<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
<p>It was to be lamented that when young Henry had been several
months in England, had been taught to read, and had, of course,
in the society in which he lived, seen much of the enlightened
world, yet the natural expectation of his improvement was by no
means answered.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding the sensibility, which upon various occasions
he manifested in the most captivating degree, notwithstanding the
seeming gentleness of his nature upon all occasions, there now
appeared, in most of his inquiries and remarks, a something which
demonstrated either a stupid or troublesome disposition; either
dulness of conception, or an obstinacy of perseverance in
comments and in arguments which were glaringly false.</p>
<p>Observing his uncle one day offended with his coachman, and
hearing him say to him in a very angry tone,</p>
<p>“You shall never drive me again”—</p>
<p>The moment the man quitted the room, Henry (with his eyes
fixed in the deepest contemplation) repeated five or six times,
in a half whisper to himself,</p>
<p>“<i>You shall never drive me again</i>.”</p>
<p>“<i>You shall never drive me again</i>.”</p>
<p>The dean at last called to him. “What do you mean
by thus repeating my words?”</p>
<p>“I am trying to find out what <i>you</i> meant,”
said Henry.</p>
<p>“What don’t you know?” cried his enlightened
cousin. “Richard is turned away; he is never to get
upon our coach-box again, never to drive any of us
more.”</p>
<p>“And was it pleasure to drive us, cousin? I am
sure I have often pitied him. It rained sometimes very hard
when he was on the box; and sometimes Lady Clementina has kept
him a whole hour at the door all in the cold and snow. Was
that pleasure?”</p>
<p>“No,” replied young William.</p>
<p>“Was it honour, cousin?”</p>
<p>“No,” exclaimed his cousin with a contemptuous
smile.</p>
<p>“Then why did my uncle say to him, as a punishment,
‘he should never’”—</p>
<p>“Come hither, child,” said the dean, “and
let me instruct you; your father’s negligence has been
inexcusable. There are in society,” continued the
dean, “rich and poor; the poor are born to serve the
rich.”</p>
<p>“And what are the rich born for?”</p>
<p>“To be served by the poor.”</p>
<p>“But suppose the poor would not serve them?”</p>
<p>“Then they must starve.”</p>
<p>“And so poor people are permitted to live only upon
condition that they wait upon the rich?”</p>
<p>“Is that a hard condition; or if it were, they will be
rewarded in a better world than this?”</p>
<p>“Is there a better world than this?”</p>
<p>“Is it possible you do not know there is?”</p>
<p>“I heard my father once say something about a world to
come; but he stopped short, and said I was too young to
understand what he meant.”</p>
<p>“The world to come,” returned the dean, “is
where we shall go after death; and there no distinction will be
made between rich and poor—all persons there will be
equal.”</p>
<p>“Aye, now I see what makes it a better world than
this. But cannot this world try to be as good as
that?”</p>
<p>“In respect to placing all persons on a level, it is
utterly impossible. God has ordained it
otherwise.”</p>
<p>“How! has God ordained a distinction to be made, and
will not make any Himself?”</p>
<p>The dean did not proceed in his instructions. He now
began to think his brother in the right, and that the boy was too
young, or too weak, to comprehend the subject.</p>
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