The Way of All Flesh

Theobald, who doesn’t like children, is disappointed to discover how expensive and inconvenient it is to care for Ernest. Over the next two years, Christina gives birth to a boy, Joseph, nicknamed Joey, and then a girl, Charlotte.

Determined to teach his children obedience, Theobald whips them when they fall short. As a young child, Ernest has a moderate temperament and grows fond of his pets, nurses, and mother, though he fears Theobald.

Like Theobald, Christina treats Ernest strictly, cherishing religious ambitions for him. She views the use of water from the Jordan River for Ernest’s baptism as a miracle and a sign of things to come. Theobald begins to teach Ernest to read at a young age and whips him to motivate him. After George dies and his will is revealed, Theobald and Christina fear that the money George left for Ernest to inherit at the age of 21 will only tempt or corrupt Ernest.

Overton visits Battersby occasionally in the following years, where he provides gifts for the children, who parrot their parents’ religious views. Christina is disappointed to find that none of her children is a “genius,” a complaint that Overton considers silly.

One Sunday evening, Ernest repeatedly struggles to pronounce the word “come” correctly during a hymn, instead saying “tum.