The Girls Own Paper, Vol. VIII. No. 358, November 6, 1886 | Page 9

of them, and, moreover, might any day be claimed by her own
parents and taken into her own sphere, she insisted on the same
obedience from her as she expected from her own children.
"Jack had far better become a man learned in sheep than in birds,
seeing he is to be a shepherd. I can't see the use of all the learning Jack
gets hold of; it can't do him any good," said the shepherd.
"Oh! you dear, good old shepherd, I believe you think the world was
made for sheep, and shepherds the only useful people in it," exclaimed
Fairy.

"I think if Jack learns his business and his Bible and Prayer-book, he
will do very well without any other learning. It is quite right and proper
that my little Fairy should learn to play the spinnet and to speak French,
which nobody here understands, and many other things of which I don't
even know the names, but I don't think that kind of knowledge will
make Jack a good shepherd or a good Christian, and that is all he is
required to be," said John Shelley, stroking Fairy's golden head fondly
as he spoke.
"But if he could be a very clever man some day and perhaps learn a
profession, you would think that better than being a good shepherd,
would you not?" said Fairy, who was in Jack's confidence, and knew
that as he watched the sheep on the downs he dreamt dreams of this
kind.
"No, Fairy, no; if God had meant Jack to be a gentleman he would not
have given him a shepherd for his father. His duty is to labour hard to
get his own living in that state of life in which it has pleased God to call
him, as the Catechism says."
"But, John, why did God let me be brought up by a shepherd, then?"
asked Fairy. "You see He does not always mean people to remain what
they are born or I should not be here, should I?"
This was an argument to which John's slow mind could not supply an
answer. Conservative to the backbone in all his notions, like most
Sussex people, be their politics what they may, the law of progress was
no law to him, but rather rebellion to the divine appointments, and that
Jack should wish to be anything else but a shepherd like his ancestors
was to him as inexplicable and incomprehensible as it was profane and
wicked.
Fairy's presence among them had often been an enigma to him.
Accustomed to work in a groove himself, his mind never travelling
beyond the downs on which his life was spent, he could not fathom the
divine purpose in placing her under his care, but yet being quite clear in
his own mind it was God's will for her at present, he did his duty
towards her without questioning; but the idea of Jack rising out of his

own sphere of life into a higher was another matter altogether.
"I don't know," said John, at last, as Fairy repeated her question.
"By the bye, how long have I been here exactly?" asked Fairy.
"Let me see; twelve years last shearing-time," said the shepherd, whose
dates were few and simple, sheep-washing, shearing, lambing, and next
and last sheepfair being the principal.
"But I want to know the day of the month; and I'll tell you why. You all
have birthdays except me, and no one knows when mine was, so I am
going to keep mine for the future on the day I was brought here, so I
shall be like the sheep; you count their age from their first shearing, not
from the day they are born, and I am going to count mine from the day
I was found. Now try and remember when it was, will you?"
"Twelve years ago last shearing; it was on a Friday, the day before the
shearing ended, somewhere about this time, for we finished shearing
last Saturday week," said John.
"It was earlier, John; it was the twenty-sixth of June; I wrote it down in
my Bible the night you found her; but come into supper; the smock is
finished at last," said Mrs. Shelley, folding up the ugly garment with a
sigh.
"Jack's smock? I am glad of that, he must put it on to-morrow; he will
look every inch a shepherd then," said John.
"Indeed, he won't wear it to-morrow; we are all going to have a holiday,
and going to the seaside for the day; but where is Jack? I wish he would
come into tea. I want him to help me with my lessons; I shall be much
too tired to do them to-morrow," said Fairy, as they went into the
kitchen.
(To be