"
During the course of the next day, the benevolent curate introduced
him to the parish priest, who from the frequent claims urged by poor
scholars upon his patronage, felt no particular interest in his case. He
wrote a short letter, however, to the master with whom Jemmy intended
to become a pupil, stating that "he was an honest boy, the son of
legitimate parents, and worthy of consideration."
The curate, who saw further into the boy's character than the parish
priest, accompanied him on the following day to the school; introduced
him to the master in the most favorable manner, and recommended him in
general to the hospitable care of all the pupils. This introduction did
not serve the boy so much as might have been expected; there was nothing
particular in the letter of the parish priest, and the curate was but a
curate--no formidable personage in any church where the good-will of the
rector has not been already secured.
Jemmy returned that day to his lodgings, and the next morning, with his
Latin Grammar under his arm, he went to school to taste the first bitter
fruits of the tree of knowledge.
On entering it, which he did with a beating heart, he found the despot
of a hundred subjects sitting behind a desk, with his hat on, a brow
superciliously severe, and his nose crimped into a most cutting and
vinegar curl. The truth was, the master knew the character of the
curate, and felt that because he had taken Jemmy under his protection,
no opportunity remained for him of fleecing the boy, under the pretence
of securing his money, and that consequently the arrival of the poor
scholar would be no windfall, as he had expected.
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