‘Foachim the Mimic. 67

numbers of youths, of all ages, and all charaéters.
At firft he was fhy and obfervant, but this foon
wore off, and he became a favourite. Nobody
was more liked at any time, and he was com-
pletely unrivalled in the play-ground. He could
fet all the boys in a roar of laughter, when, hid
behind a bufh, he would bark fo like a dog that
the unhappy wights who were not in the fecret
expected to fee a vicious hound {pring out upon
them, and took to their heels in fright. He was
firft in every attempt at acting, which the boys
got up; and there was not a cat nor a pig in the
neighbourhood whofe mew and fqueak he could
not give with the utmoft exaétnefs. If you afk
how he got on at leflons, I muft fay—well, but
not very well. His powers of entertaining his
companions were fo great, that I fear he found
their eafily-acquired praife more tempting than the
rewards of laborious learning. He could learn
eafily enough, it is true; but while his fteadier
neighbours were working hard, he was devifing
fome new fcheme for fun when leffons fhould be
over, or making fome odd drawing on his'flate to
* induce his companions to an outburft of laughter.

There were many excufes to be made for little
Joachim ; and it is always fo pleafant to pleafe,
that I do not much wonder at his being led aftray
by poffeffing the power.

Time went on, meanwhile; and Joachimbecame
aware at laft that he poffeffed a larger fhare than
common of the power of imitation. When he