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You don't like the idea of being caretaker to a bunch of hooligans, but if they really are all at the cusp of manhood, you might be able to make use of them as apprentices. That will require "breaking them in", so to speak, but perhaps that will be an interesting challenge in itself. Nevertheless, you have no intention of passively accepting the priest's dross without some concession on his side. After some back and forth you manage to secure, in addition to all the reprobates, one orphan of good character and sense that will prove the countercheck to all the others (you had, in fact, asked for several, but the priest convinces you that he can point out to you the best of the lot and one from among that crowd will prove the equal of ten of your own blind choice).
The next morning you meet with the priest at the church. He has managed to arrange your new wards in a single line. Each has the defiant, troubled look of a future criminal, but whether that is in their nature or simply a consequence of their misfortune, remains to be seen. Now, to the more important matter: the choice of the promised good apple among the bad.
The priest has picked out three of his favorites and for each gives a brief introduction. The first, Samuel, is twelve, but to look at him you would think he had already reached manhood. He is nearly as tall as you are (and perhaps has more inches to go) and possesses a monstrous strength, particularly in his hands, which are unusually large and muscular. Samuel seems convinced that this strength was granted to him for the sake of protecting the weak and for that reason is always filled with an unshakable optimism and purpose.
Next, Dorothy, a comely girl of ten whose quiet purity and kindness have made her into a kind of untouchable saint among the others. Even those of the bad crowd are shamed into obedience before her. She plans on joining the sisterhood just as soon as she can raise enough money and make the journey, and actually asked for the appointment to your house, sensing that she could be of more use there than in the church. The priest seems almost reluctant to let her go, but even he cannot help but yield to her.
Finally, there is Nathaniel. The son of the village mason, the priest has discovered in him an untapped prodigal intelligence which has already exhausted the store of church manuscripts and his own knowledge. He seems to remember even the most minute details, no matter how distant, with the same ease as a man breathes. Yet his genius has not made him arrogant. On the contrary, he possesses a social cunning which, if he had been born into nobility, would have served him well in political scheming. As it is, he seems more interested in directing his energies toward independence and chasing his curiosities.
Your choice is:
>Samuel
>Dorothy
>Nathaniel