cellent in orderly arrangement as
they are in neatness."

George spent his vacation with Lawrence, who really had charge of his
education after Mr. Washington died. Lawrence married the daughter of
William Fairfax three months after the death of his father, and settled
on the plantation which his father bequeathed to him, near Hunting
Creek, and to which Lawrence gave the name of Mount Vernon, in honor of
Admiral Vernon, under whom he did military service in the West Indies,
and for whom he cherished profound respect.

Lawrence was strongly attached to his young brother in whom he
discovered the elements of a future noble manhood. He delighted to have
him at his Mount Vernon home, and insisted that he should spend all his
time there when out of school. It was during a vacation that Lawrence
examined his maps and copy-books, as narrated, George having brought
them with him for his brother to inspect.

One of George's copy-books attracted much attention in school, because
it was unlike that of any other scholar, and it was an original idea
with him.

"What do you call it, George, and what do you ever expect to do with
it?" inquired a school-mate.

"You can call it what you please," replied George. "I expect that it
will be of great service to me when I become a man."

"That is looking a long way ahead, it seems to me," rejoined his
companion. "I prefer to know what will be of service to me _now_. You
can scarcely tell what will be best for you when you become a man."

"I know that what I am copying into that book will be of use to me in
manhood, because men use these forms. I call it a 'Book of Forms' for
the want of a better name." And George's words denoted entire confidence
in his original idea of the use of forms.

"Well, the book looks well anyway," continued his school-mate holding
the copy-book up to view. "As to that, I should like to see any work of
yours that does not look well. But what are these forms, anyhow?"

"They are receipts, bills of exchange, notes of hand, deeds, wills,
land-warrants, bonds and useful forms of that kind," answered George.
"If I have them here in this book together, they will be convenient for
use ten or twenty years hence."

"Yes, I see; you can run a lawyer's office on that book," suggested his
friend.

"A farmer's office, you mean. A farmer may find use for every form there
is in that book; and if he does not, it will be no disadvantage to him
to understand them."

"