ing their hats and
caps, squeezing them into the smallest possible dimensions, and making
all manner of bows and scrapes, which the little old gentleman
contemplated with excessive satisfaction, and expressed his approval of
by a great many nods and smiles. Indeed, his approbation of the boys
was by no means so scrupulously disguised as he had led the
schoolmaster to suppose, inasmuch as it broke out in sundry loud
whispers and confidential remarks which were perfectly audible to them
every one. 'This first boy, schoolmaster,' said the bachelor, 'is John
Owen; a lad of good parts, sir, and frank, honest temper; but too
thoughtless, too playful, too light-headed by far. That boy, my good
sir, would break his neck with pleasure, and deprive his parents of
their chief comfort--and between ourselves, when you come to see him at
hare and hounds, taking the fence and ditch by the finger-post, and
sliding down the face of the little quarry, you'll never forget it.
It's beautiful!'

John Owen having been thus rebuked, and being in perfect possession of
the speech aside, the bachelor singled out another boy.

'Now, look at that lad, sir,' said the bachelor. 'You see that fellow?
Richard Evans his name is, sir. An amazing boy to learn, blessed with
a good memory, and a ready understanding, and moreover with a good
voice and ear for psalm-singing, in which he is the best among us.
Yet, sir, that boy will come to a bad end; he'll never die in his bed;
he's always falling asleep in sermon-time--and to tell you the truth,
Mr Marton, I always did the same at his age, and feel quite certain
that it was natural to my constitution and I couldn't help it.'

This hopeful pupil edified by the above terrible reproval, the bachelor
turned to another.

'But if we talk of examples to be shunned,' said he, 'if we come to
boys that should be a warning and a beacon to all their fellows, here's
the one, and I hope you won't spare him. This is the lad, sir; this
one with the blue eyes and light hair. This is a swimmer, sir, this
fellow--a diver, Lord save us! This is a boy, sir, who had a fancy for
plunging into eighteen feet of water, with his clothes on, and bringing
up a blind man's dog, who was being drowned by the weight of his chain
and collar, while his master stood wringing his hands upon the bank,
bewailing the loss of his guide and friend. I sent the boy two guineas
anonymously, sir,' added the bachelor, in his peculiar whispe