11.  “Pray, let us go on,” said Hugh.

12.  Well, thus the two went wandering along the highway and in shady lanes and through pleasant villages, and wherever they went, behold! there was the image of old Mr. Toil.  If they entered a house, he sat in the parlor; if they peeped into the kitchen, he was there!  He made himself at home in every cottage, and stole, under one disguise or another, into the most splendid mansions.  Everywhere they stumbled on some of the old schoolmaster’s innumerable brothers.

13.  At length, little Hugh found himself completely worn out with running away from Mr. Toil.  “Take me back! take me back!” cried the poor fellow, bursting into tears.  “If there is nothing but Toil all the world over, I may just as well go back to the schoolhouse.”

14.  “Yonder it is; there is the schoolhouse!” said the stranger; for though he and little Hugh had taken a great many steps, they had traveled in a circle instead of a straight line.  “Come, we will go back to the school together.”

15.  There was something in his companion’s voice that little Hugh now remembered; and it is strange that he had not remembered it sooner.  Looking up into his face, behold! there again was the likeness of old Mr. Toil, so that the poor child had been in company with Toil all day, even while he had been doing his best to run away from him.

16.  Little Hugh Idle, however, had learned a good lesson, and from that time forward was diligent at his task, because he now knew that diligence is not a whit more toilsome than sport or idleness.  And when he became better acquainted with Mr. Toil, he began to think his ways were not so disagreeable, and that the old schoolmaster’s smile of approbation made his face sometimes appear almost as pleasant as even that of Hugh’s mother.

Definitions.—­l.  Ven’ture, to dare, to risk. 3.  Dis-may’, fright, terror.  Pre-cise’ly, exactly. 4.  En-list’, to put one’s name on a roll, to join. 5.  Com-pos’ed-ly, calmly, quietly. 6.  Re—­sumed’, recommenced. 10.  Ob-served’, remarked. 12.  In-nu’mer—­a-ble, not to be counted. 16.  Ap-pro-ba’tion, the act of regarding with pleasure.

Exercises.—­To whose school was Hugh Idle sent?  Why did he run away?  Relate the adventures of Hugh and the stranger.  What lesson is taught by this story?

LXXXI.  BURNING THE FALLOW. (227)

Adapted from “Roughing it in the Bush,” a story by Mrs. Susanna Moodie (sister of Agnes Strickland), who was born in Suffolk, England, in 1803.  She died in 1885.

1.  The day was sultry, and towards noon a strong wind sprang up that roared in the pine tops like the dashing of distant billows, but without in the least degree abating the heat.  The children were lying listlessly upon the floor, and the girl and I were finishing sunbonnets, when Mary suddenly exclaimed, “Bless us, mistress, what a smoke!”