24 | Fie lose Vaca

And meanwhile,” he added generously, “I
will beg the Squire to assist you.”

So Timothy went away; and his poor
wife had to work very hard to keep herself
and the children, and could hardly do it.

‘“ He must be crazy to leave you like this,”
said the neighbours.

“How dare you say my husband is
crazy!” said Mrs. Timothy indignantly ; ‘‘he »
did perfectly right; and you are nasty bad
people!”

For seven years Timothy wandered about
the world. He had grown lean and miser-
able. He slept under hedges, and got
hardly anything to eat. Every day, when
some great poet or statesman had a splendid
idea, Timothy believed it was his own; but it
never turned out brilliant enough to be Zzs.

And one day, at the end of the seven
years, he wandered back to his native
village. He was too miserable and de-
pressed to go at once to his wife and chil-
dren, although he longed to. He crawled
along the side of the river, and sat down,
heartbroken, on the very spot where he