Never was better advice given, and Joachim took it well, and bore it bravely; but, oh, how hard it was to his mind, accustomed for so long to wander away and seek amusement at wrong times, to settle down resolutely and laboriously to study.  He made a strong effort, however; and though he had often to recall his thoughts, he in a measure succeeded.

After school-hours he begged the big boy to come and sit by him, and then he requested his old friends and companions to listen to a story he had to tell them.  They expected something funny, and many a broad grin was seen; but poor Joachim’s eyes were yet red with weeping, and his gay voice was so subdued, the party soon became grave and wondering, and then Joachim told them every thing.  They were delighted to hear about the Genie, and were also pleased to find themselves safe from Joachim’s ridicule.  It could not be expected they should all understand the story, but the big boy did, and became Joachim’s greatest friend and adviser.

That evening our little friend, exhausted with the efforts and excitement of his almost first day of repentance, strolled out in a somewhat pensive mood to his favourite haunt, the sea shore.  A stormy sunset greeted his arrival on the beach, but the tide was ebbing, and he wandered on till he reached some caverns among the cliffs.  And there, as had often been his wont, he sat down to gaze out upon the waste of waters safe and protected from harm.  It is very probable that he fell asleep—­but the point could never be clearly known, for he always said it was no sleep and no dream he had then, but that, whilst sitting in the inmost recesses of the cave, he saw once more his old friend the Genie, who after reproaching him with the bad use he had made of his precious gift, gave him a world of good advice and instruction.

There is no doubt that after that time, Joachim was seen daily struggling against his bad habits; and that by degrees he became able to exercise his mind in following after the good and beautiful instead of after the bad and ugly.  It was a hard task to him for many a long day to fix his flighty thoughts down to the business in hand, and to dismiss from before his eyes the ridiculous images that often presented themselves.  But his Mother’s wishes, or the Genie’s advice, or something better still, prevailed.  And you cannot think, of what wonderful use the Genie’s gift was to him then.  Once turned in a right direction and towards worthy objects, he found it like a sort of friend at his right hand, helping him forward in some of the most interesting pursuits of life.  Ah! all the energy he had once bestowed on imitating lisps and stuttering, was now engaged in catching the sounds of foreign tongues, and thus taking one step towards the citizenship of the world.  And instead of wasting time in gazing at the singing master’s face, that he might ape its unnatural distortions—­it was now the sweet tones of skilful harmony to which he bent his attention, and which he strove, and not in vain, to reproduce.