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The Lady of Provence; Or, Humbled and Healed, by A.l.o.e.
The Lady of Provence Or Humbled and Healed by Aloe Author:Charlotte Maria Tucker General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1871 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II. THE COTTAGE INMATES. | AITH was the only child of Joshua Stanby, or, as he was usually called by his fellow- labourers, Gentleman Jos. Though this title was given in mockery, and by no means as a mark of respect, it rather pleased than offended the man who bore it. Jos never forgot, nor let those connected with him forget, that his father had been a lawyer, and that he had lived in Golden Square. In the mind of poor Jos all was golden about that square, as he saw it through memory's haze. How the son of the lawyer had come to be but a labourer, and an ill-paid labourer too, was an unsolved problem to Jos. He had been to school in his boyhood -- nay, to the very school in which the famous Samuel Johnson had been trained for future usefulness and fame. Why the one boy had become a wonder of learning, while the other never willingly opened a book, was another riddle to make out. The defectiveeducation of Jos was not from want of flogging, for it was a standing joke with his master that he should make extra charge for extra birches expended upon young Stanby ; but no amount of teaching or whipping could ever make much of poor Jos. It was not so much that the boy wanted brains, as that he wanted application and resolute will to master the work before him. His teacher compared him to blotting-paper, which takes every impression easily, but retains nothing distinctly; with Jos everything turned into a blot. He was not fit to make his way in the world by brain work; Jos tried it, and failed completely. His father having died and left him penniless, the poor young man had no choice but to earn his...« less