THE WORK PROGRESSING.
Studies at home progressed steadily under Uncle Richard's supervision,
meanwhile, and that grim gentleman found much more pleasure and
satisfaction in directing his nephew's tasks than he would have been
willing to acknowledge. The boy brought so much brightness and
pleasant life into the gloomy stone house that the stern master, as
week after week passed by, visibly began to lose something of his
grimness and gloominess, and to take something like a faint interest
in what was passing around him. And, after a time, he himself began to
be sensible of this gradual change which was stealing over his
thoughts and actions, and, vexed with himself, strove to check these
new emotions, and wrap himself again in the cloak of sadness and
melancholy which so long had shielded him from everything bright and
cheerful and happy. But he found it hardly an easy task. Noll was
almost always blithe and light-hearted, and Trafford found his bright
influence a hard one to struggle against. He loved the boy so well
that it was almost an impossibility to harden his heart to all his
winning ways and pleasant talk, which met him so constantly, and
these summer days, which Noll found such delight in, were days of
struggle and wavering to his uncle. He could not but acknowledge to
himself that he was interested in all the boy's plans for the
future,--all his youthful anticipations of happiness and success,--all
his present little projects for progress and self-improvement,--and
these matters, trivial though they may have been, gradually drew his
thoughts from himself and his sorrow, put them farther and farther
away into the dimness and silence of the past, and made the present a
more vivid and earnest reality. Was it any wonder that, seeing he
could not maintain his gloom and grimness in Noll's sunshine, and
finding it slipping away from him in spite of his endeavors to retain
it, he should astonish his nephew by strange fits of moroseness,
alternating with the utmost kindness and indulgence?
The boy sometimes fancied that his uncle had grown to utterly dislike
him,--being so irritable and unjust at times; then again his heart was
light with joy and hope, for he fancied that the grim man was just on
the point of losing his great burden of gloom, and becoming hopeful
and unoppressed. But how could he be hopeful for whom there was no
hope?--who refused to trust in God's promises?--for whom the shadow of
the grave was utter darkness and horror, wherein dear faces had
vanished--forever?
One day Noll had begged him to come out for a walk on the beach,
thinking he would lead his uncle on and on till they should come out
upon Culm village, and in this manner disclose what he had been doing
for the dwellings and their inmates.
Trafford at first appeared inclined to consent, and followed his
nephew out as far as the piazza steps, but here he stopped, and all
Noll's entreaties could not prevail upon him to go further. He sat
down, looking dispiritedly across the tranquil sea, all warm and fair
with changing lights, and down at his feet at the bit of verdure which
Noll had caused to flourish by dint of much seed-sowing and watering,
saying, "No, I've no part in it all. I'll go no further."
So Noll was obliged to set off for Culm alone, consoling himself with
the thought that next time, perhaps, he should be so successful as to
get Uncle Richard a little farther, and next time a little way farther
still, till, at last, they might walk together as uncle and nephew
should. Would that happy day ever come? he wondered.
At last, after many delays and hindrances, the plan of a school was
decided upon. Noll did not begin the undertaking with much confidence
of success, or with any great hope of making the Culm children very
bright or vigorous scholars; but it would be something toward
supplying the great want, he thought, and who could tell what this
little beginning might lead to? So, about half-past four one misty,
lowery afternoon, he found himself in a little room in Dirk's
dwelling, with ten dirty-faced, frowsy-headed children huddled
together in one corner, each of them regarding him with wide-open
eyes, and apparently without the remotest idea what they were there
for. The only furniture which the "schoolroom" could boast were two
rough benches, just from John Sampson's hands, and a three-legged
stool, which Noll appropriated to himself. Of course none of the ten
had anything in the shape of books or primers, and here the boy had
reason to rejoice that all his old school-books had made the journey
with himself to Culm.
After getting the wondering assemblage seated in proper order, Noll
began by asking, "Who wants to learn to read?"
It seemed as if the sound of his voice had wrought a spell, for each
of the ten were as silent as so many mutes.
"Who would like to know how to read?" Noll repeated.
Still a long silence, most discouraging to the teacher. At last--the
sound of his voice a most welcome one to Noll--a little fellow, who
sat on the end of one of the benches, ventured to query, "What be
'read'?"
"Well," thought the would-be teacher, "I've got to explain what 'read'
is before they'll know whether they fancy it, to be sure! I didn't
think of that."
Among his books was a great primer, with painted letters and pictures,
and bringing this forth, he gathered the ten around him, and used all
his powers of description and story-telling to endeavor to awaken the
slumbering interest of these unpromising pupils. It was a weary hour's
work. A few of them betrayed a slight curiosity in regard to the
bright colors, which Noll endeavored to stimulate; but it soon died
out, and all looked on and listened with listless attention. They
appeared much more inclined to stand with their fingers in their
mouths, and gaze steadfastly into Noll's face, than to put eyes on the
book.
"If I had the alphabet stamped upon my face, I believe they'd learn
it easily enough!" he thought to himself, in despair, as, on looking
up, he found the whole ten staring in his face, instead of having had
their eyes upon the primer during his long explanation. As a last
resort, he stepped out upon the sand in front of the door, and there
drew a great A.
