Marco Paul's Voyages and Travels; Vermont

dyi

the middle of the room, with a large portable writing-desk upon it. This desk was made of rosewood. The sides of the room were lined with book-shelves. There was one large window which looked upon the yard and garden behind. The book

is to be our study.

is a very pleasant room. Am

at a time, at any r

aying he sat down in a great arm-chair, before the

St

going to arrange your establishment near the

sk from left to right. This is the most convenient direction for receiving light when one is writing. Forester then placed a chair before the desk, and Marco went into the house and brought out all the books and papers which he had, and arranged them neatly in his desk. While he was gone, Forester took an inkstand and a sand-box out of a closet by the side of the fire, and filled them both, and put them on the desk

you will want?"

should want any thing else, I can ask you, you

I wish to avoid. I wish to arrange it so that we shall

ou questions when I get in

can get out of difficulty yourself. Let me see. You will want some p

ole bunch?"

ave you come to me, when I am in the midst

very little us

was making th

you want a pen, you will draw one out of the bunches and use it. You must not stop to look them over, to choose a good one, but you must take any one that comes first

"and what shall I do

y desk to be mended, and then you can go on using the other bunch. This will give me opportunity to choose a convenient time to mend the first bunch again. When I have mended them, I will tie the

a great many more p

in use at one time, it is true, but the whole bunch m

ne o'clock, and leave off at twelve. That will give y

id Marco,--"I ough

"I shall have it on my mind every day, to tell you when i

it is time for the recess. Let it be always

rester's father, which was kept hung up o

rester, "but you would not be so careful about the end of it. You would get engaged in pla

ave a little be

t, I shall be left entirely to myself, so that I can go on with my studies, as well as you with yours. If we can do this successfully, then, when noon comes, I shall feel that I have done my morning's work we

"I think I can find

ry day, at eleven o'clock. On the whole it shall be ten minutes. And this shall be the plan of your studies for the morning. At nine o'clock, I shall give you instruction for half an hou

dy arithmetic, a

when I am giving you my instructions. Now, are you willing really to

d Marco, "

I have no doubt," said Forester; "but if we are patient an

ke a sort of map of the hours, with the name of the study which he was to pursue marked

ion. | Arithmetic. | Writi

ned with wafers to the under side of the lid of Marco's desk,

xamples, under one of the rules. Forester performed one or two of them himself, explaining very particularly all the steps. He then rubbed out his work, and directed Marco to perform them by himself in the same manner. "If you succeed in doing these right," said he, "you ma

Marco, "I

writing," said Forester. "I

It is very important that a child should see his teacher write his copies, for thus he will see how the letters should be formed. Forester wrote four

ome to me about your writing; for here are pages enough for yo

uld want to see whether I

arefully to-morrow mo

o; "after the writing

ester, "and the

I read?" a

There were thirteen octavo volumes in the set. It was rather too high for Marco to reach it, and so Forester took all the

s Encyclopedia, and turn to any article you please. Or you may think of any subject that you would like to read about, as for instance, boat, cannon, camel, eagle, tr

d Marco, "and see what

paper at hand, and write upon it the title of every article which you read, and show it to me the next morning, because I sh

o; "and what are

g to study m

stay here

times I shall be called into the other room, perhaps, on busines

ill be nobody to wa

to you at all. I can judge to-morrow morning, when I come to look at your w

y say any thing about it. I shall remember it, and speak to you about it t

k that he was not going to be under a

st few days. It will take some time to get this system under full operati

o, "I don't mean t

I say to you if you do? Will it be a g

id Marco, "I

it will not be very pleasant to y

said

le more civil than to take no notice of your question at all, and yet it will preserve our principle,--that I am to give you no assistance

half-hour was out, and

Marco, "before I begin:--m

, "and there is one question asked." So Forester ma

is not right to count th

e was about commencing his own studies. Marco looked at him a momen

o's

il was not round, but polygonal in its form, it made a curious clicking sound in rolling down, which amused Marco, though it disturbed and troubled Forester. Whatever may have been the nice peculiarities in the delicate mechanism of Forester's ear, and of the nerves connected with it, compared with that

he window sill, placed there as a means of fastening the blind. Marco pushed the point of his pencil into this staple, in orde

il has dropped out of the window, cousi

Forester. At the same time he was saying

aid Marco, "for I don't know whether you'd wish me to

your own judgment,

uestion for himself, and he concluded to go out for his pencil. It took him some time to find it in the grass, and after he had found it, he stopped for some time longer, to watch some ants which were passing in and out, at the entrance to their nest, each one bring

e recess, but he stayed out twenty minutes instead of ten. He was astonished, when he came in, to see how rapidly the time had passed. He then took down a volume of the Encyclopedi

he had got along the day before. Marco had the fra

f the hours, and changed your studies at the appointed time. You did not speak to me more than three or four times, and then you acquiesced pretty good-naturedly in my refusing to help you. To-day yo

d a half it i

said Fo

a week, he began to be a very respectable student. In the afternoon he used to ramble about, sometimes with Forester, and sometimes alone. He was very fond of fishing, and Forest