3.  But George thought of nothing but present pleasure.  He would often go to school without having made any preparation for his morning lesson; and, when called to recite with his class, he would stammer and make such blunders that the rest of the class could not help laughing at him.  He was one of the poorest scholars in the school, because he was one of the most idle.

4.  When recess came, and all the boys ran out of the academy upon the playground, idle George would come moping along.  Instead of studying diligently while in school, he was indolent and half asleep.  When the proper time for play came, he had no relish for it.  I recollect very well, that, when “tossing up” for a game of ball, we used to choose everybody on the playground before we chose George; and if there were enough without him we used to leave him out.  Thus he was unhappy in school and out of school.

5.  There is nothing which makes a person enjoy play so well as to study hard.  When recess was over, and the rest of the boys returned, fresh and vigorous, to their studies, George might be seen lagging and moping along to his seat.  Sometimes he would be asleep in school; sometimes he would pass his time in catching flies, and penning them up in little holes, which he cut in his seat; and sometimes, when the preceptor’s back was turned, he would throw a paper ball across the room.

6.  When the class was called up to recite, George would come drowsily along, looking as mean and ashamed as though he were going to be whipped.  The rest of the class stepped up to the recitation with alacrity, and appeared happy and contented.  When it came George’s turn to recite, he would be so long in doing it, and make such blunders, that all most heartily wished him out of the class.

7.  At last, George went with his class to enter college.  Though he passed a very poor examination, he was admitted with the rest; for those who examined him thought it was possible that the reason why he did not answer questions better was because he was frightened.  Now came hard times for poor George.  In college there is not much mercy shown to bad scholars; and George had neglected his studies so long that he could not now keep up with his class, let him try ever so hard.

8.  He could, without much difficulty, get along in the academy, where there were only two or three boys of his own class to laugh at him.  But now he had to go into a large recitation room, filled with students from all parts of the country.  In the presence of all these, he must rise and recite to a professor.  Poor fellow!  He paid dearly for his idleness.

9.  You would have pitied him if you could have seen him trembling in his scat, every moment expecting to be called upon to recite.  And when he was called upon, he would stand up and take what the class called a “dead set;” that is, he could not recite at all.  Sometimes he would make such ludicrous blunders that the whole class would burst into a laugh.  Such are the applauses an idler gets.  He was wretched, of course.  He had been idle so long that he hardly knew how to apply his mind to study.  All the good scholars avoided him; they were ashamed to be seen in his company.  He became discouraged, and gradually grew dissipated.