can promise you you will not be throwing away your time by
listening," replied the venerable Chatelain. "Now, one day our master
thought all at once: 'Here am I, rich enough to eat two dinners a day if
I liked, but I don't. Now, suppose I were to provide a meal for those
who have none at all, and enable such as can hardly procure half a
dinner to enjoy as much good food as they desired, would not that be
better than over-indulging myself? So it shall be,' says he, and away he
goes to work, and, first thing, he buys this farm, which was not much of
a concern then, and scarcely kept a couple of ploughs at work; and,
being born and bred on the place, I ought to know something about it.
Next, master made considerable additions to the farm. I'll tell you all
about that by and by. At the head of the farm he placed a most worthy
and respectable female, who had known a great deal of trouble in her
past life--master always chose out people for their goodness and their
misfortunes--and, when he brought the person I am telling you of here,
he said to her in my hearing, 'I wish this place to be like the Temple
of our great Maker, open to the deserving and the afflicted, but closed
against the wicked and hardened reprobate.' So idle beggars are always
turned from the gate; but those who are able and willing to work have
always the opportunity set before them: the charity of labour, our
master says, is no humiliation to him who receives it, but a favour and
service conferred on the person whose labour is thus done; and the rich
man who does not act upon this principle but ill employs his wealth. So
said our master. But he did more than talk--he acted. There was formerly
a road from here to Ecouen, which cut off a good mile of distance, but,
Lord love you! it was one great rutty bog, impossible to get up or down
it; it was the death of every horse, and certain destruction to every
vehicle that attempted to pass through it. A little labour, and a
trifling amount of money from each farmer in the adjoining country
would soon have repaired the road; but they never could be brought to
any unanimity on the subject, and, in proportion as one farmer would be
anxious to contribute towards putting the road in order, the others
would invariably decline sending either men or money to assist. So our
master, perceiving all this, said, 'The road shall be repaired; but as
those who can afford to contribute will not, and as it is more for
convenience a