But when he turned round , he had a smile upon his face . `` Well , well , '' said he , `` we must bear and forbear . I 'll no go ; that 's all that 's to be said of it . '' `` Uncle Ebenezer , '' I said , `` I can make nothing out of this . You use me like a thief ; you hate to have me in this house ; you let me see it , every word and every minute : it 's not possible that you can like me ; and as for me , I 've spoken to you as I never thought to speak to any man . Why do you seek to keep me , then ? Let me gang back -- let me gang back to the friends I have , and that like me ! '' `` Na , na ; na , na , '' he said , very earnestly . `` I like you fine ; we 'll agree fine yet ; and for the honour of the house I couldnae let you leave the way ye came . Bide here quiet , there 's a good lad ; just you bide here quiet a bittie , and ye 'll find that we agree . '' `` Well , sir , '' said I , after I had thought the matter out in silence , `` I 'll stay awhile . It 's more just I should be helped by my own blood than strangers ; and if we do n't agree , I 'll do my best it shall be through no fault of mine . '' CHAPTER IV I RUN A GREAT DANGER IN THE HOUSE OF SHAWS For a day that was begun so ill , the day passed fairly well . We had the porridge cold again at noon , and hot porridge at night ; porridge and small beer was my uncle 's diet . He spoke but little , and that in the same way as before , shooting a question at me after a long silence ; and when I sought to lead him to talk about my future , slipped out of it again . In a room next door to the kitchen , where he suffered me to go , I found a great number of books , both Latin and English , in which I took great pleasure all the afternoon . Indeed , the time passed so lightly in this good company , that I began to be almost reconciled to my residence at Shaws ; and nothing but the sight of my uncle , and his eyes playing hide and seek with mine , revived the force of my distrust . One thing I discovered , which put me in some doubt . This was an entry on the fly-leaf of a chap-book -LRB- one of Patrick Walker 's -RRB- plainly written by my father 's hand and thus conceived : `` To my brother Ebenezer on his fifth birthday . '' Now , what puzzled me was this : That , as my father was of course the younger brother , he must either have made some strange error , or he must have written , before he was yet five , an excellent , clear manly hand of writing .
I tried to get this out of my head ; but though I took down many interesting authors , old and new , history , poetry , and story-book , this notion of my father 's hand of writing stuck to me ; and when at length I went back into the kitchen , and sat down once more to porridge and small beer , the first thing I said to Uncle XXXXX was to ask him if my father had not been very quick at his book .
Ebenezer English Shaws bittie chap-book day fifth fly-leaf forbear minute