Daffy-down-dilly was so called because in his nature
he resembled a flower, and loved to do only what was
beautiful and agreeable, and took no delight in labor
of any kind. But, while Daffy-down-dilly was yet
a little boy, his mother sent him away from his pleasant
home, and put him under the care of a very strict
schoolmaster, who went by the name of Mr. Toil.
Those who knew him best, affirmed that this Mr. Toil
was a very worthy character, and that he had done
more good, both to children and grown people, than
anybody else in the world. Nevertheless, Mr. Toil
had a severe countenance; his voice, too, was harsh;
and all his ways seemed very disagreeable to our friend
Daffy-down-dilly.
The whole day long, this terrible old schoolmaster
sat at his desk, overlooking the pupils, or stalked
about the room with a certain awful birch rod in his
hand. Now came a rap over the shoulders of a boy
whom Mr. Toil had caught at play; now he punished
a whole class who were behindhand with their lessons;
and, in short, unless a lad chose to attend constantly
to his book, he had no chance of enjoying a quiet
moment in the schoolroom of Mr. Toil.
“I can’t bear it any longer,” said
Daffy-down-dilly to himself, when he had been at school
about a week. “I’ll run away, and
try to find my dear mother; at any rate, I shall never
find anybody half so disagreeable as this old Mr.
Toil.” So, the very next morning, off started
poor Daffy-down-dilly, and began his rambles about
the world, with only some bread and cheese for his
breakfast, and very little pocket money to pay his
expenses. But he had gone only a short distance,
when he overtook a man of grave and sedate appearance,
who was trudging along the road at a moderate pace.
“Good-morning, my fine little lad,” said
the stranger; “whence do you come so early,
and whither are you going?” Daffy-down-dilly
hesitated a moment or two, but finally confessed that
he had run away from school, on account of his great
dislike to Mr. Toil; and that he was resolved to find
some place in the world where he should never see nor
hear of the old schoolmaster again. “Very
well, my little friend,” answered the stranger,
“we will go together; for I, also, have had a
great deal to do with Mr. Toil, and should be glad
to find some place where his name was never heard.”
They had not gone far, when they passed a field where
some haymakers were at work, mowing down the tall
grass, and spreading it out in the sun to dry.
Daffy-down-dilly was delighted with the sweet smell
of the new-mown grass, and thought how much pleasanter
it must be to make hay in the sunshine, under the
blue sky, and with the birds singing sweetly in the
neighboring trees and bushes, than to be shut up in
a dismal schoolroom, learning lessons all day long,
and continually scolded by Mr. Toil.
But, in the midst of these thoughts, while he was
stopping to peep over the stone wall, he started back,
caught hold of his companion’s hand, and cried,
“Quick, quick! Let us run away, or he will
catch us!”
