In the first place, he must be shown that he was in the wrong. This
was not difficult; knowing that children think only of the present,
I took the easy advantage which foresight gives; I took care to
provide him with some indoor amusement of which he was very fond.
Just when he was most occupied with it, I went and suggested a short
walk, and he sent me away. I insisted, but he paid no attention.
I had to give in, and he took note of this sign of submission.
The next day it was my turn. As I expected, he got tired of his
occupation; I, however, pretended to be very busy. That was enough
to decide him. He came to drag me from my work, to take him at
once for a walk. I refused; he persisted. "No," I said, "when I
did what you wanted, you taught me how to get my own way; I shall
not go out." "Very well," he replied eagerly, "I shall go out by
myself." "As you please," and I returned to my work.
He put on his things rather uneasily when he saw I did not follow
his example. When he was ready he came and made his bow; I bowed
too; he tried to frighten me with stories of the expeditions he
was going to make; to hear him talk you would think he was going
to the world's end. Quite unmoved, I wished him a pleasant journey.
He became more and more perplexed. However, he put a good face on
it, and when he was ready to go out he told his foot man to follow
him. The footman, who had his instructions, replied that he had
no time, and that he was busy carrying out my orders, and he must
obey me first. For the moment the child was taken aback. How could
he think they would really let him go out alone, him, who, in his
own eyes, was the most important person in the world, who thought
that everything in heaven and earth was wrapped up in his welfare?
However, he was beginning to feel his weakness, he perceived that
he should find himself alone among people who knew nothing of him.
He saw beforehand the risks he would run; obstinacy alone sustained
him; very slowly and unwillingly he went downstairs. At last he
went out into the street, consoling himself a little for the harm
that might happen to himself, in the hope that I should be held
responsible for it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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