"Very lately," said Margaret, "I heard a story of what happened in Nuremberg only three or four years ago. A rich man there lived alone in one of the immense mansions which were formerly both dwellings and warehouses. It was reported that he had a child, but no one knew of it for certain. For forty years this rumour kept rising and falling--never utterly dying away. After his death it was found to be true. He had a son--an overgrown man, with the unexercised intellect of a child, whom he had kept up in that strange way, in order to save him from temptation and error. But, of course, when this great old child was turned loose in the world, every bad counsellor had power over him. He did not know good from evil. His father had made the blunder of bringing him up in ignorance and taking it for innocence; and after fourteen months of riotous living, the city authorities had to take charge of him, in order to save him from starvation. He could not even use words effectively enough to be a successful beggar."

Margaret said, 'I heard a story of a rich man in Nuremberg only three or four years ago. He lived alone in an immense mansion. It was reported that he had a child, but no one knew of it for certain. For forty years this rumour went round. After his death it was found to be true. He had a son - an overgrown man with the unexercised intellect of a child, whom he had brought up in that strange way, to save him from temptation and error. But, of course, when this great child was turned loose into the world, he did not know good from evil. His father had made the blunder of confusing ignorance with innocence; and after fourteen months of riotous living, the city authorities had to take charge of him, to save him from starvation.'
