Children cannot feel it; if they did, they would do otherwise, for our
hearts are seldom hard until we grow older."
"I agree with you, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave. "If children really knew
how much their parents suffer when they behave ill, how alarmed they
are at any proofs of wickedness in them, they would be much better."
"We never find that out, sir, till it is too late," continued Ready.
"Well, sir, I was little more than nine years old, when, on a very
windy day, and the water rough, a hawser, by which a vessel was fast to
the wharf, was carried away with a violent jerk, and the broken part,
as it flew out, struck a person who was at the edge of the wharf, and
knocked him into the sea. I heard the crying out, and the men from the
wharf and from the ships were throwing ropes to him, but he could not
catch hold of them; indeed, he could not swim well, and the water was
rough. I caught a rope that had been hauled in again, and leapt off the
wharf.
"Young as I was, I swam like a duck, and put the rope into his hands
just as he was going down. He clung to it as drowning men only can
cling, and was hauled to the piles, and soon afterwards a boat, which
had been lowered from the stern of one of the vessels, picked us both
up.
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