thought best fitted to his comprehension) on the disgrace to his
parents and himself of his behavior this morning, I set him as a task
three verses to learn out of the 'Select Bible Texts for Children;'
choosing the verses which seemed most likely, if I may trust my own
judgment on the point, to impress on him what his behavior ought to be
for the future in church. He flatly refused to learn what I told him.
It was, of course, quite impossible to allow my authority to be set at
defiance by my own child (whose disobedient disposition has always, God
knows, been a source of constant trouble and anxiety to me); so I
locked him up, and locked up he will remain until he has obeyed me. My
dear," (turning to his wife and handing her a key), "I have no
objection, if you wish, to your going and trying what _you_ can do
towards overcoming the obstinacy of this unhappy child."

Mrs. Thorpe took the key, and went up stairs immediately--went up to do
what all women have done, from the time of the first mother; to do what
Eve did when Cain was wayward in his infancy, and cried at her
breast--in short, went up to coax her child.

Mr. Thorpe, when his wife closed the door, carefully looked down the
open page on his knee for the place where he had left off--found
it--referred back a moment to the last lines of the preceding leaf--and
then went on with his book, not taking the smallest notice of Mr.
Goodworth.

"Thorpe!" cried the old gentleman, plunging head-foremost again, into
his son-in-law's reading this time instead of his talk, "You may say
what you please; but your notion of bringing up Zack is a wrong one
altogether."