cessary to fit up another
room, as at college. At all the times of his leaving he had sold out
favorably to other occupants.

Solomon John's destiny was more uncertain. He was looking forward to
being a doctor some time, but he had not decided whether to be
allopathic or homoeopathic, or whether he could not better invent
his own pills. And he could not understand how to obtain his doctor's
degree.

For a few weeks he acted as clerk in a druggist's store. But he could
serve only in the tooth-brush and soap department, because it was
found he was not familiar enough with the Latin language to compound
the drugs. He agreed to spend his evenings in studying the Latin
grammar; but his course was interrupted by his being dismissed for
treating the little boys too frequently to soda.

[Illustration]

The little boys were going through the schools regularly. The family
had been much exercised with regard to their education. Elizabeth
Eliza felt that everything should be expected from them; they ought to
take advantage from the family mistakes. Every new method that came up
was tried upon the little boys. They had been taught spelling by all
the different systems, and were just able to read, when Mr. Peterkin
learned that it was now considered best that children should not be
taught to read till they were ten years old.

Mrs. Peterkin was in despair. Perhaps, if their books were taken from
them even then, they might forget what they had learned. But no, the
evil was done; the brain had received certain impressions that could
not be blurred over.

This was long ago, however. The little boys had since entered the
public schools. They went also to a gymnasium, and a whittling school,
and joined a class in music, and another in dancing; they went to some
afternoon lectures for children, when there was no other school, and
belonged to a walking-club. Still Mr. Peterkin was dissatisfied by the
slowness of their progress. He visited the schools himself, and found
that they did not lead their classes. It seemed to him a great deal of
time was spent in things that were not instructive, such as putting on
and taking off their india-rubber boots.

[Illustration]

Elizabeth Eliza proposed that they should be taken from school and
taught by Agamemnon from the Encyclopaedia. The rest of the family
might help in the education at all hours of the day. Solomon John
could take up the Latin grammar; and she could give lessons in French