could not, since it was so inseparable from his personality.  If he chastised his son, it was with the judicial majesty of a king, and never with a self-demeaning show of anger.  He ate and drank in his own house like a guest of state at a feast; he drove his fine sorrel in his sulky like a war-horse in a chariot.  Once, when walking to meeting on an icy day, his feet went from under him, and he sat down suddenly; but even his fall seemed to have something majestic and solemn and Scriptural about it.  Nobody laughed.

Doctor Prescott expelling this little boy from his south door had the impressiveness of a priest of Bible times expelling an interloper from the door of the Temple.  Jerome almost fell when he reached the ground, but collected himself after a staggering step or two as the door shut behind him.

The doctor’s sulky was drawn up before the door, and Jake Noyes stood by the horse’s head.  The horse sprang aside—­he was a nervous sorrel—­when Jerome flew down the steps, and Jake Noyes reined him up quickly with a sharp “Whoa!”

As soon as he recovered his firm footing, Jerome started to run out of the yard; but Jake, holding the sorrel’s bridle with one hand, reached out the other to his collar and brought him to a stand.

“Hullo!” said he, hushing his voice somewhat and glancing at the door.  “What’s to pay?”

“I told him he was a wicked man, and he didn’t like it because it’s true,” replied Jerome, in a loud voice, trying to pull away.

“Hush up,” whispered Jake, with a half-whimsical, half-uneasy nod of his head towards the door; “look out how you talk.  He’ll be out and crammin’ blue-pills and assafoetidy into your mouth first thing you know.  Don’t you go to sassin’ of your betters.”

“He is a wicked man!  I don’t care, he is a wicked man!” cried Jerome, loudly.  He glanced defiantly at the house, then into Jake’s face, with a white flash of fury.

“Hush up, I tell ye,” said Jake.  “He’ll be a-pourin’ of castor-ile down your throat out of a quart measure, arter the blue-pills and the assafoetidy.”

“I’d like to see him!  He is a wicked man.  Let me go!”

“Don’t you go to callin’ names that nobody but the Almighty has any right to fasten on to folks.”

“Let me go!” Jerome wriggled under the man’s detaining grasp, as wirily instinct with nerves as a cat; he kicked out viciously at his shins.

“Lord!  I’d as lief try to hold a catamount,” cried Jake Noyes, laughing, and released him, and Jerome raced out of the yard.

It was then about two o’clock.  He should have gone home to his planting, but his childish patience was all gone.  Poor little Jack had been worsted by the giant, and his bean-garden might as well be neglected.  Human strength may endure heavy disappointments and calamities with heroism, but it requires superhuman power to hold one’s hand to the grindstone of petty duties and details of life in the midst of them.