ly at ten o'clock,
but found, afterward, that he should have gone at half-past six. This
hour seemed to him and to Mrs. Peterkin unseasonable, at a time of
year when the sun was not up, and he would have been obliged to go to
the expense of candles.

Agamemnon was always willing to try another college, wherever he could
be admitted. He wanted to attain knowledge, however it might be found.
But, after going to five, and leaving each before the year was out, he
gave it up.

He determined to lay out the money that would have been expended in a
collegiate education in buying an Encyclopaedia, the most complete that
he could find, and to spend his life studying it systematically. He
would not content himself with merely reading it, but he would study
into each subject as it came up, and perfect himself in that subject.
By the time, then, that he had finished the Encyclopaedia he should
have embraced all knowledge, and have experienced much of it.

[Illustration]

The family were much interested in this plan of making practice of
every subject that came up.

He did not, of course, get on very fast in this way. In the second
column of the very first page he met with A as a note in music. This
led him to the study of music. He bought a flute, and took some
lessons, and attempted to accompany Elizabeth Eliza on the piano.
This, of course, distracted him from his work on the Encyclopaedia. But
he did not wish to return to A until he felt perfect in music. This
required a long time.

Then in this same paragraph a reference was made; in it he was
requested to "see Keys." It was necessary, then, to turn to "Keys."
This was about the time the family were moving, which we have
mentioned, when the difficult subject of keys came up, that suggested
to him his own simple invention, and the hope of getting a patent for
it. This led him astray, as inventions before have done with
master-minds, so that he was drawn aside from his regular study.

The family, however, were perfectly satisfied with the career
Agamemnon had chosen. It would help them all, in any path of life, if
he should master the Encyclopaedia in a thorough way.

Mr. Peterkin agreed it would in the end be not as expensive as a
college course, even if Agamemnon should buy all the different
Encyclopaedias that appeared. There would be no "spreads" involved; no
expense of receiving friends at entertainments in college; he could
live at home, so that it would not be ne