ly. Are you sure you remember what the Doctor said to
you?"

"Yes. And I'll swear I couldn't make out one of my sentences to-day.
No, nor ever could. I really don't remember," said East, speaking
slowly and impressively, "to have come across one Latin or Greek
sentence this half that I could go and construe by the light of
nature. Whereby I am sure Providence intended cribs to be used."

"The thing to find out," said Tom, meditatively, "is how long one
ought to grind at a sentence without looking at the crib. Now, I
think, if one fairly looks out all the words one doesn't know, and
then can't hit it, that's enough."

"To be sure, Tommy," said East, demurely, but with a merry twinkle in
his eye. "Your new doctrine, too, old fellow," added he, "when one
comes to think of it, is a cutting at the root of all school morality.
You'll take away mutual help, brotherly love, or, in the vulgar
tongue, 'giving construes,' which I hold to be one of our highest
virtues. For how can you distinguish between getting a construe from
another boy and using a crib? Hang it, Tom, if you're going to deprive
all our school-fellows of the chance of exercising Christian
benevolence and being good Samaritans, I shall cut the concern."

"I wish you wouldn't joke about it, Harry. It's hard enough to see
one's way, a precious sight harder than I thought last night. But I
suppose there's a use and an abuse of both, and one'll get straight
enough somehow. But you can't make out anyhow that one has a right to
use old Vulgus-books and copy-books."

"Hullo, more heresy! How fast a fellow goes down hill when once
he gets his head before his legs! Listen to me, Tom. Not use old
Vulgus-books! Why, you Goth,[7] aren't we to take the benefit of the
wisdom, and admire and use the work of past generations? Not use
old copy-books! Why, you might as well say we ought to pull down
Westminster Abbey, and put up a go-to-meeting-shop with churchwarden
windows;[8] or never read Shakespeare, but only Sheridan Knowles.[9]
Think of all the work and labor that our predecessors have bestowed on
these very books, and are we to make their work of no value?"

[7] #Goth#: a barbarian.

[8] #Churchwarden windows#: probably cheap, narrow windows.

[9] #Sheridan Knowles#: a writer of popular plays.

"I say, Harry, please don't chaff; I'm really serious."

"And, then, is it not our duty to consult the pleasure of others
rather than our own; and, above all,