"Life-like and certainly original," murmured Dr. Lilly. "Grotesque, of course--that is all right, that is always how they begin. But we must be careful--very careful," he went on to himself in a still lower tone of voice.
And aloud he only said, as he looked up with a smile, "Very good, my boy, very good. You could not have a better amusement for your idle hours than trying to copy what you see in the world about you. It is the _seeing_ that matters. You must have watched this old fellow pretty closely to understand his look, have you not?"
Jesse, half pleased, half shy, answered rather gruffly. "He do be a queer chap, to be sure. Master Ferdy, and Missie too, has often laughed at him when they've been up at the farm. And that's how I come to think of doing him on a stick. And many a time," he went on, as if half ashamed of the childishness of the occupation, "there's naught else I can do to make the time pass, so to say."
"You could not have done better," said the old doctor kindly. "Don't think it is waste of time to try your hand at this sort of thing after your other work is done. I hope you may learn to carve much better. A little teaching would help you on a good deal, and proper tools and knowledge of the different kinds of wood."
Jesse's face expressed great interest, but then it clouded over a little.
"Yes, sir," he agreed, "but I dunnot see how I could get the teaching. There's nothing like that about here--not like in big towns, where they say there's teaching for nothing, or next to nothing--evenings at the Institutes."
"Ah well, help comes to those who help themselves. Master Ferdy may be able to give you some hints if he learns carving himself. And he can tell you some stories of the poor country boys in Switzerland and some parts of Germany--how they work away all by themselves till they learn to make all sorts of beautiful things. Have you any other bits of carving by you that you could show me?"
Again Jesse's brown face lighted up, and Ferdy listened eagerly.
"Oh lor, yes, sir, all manner of nonsense--whistles, sir, though there's some sense in whistles, to be sure," with a twinkle of fun.
"Then bring me a pocketful of nonsense this evening--no, to-morrow evening will be better--to my house at Bollins. You know it, of course? And we'll have a look over them together. Perhaps I may have a friend with me, who knows more about carving than I do."