Harry's Holiday/Chapter V

Although Harry contrived to amuse himself, after he had left his chart, with painting a wheelbarrow, he found himself quite out of work when he arose next morning. But this was not the worst; for, as he found it did not suit him to finish the chart, there was no good reason why the old one should not be hung up in its place; but this would be telling everybody that he did not mean to complete his own: however, he recollected that he need not decide about that at present. “Indeed,” thought Harry, “I don't mean to trouble myself with any more of ​those great jobs;—why should I work so hard in my own holiday?—I know what I'll do to-day;—I'll prove that there is no need for so much bell-ringing to tell me what to do, or when to do it. I'll somehow get all my lessons and other books away out of the schoolroom, and do just the same as if I had no holiday. Let's see:—then, at eleven o'clock I begin; but I won't spend quite so much time at ciphering,—that, I am sure, is of no use at all,—nor yet get the rules by heart. Now we shall see if I don't do as well by myself as if there were twenty people looking over me.” So Harry had fully made up his mind what to do, and felt confident that he should perform his tasks far better in his own way than in his father's; but the thing he was most ​desirous of proving was, that he did not require to be told when to begin, and when to leave off. With this persuasion, he waited for the time that he had fixed upon for beginning his studies.

As he was arranging his books before him, and was just going to apply himself to them, there appeared before the window an old pedlar, who, in a very droll voice, was singing something in praise of an article he held in his hand. Harry looked up, and as the man evidently addressed himself to him, he paid sufficient attention to distinguish these words:—

The man, seeing he had gained Harry's attention, touched his hat, and held out-one in his hand. Harry took it, and asked him what it was for.

“If you'll please to look through it, sir,” said the pedlar, “you'll say, if you havn't seen one afore, you never see such a thing in your life.”

As Harry had not seen one before, his curiosity was highly excited, and he took one to try it.

“What's that all?” said Harry, who was not aware that it should have a rotatory motion.

​“Please to turn it round and round, sir,” said the man.

“Oh, I see!—ah, that will do!” said Harry, who instantly drew his head in, and ran, with this new wonder, to show his brothers and sisters.

“There's a man at the window,” said he, “with a number of these things to sell. Now only look through this hole, and keep turning it round.”

They did so, and were all as pleased as Harry.

“Suppose we buy it?” said he, “they are only seven shillings a piece; let me see,—four of us,—that's,—let's see, four of us,—that's—

“One and ninepence a-piece,” said Harriet.

“Yes, only one and ninepence for each of us,” said Harry; suppose we do?”

​“Suppose we ask papa?” said James.

So they all appeared in a body, with this kaleidoscope, in the garden, where their papa and mamma were walking.

“What have you there, Harry?” said his father.—Oh, it's a kaleidoscope: I saw them in London, and was almost inclined to buy one for you.”

“Then you have no objection to our buying this, papa?”

“I have no objection to your having it,” said his father; “and I suppose you will have no objection to my paying for it?” added he, giving him the money; “but remember it is to be pro bono publico.”

“I certainly think,” said Harry, as he returned, after having paid the man (who was almost tired of waiting),—“I certainly think it is the best thing I ever looked through.”

​“I had rather look through a microscope,” said James.

“Or a telescope,” said his father.

“Oh—yes; only they are so common, “said Harry.

“But the things they discover to us are not common, I think,” said his father; “at least they are not so to me. Pray, have you looked at Jupiter's moons, or Saturn's ring; or at the eyes of insects; or the down from their wings, till you are tired?”

“Oh no, papa,” said Harry; “I like that very much; and it is very curious to look through the telescope, and see what's o'clock by the church five miles off; and certainly one couldn't do that with a kaleidoscope.”

“No, Harry,” said his mamma; “you couldn't do even that with a kaleidoscope.”

​“But I should like to know how it is that the figures are so very regular in their shape, and yet so different every time,” said James; “it really is very curious.”

