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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Crown of Success, by Charlotte Maria
+Tucker
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Crown of Success
+
+
+Author: Charlotte Maria Tucker
+
+
+
+Release Date: May 18, 2008  [eBook #25516]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CROWN OF SUCCESS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Mark C. Orton, Linda McKeown, Jacqueline Jeremy, and
+the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+(https://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 25516-h.htm or 25516-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/1/25516/25516-h/25516-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/1/25516/25516-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS
+
+[Illustration: The sparkling crown was placed on her brow. _Page 213._]
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS
+
+by
+
+A. L. O. E.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Thomas Nelson and Sons
+London, Edinburgh, Dublin
+and New York
+
+
+
+
+_CONTENTS._
+
+         _I. The Dame's departure_,            7
+
+        _II. Mr. Learning at breakfast_,      12
+
+       _III. The Cottages of Head_,           16
+
+        _IV. Plain-work and Fancy-work_,      22
+
+         _V. Mr. Alphabet_,                   29
+
+        _VI. Mr. Reading's fine shop_,        35
+
+       _VII. The Ladder of Spelling_,         41
+
+      _VIII. Breaking down_,                  47
+
+        _IX. Mr. Learning's visit_,           55
+
+         _X. Dick's mishap_,                  63
+
+        _XI. Miss Folly_,                     69
+
+       _XII. A visit to Arithmetic_,          77
+
+      _XIII. The wonderful Boy_,              81
+
+       _XIV. The Thief of Time_,              90
+
+        _XV. Duty and Affection_,             95
+
+       _XVI. Grammar's Bazaar_,              102
+
+      _XVII. Pride and Folly_,               110
+
+     _XVIII. The Carpet of History_,         119
+
+       _XIX. Hammering in Dates_,            125
+
+        _XX. The pursued Bird_,              131
+
+       _XXI. Plans and Plots_,               136
+
+      _XXII. The Cockatoo, Parade_,          143
+
+     _XXIII. The Cage of Ambition_,          152
+
+      _XXIV. A visit to Mr. Chemistry_,      159
+
+       _XXV. A Lesson_,                      167
+
+      _XXVI. Hearing the Truth_,             177
+
+     _XXVII. A Brave Effort_,                185
+
+    _XXVIII. Expectation_,                   190
+
+      _XXIX. Empty and Furnished_,           196
+
+       _XXX. Fruits of Needlework_,          204
+
+      _XXXI. The Crown of Success_,          212
+
+
+
+
+_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS._
+
+    _The sparkling crown was placed on her brow_,     _Frontispiece_
+
+    _Nelly could hardly see the stepping-stones through
+    the thick leaves of the plant which she bore_,                27
+
+    _Miss folly went jabbering on: "Just try that bonnet
+    on your head,"_                                               73
+
+    _Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly paying their first visit
+    to Grammar's Bazaar_,                                        103
+
+
+
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS.
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE DAME'S DEPARTURE.
+
+
+A merry life had Dame Desley and her four children led in their rural
+home. The sound of their cheerful voices, the patter of their little
+feet, the laugh, the shout, and the song, had been heard from morning
+till night. I will not stop to tell of all the daisy-chains and
+cowslip-balls made by the children under the big elm-tree that grew on
+their mother's lawn; or how they gathered ripe blackberries in autumn;
+or in the glowing days of summer played about the hay-cocks, and buried
+one another in the hay. Their lives were thoughtless and gay, like those
+of the sparrows in the garden, or the merry little squirrels in the
+wood.
+
+But a time came at last when these careless days must end. Dame Desley
+had to take a long journey--she would be absent for many a month--and on
+the evening before her departure she called her four children around
+her.
+
+"My dear children," she said, "I must leave you; I must give you up for
+a while to the care of another. But I have chosen a guardian for you who
+is worthy of all your respect. Mr. Learning is coming to see you
+to-morrow, just an hour before I start; and I hope that he will find you
+all good and obedient children during my absence. Whatever he may bid
+you do, do for the love of me, and when you attend to Mr. Learning,
+think that you are pleasing your mother."
