Hills of the Shatemuc Part 16

"The Gospel of John, and nearly the first book of the Aeneid.

But I have very little time."

"The Evangel of St. John, and the Aeneid. Are you going on to study it now?"

"Yes sir, -- as much as I can find time."

"Greek too?"

"No sir. I am only beginning."

"I ask, because I saw some Greek books on de table de ozer night and I wondered -- excuse me -- who was reading them. You do not know nothing of German?"

"No sir."

"Ah, you must learn de German -- dat is _my_ language."

"I don't know my own language yet," said Winthrop.

"Vat is dat?"

"English."

"English! -- But how do you do, here amongst de hills -- is there somebody to learn you?"

"No sir."

"And you go by yourself? -- Vell, I believe you will climb anything," said Mr. Herder, with a little smile; "only it is goot to know what place to begin, -- as I have found."

"I must begin where I can, sir."

"But you should get to de Universite; from dere it is more easy."

"I know that, sir; that is what I am trying to fit myself for."

"You do not need so much fitting -- you will fit yourself better there. I would get away to de Universite. You will go up -- I see it in your face -- you will go up, like you go up these rocks; it is pretty steep, but you know, vere one person cannot stand, anozer will mount. And what will you do wiz yourself when you get to de top?"

"I don't know yet, sir," Winthrop said laughing.

"It is just so goot not to know," said Mr. Herder. "What thing a man may wish to make himself, no matter what, he should fit himself for some ozer thing. Or else, he may be just one thing -- he might be poet, or mathematicien, or musicien maybe, -- and not be a whole _man_. You understand?"

"Very well, sir."

"I did not know no more what I would be, when I first went to de Universite of Halle I have been to seven Universites."

Winthrop looked at him, as if to see whether he were cased in sevenfold learning.

"I am not so very wise, neizer," he said laughing. "And now I am in de eight Universite -- in Mannahatta -- and if you will come dere I will be very glad to see you."

"Thank you, sir; --but I am afraid Mannahatta would be too expensive for me."

"Perhaps. -- But vere will you go?"

"I don't know sir, yet."

"But ven you get through, you will come to Mannahatta and let me see what you have made of yourself?"

Winthrop shook his head. "I don't know when that will be, Mr.

Herder."

They were walking through a tangled woodland, along one of the deep mountain gorges; the naturalist stopping frequently to give closer notice to something. He stood still here to examine a piece of rock.

"Will you let me give you one little direction," said he producing his little hammer, -- "_two_ little direction, or I should call them big direction, which may be of some goot to you?"

"I wish you would, sir."

"In de first place den, don't never go half way through nozing. If some thing you want to know is in de middle of dat rock," said he striking it, "knock de rock all to pieces but what you will have it. I mean, when you begin, finish, and do it goot."

"That is what I think, Mr. Herder."

"In de second place," continued Mr. Herder, ill.u.s.trating part of his former speech by hammering off some pieces of rock from the ma.s.s, -- "don't never think that no kind of knowledge is of no use to you. Dere is _nozing_ dat it is not goot to know. You may say, it is no use to you to know dat colour of de outside of dis rock, and dis colour of de inside; you are wrong; you ought to learn to know it if you can; and you will find de use before you die, wizout you be a very misfortunate man. Dere is nozing little in dis world; all is truth, or it will help you find out truth; and you cannot know too much."

"I believe that, sir; and I will remember it."

"And when you have learned English and Latin and Greek, you will learn German?" said the naturalist, putting the fragments of rock in his pocket.

Winthrop laughed at his expression.

"Promise me dat you will. You will find it of use to you too."

"But all useful things are not possible," said Winthrop.

"I wish it was possible for you to bring down that bird," said the naturalist, gazing up towards a pair of huge wings above them; -- "It would be very useful to me." The creature was sailing through the distant ether in majestic style, moving its wings so little that they seemed an emblem of powerful repose.

"That is a white-headed eagle," said Winthrop.

"I know him!" said the naturalist, still gazing. "I wish I had him; -- but _dat_ is a thing in which is no goot; as he is too far off for me to reach him. Better for him! And it will be better for us to go home, for the day is not very long."

Neither was Mr. Herder's stay in the mountains after that. At parting he a.s.sured Winthrop "he should be very glad to do him all the goot he could do, if he would only let him know how."

This was just after the fall of the leaf. The winter was a mild one, and so fruitful in business belonging to the farm that Winthrop's own private concerns had little chance. Latin was pushed a little, and Greek entered upon; neither of them could be forwarded much, with all the stress that hope or despair could make. Snowstorm, and thaw, and frost, and sun, came after and after each other, and as surely and constantly the various calls upon Winthrop's time; and every change seemed to put itself between him and his books. Mr. Landholm was kept late in Vanta.s.sel, by a long session, and the early spring business came all upon his son's hands.

Letters were rather infrequent things in those days, waiting, as they usually did, for private carriage. It was near the end of March that the rare event of two letters in one day happened to the quiet little household.

Winthrop got one at the post-office, with the Vanta.s.sel mark; and coming home found his mother sitting before the fire with another in her hand, the matter of which she was apparently studying.

"A letter, mamma?"

"Yes -- from Will."