" Then, as an afterthought, as if
judging that his words and tone of voice were too severe for so
pardonable an offense as reading a religious book he unwarily added:
"If you _will_ read, get up in the morning and read. You may get up in
the morning as early as you like."
That night I went to bed wishing with all my heart and soul that
somebody or something might call me out of sleep to avail myself of
this wonderful indulgence; and next morning to my joyful surprise I
awoke before father called me. A boy sleeps soundly after working all
day in the snowy woods, but that frosty morning I sprang out of bed as
if called by a trumpet blast, rushed downstairs, scarce feeling my
chilblains, enormously eager to see how much time I had won; and when
I held up my candle to a little clock that stood on a bracket in the
kitchen I found that it was only one o'clock. I had gained five hours,
almost half a day "Five hours to myself!" I said, "five huge, solid
hours!" I can hardly think of any other event in my life, any
discovery I ever made that gave birth to joy so transportingly
glorious as the possession of these five frosty hours.
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