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The
sensation
created
in
Baltimore
was
,
at
first
,
prodigious
.
What
the
mishap
would
have
cost
the
Buttons
and
their
kinsfolk
socially
can
not
be
determined
,
for
the
outbreak
of
the
Civil
War
drew
the
city
's
attention
to
other
things
.
A
few
people
who
were
unfailingly
polite
racked
their
brains
for
compliments
to
give
to
the
parents
--
and
finally
hit
upon
the
ingenious
device
of
declaring
that
the
baby
resembled
his
grandfather
,
a
fact
which
,
due
to
the
standard
state
of
decay
common
to
all
men
of
seventy
,
could
not
be
denied
.
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Roger
Button
were
not
pleased
,
and
Benjamin
's
grandfather
was
furiously
insulted
.
Benjamin
,
once
he
left
the
hospital
,
took
life
as
he
found
it
.
Several
small
boys
were
brought
to
see
him
,
and
he
spent
a
stiff-jointed
afternoon
trying
to
work
up
an
interest
in
tops
and
marbles
--
he
even
managed
,
quite
accidentally
,
to
break
a
kitchen
window
with
a
stone
from
a
sling
shot
,
a
feat
which
secretly
delighted
his
father
.
Thereafter
Benjamin
contrived
to
break
something
every
day
,
but
he
did
these
things
only
because
they
were
expected
of
him
,
and
because
he
was
by
nature
obliging
.
When
his
grandfather
's
initial
antagonism
wore
off
,
Benjamin
and
that
gentleman
took
enormous
pleasure
in
one
another
's
company
.
They
would
sit
for
hours
,
these
two
,
so
far
apart
in
age
and
experience
,
and
,
like
old
cronies
,
discuss
with
tireless
monotony
the
slow
events
of
the
day
.
Benjamin
felt
more
at
ease
in
his
grandfather
's
presence
than
in
his
parents
'
--
they
seemed
always
somewhat
in
awe
of
him
and
,
despite
the
dictatorial
authority
they
exercised
over
him
,
frequently
addressed
him
as
"
Mr.
"
He
was
as
puzzled
as
any
one
else
at
the
apparently
advanced
age
of
his
mind
and
body
at
birth
.
He
read
up
on
it
in
the
medical
journal
,
but
found
that
no
such
case
had
been
previously
recorded
.
At
his
father
's
urging
he
made
an
honest
attempt
to
play
with
other
boys
,
and
frequently
he
joined
in
the
milder
games
--
football
shook
him
up
too
much
,
and
he
feared
that
in
case
of
a
fracture
his
ancient
bones
would
refuse
to
knit
.
When
he
was
five
he
was
sent
to
kindergarten
,
where
he
initiated
into
the
art
of
pasting
green
paper
on
orange
paper
,
of
weaving
coloured
maps
and
manufacturing
eternal
cardboard
necklaces
.
He
was
inclined
to
drowse
off
to
sleep
in
the
middle
of
these
tasks
,
a
habit
which
both
irritated
and
frightened
his
young
teacher
.
To
his
relief
she
complained
to
his
parents
,
and
he
was
removed
from
the
school
.
The
Roger
Buttons
told
their
friends
that
they
felt
he
was
too
young
.
By
the
time
he
was
twelve
years
old
his
parents
had
grown
used
to
him
.
Indeed
,
so
strong
is
the
force
of
custom
that
they
no
longer
felt
that
he
was
different
from
any
other
child
--
except
when
some
curious
anomaly
reminded
them
of
the
fact
.
But
one
day
a
few
weeks
after
his
twelfth
birthday
,
while
looking
in
the
mirror
,
Benjamin
made
,
or
thought
he
made
,
an
astonishing
discovery
.
Did
his
eyes
deceive
him
,
or
had
his
hair
turned
in
the
dozen
years
of
his
life
from
white
to
iron-gray
under
its
concealing
dye
?
Was
the
network
of
wrinkles
on
his
face
becoming
less
pronounced
?
Was
his
skin
healthier
and
firmer
,
with
even
a
touch
of
ruddy
winter
colour
?
He
could
not
tell
.
He
knew
that
he
no
longer
stooped
,
and
that
his
physical
condition
had
improved
since
the
early
days
of
his
life
.
"
Can
it
be
--
--
?
"
he
thought
to
himself
,
or
,
rather
,
scarcely
dared
to
think
.
He
went
to
his
father
.
"
I
am
grown
,
"
he
announced
determinedly
.
"
I
want
to
put
on
long
trousers
.
"
His
father
hesitated
.
"
Well
,
"
he
said
finally
,
"
I
do
n't
know
.
Fourteen
is
the
age
for
putting
on
long
trousers
--
and
you
are
only
twelve
.
"
