The brave are ever tender.
And feel the miseries of suffering virtue.

--Martyn.

Hedged about by such walls of difficulty, Edwin seemed to be shut entirely
away in a little world that was all his own. As he had no one to help him
to understand the every-day happenings about him, it was not strange that
the mysteries of nature were hidden as well. Shunned and abused as he was,
even curiosity was almost of no avail. But although he knew it not, the
all-seeing Eye was watching over him and angels were rejoicing over the
manner in which he was laying a foundation for a strong and noble Christian
character.

Edwin's holding no revenge in his heart toward those who had so repeatedly
wronged him made it easier, in a way, for him to endure his hardships. And
by constantly being watchful and on his guard, he was many times able to
improve little opportunities to assist either his mother or his uncle, and
in this way he sometimes evaded punishments that he would have otherwise
received. His always being on the alert made it easier for him to become
familiar with the names of various things that he could not have otherwise
known. To gain any knowledge at all was indeed a pleasure, and it enabled
him to escape so much unjust abuse.

As his love for doing good increased, so also his admiration for and
interest in the things of nature and that which was strange and mysterious
were deepened. He often wondered about the blue arch above his head, and,
supposing it to be an upper story to the earth, believed it to be inhabited
by a family similar to St. Nick and his elves. He often tried to imagine