into the _man's_ hand who was
ordered to ride behind the coach.--THACKERAY.

He doubted whether _his_ signature whose expectations were so
much more bounded would avail.--DE QUINCEY.

For boys with hearts as bold
As _his_ who kept the bridge so well.
--MACAULAY.

[Sidenote: _Preceding a gerund,--possessive, or objective?_]

408. Another point on which there is some variance in usage is such
a construction as this: "We heard of _Brown_ studying law," or "We
heard of _Brown's_ studying law."

That is, should the possessive case of a noun or pronoun always be
used with the gerund to indicate the active agent? Closely
scrutinizing these two sentences quoted, we might find a difference
between them: saying that in the first one _studying_ is a participle,
and the meaning is, _We heard of Brown_, [who was] _studying law_; and
that in the second, _studying_ is a gerund, object of _heard of_, and
modified by the possessive case as any other substantive would be.

[Sidenote: _Why both are found._]

But in common use there is no such distinction. Both types of
sentences are found; both are gerunds; sometimes the gerund has the
possessive form before it, sometimes it has the objective. The use of
the objective is older, and in keeping with the old way of regarding
the _person_ as the chief object before the mind: the possessive use
is more modern, in keeping with the disposition to proceed from the
material thing to the _abstract idea_, and to make the action
substantive the chief idea before the mind.

In the examples quoted, it will be noticed that the possessive of the
pronoun is more common than that of the noun.

[Sidenote: _Objective_.]

The last incident which I recollect, was my learned and worthy
_patron_ falling from a chair.--SCOTT.

He spoke of _some one_ coming to drink tea with him, and asked
why it was not made.--THACKERAY.

The old sexton even expressed a doubt as to _Shakespeare_ having
been born in her house.--IRVING.

The fact of the _Romans_ not burying their dead within the city
walls proper is a strong reason, etc.--BREWER.

I remember _Wordsworth_ once laughingly reporting to me a little
personal anecdote.--DE QUINCEY.

Here I state them only in brief, to prevent the _reader_ casting
about in alarm for my ultimate meaning.--RUSKIN.

We think with far less pleasure of _Cato_ tearing out his