sense, or good nature? Or what proof does it shew of spirit to be
fond of mischief, and giving people trouble? It is like a monkey
of spirit indeed; but I cannot say, that I see either spirit or
sense in making the clean clothes fall into the dirt, or mixing
the corn and chaff, for the sake of making the poor servants do
them all over again: if these things are a sign of any spirit. I
am sure it is of an evil one, and not at all such as I wish to
possess, though I no more want to sit still, or work with a
needle, than you do; but I hope there are other ways of showing my
spirit, as you call it, than by doing mischief, and being
ill-natured. I do not think my papa ever seems to be effeminate,
or want sufficient spirit; but he would scorn to give unnecessary
trouble to anybody: and so will Tom Vaulter, though no boy in the
world loves play better than he does; he plays at cricket the best
of any boy in the school, and I am sure none can beat him at
tennis; and as for skipping, I never saw a boy skip so well in all
my life; and I am sure he would beat you, with all your spirit,
out and out twenty times, either at running, or sliding, or
swimming, or climbing a tree. And yet he never gives trouble to
anybody for the sake of fun; he is one of the best-tempered boys
in the world; and whether it is like a girl or not, he always does
what he knows to be right and kind; and if that is being like
girls, why, with all my heart; I like girls well enough, and if
they behave well I do not see why you should speak so
contemptuously of them. My papa always says that he loves girls
just as well as boys, and none but foolish and naughty boys
despise and tease them.' Just as he said these words, Simon and
John entered the barn, and seeing Will stand idle, 'Come, come,
young gentleman,' said John, 'take up your flail and go to work,
sir, to work! to work! night will be here presently, and you have