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The close of Stoddard's year marked the fifth year of James Sherman's removal from Captain Bunce's, and the period of his entering college. Four years from that time he graduated, acknowledged by his classmates among the highest of their class. It was a proud day for Mr. and Mrs. Rodman when he came forward at Commencement and delivered an earnest, soul-thrilling oration on the Injustice of Man to his Fellow-man, stating and arguing the principle, and proving all his points by references to the Scriptures, and by apt quotations from the writings of the great poets and philosophers. And there, too, sat Alice in her loveliness, now sixteen years of age, between whom and James there had been from childhood a spirit of sympathy, ripening and unfolding into the tender and absorbing emotion of love. How often have they pursued their studies together by the same evening lamp! How often roved together by the brook-side, and along the green pasture, and threaded the mazes of the wood! And older growing, and more fearful and tender and careful, how difficult it is to each to think or speak or move, without the consciousness that the other is affected by it! The orphan Alice and the orphan James, in their peculiar station, could hardly fail of a deep interest in each other; and as their characters developed rich veins of thought and principle, great love of truth, and extraordinary benevolence, their guardians were gratified to observe their mutual attachment.

Mr. Rodman had ever cultivated in James a spirit of compassion towards the unfortunate -- his own early history, rising ever before his mind, being brought out to illustrate his meaning. James never ceased to feel the deepest interest in the welfare of the poor sufferers among whom his early life had been passed; and Alice would sit hours listening to him as he portrayed the condition of her father and himself, and that of all the rest of the degraded and forgotten paupers. She could never fully realize, however, either her father's or her mother's trials. She did, indeed, just remember the dreadful shipwreck, and the long, cold, dark, and fearful walk in the snow the evening when a ragged boy met them, and guided them to the shelter of the poor-house.

And so they gathered up in repeated conversations the history of their early life, and kept fresh in memory the miseries of those who were still in the house of poverty.

"If I am ever able," said James, "I will make one person in that old poor-house company better off than she now is. I will put Mrs. Prescott in a better home. She is too good a saint to languish and die there."

"It would be a happiness," said Alice, "to relieve them all."

"Yes, indeed, and they will find relief yet. Lawyer Ketchum tells me there is a growing interest in the subject, and that they hope to carry through the very next town-meeting a project of relief."

"Well, wou't that be fine, if they succeed? Now, I do hope they will, don't you, James?"

"I do. Yes, it is a great injustice."

"Oh, yes, James, I knew what you were thinking of when your oration came on. And a good, a grand speech it was too -- and how every body listened -- I saw the attention."

"Ah, Alice, you hit me right in the face and eyes, see bow I color up! It must have been a great speech, truly!"

"It was the greatest speech that was made, and every body said so. I was as proud of you as I could be."

"Now, Alice, you are just quizzing me; I don't think it was a remarkable good oration any way. The subject of it, I know, is interesting to our minds; but I think I never was so conscious before of failing to bring out ideas that were suited to the theme."

"Dear me, James, I never saw so many ideas before put into so small a space, and the audience looked at you as though ready to devour both you and your words!"

"Well, I declare, Alice, I won't say any thing more -- you have completely blown me up, I am afraid unless you tie some bags of sand to me, that I shall sail away, a la balloon."

"Oh! dear. Well, you may go -- sail away, balloon! But I hope you will make a safe descent somewhere and brine: back the balloon."

James was now entered as a student at law in Mr. Ketchum's office, and applied himself vigorously to his new studies.

In the meantime, Mr. Rodman met with the clergy of his district and association, at their annual session for business, and by previous appointment read before them an essay on the subject of pauperism. The subject had been introduced, and once or twice warmly discussed before, and it had led many of the ministers to make inquiry and look into the matter at home. These investigations always resulted in opening more clearly their minds to the abuses of the pauper system as the same was practiced among them. They saw that the paupers, fallen from what grade soever of society they might, were almost totally forgotten and neglected; that they were an incumbrance to the town; that they were in- humanly treated, and regarded as beyond the ordinary pale of Christian benevolence; that on these accounts, the idea prevailed over the community that there was nothing so dreadful as absolute poverty, necessitating one to receive the grudged charity of the town.