ed to have diverse
faculties seated in their several organs. They neither saw, heard,
nor smelt in the same manner, or rather saw, heard, and smelt so
differently as to feel in distinct fashion. What pleased the one
was distasteful to the other.

It was not possible for Iver to open his mind to his father,
because his father could not understand and appreciate his thoughts.

But if his heart was sealed to Simon Verstage, it was open to his
mother, who loved and spoiled him, and took his part invariably,
whether the boy were in the right or wrong. In every way possible
she humored his fancies; and she, unwisely, condoled with him on
what she was pleased to consider as his father's injustice. At
length there ensued a rupture so wide, so aggravated by mutual
recrimination, that Mrs. Verstage doubted her ability to bridge
it over.

This breach was occasioned by Iver one morning climbing to the
sign-board and repainting the stern of the vessel, which had long
irritated his eye because, whereas the ship was represented sideways,
the stern was painted without any attempt at fore-shortening; in
fact, full front, if such a term can be applied to a stern.

The laws of perspective were outraged in the original painting; of
such laws Iver knew nothing. What he did know was that the picture
was wrong. His eye, his natural instinct told him so. The matter
had been for long one of controversy between himself and his
father. The latter had been unable to understand that if the
portholes at the side were visible, the entire stern could not
possibly be viewed in full.

"She's got a stern, ain't she?" asked the old man. "If she has,
then wot's we to deny it her?"

At length Iver cut the controversy short, and brought the quarrel
to a crisis by climbing a ladder with a brush and some paints
obtained from the village carpenter, during the temporary absence
of his father, and putting the foreshortening to rights to the
best of his ability.

When the old man was aware what his son had done on his return
from Godalming, whither he had betaken himself to a fair, then he
was furious. He stormed at Iver for daring to disfigure the
sign-board, and at his wife for suffering him to do it unreproved.

Iver turned stubborn and sulky. He muttered an answer, lacking in
that respect due to a parent. The old man became abusive.

Mrs. Verstage intervened ineffectually; and when night arrived the
youth made a bundle of his clothes and left the