r. He had certainly some reason to be displeased with me, for I
learned little at school, and nothing at home, though he would now and
then attempt to give me some insight into the business. As impressions
of any kind are not very strong at the age of eleven or twelve, I did
not long feel his loss; nor was it a subject of much sorrow to me, that
my mother was doubtful of her ability to continue me at school, though I
had by this time acquired a love for reading.

I never knew in what circumstances my mother was left; most probably
they were inadequate to her support, without some kind of exertion,
especially as she was now burthened with a second child, about six or
eight months old. Unfortunately she determined to prosecute my father's
business; for which purpose she engaged a couple of journeymen, who,
finding her ignorant of every part of it, wasted her property, and
embezzled her money. What the consequence of this double fraud would
have been, there was no opportunity of knowing, as, in somewhat less
than a twelvemonth, my poor mother followed my father to the grave. She
was an excellent woman, bore my father's infirmities with patience and
good humour, loved her children dearly, and died at last, exhausted with
anxiety and grief more on their account than on her own.

I was not quite thirteen when this happened; my little brother was
hardly two; and we had not a relation nor a friend in the world. Every
thing that was left was seized by a person of the name of C----, for
money advanced to my mother. It may be supposed that I could not dispute
the justice of his claims; and as no one else interfered, he was
suffered to do as he liked. My little brother was sent to the
alms-house, whither his nurse followed him out of pure affection; and I
was taken to the house of the person I have just mentioned, who was also
my godfather. Respect for the opinion of the town, which, whether
correct or not, was, that he had repaid himself by the sale of my
mother's effects, induced him to send me again to school, where I was
more diligent than before, and more successful. I grew fond of
arithmetic, and my master began to distinguish me: but these golden days
were over in less than three months. C----sickened at the expense; and,
as the people were now indifferent to my fate, he looked round for an
opportunity of ridding himself of a useless charge. He had previously
attempted to engage me in the drudgery of husbandry. I drove the p