ragement to him, he cheered up a little. His sadness was less
bitter, but it was still there. Pain passed into home-sickness,
a sweet longing for home, and with tears in his eyes, but no longer
despairing, he whispered "Omicron, Omicron!"

Who heard that call, or understood his grief over his exile? Who
observed how that sigh for the "higher" and that fiery desire had
passed into a nobler state?

After long deliberations and Walter's express promise to do better,
Master Pennewip had at last been prevailed upon to allow our young
robber to return to school. He now had the opportunity to perfect
himself in verse-writing, penmanship, verbs, "Holland Counts" and
other equally important things.

The teacher said that the boy at Muiderberg had been still worse,
and he had known what to prescribe. Walter would do all right now,
he thought; but Juffrouw Pieterse must get another pastor, for the
present one belonged to the class of "drinkers." This she did. Walter
was to receive religious instruction from a real preacher.

I don't remember the title of the book, but the first lines were:

"Q. From whom did you and everything in existence have its origin?"

Walter wanted to say, From my mother; but the book said:

"Ans. From God, who made everything out of nothing."

"Q. How do you know that?"

"Ans. From nature and revelation."

Walter didn't know what it meant, but like the good-natured,
obedient child that he was, he repeated faithfully what he had
memorized from the book. It was annoying for him to have his
Sundays spoiled by recitations in the Kings of Israel--days so well
suited for rambling. He was jealous of the Jews, who were always led
away--a misfortune that seemed delightful to him. But he worked away
patiently, and was not the worst of those apprentices in religion. At
the end of the year he received a book containing three hundred and
sixty-five scriptural texts, twenty-one prayers, as many graces,
the Lord's Prayer, the ten commandments and the articles of faith. It
also contained directions for using it--once a day through the year,
three times a day for a week, etc., etc.; or simply use as needed. On
a leaf pasted in the front of the book was written:

To Walter Pieterse
as a
Reward
for
Excellent recitations