Page:The Praises of Amida, 1907.djvu/39

 of some twelve or thirteen years of age, who, in spite of his youth, won golden opinions for himself by the quiet dignity of his behaviour and the practical wisdom of his sentiments, and who, while the others were uproarious and insubordinate, was always respectful and obedient to the prison authorities, who, in their turn, came to think very highly of him. It was noticed after a while that the lad constantly carried with him two dolls. These dolls were at first supposed to be mere playthings,—toys utterly unworthy of a boy who aspired to be a knight-errant;—but such was far from being the case. The lad treated these dolls with the utmost reverence. In the morning, on rising from his bed, he would set them before him, reverently fold his hands, and greet them as though they were his real parents. 63 [sic]. "Good morning, Father," he would say, "Good morning, Mother." When meal-time came, he would set them before his tray and again bow down to them with respectful reverence. "By your leave," he would say to them,