youth, a most remarkable youth indeed, captain!" "Indeed," said I, "I am
glad to hear it, but I hope you find him steady?" "Steady, steady," said
he, "why, yes, he's steady, I cannot say that he is not steady." "Come,
come," said I, beginning to be rather uneasy, "I see plainly that you are
not altogether satisfied with him; I was afraid you would not be, for,
though he is my own son, I am anything but blind to his imperfections;
but do tell me what particular fault you have to find with him; and I
will do my best to make him alter his conduct." "No fault to find with
him, captain, I assure you, no fault whatever; the youth is a remarkable
youth, an extraordinary youth, only--" As I told you before, Mr. S--- is
the best-natured man in the world, and it was only with the greatest
difficulty that I could get him to say a single word to the disadvantage
of the boy, for whom he seems to entertain a very great regard. At last
I forced the truth from him, and grieved I was to hear it; though I must
confess that I was somewhat prepared for it. It appears that the lad has
a total want of discrimination.'

'I don't understand you,' said my mother.

'You can understand nothing that would seem for a moment to impugn the
conduct of that child. I am not, however, so blind; want of
discrimination was the word, and it both sounds well, and is expressive.
It appears that, since he has been placed where is, he has been guilty of
the grossest blunders; only the other day, Mr. S--- told me, as he was
engaged in close conversation with one of his principal clients, the boy
came to tell him that a person wanted particularly to speak with him;
and, on going out, he found a lamentable figure with one eye, who came to
ask for charity; whom, nevertheless, the lad had ushered into a private
room, and installed in an arm-chair, like a justice of the peace, instead
of telling him to go about his business--now what did that show, but a
total want of discrimination?'

'I wish we may never have anything worse to reproach him with,' said my
mother.

'I don't know what worse we could reproach him with,' said my father; 'I
mean of course as far as his profession is concerned; discrimination is
the very keystone; if he treated all people alike, he would soon become a
beggar himself; there are grades in society as well as in the army; and
according to those grades we should fashion our behaviour, else there
would instantly be an end of all orde