received for
his trouble was, a handsome drubbing, sometimes from his master, but
more frequently from his school fellows. He was equally notorious for
his great forwardness to give a challenge, upon the slightest
provocation, and very often from mere wantonness; and sometimes he
would very unfairly begin an engagement without giving any previous
notice, that he might make sure of the first blow. But his strength and
skill being unequal to his pretensions, the many mortifying defeats he
received, soon taught him the despicable cunning of assaulting none but
those, who, he believed, were either too weak to contend with him, or
too cowardly to stand in their own defence. The speedy consequence of
such a dirty conduct was, that the bigger boys despised and laughed at
him, and those who were less than himself, carefully shunned his
company; so that at last poor wrangling Stephen, for want of
play-fellows, had no other diversion left for him, but to take a
solitary ramble through the fields. His parents being informed of the
disagreeable situation into which he had brought himself, and what a
shy reception he met with from all the boys in the neighbourhood,
thought it adviseable, after giving him a strict caution to behave in a
more peaceable manner for the future, to remove him to a genteel
boarding school, at a distance from home. If he had thought proper to
follow their advice, and make a diligent use of the excellent
instructions he received from his new teachers, he might afterwards
have cut a shining figure in the world; but, as what is bred in the
bone, seldom gets out of the flesh, so it fared with _Stephen Churl_.
Though he was a little reserved at first, as being entirely among
strangers, a short acquaintance with them made him very familiar--the
affability and good nature with which they listened to every thing he
said, soon encouraged him to be pert; and from pertness he proceeded to
open rudeness and ill manners--until at last happening to be very
mildly reprimanded by one of the young gentlemen, whose tenderness he
misconstrued into cowardice, he commenced hostilities, as usual, by
giving him an unexpected blow on the face. But his antagonist being
possessed of as much spirit as politeness, returned the compliment in
an instant; and conducted the engagement on his side with such vigour
and activity, that our hero soon retired from the field of battle
heartily drubbed, to make his complaint to the master, who, a