els:" and often and often as he conned these pages he longed to be
able to visit the strange countries and to go through the wonderful
adventures therein described.

The fact was that Jack had a very good head on his shoulders, and had he
broken his leg, or met with any other accident which would have confined
him to the house, he would have taken very readily to reading. In his
case his physical powers demanded more exercise than his mental, whereas
in the case of his brother Jasper his mental activity preponderated over
his mere animal spirits. Jack required a tether to keep him within
bounds, Jasper a spur to make him move fast enough to keep up with the
times. Yet in most respects the elder was superior to the younger
brother--cast in a finer mould, with keener sensibilities, a gentler
heart, and more moral if not physical courage. Jack had, however, many
good qualities, but many of his doings were not such as deserved
imitation. Such book knowledge as he possessed he had obtained at the
Nottingham Grammar School, where, as was the case at other places of
education of the same character, boys were allowed to pick up what they
chose, and if not inclined to learn, no great effort was made to
instruct them. Jack had therefore run wild, and had done many things
for which he had cause to be sorry, and had sometimes even got into
trouble about them. He had not, however, even yet learned wisdom. His
character was, however, to be developed, and may probably be so in the
following pages.

"I would do any thing to please her," he said to himself. "I do not
think she would like to know the work I have promised to engage in
to-night, and yet how am I to be off it? I know myself it is not right,
but I gave my word to those fellows, and ought I to break it? I do not
like the forest laws, but they are laws notwithstanding, and it behoves
honest men to obey them--there's the rub. How I did not come to think
of that before, I don't know. Perhaps Alethea put it into my head; and
yet she did not speak very approvingly of the king and the Parliament,
so I suppose she would not much object to my breaking the laws which
they have formed. Still she would not like to see me placed in the
pillory, and that would be my fate if I was caught poaching--there's no
use mincing the matter, that's the word. But I was never frightened at
any thing, and I am not going to be frightened at that. I gave my word,
and I must stick to my w