games and new fashions, which he permitted to flourish for a time,
and then superseded. As he grew up he displayed a taste for drawing
and music. He was soon able to copy little paintings of flowers, or
even little country scenes, and to play a piece of no very great
difficulty with tolerable effect. But as he never was taught by a
master, and never practised elementary exercises and studies, he was
deficient in accuracy. When the question came what was to be done
with him after he left school, his father naturally wished him to go
into the mill. Clem, however, set his face steadily against this
project, and his mother, who was a believer in his genius, supported
him. He actually wanted to go to the University, a thing unheard of
in those days amongst our people; but this was not possible, and
after dangling about for some time at home, he obtained the post of
usher in a school, an occupation which he considered more congenial
and intellectual than that of grinding flour. Strange to say,
although he knew less than any of his colleagues, he succeeded better
than any of them. He managed to impress a sense of his own
importance upon everybody, including the headmaster. He slid into a
position of superiority. above three or four colleagues who would
have shamed him at an examination, and who uttered many a curse
because they saw themselves surpassed and put in the shade by a
stranger, who, they were confident, could hardly construct a
hexameter. He never quarrelled with them nor did he grossly
patronise them, but he always let them know that he considered
himself above them. His reading was desultory; in fact, everything
he did was desultory. He was not selfish in the ordinary sense of
the word. Rather was he distinguished by a large and liberal open-
handedness; but he was liberal also to himself to a remarkable
degree, dressing himself expensively, and spending a good deal of
money in luxuries. He was specially fond of insisting on his half