Strangely enough, it happened that in my later
capacity of schoolmaster, I became the educator and teacher of two of
the nephews of that very man into whose service my father had meant to
have sent me; and I hope to God that I have been of greater service to
that family by filling the heart and brain of these young people with
good and useful notions than if I had brushed the clothes and shoes of
their uncle, and spread his table with savoury dishes. In the latter
case, very likely an externally easy and happy existence might have been
mine, whereas now I wage a constant fight with cares and difficulties.
Suffice it to say, this career was closed to me; a second was proposed
by my mother, but from this my father delivered me by expressing a
decided disapproval.
My own desires and inclinations were now at last consulted. I wanted to
be an agriculturist in the full meaning of the word; for I loved
mountain, field, and forest; and I heard also that to learn anything
solid in this occupation one must be well acquainted with geometry and
land-surveying. From what I had learnt of the latter by snatches now and
then, the prospect of knowing more about it delighted me much; and I
cared not whether I began with forestry, with farming, or with geometry
and land-surveying.
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