detown, she
postponed decision.

"I've thought upon it," she said, "and I feel it can very well be left
to the spring, if you see nothing against. I've promised to do some
braiding in my spare time this winter for a firm at Bridport that wants
netting in large quantities. They are giving it out to those who can do
it; and as for Abel, he'll go to his day-school through the winter. And
it means a great deal to me, Mister Churchouse, that you are as good and
helpful to him as you were to me when I was young. I don't want to lose
that."

"I wish I'd been more helpful, my dear."

"You taught me a great many things valuable to know. I should have been
in my grave years ago, but for you, I reckon. And the child's only a
child still. If you work upon him, you'll make him meek and mild in
time."

"He'll never be meek and mild, Sabina--any more than you were. He has
plenty of character; he's good material--excellent stuff to be moulded
into a fine pattern, I hope. But a little leaven leavens the whole lump
of a child, and what I can do is not enough to outweigh other
influences."

"I don't fear for him. He's got to face facts, and as he grows he must
use his own wits and get his own living."

"The fear is that he may be spoiled and come to settled, rooted
prejudices, too hard to break down afterwards. He is a very interesting
boy, just as you were a very interesting girl, Sabina. He often reminds
me of you. There are the possibilities of beauty in his character. He is
sentimental about some things and strangely indifferent about others. He
is a mixture of exaggerated kindness in some directions and utter
callousness in others. Sentimental people often are. He will pick a
caterpillar out of the road to save it from death, and he will stone a
dog if he has a grudge against it. His attitude to Peter Grim is one of
devotion. He actually told me that it was very sad that Peter had now
grown too old to catch mice. Again, he always brings me the first
primrose and spares no pains to find it. Such little acts argue a kindly
nature. But against them, you have to set his unreasoning dislike of
human beings and a certain--shall I say buccaneering spirit."

"He feels, and so he'll suffer--as I did. The more you feel, the more
you suffer."

"And it is therefore our duty to prevent him from feeling mistakenly and
wanting to make others suffer. He may sometimes catch allusions in his
quick ears that cause him doubt and even pain. An