"Now," said he, "see which of you can make a letter like that. Take a
stick and try, every one of you. Look sharp, and make it just like the
one I've made."
Thereupon, there was a great searching for sticks, and when all the
little ones had been supplied, there was a great scratching and
marking in the sand. To Noll's great delight, the result was two or
three tolerable A's, which were allowed to stand, and the rest were
brushed away. Then a new attempt at making the wonderful symbol
ensued, and added another to the successful list, and so the
letter-making was kept up till all the pupils had succeeded in making
a tolerably faithful representation of the letter. Noll began to take
heart. What the children cared nothing for, when seen in the book,
they were apparently delighted to draw on the sand, and soon learned
to give the proper pronunciation of the character. The night came on
apace, and Noll began to perceive that it was time for him to be on
his homeward way.
"Remember," he said to his pupils, who were scratching A's all about
the door, "you're not to forget this while I'm gone. To-morrow
afternoon I'll come again, and then I shall want to see you make it
over, and you are to have a new letter, besides. Will you all be
here?"
"Yes! yes!" one after another promised; and, once more bidding them
remember, Noll walked away,--the children still making the mysterious
character along the beach, and keeping it up till darkness came over
sea and land.
"Only one letter!" Noll said to himself, as he hurried homeward. "Why,
that's not a tenth of what I meant to do this afternoon! What dull
wits they've got! and will they ever, ever learn the whole alphabet?"
The prospect did not seem very encouraging, and he was obliged to
confess himself disappointed with the result of the first day's
lesson. "However, one can't tell much by the first afternoon," he
thought. "Perhaps they'll be quicker and brighter when we're better
acquainted."
The next afternoon he arrived at Dirk's house at the appointed time,
and found not ten, but twelve awaiting him, sticks in hand, and all
eager for the lesson to commence. Noll could not refrain from laughing
at the sight which the sand directly in front of the house presented,
covered as it was with A's of all shapes and sizes. It looked much as
if a great bird, with a peculiarly-constructed foot, had been walking
there. He did not need to be assured that his pupils had all
remembered yesterday's lesson, and proceeded at once to instruct them
in the art of making B. This the young learners of the alphabet found
to be somewhat more difficult of execution, but appeared to like it
none the less on that account, and, after its curves were mastered,
were much delighted with this acquisition to their stock of
accomplishments.
While this second lesson was yet in progress, Dirk and one or two
other fishermen came up from their boats, and stopped to look on, with
wonder and astonishment written on their countenances.
"I don' know," said Dirk, shaking his head as he eyed the mystic
characters traced before him; "we be all poor folk, anyhow, an' this
do beat me! Why, what be this?" he exclaimed, pointing at a letter
staring up at him from the sand at his feet.
"That be A!" said half a dozen voices at once.
"An' what be this?" said Hark Darby, pointing to a character by his
feet.
"That be B!" chorused the voices again.
The two fishermen exchanged wondering glances. "That do beat me!" said
poor Dirk, regarding the letters before him with much awe. "Ah, lad,"
turning to Noll, "my little gal w'u'd liked yer teaching, an' yer B's
an' A's, eh?" and Dirk drew his hand across his eyes.
Noll went home much encouraged after this second alphabet lesson. Time
and patience would do something for these Culm children, after all, he
thought. And could he have the patience and skill which was necessary?
"I'll try,--I'll try hard for it!" he thought, "and pray Christ to
keep me from losing my patience and courage. It's his work, and he'll
help me to teach them, and by winter there'll be something
accomplished." And of his help he had great need, for patience and
courage were often sorely tried in the days which followed, and it was
not always his pupils' obtuseness which brought the greatest strain to
bear upon them. One old fish-wife, the oldest woman in the village,
had regarded the whole plan of teaching the children as suspicious and
ill-omened.
"It be a bad day fur us, lads," she warned, standing on Dirk's
door-step among the fishermen, and looking frowningly upon Noll as he
instructed his pupils in the making of U. "It be no good fur yer chile
to be ther', Hark Darby, learnin' ye don' know what! Yes, lads, I say
it be an evil day, and ye'll find no good cum from it! I warn ye, I
warn ye!" shaking her skinny forefinger and solemnly nodding her head.
Noll's face flushed at these words, and he half resolved to go home,
and leave these Culm children to their parents' ignorance.
"I warn ye! I--" The old crone was about to continue her forebodings;
but Dirk interposed with a gruff, "Hush ye, hush ye, Mother Deb! ye
be doin' the lad wrong. D'ye think he be one to teach our young uns
wrong, eh? Be it evil, think ye? W'u'd he be doin' us a bad turn who's
mendin' the housen an' makin' us comf'table? I'd like ye ter show't,
mother, ef it be!"
"Ay," said Hark Darby, "an' ef he ken do us evil, who ha' been so good
an' kind in the sickness, we w'u'd like ye ter show't, Mother Deb!"
The old woman said no more, but went muttering homeward, not all
convinced that Noll was not teaching the children some evil,
mysterious art.