The
child lost all relish for diversion, loathed his food, grew pensive,
solitary, and was frequently found weeping by himself. These
symptoms plainly evinced the recovery of his feelings, to which his
governor thought it now high time to make application; and therefore
by little and little altered his behaviour from the indifference
he had put on, to the appearance of more regard and attention. This
produced a favourable change in the boy, whose eyes sparkled with
satisfaction one day, when his master expressed himself, with a
show of surprise, in these words: "So, Perry! I find you don't want
genius, when you think proper to use it." Such encomiums kindled
the spirit of emulation in his little breast; he exerted himself
with surprising alacrity, by which he soon acquitted himself of
the imputation of dullness, and obtained sundry honorary silver
pennies, as acknowledgments of his application; his school-fellows now
solicited his friendship as eagerly as they had avoided it before;
and in less than a twelvemonth after his arrival, this supposed
dunce was remarkable for the brightness of his parts; having in
that short period learnt to read English perfectly well, made great
progress in writing, enabled himself to speak the French language
without hesitation, and acquired some knowledge in the rudiments
of the Latin tongue.
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