“Yes, it is curious, I will allow,” said his father; “and if Harry will lend it me a few minutes, I will endeavour to explain it to you; but you will find it appears to less advantage when taken to pieces and examined; and that, perhaps, makes the grand difference which exists between the works of nature and art.”

Harry then gave the kaleidoscope into his father's hands, and they all drew near to hear and to see.

Their father then showed them that the variegated figures they so much admired, were composed of nothing but a few pieces of coloured glass and gilt ​paper; and that the regularity of the form was only caused by the multiplied reflection in two pieces of looking-glass, placed in a proper angle with each other. When it was put together again, each of them gave another look through it; but it was evident that they none of them felt quite so much respect for it as at first; for they had expected to find very curious and complicated machinery inside, instead of what was really there. Harry took it last, and after the others were gone to their usual occupations, still continued to amuse himself with it.

This affair having detained him so long, he determined not to attend to his lessons till the afternoon. After having fully satisfied himself with the kaleidoscope, he laid it down and felt quite ready for any new engagement, ​so he stretched himself on the garden seat till something should occur to him, and whether it was that he really could not think of any thing, or that he happened to go to sleep, is not known, but he never stirred from that spot till he was called to dinner.

“Harry,” said his father, “will you be very busy this evening?”

“No, papa—not very busy,” said Harry.

“Not very busy,” said his father; “but if you have any plans for the evening, I have no more to say;—you know it is your own time.”

“Yes, papa, but I had really not thought of anything particular that I wanted to do.”

“Well, then, I suppose you will thank any body to think of something for you. We are going this evening to ​hear a philosophical lecture, in which many of those experiments will be performed which you have so often read about—what say you, will you like it?”

Oh yes, papa, very much,” said Harry.

“Then I would advise you to read a few pages beforehand, in Gregory's Economy of Nature, especially on the subjects to be treated of to-night; for I suppose you do not wish to be classed amongst those very young, or very silly folks who wish only to be amused.”

“I think that I should like to do that,” said James, taking up the prospectus; “let's see what the subjects are to-night.—‘General properties of matter, pneumatics, hydrostatics,’ &c.”

But Harry did not see the necessity for taking so much trouble; indeed, he generally accounted the books in ​which sciences were explained disagreeable and tiresome, or, as he used to say, ‘very dry.’ So that he must be numbered with all those ignorant little boys who only want to be amused, and do not wish to be instructed; however, Harry was very much delighted with the idea of going; not, as is plain, because he was much of a philosopher, but merely because he expected to see something new or diverting.

Whenever he was in expectation of any pleasure, he considered the time before it arrived not only as of no value, but as so very disagreeable, that he would gladly have destroyed it all in a moment, if he could. This being the case, he did not feel much inclined towards his lessons that afternoon, but resolved to let them quite alone till to​morrow. Harry did not know that idling an afternoon away makes it as long, tiresome, and disagreeable as it is possible for it to be, and that the only way to make time seem short is to be doing something.

However, at last the time did come, and they all went in time to the appointed place. It was a large room, in which was a very large table, covered with a great many known and unknown things. As nobody had arrived but this family, their father, with the lecturer's permission, suffered his children carefully to approach and survey the table. The air-pump, electrical machine, and orrery, with many other things, were recognized immediately by these young folks; but at the greater part of the apparatus they looked with profound wonder.

​“Is that a bit of meat, papa?” whispered Frederic, pointing to something in a wine-glass.

“That, my dear, is part of a frog,” said his father, “which you will presently see leap out of the wine-glass; although, as you may suppose, it has been dead some time.”

“Will that be done by galvanism, papa?” said James.

“Yes; you are right,” said his father.

“Will it leap a great way, papа?” said Harriet.

Just then another party entered, with several young folks, who crowded directly round the table, and very rudely began to handle the lecturer's apparatus.

“La! good gracious! what's that?” said a young lady, looking into the wine-glass.

​“It is a dead frog, ma'am,” said the lecturer.

“Patience! alive! 'ma;” said the young lady, starting, horror-struck, from the table; “let us sit as far off as we can.”

