Francis.—I thought I should build a little house, papa, and the shell would make such a nice roof to it!
Father.—Vastly well, my lads, if we had only our amusement or our ease to think of; but I want you all to form the habit of thinking and acting for the general good, rather than of what will most gratify or accommodate his single self.—Now, then, let me ask to what use Fritz, the only rightful claimant to the shell, had intended to apply it?
Fritz.—I thought, father, of cleaning it thoroughly, and fixing it by the side of our river, and keeping it always full of pure water for my mother’s use, when she has to wash the linen or cook our victuals.
Father.—Excellent, excellent, my boy! all honour to the founder of the pure water-tub! This is what I call thinking for the general good. And we will take care to execute the idea as soon as we can prepare some clay, as a solid foundation for its bottom.
Jack.—Hah, hah! Now then it is my turn; for I have got some clay, which I have put by to keep for use, behind those old roots yonder.
Father.—And where did you get it, boy?
Mother.—Oh, you may apply to me for this part of the information; to my cost I know where the clay was got.—This morning early, my young hero falls to digging and scrambling on the hill you see to the right, and home he comes with the news that he has found a bed of clay; but in so dirty a condition himself, that we were obliged to think next of the washing-tub.
Jack.—And if I had minded a little dirt, mother, I should not have discovered this bed of clay, which you will see will be of great use to us. As I was returning from looking for potatoes, I thought I would take the high path along the river, just to see how rapidly it runs and forms those nice cascades: by and by I came to a large slope, watered by the river; it was so slippery that I could not keep upon my legs: so I fell, and dirtied myself all over: on looking, I saw that the ground was all of clay, and almost liquid, so I made some of it into balls, and brought them home.
Mother.—And boasted of your discovery as if you had made it in consequence of the most earnest desire to be of use, while the benefit was the result of chance alone. But I will not put you further to the blush, my boy; you at last confess the truth, and for this deserve our praise.
Ernest.—When the water-tub is complete, I will put the roots I have found to soak a little in it, for they are now extremely dry. I do not exactly know what they are; they look something like the radish or horseradish, but the plant from which I took them was almost the size of a bush: being ignorant, however, of its name or nature, I have not yet ventured to taste the roots, though I saw our sow eat heartily of them.