236 October My Schemes. 



is agreeable to have renewed or increased one's ac- 

 quaintance with the sylvan world. My plans for doing 

 something in science, and art, and literary study, were 

 larger than my powers of realization in so limited a 

 space of time : however, they have constantly and not 

 unprofitably occupied me. The paternal scheme, with 

 reference to Alexis, has been farther from any perfect 

 realization than the others. I had counted upon his 

 companionship in my pursuits, and hoped that I might 

 be able to teach him a good deal without his suspecting 

 that he was being instructed ; but he very soon found 

 this out, and by calling every thing a lesson compelled 

 me to fix regular hours for study, exactly as if we had 

 been master and pupil at a school : in fact, he called 

 them ' school-hours/ and asked for his liberty at other 

 times, or took it. He had full holiday on Thursday 

 and Saturday, on which days I was in no danger of 

 being disturbed by him, for he never made his appear- 

 ance, but went great distances on foot with my keeper 

 (who had been known as a famous poacher under the 

 nickname of * the Weasel '). In a word, I discovered 

 that my didactic propensities must be greatly restrained 

 if I did not wish to frighten this young bird away into 

 the woods altogether. On the other hand, it was im- 

 possible to suspend his education for twelve months. 

 In this perplexity I took a neighbor (who lived ten 

 miles off) into my confidence, and he recommended 

 a private tutor for the young gentleman. The plan 

 seemed feasible, and the more so that there were so 

 many spare rooms at the Val Ste. Ve"ronique : so one 



