“I shall not have time to tell of everything,” continued Aunt Judy, “so I must hurry over the breakfast, although the keepers contrived to make even that miserable, by doing all they could to prevent the little Victims from spilling their food on the table and floor, and also by insisting on the poor little things sitting tolerably upright on their seats—­not lolling with both elbows on the table-cloth—­not making a mess—­not, in short, playing any of those innocent little pranks in which young creatures take delight.

“It was a pitiable spectacle, as you may suppose, to see reasonable beings constrained against their inclinations to sit quietly while they ate their hearty morning meal, which really, perhaps, they might have enjoyed, had they been allowed to amuse themselves in their own fashion at the same time.

“But I must go on now to that great misery of the day, which I shall call the lesson misery.

“Now you must know, the little Victims were all born, as young kids, lambs, kittens, and puppy-dogs are, with a decided liking for jumping about and playing all day long.  Think, therefore, what their sufferings were when they were placed in chairs round a table, and obliged to sit and stare at queer looking characters in books until they had learned to know them what was called by heart.  It was a very odd way of describing it, for I am sure they had often no heart in the matter, unless it was a hearty dislike.

“‘Tommy Brown in the village never learns any lessons,’ cried one of them once to the creature who was teaching him, ’why should I?  He is always playing at oyster-dishes in the gutter when I see him, and enjoying himself.  I wish I might enjoy myself!’

“Poor Victim!  He little thought what a tiresome lecture this clever remark of his would bring on his devoted head!

“Don’t ask me to repeat it.  It amounted merely to this, that twenty years hence he would he very glad he had learnt something else besides making oyster-dishes in the streets.  As if that signified to him now!  As if it took away the nuisance of having to learn at the present moment, to be told it would be of use hereafter!  What was the use of its being of use by-and-by?

“So thought the little Victim, young as he was; so, said he, in a muttering voice:-

“‘I don’t care about twenty years hence; I want to be happy now!’

“This was unanswerable, as you may suppose; so the puzzled teacher didn’t attempt to make a reply, but said:-

“‘Go on with your lessons, you foolish little boy!’

“See what it is to be obstinate,” pursued Aunt Judy.  “See how it blinds people’s eyes, and prevents them from knowing right from wrong!  Pray take warning, and never be obstinate yourselves; and meantime, let us have a good hearty groan for the lesson misery.”

The little ones obeyed, and breathed out a groan that seemed to come from the very depths of their hearts; but somehow or other, as the story proceeded, the faces looked rather less amused, and rather more anxious, than at first.