and is making very rapid strides towards perfect recovery. He even
went out yesterday for a few minutes. So I don't mind leaving him in
the least; and indeed he is going to Sidmouth himself, probably at
the end of the week. I have seen him every day without one
exception, and have learnt a very great deal from him. He has
studied very closely school work, condition of the labourer, boys'
homes, best method of dispensing charity, &c., and on all these
points his advice has been really invaluable. I feel now that I am
quite to all intents working the district. People ask me about their
children coming to school. I know almost all the people in the
village, and a good many out of it, and begin to understand, in a
very small way, what a clergyman's life is. A mixture of sorrow and
pleasure indeed! There are many very sad cases of hypocrisy,
filthiness, and wickedness (as I suppose there are in every
district); and yesterday I had a very hard-working and in one case
most painful day.

'Some people had asked me to take their boy, three years and a half
old, to school--a wretched pair, with a little savage for a son. I
said I would speak to Miss Wilkins, and put plainly before her the
character of parents and child. However, she wished to have him, and
I knew it was so far well to get the boy away from home. But such a
scene ensued! The boy was really like a little savage; kicked,
dashed his head against the wall, and at length, with his nose
bleeding violently, exhausted with his violence, fell asleep. Next
day, he is so bad, he is sent home; when the mother drives him back
to school, cursing and swearing, telling Miss Wilkins she may kill
him if she pleases! Unluckily, I was not in school.

'Yesterday he was in school and more quiet, but did not kneel down at