im for other offences,
whereas Porthos incontinently repeats his offence, in other words, he
again buries his bone in the backyard, and marvels greatly that I know
it, although his nose be crusted with earth.

"Touching these matters, therefore, let it be granted that David excels
Porthos; and in divers similar qualities the one is no more than a match
for the other, as in the quality of curiosity; for, if a parcel comes
into my chambers Porthos is miserable until it is opened, and I have
noticed the same thing of David.

"Also there is the taking of medicine. For at production of the vial all
gaiety suddenly departs from Porthos and he looks the other way, but if
I say I have forgotten to have the vial refilled he skips joyfully,
yet thinks he still has a right to a chocolate, and when I remarked
disparagingly on this to David he looked so shy that there was revealed
to me a picture of a certain lady treating him for youthful maladies.

"A thing to be considered of in both is their receiving of punishments,
and I am now reminded that the girl Irene (whom I take in this matter
to be your mouthpiece) complains that I am not sufficiently severe with
David, and do leave the chiding of him for offences against myself to
her in the hope that he will love her less and me more thereby. Which we
have hotly argued in the Gardens to the detriment of our dignity. And I
here say that if I am slow to be severe to David, the reason thereof is
that I dare not be severe to Porthos, and I have ever sought to treat
the one the same with the other.

"Now I refrain from raising hand or voice to Porthos because his great
heart is nigh to breaking if he so much as suspects that all is not well
between him and me, and having struck him once some years ago never can
I forget the shudder which passed through him when he saw it was I
who had struck, and I shall strike him, ma'am, no more. But when he is
detected in any unseemly act now, it is my stern practice to cane my
writing table in his presence, and even this punishment is almost more
than he can bear. Wherefore if such chastisement inflicted on David
encourages him but to enter upon fresh trespasses (as the girl Irene
avers), the reason must be that his heart is not like unto that of the
noble Porthos.

"And if you retort that David is naturally a depraved little boy, and
so demands harsher measure, I have still my answer, to wit, what is the
manner of severity meted out to him at ho