NOBODY'S BOY (Sans Famille) - Hector Malot

[Chap VII - IX]

CHAPTER VII

CHILD AND ANIMAL LEARNING

Vitalis' small group of actors were certainly very clever, but their

talent was not very versatile. For this reason we were not able to

remain long in the same town. Three days after our arrival in Ussel we

were on our way again. Where were we going? I had grown bold enough to

put this question to my master.

"Do you know this part of the country?" he asked, looking at me.

"No."

"Then why do you ask where we are going?"

"So as to know."

"To know what?"

I was silent.

"Do you know how to read?" he asked, after looking thoughtfully at me

for a moment.

"No."

"Then I'll teach you from a book the names and all about the towns

through which we travel. It will be like having a story told to you."

I had been brought up in utter ignorance. True, I had been sent to the

village school for one month, but during this month I had never once had

a book in my hand. At the time of which I write, there were many

villages in France that did not even boast of a school, and in some,

where there was a schoolmaster, either he knew nothing, or he had some

other occupation and could give little attention to the children

confided to his care.

This was the case with the master of our village school. I do not mean

to say that he was ignorant, but during the month that I attended his

school, he did not give us one single lesson. He had something else to

do. By trade he was a shoe-maker, or rather, a clog maker, for no one

bought shoes from him. He sat at his bench all day, shaving pieces of

beech wood into clogs. So I learnt absolutely nothing at school, not

even my alphabet.

"Is it difficult to read?" I asked, after we had walked some time in

silence.

"Have you got a hard head?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to learn if you'll teach me."

"Well, we'll see about that. We've plenty of time ahead of us."

Time ahead of us! Why not commence at once? I did not know how difficult

it was to learn to read. I thought that I just had to open a book and,

almost at once, know what it contained.

The next day, as we were walking along, Vitalis stooped down and picked

up a piece of wood covered with dust.

"See, this is the book from which you are going to learn to read," he

said.

A book! A piece of wood! I looked at him to see if he were joking. But