I should not care to have half a
dozen, because they would be a great deal of trouble to me, and
would make me anxious and unhappy.' How quickly you have changed
your opinion. I fear that if you had a little fleet, your desires
would not be checked, for you would, after a while, be wishing for
large ships, and real men, and, instead of being a contented
ship-owner, would not be satisfied with any station short of the
Lord High Admiral. I do not think it would be wise in me to gratify
your desires in this matter, for then I should be like the foolish
father of whom Krummacher relates a story."
"Oh! what is it, papa," inquired George: "will you tell us?"
MR. WILTON. "A father returned from the sea-coast to his own home,
and brought with him, for his son, some beautiful shells, which he
had picked up on the shore. The delight of the boy was great. He
took them, and sorted them, and counted them over. He called all his
playfellows, to show them his treasures; and they could talk of
nothing but the beautiful shells. He daily found new beauties, and
gave each of them a name. But in a few months, the boy's father said
to himself, 'I will now give him a still higher pleasure; I will
take him to the coast of the sea itself; there he will see thousands
more of beautiful shells, and may choose for himself.' When they
came to the beach, the boy was amazed at the multitude of shells
that lay around, and he went to and fro and picked them up.
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