“Ah! for goodness' sake, my dear children, all of you come away,” said their mother; “one never knows what one may touch in these kind of places.”

The philosopher had often found a dead frog very useful in driving away persons who were rude, ignorant, and silly.

But he now began to be a little anxious about his company, and often looked at his watch, and then at the door. The week before, a conjurer from Bartholomew-fair had exhibited in the same room, and half an hour before the time a seat could scarcely be procured; but now, half an hour ​after the time, only two families were present: so that it seems some people, taller than Harry, like being amused better than being instructed.

After some time, however, a few stragglers made their appearance; and with less than half a room full the lecture began. Several of the persons present, during the ten minutes occupied by the introductory remarks, wished they had not spent their money to hear them; and there were others who whispered or talked so loud that those who tried to attend could not; however, as soon as the lecturer touched his apparatus, all was mute attention; and, in order to rouse it effectually, he exhausted the air from a glass vessel covered over with a piece of bladder, which, on being punctured with a needle, produced so ​loud a report, as to convince every one that the philosopher was no impostor.

“How do you like that?” said somebody, who touched Harry from behind: it was Charles Mason.

“Oh, are you here?” said Harry; “come and sit by me, there's plenty of room;—it's capital!—it is really capital!”

“Having thus clearly proved,” said the lecturer, “the gravity or weight of a column of atmospheric air, I will now proceed to shew its elasticity.” He then, by a very laborious process, in which some thought he bowed to the company, and others that he looked like a sawyer, forced a great volume of air into a small copper ball, and then screwing it on to a gun,-after having explained to the ladies that no gunpowder was employed,—discharged ​it several times; and, as Harry said, it sounded more like sneezing than any thing else. Once he aimed it at one of the candles, which it extinguished so admirably, as to produce a buzz of applause from almost the whole assembly.

After having performed various other pneumatic experiments, and briefly noticed several other sciences, he introduced the subject of galvanism, on which having said a very few words, as he found very few persons paid any attention to him, he proceeded to the marvellous experiment of making the dead frog (and, sympathetically, some living ladies) to jump.

“By means of this wonderful principle, so analogous, it should seem, to the nervous influence,” said the philosopher, “the muscular system of dead animals is acted upon so as to produce ​what some might be tempted to say, are the most unequivocal signs of life. Ladies,” said he, seeing them slightly agitated, “I pledge myself that its motion shall be confined to the table.” Saying this, he just touched the frog with the wire of the galvanic trough, when to the astonishment of every body who was not aware of the principle, or who did not think it was a trick, it jumped out of the glass and fell on to the floor. The same experiment was likewise performed upon a rabbit, which also jumped, and appeared to struggle. The company were then requested to dip their hands in basins of water, connected with the galvanic apparatus; which the few who ventured to do it found produce an indescribable sensation in the joints of the arm.

​Electricity was next introduced, and many found time for a nap, whilst the philosopher was talking about Thales, electron, and Dr. Franklin. Finding his audience wished for positive electricity, he shortened his oration, and proceeded to perform the usual routine of experiments. There were some who were interested in hearing of Franklin's grand and fearful experiment with the thunder-cloud; but the greater part preferred the luminous chain or the electrical bells to all the explanations in the world.

After as many other sciences had been introduced as the time admitted, the lecture closed, and the company departed, some tired, some amused, and some highly interested and instructed. Among the latter was Charles ​Mason, who accompanied Harry and his brothers part of the way home.

“I'll tell you what I am going to do,” said Charles; “I mean to try and make an electrical machine, and I think I can do it, because I know somebody who did, and he is no older than I am.”

“Well,” said Harry, “and I'll tell you what I have a great mind to do, and that is to make an air-pump.”

“Do you think you can make an air-pump?” said Charles.

“Why not?” said Harry, “it only wants care and patience, and for one to understand what one is about.”

“Very well,” said Charles, “we shall see whose is done first; I shall begin mine to-morrow.

“And so shall I mine,” said Harry, and they parted.