THE WATER BABIES
and development, and put up one of her own instead which Tom thought much more sensible—
"Instructions sore, long time I bore,
And cramming was in vain;
Till heaven did please my woes to ease
With water on the brain."
So Tom jumped into the sea, and swam on his way, singing—
"Farewell, Tomtoddies all; I thank my stars
That naught I know save those three royal r's.
Reading and 'riting sure, with 'rithmetick,
Will help a lad of sense through thin and thick."
Whereby you may see that Tom was no poet: but no more was John Bunyan, though he was as wise a man as you will meet in a month of Sundays.
And next he came to Oldwivesfabledom, where the folk were all heathens, and worshipped a howling ape.
And there he found a little boy sitting in the middle of the road, and crying bitterly.
"What are you crying for?" said Tom.
"Because I am not as frightened as I could wish to be."
"Not frightened? You are a queer little chap: but, if you want to be frightened, here goes—Boo!"
"Ah!" said the little boy, "that is very kind of you; but I don't feel that it has made any impression."
Tom offered to upset him, punch him, stamp on
292
