science and learning; nay, I was actually growing fond of him, but this
did not last long. In process of time, he grew shy of explaining things
to me; he scolded me for thumbing his books, though, God knows, my
thumbs were always cleaner than his own, and he thwarted me continually
upon some pretence or other. I could not for some time conceive the
cause of this change in my master's behaviour: indeed it was hard for
me to guess or believe that he was become jealous of the talents and
knowledge of a poor lad, whose ignorance he, but a few years before, had
so much despised and derided. I was the more surprised at this new turn
of his mind, because I was conscious that, instead of becoming more
conceited, I had of late become more humble; but this humility was, by
my suspicious master, attributed to artifice, and tended more than any
thing to confirm him in his notion that I had formed a plan to supplant
him in his office of lecturer, a scheme which had never entered into
my head. I was thunderstruck when he one day said to me, 'You need not
study so hard, Mr. Jervas; for I promise you that, even with Mr. Y----'s
assistance, and all your _art_, you will not be able to supplant me,
clever as, with all affected humility, you think yourself.'

"The truth lightened upon me at once. Had he been a judge of the human
countenance, he must have seen my innocence in my looks: but he was so
fixed in his opinion, that I knew any protestations I could make of my
never having thought of the scheme he imputed to me, would serve only to
confirm him in his idea of my dissimulation. I contented myself with
returning to him his books and his manuscripts, and thenceforward
withdrew my attention from his lectures, to which I had always till now
been one of the most eager auditors; by these proceedings I hoped to
quiet his suspicions. I no longer applied myself to any studies in which
he was engaged, to show him that all competition with him was far from
my thoughts; and I have since reflected that this fit of jealousy of