But will you kindly choose for me?
I have read but few English books, for of course in France my reading
was entirely French."
"Then take Shakespeare. I hold his writings to be the finest in our
tongue. I know them nearly by heart, for there is scarce an evening
when I do not take him down for an hour, and reading him I forget the
worries and cares of my day's work, which would otherwise often keep
me from sleep. 'Tis a bulky volume, but do not let that discourage
you; it is full of wit and wisdom, and of such romance that you will
often find it hard to lay it down. Stay--I have two editions, and can
well spare one of them, so take the one on that upper shelf, and keep
it when you have read it. There is but little difference between
them, but I generally use the other, and have come to look upon it as
a friend."
"Nay, sir, I will take it as a loan."
"You will do nothing of the sort. I owe you a fee, and a bumping
one."
Henceforth Cyril did not find his time hang heavy on his hands. It
seemed to him, as he sat at the window and read, that a new world
opened to him. His life had been an eminently practical one. He had
studied hard in France, and when he laid his books aside his time had
been spent in the open air. It was only since he had been with
Captain Dave that he had ever read for amusement, and the Captain's
library consisted only of a few books of travels and voyages. He had
never so much as dreamt of a book like this, and for the next few
days he devoured its pages.
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