LITTLE familiar way of once wanting to go into her father's 

 JOURNEYS study for a forgotten pair of scissors. It was the " holy 



time," and she thought she could not wait, so she took 



'off her shoes and entered in stockkig-feet, hoping to be 



unobserved. Her father was working at his microscope 



he saw her, reached out one arm as she passed, drew 



her to him and kissed her forehead. The guilty little 



, girl never trespassed again how could she, with the 



father that gave her only love ! 



That there was no sternness in this recognition of the 

 value of the working hours is further indicated in that 

 little Francis, aged six, once put his head in the door 

 and offered the father a sixpence if he would come out 

 and play in the garden. 



For several vears Darwin was village magistrate. 

 Most of the cases brought before him were for poach- 

 ing or drunkenness. " He always seemed to be trying 

 to find an excuse for the prisoner, and usually suc- 

 ceeded," says his son ^ Once when a prosecuting 

 attorney complained because Darwin had discharged 

 a prisoner, the magistrate, who might have fined the 

 impudent attorney for contempt of court, merely said p 

 " Why, he 's as good as we are. If tempted in the same 

 way I am sure that I would have done as he has done. 

 We can't blame a man for doing what he has to do ! " 

 QThis was poor reasoning from a legal point of view. 

 Darwin after-ward admitted that he did n't hear much 

 of the evidence, as his mind was full of orchids, but 

 the fellow looked sorry and he really could n't punish 

 anybody who had simply made a mistake. 

 176 



