CHAPTER I.

Description of Harry Sandford and Tommy Merton--Adventure with the
Snake--Harry in Mr Merton's house--Mr Barlow undertakes the
education of Tommy--The first day at Mr Barlow's--Story of the
Flies and the Ants--Harry rescues a Chicken from a Kite--Story of
the Gentleman and the Basket-maker--Tommy learns to read--Story of
the two dogs.

In the western part of England lived a gentleman of great fortune, whose
name was Merton. He had a large estate in the Island of Jamaica, where
he had passed the greater part of his life, and was master of many
servants, who cultivated sugar and other valuable things for his
advantage. He had only one son, of whom he was excessively fond; and to
educate this child properly was the reason of his determining to stay
some years in England. Tommy Merton, who, at the time he came from
Jamaica, was only six years old, was naturally a very good-tempered boy,
but unfortunately had been spoiled by too much indulgence. While he
lived in Jamaica, he had several black servants to wait upon him, who
were forbidden upon any account to contradict him. If he walked, there
always went two negroes with him; one of whom carried a large umbrella
to keep the sun from him, and the other was to carry him in his arms
whenever he was tired. Besides this, he was always dressed in silk or
laced clothes, and had a fine gilded carriage, which was borne upon
men's shoulders, in which he made visits to his play-fellows. His mother
was so excessively fond of him that she gave him everything he cried
for, and would never let him learn to read because he complained that it
made his head ache.

The consequence of this was, that, though Master Merton had everything
he wanted, he became very fretful and unhappy. Sometimes he ate
sweetmeats till he made himself sick, and then he suffered a great deal
of pain, because he would not take bitter physic to make him well.
Sometimes he cried for things that it was impossible to give him, and
then, as he had never been used to be contradicted, it was many hours
before he could be pacified. When any company came to dine at the house,
he was always to be helped first, and to have the most delicate parts of
the meat, otherwise he would make such a noise as disturbed the whole
company. When his father and mother were sitting at the tea-table with
their friends, instead of waiting till they were at leisure to attend
him, he would sc