78 Joachim the Mimic.

abufed this gift of Imitation, which might be fuch
a bleffing and pleafure to you.

“ You might, if you chofe, imitate every thing
that is good, and noble, and virtuous, and beauti-
ful ; and you are, inftead of that, reproducing every
afpect of deformity that croffes your path, until
your brain is fo ftamped with images of defeéts,
uglinefs, and uncouthnefs, that your hand and head
refufe their office, when I call upon you to repro-
duce the beauties with which the world is graced.”

I doubt if Joachim heard the latter part of his
Mother’s fpeech. At the recurrence to the old
fentence, a gleam of lightning feemed to fhoot
acrofs his brain. Latent memories were aroufed
as keenly as if the events had but juft occurred,
and he fank at his Mother’s feet.

When fhe ceafed to fpeak, he arofe.

“ Mother,” faid he, “ I have been living in a
cloud. Ihave beenvery wrong. Befides which,
I have a fecret to tell you. Nay, my Aunt may
hear. It has been a fecret, and then it has been
forgotten ; but now I remember all, and under-
ftand far more than I once did.”

Here Joachim recounted to his Mother the
whole ftory of her words to him, and his adven-
ture with the Genie and the bottle ; and then, very
flowly, and interrupted by many tears of repen-
tance, he repeated what the Genie had faid about
giving him the power of imitation, adding that the
ufe he made of it muft depend on himfelf and the
great Ruler of the heart and confcience.