He took the screws, and laid them side by side, to measure them, so as to see which was the largest. Then he rolled them about a little, and after playing with them for a little time, during which, of course, his work was entirely neglected, he concluded he would go and ask his father what he was to do with screws.
[pg 50]He accordingly walked slowly along to the house, stopping to look at the grasshoppers and butterflies by the way. After wasting some time in this manner, he appeared again at his father's table, and wanted to know what he should do with the screws that he found among the nails.
“You ought not to have left your work to come and ask that question,” said his father. “I am afraid you are not doing very well. I gave you all the necessary instructions. Go back to your work.”
“But, father,” said Rollo, “as he went out, I do not know what I am to do with the screws. You did not say any thing about screws.”
“Then why do you leave your work to ask me any thing about them?”
“Why,—because,—” said Rollo, hesitating. He did not know what to say.
“Your work is to sort out the nails, and I expect, by your coming to me for such frivolous reasons, that you are not going on with it very well.”
Rollo went slowly out of the room, and sauntered along back to his work. He put the screws aside, and went on with the nails, but he did very little. When the [pg 51]heart is not in the work, it always goes on very slowly.
Thus an hour or two of the forenoon passed away, and Rollo made very little progress. At last his father came out to see what he had done; and it was very plain that he had been idling away his time, and had accomplished very little indeed.
His father then said that he might leave his work and come in. Rollo walked along by the side of his father, and he said to him—