A Talk with Mr Shepherd. 165

 

and it depends on yourself to make it a better one,
So long as people’s hearts keep growing better,
their heads do the same. I think you have every
faculty for the making of a good doctor in you.”

“Do you really think so, grannie?” cried Willie,
delighted.

“T do indeed.”

“Then I shall ask papa to teach me.”

But Willie did not find his papa quite ready to
take him in hand.

“No, Willie,” he said. “You must learn a great
many other things before it would be of much use
for me to commence my part. .I will teach you
if you like, after school-hours, to compound certain
medicines; but the important thing is to get on at
‘school, You are quite old enough now to work at
home too; and though I don’t want to confine you
to your lessons, I should like you to spend a couple
of hours at them every evening. You can have the
remainders of the evenings, all the mornings before
breakfast, and the greater parts of your half-holi-
days, for whatever you like to do of another sort.”

Willie never required any urging to what his
father wished. He became at unce more of a
student, without becoming much less of a workman
—for he found plenty of time to do all he wanted,
by being more careful of his odd moments,

One lovely evening in spring, when the sun had
gone down and left the air soft, and balmy, and