1.About twenty years agthere lived a singular gentleman in the Old Hall among the elm trees. He was about three-score years of age,very rich,and somewhat odd in many of his habits,but for generosity and benevolence he had nequal.
2.Npoor cottager stood in need of comforts,which he was not ready tsupply;nsick man or woman languished1 for want of his assistance;and not even a beggar,unless a known impostor2,went empty-handed from the Hall. Like the village pastor described in Goldsmith's poem of "The Deserted Village,"
"His house was known tall the vagrant train;He chid their wand'rings,but relieved their pain;The long-remembered beggar was his guest,Whose beard descending swept his aged breast."
3.Now it happened that the old gentleman wanted a boy twait upon him at table,and tattend him in different ways,for he was very fond of young people. But much as he liked the society of the young,he had a great aversion3 tthat curiosity in which many young people are apt tindulge4. He used tsay,"The boy whwill peep inta drawer will be tempted ttake something out of it;and he whwill steal1 Languished,suffered,sank away. 2 Impos. tor,a deceiver.3Aversion,dislike.4Indulge,tgive way to.a penny in his youth will steal a pound1 in his manhood."
4.Nsooner was it known that the old gentleman was in want of a boy than twenty applications2 were made for the situation;but he determined not tengage anyone until he had in some way ascertained that he did not possess a curious,prying disposition.
5.On Monday morning seven lads,dressed in their Sunday clothes,with bright and happy faces,made their appearance at the Hall,each of them desiring tobtain the situation. Now the old gentleman,being of a singular disposition,had prepared a room in such a way that he might easily know if any of the young people whapplied were given tmeddle unnecessarily with things around them,or tpeep intcupboards and drawers. He took care that the lads whwere then at Elm Tree Hall should be shown intthis room one after another.
6.And first,Charles Brown was sent intthe room,and told that he would have twait a little. SCharles sat down on a chair near the door. For some time he was very quiet,and looked about him;but there seemed tbe smany curious things in the room that at last he got up tpeep at them.
7.On the table was placed a dish cover,and Charles wanted sadly tknow what was under it,but he felt afraid of lifting it up. Bad habits are strong things;and,as Charles was of a curious disposition,he could not withstand the temptation of taking one peep. She lifted up the cover.
8.This turned out tbe a sad affair;for under the dish cover was a heap of very light feathers;part of the feathers,drawn up by a current of air,flew about the room,and Charles,in his fright,putting the cover down hastily,puffed the rest of them off the table.
9.What was tbe done? Charles began tpick up the feathers one by one;but the old gentleman,whwas in an adjoining room,hearing a scuffle,and guessing the cause of it,entered the room,tthe1 Pound,a British denomination of money equal in value tabout $4.86. 2 Application,the act of making a request.consternation1 of Charles Brown,whwas very soon dismissed as a boy whhad not principle2 enough tresist even a slight temptation.
10.When the room was once more arranged,Henry Wilkins was placed there until such time as he should be sent for. Nsooner was he left thimself than his attention was attracted by a plate of fine,ripe cherries. Now Henry was uncommonly fond of cherries,and he thought it would be impossible tmiss one cherry among smany. He looked and longed,and longed and looked,for some time,and just as he had got off his seat ttake one,he heard,as he thought,a foot coming tthe door;but no,it was a false alarm.
11.Taking fresh courage,he went cautiously and took a very fine cherry,for he was determined ttake but one,and put it inthis mouth. It was excellent;and then he persuaded himself that he ran nrisk in taking another;this he did,and hastily popped it inthis mouth.
12.Now,the old gentleman had placed a few artificial3 cherriesat the top of the others,filled with Cayenne pepper;one of these Henry had unfortunately taken,and it made his month smart and burn most intolerably4. The old gentleman heard him coughing,and knew very well what was the matter. The boy that would take what did not belong thim,if nmore than a cherry,was not the boy for him. Henry Wilkins was sent about his business without delay,with his mouth almost as hot as if he had put a burning coal in tit.
13.Rufus Wilson was next introduced intthe room and left thimself;but he had not been there ten minutes before he began tmove from one place tanother. He was of a bold,resolute temper,but not overburdened with principle;for if he could have opened every cupboard,closet,and drawer in the house,without being found out,he would have done it directly.
14.Having looked around the room,he noticed a drawer tthe1Consternation,excessive terror,dismay. 2Principle,a right rule of conduct.3Artificial,made by art,not real.4Intolerably,in a manner not tbe borne.table,and made up his mind tpeep therein. But nsooner did he lay hold of the drawer knob than he set a large bell ringing,which was concealed under the table. The old gentleman immediately answered the summons1,and entered the room.
15.Rufus was sstartled by the sudden ringing of the bell,that all his impudence could not support him. He looked as though anyone might knock him down with a feather. The old gentleman asked him if he had rung the bell because he wanted anything. Rufus was much confused,and stammered,and tried texcuse himself,but all tnpurpose,for it did not prevent him from being ordered off the premises.
16.George Jones was then shown intthe room by an old steward;and being of a cautious disposition,he touched nothing,but only looked at the things about him. At last he saw that a closet door was a little open,and,thinking it would be impossible for anyone tknow that he had opened it a little more,he very cautiously opened it an inch farther,looking down at the bottom of the door,that it might not catch against anything and make a noise.
17.Now had he looked at the top,instead of the bottom,it might have been better for him;for tthe top of the door was fastened a plug,which filled up the hole of a small barrel of shot. He ventured topen the door another inch,and then another,till,the plug being pulled out of the barrel,the leaden shot began tpour out at a strange rate. At the bottom of the closet was placed a tin pan,and the shot falling upon this pan made such a clatter that George was frightened half out of his senses.
18.The old gentleman soon came intthe room tinquire what was the matter,and there he found George nearly as pale as a sheet. George was soon dismissed.
19.It now came the turn of Albert Jenkins tbe put intthe room. The other boys had been sent ttheir homes by different ways,and none knew what the experience2of the other had been in the1Summons,a call tappear.2Experience,knowledge gained by actual trial.room of trial.
20.On the table stood a small round box,with a screw top tit,and Albert,thinking it contained something curious,could not be easy without unscrewing the top;but nsooner did he dthis than out bounced an artificial snake,full a yard long,and fell upon his arm. He started back,and uttered a scream which brought the old gentleman this elbow. There stood Albert,with the bottom of the box in one hand,the top in the other,and the snake on the floor.
21."Come,come," said the old gentleman,"one snake is quite enough thave in the house at a time;therefore,the sooner you are gone the better." With that he dismissed him,without waiting a moment for his reply.
22.William Smith next entered the room,and being left alone soon began tamuse himself in looking at the curiosities around him. William was not only curious and prying,but dishonest,too,and observing that the key was left in the drawer of a bookcase,he stepped on tiptoe in that direction. The key had a wire fastened tit,which communicated with an electrical machine,and William received such a shock as he was not likely tforget. Nsooner did he sufficiently recover himself twalk,than he was told tleave the house,and let other people lock and unlock their own drawers.
23.The other boy was Harry Gordon,and though he was left in the room full twenty minutes,he never during that time stirred from his chair. Harry had eyes in his head as well as the others,but he had more integrity1 in his heart;neither the dish cover,the cherries,the drawer knob,the closet door,the round box,nor the key tempted him trise from his feet;and the consequence was that,in half an hour after,he was engaged in the service of the old gentleman at Elm Tree Hall. He followed his good old master this grave,and received a large legacy2 for his upright conduct in his service.1Integrity,honesty.2Legacy,a gift,by will,of personal property.