“‘You let me an’ little Spinks alone,’ I replied angrily, yet with some hesitation, for I did not feel quite sure that I could thrash Turner. I expected a sharp rejoinder, but he merely smiled and turned away.
“From that date I set Tom Turner down as a coward, and worried Spinks more than ever, just to spite him.
“One day I had been harder than usual on little Spinks, who was a mere human spider—all legs and arms, with a roundish body—when Tom called me aside and quietly began to lecture me, just as if he had been a grown-up man. I kept down my indignation at first, having made up my mind to have a quarrel with him, but the amiable tone of his voice subdued me.
“‘You should consider, Jacob,’ he went on, taking no notice of my flushed face and angry frown, ‘what a poor little squirrel of a thing Spinks is, and what a great powerful fellow you are. It’s not fair, you know, and he’s a kindly, harmless sort of a fellow too. Besides, if his poor mother knew how you treat him it would almost break her heart, for she’s very delicate, and he is her only child. You know I visited her last year, on my way from London, in passing the village where she lives. You’ve been there, haven’t you?’
“‘No,’ I replied sulkily.
“‘Oh, man, Jacob! you would enjoy a visit to Spinks’s home,’ returned Tom, still taking no notice of my state of mind, ‘it’s such a splendid place for trout-fishing, with a burn full of the deep oily pools you are so fond of, and lots of sea-trout; and Mrs Spinks is so kind and jolly—though so delicate; just like little Spinks himself, but of course a good deal larger.’
“From this point Turner went on to describe his visit in such a cheery way, that I was forced into a better state of mind, though I did not forgive him for lecturing me.
“It chanced that I received a lecture also, the same evening, from our master.
“‘Jacob, my boy,’ he said, laying his large hand gently on my head, ‘you ought to give more attention to your studies, and try to be a better boy. You’ve got the elements of a smart man in you, but a man must be made, Jacob. If a lad grows up without any self-training he is generally fit for nothing, and only a trouble to society. You’re fond of your mother, I think—are you not?’
“‘Yes, sir,’ said I, in some surprise at the question.