To undertake business anew was out of the question.  His friends said, “Poor Gray! what shall be done?”

The friendly merchants pondered and pondered.  The worthy Jowlson, who had meanwhile engaged as book-keeper upon a salary of seven hundred dollars a year—­one of the rare prizes—­was busy enough for his friend, consulting, wondering, planning.  Mr. Gray could not preach, nor practice medicine, nor surgery, nor law, because men must be instructed in those professions; and people will not trust a suit of a thousand dollars, or a sore throat, or a broken thumb, in the hands of a man who has not fitted himself carefully for the responsibility.  He could not make boots, nor build houses, nor shoe horses, nor lay stone wall, nor bake bread, nor bind books.  Men must be educated to be shoemakers, carpenters, blacksmiths, bakers, masons, or book-binders.  What could be done?  Nobody suggested an insurance office, or an agency for diamond mines on Newport beach; for, although it was the era of good feeling, those ingenious infirmaries for commercial invalids were not yet invented.

“I have it!” cried Jowlson, one day, rushing in, out of breath, among several gentlemen who were holding a council about their friend Gray—­that is, who had met in a bank parlor, and were talking about his prospects—­“I have it! and how dull we all are!  What shall he do?  Why, keep a school, to be sure!—­a school!—­a school!  Take children, and be a parent to them!”

“How dull we all were!” cried the gentlemen in chorus.  “A school is the very thing!  A school it shall be!” And a school it was.

Upon the main street of the pleasant village of Delafield Savory Gray, Esq., hired a large house, with an avenue of young lindens in front, a garden on one side, and a spacious play-ground in the rear.  The pretty pond was not far away, with its sloping shores and neat villas, and a distant spire upon the opposite bank—­the whole like the vignette of an English pastoral poem.  Here the merchant turned from importing pongees to inculcating principles.  His old friends sent some of their children to the new school, and persuaded their friends to send others.  Some of his former correspondents in other parts of the world, not entirely satisfied with the Asian and East Indian systems of education, shipped their sons to Mr. Gray.  The good man was glad to see them.  He was not very learned, and therefore could not communicate knowledge.  But he did his best, and tried very hard to be respected.  The boys did not learn any thing; but they had plenty of good beef, and Mr. Gray played practical jokes upon them; and on Sundays they all went to hear Dr. Peewee preach.

CHAPTER II.

Hope Wayne.