success in that vocation,--a strong voice, a fluent utterance, an
incessant iteration, and a frontless impudence. He is a great
'scholar' too, to use the country phrase; his 'piece,' as our
village schoolmaster terms a fine sheet of flourishing writing,
something between a valentine and a sampler, enclosed within a
border of little coloured prints--his last, I remember, was
encircled by an engraved history of Moses, beginning at the finding
in the bulrushes, with Pharaoh's daughter dressed in a rose-coloured
gown and blue feathers--his piece is not only the admiration of the
school, but of the parish, and is sent triumphantly round from house
to house at Christmas, to extort halfpence and sixpences from all
encouragers of learning--Montem in miniature. The Mosaic history
was so successful, that the produce enabled Jem to purchase a bat
and ball, which, besides adding to his natural arrogance (for the
little pedant actually began to mutter against being eclipsed by a
dunce, and went so far as to challenge Joe Kirby to a trial in
Practice, or the Rule of Three), gave him, when compared with the
general poverty, a most unnatural preponderance in the cricket
state. He had the ways and means in his hands (for alas! the hard
winter had made sad havoc among the bats, and the best ball was a
bad one)--he had the ways and means, could withhold the supplies,
and his party was beginning to wax strong, when Joe received a
present of two bats and a ball for the youngsters in general and
himself in particular--and Jem's adherents left him on the spot--
they ratted, to a man, that very evening. Notwithstanding this
desertion, their forsaken leader has in nothing relaxed from his
pretensions, or his ill-humour. He stills quarrels and brawls as if
he had a faction to back him, and thinks nothing of contending with
both sides, the ins and the outs, secure of out-talking the whole
field. He has been squabbling these ten minutes, and is just