Besides, as I said before, the knowledge of his misfortune came upon him by degrees; and after he had got used to it, he did not think much about it.  When the family moved to the great town, Roderick had as it were to begin his blind lessons over again, for he had to learn to remember all about the rooms and the furniture there; but with a kind little brother or sister always at hand to help him he soon became expert in the town house too, and could run up and down the long flights of stairs with the nimblest of them.  I believe the only melancholy wish he ever uttered was heard on the first day he reached the town house.  When his Mamma came to see him in the nursery that evening, she found him kneeling in a chair against one of the windows—­and on going up to him he threw his arms round her neck and said, “Oh, Mamma, if I could but see the lamplighters!” Do not laugh, dear readers, if I add that the tears trickled over his cheeks as he spoke.  His mother was much distressed, as she always was when she saw him thinking of his affliction, but she sat down and said, “Never mind, dear Roderick, I will tell you all they do to-night.”  And so she did, and she made her account so droll, of how the lamplighter ran, and how he seized his ladder in such a hurry, and all the whole business, that by the time she got to the end, and said, “and now he has come to the last lamp-post,—­ah, he’s up before I can tell you! and pop! the lamp is lit, and down he runs, and off with his ladder to the next street—­and now the lamps are shining bright all round the square, and I must go to dinner,”—­Roderick was clapping his hands and laughing as merrily as ever, and he got down from the chair quite satisfied.  Still for a few weeks he used always to get one of the children to tell him of the lamps lighting, and this was the only sad little fancy the poor child ever indulged in.

The great town gave him various new amusements.  His Parents used every now and then to take him to some fine conservatory, where flowers are shown even in winter, and where he could smell various new and rare ones, and be told all about their beautiful colours.  Then sometimes in the parks and gardens there was a band playing, which was a great delight.  And besides that, they took him occasionally to morning concerts for an hour or so; for though it is not usual to take children to those places, he was deprived of so many enjoyments, they let him have all they could:  and especially musical ones, for it is a very common thing for blind people to become very fond of music, and Roderick was so, and among other employments learnt to play.  I cannot, however, I am sorry to say, add that the great doctors in the town were able to do him any good, though they tried very much, and some of them were so much charmed and interested by his cheerful manner and sweet disposition, that they got quite fond of him, and would often have him come and see them, and play with their children, who were instructed to amuse him in every possible way, and as children are naturally kindhearted, this was generally a pleasant task, and many of them quite looked forward to the visits of the little blind boy.