. RESOLUTION. pose, decision. CONTRIVE. Plan out, devise. 4 ACQUIRING. Getting, obtaining. 5 NUMBED. Made torpid, deprived of feeling, benumbed. 6 CONTROLLING. Governing. 7 SERVICE. Use, utility. 8 CONQUER. Overcome, subdue. 1 pěn'i-těnçe knēēl'ing bright A group of Hours, one even, 2. And they were going up to heaven, 3. And some had gold and purple wings; 4. Some glowed with rosy hopes and smiles, Others had some kind words and acts 5. A shining Hour, with golden plumes, |