my fellow-prisoner, that,
although I had promised to call on his sister, to deliver a message from
him, I omitted to do so; and so little had I been benefited by this my
chastisement, that, though I was going home to meet an angry father, only
two hours after I had left the town where I had been imprisoned, I chose
an avowedly wicked person as my traveling companion for a great part of my
journey.

My father, who arrived two days after I had reached Heimersleben, after
having severely beaten me, took me home to Schoenebeck, intending to keep
me there till Easter, and then to send me to a classical school at Halle,
that I might be under strict discipline and the continual inspection of a
tutor. In the meantime I took pupils, whom I instructed in Latin, French,
arithmetic, and German Grammar. I now endeavoured, by diligence in study,
to regain the favour of my father. My habits were, as to outward
appearance, exemplary. I made progress in my own studies, benefited my
pupils, and was soon liked by every body around me, and in a short time my
father had forgotten all. But all this time I was in heart as bad as ever;
for I was still in secret habitually guilty of great sins.

Easter came, and on account of my good behaviour, my diligence in study,
and also because I was no expense to my father, but earned much more than
I cost him, I easily persuaded him to let me stay at home till Michaelmas.
But after that period he would not consent to my remaining any longer with
him, and therefore I left home, pretending to go to Halle to be examined.
But having a hearty dislike to the strict discipline of which I had heard,
and knowing also that I should meet there young men attending the
university with whom I was acquainted, enjoying all the liberty of German
students, whilst I myself was still at school: for these and other reasons
I went to Nordhausen, and had myself examined by the director of the
gymnasium, to be received into that school. I then went home, but never
told my father a word of all this deception, till the day before my
departure, which obliged me to invent a whole chain of lies. He was then
very angry; but at last, through my entreaties and persuasion, he gave way
and allowed me to go. This was in the beginning of October, 1822.

I continued at Nordhausen two years and six months, till Easter, 1825.
During this time I studied with considerable diligence the Latin classics,
French, history, my own language, &c.; b