gotten the hope to possess it seemed to have drifted out of joseph s mind and to seem even a little foolish when he looked into his box for many of his egg shells had been broken on the journey see he said but on second thoughts he refused to show his possessions but thou once as eager to learn hebrew his grandmother said and the chance words spoken as she left the room awakened his suspended interests as soon as she returned she was beset by questions and the same evening his father had to promise that the best in should be engaged to teach him a discussion began between dan and as to the most notable and and it was followed by joseph so eagerly that they could not help io the brook laughing the questions he put to them regarding the different accomplishments of the were very minute and the phrase � but this one is a greek scholar stirred his curiosity why should he be denied me because he knows greek he asked and his father could only answer that no one can learn two languages a the same time but if he knows two languages joseph insisted i cannot tell thee more his father answered than that the i ve chosen is a great hebrew scholar he was no doubt a great scholar but he was not the man that joseph wished for thin and tall and of gentle appearance and he did not stir up a flame for work in joseph who as soon as the novelty of learning hebrew had worn off began to hide himself in the garden his father caught him one day sitting in a convenient bough looking down upon his fairly asleep on a bench and after this adventure he began to make a mocking stock of his all kinds of and his became so constant that his father was forced to choose another this time a younger man was chosen but he succeeded with joseph not very much better than the first after the second there came a third and when joseph began to complain of his ignorance his father said well joseph you said you wanted to learn hebrew and you have shown no application and three of the most learned in have been called in to teach you joseph felt the reproof bitterly but he did not know how to answer his father and he was grateful to his grandmother for her answer joseph isn t an idle boy dan but his nature is such that he cannot learn from a man he doesn t like why don t ye give him as an has he been speaking to thee about dan asked maybe she said and dan s face clouded chapter ii we are to understand son dan said on hearing that the fourth whom he had engaged to teach his son hebrew had failed to give satisfaction that you cannot learn from anybody but now will you tell us what there is in more than in or and he waited for his son to speak but as joseph did not answer he asked is it because he looks more like a prophet than any of the others and joseph who still dreaded any allusion to turned into his corner but came forward directly and taking the child by the shoulders led him back to his father asking dan with a trace of anger in her voice why he should think it strange that the child should prefer to learn from rather than from a withered who never could keep his eyes open but always sat in his chair like one in a dream it wasn t because he went to sleep often i could have kept him awake by kicking him under the table joseph stopped suddenly and looked from one to the other why then his father asked and on being pressed to say why he didn t want to learn hebrew he said he had come to hate hebrew an admission which rendered his parents speechless for a moment come to hate hebrew they repeated one after the other till frightened by their solemnity joseph out you wouldn t like hebrew if the scholar s jumped on to you the moment you began and pulling up his sleeves joseph exhibited his arms how could i learn hebrew with three ii the brook biting me and all at one time one here another there and a third down yonder he always has three or four v about him no father don t don t ask me to learn hebrew any more but joseph all hebrew scholars s haven t about them an face confronted v them and joseph looked as if he were uncertain whether he should laugh or cry but seeing that his parents liked his story he began to laugh we ve tried several v but you re hard to please joseph now what fault � did you find with � and while dan searched his memory for the name joseph that the little fellow whose j back like s chest wouldn t let him read the interesting parts of the but kept him always at i the and the and he was always telling me about who was a good man but good men aren t x as interesting as joseph out and wilt thou tell us what he told thee about these pious men tf dan asked a smile playing about his long thin mouth that the law didn t matter as long as we were virtuous j joseph muttered and he was always explaining the stories that i understood quite well when told them so it was that confirmed you in your for hebrew dan said and the child stood looking at his father not quite sure if it would be in his interest to accept or the suggestion he would have refused to give a direct answer 