pt up his Greek and Latin. And he read law.

No time to dream of Claudia now.

One of the wisest of our modern philosophers says that we are sure to
meet with the right book at the right time. Now whether it were chance,
fate, or Providence that filled the scanty shelves of the old escritoire
with a few law books, is not known; but it is certain that their
presence there decided the career of Ishmael Worth.

As a young babe, whose sole object in life is to feed, pops everything
it can get hold of into its mouth, so this youthful aspirant, whose
master-passion was the love of learning, read everything he could lay
his hands on. Prompted by that intellectual curiosity which ever
stimulated him to examine every subject that fell under his notice,
Ishmael looked into the law books. They were mere text-books, probably
the discarded property of some young student of the Mervin family, who
had never got beyond the rudiments of the profession; but had abandoned
it as a "dry study."

Ishmael did not find it so, however. The same ardent soul, strong mind,
and bright spirit that had found "dry history" an inspiring heroic poem,
"dry grammar" a beautiful analysis of language, now found "dry law" the
intensely interesting science of human justice. Ishmael read diligently,
for the love of his subject!--at first it was only for the love of his
subject, but after a few weeks of study he began to read with a fixed
purpose--to become a lawyer. Of course Ishmael Worth was no longer
unconscious of his own great intellectual power; he had measured himself
with the best educated youth of the highest rank, and he had found
himself in mental strength their master. So when he resolved to become a
lawyer, he felt a just confidence that he should make a very able one.
Of course, with his clear perceptions and profound reflections he saw
all the great difficulties in his way; but they did not dismay him. His
will was as strong as his intellect, and he knew that, combined, they
would work wonders, almost miracles.

Indeed, without strength of will, intellect is of very little effect;
for if intellect is the eye of the soul, will is the hand; intellect is
wisdom, but will is power; intellect may be the monarch, but will is the
executive minister. How often we see men of the finest intellect fail in
life through weakness of will! How often also we see men of very
moderate intellect succeed through strength of will!

In Ishmael Worth intellect a