+
+When the four children were alone together, just before going to rest,
+they began eagerly to talk over what Dame Desley had told them.
+
+"I wonder whether I shall like this Mr. Learning," said Dick, a merry,
+intelligent boy, with bright eyes that were always twinkling with fun.
+None of his age could excel him in racing or running; he could climb a
+tree like a squirrel, and clear a haycock with a bound. He loved the
+free careless life which he had led in his mother's home, but still he
+wished for one more full of adventure and excitement.
+
+"I'm quite sure that I shall not like Mr. Learning," cried Matty; "for
+I have seen him two or three times, and I did not fancy his looks at
+all. He is as solemn and as grave as an owl; he wears spectacles, and
+has a very long nose, and his back is as stiff as a poker." Matty was a
+pretty little girl, with blue eyes, and golden curls hanging down her
+neck, but she had a conceited air, which spoiled her looks to my mind.
+
+"I wish that we could stay where we are, and go on as we always have
+done, without being plagued by Mr. Learning at all," cried Lubin, with a
+weary yawn. Such a fat little fellow as he was, just the shape of a
+roly-poly pudding, with cheeks as red as the apples that grew on the
+trees in the orchard.
+
+"But mother spoke kindly of him," said Nelly, a pale lame child who sat
+in the corner of the room, stringing buttercups and daisies; "if she
+likes him, should not we try to like him, and not set our hearts against
+what mother thinks for our good."
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Learning's company may be pleasant for a change!" cried
+Dick. "I hear that he gives lots of presents to his friends, and makes
+them both rich and great. It would be a stupid thing, after all, to
+spend all one's life in gathering wild-flowers, or kicking up one's
+heels in the hay. I mean to be famous one day, and they say there's no
+way of being so without the help of old Learning. There's Mr. Sharp
+that lives at the hall; his beautiful house and grounds, his carriages,
+horses and dogs, all came from Mr. Learning. I've heard of people who,
+when they were boys, were so poor that they hardly had bread to eat,
+whom Mr. Learning took under his care, and now they've lots of good
+things of every sort and kind. Sometimes they're asked to dine with the
+Lord Mayor of London, where they feast upon turtle and champagne--"
+
+Fat little Lubin opened wide both his eyes and mouth on hearing of this.
+
+"And sometimes," continued Dick, "they are actually invited to court,
+being high in the favour of the Queen."
+
+"I should like to go to court," said Matty, "and wear fine feathers and
+lace. But I wonder if Mr. Learning will think of doing such grand things
+for us."
+
+"We will see!" cried the merry Dick; "I'm resolved to get on in the
+world!" and he turned head over heels at once, as a beginning to his
+onward progress.
+
+"My children, it is time to go to rest," said the voice of Dame Desley
+at the door. "Remember to be up in good time in the morning, for my
+worthy friend Mr. Learning is to breakfast with me to-morrow."
+
+Off went the children to bed. Dick lay awake for some time, thinking
+over what was before him, and when his merry eyes closed at last in
+sleep, the subject haunted him still. He dreamed that he was climbing up
+a little hillock, made of nothing but books of all the colours of the
+rainbow--purple, and orange, and blue--and each book that he looked at
+had his name as its author in big gilt letters on the back. On the top
+of the hillock stood Mr. Learning, holding a finely-bound volume in one
+hand, while he held out the other to Dick to help him on in his
+climbing. Very proud and very joyful was the little boy in his dream as
+he clambered higher and higher, and thought what a famous figure he was
+going to make in the world! But what was his delight when Mr. Learning
+placed the well-bound book in his hand, and on opening it he found that
+all its leaves were made of five-pound notes!
+
+"Why, I shall be as rich as Croesus, and as famous as all the seven
+wise men of Greece put together!" cried Dick, cutting a caper at the top
+of his hillock in such a transport of joy, that he knocked over the
+whole pile of books, just as if it had been a house made of cards, and
+came down flat on his face with such a bang, that it startled him out of
+his dream.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MR. LEARNING AT BREAKFAST.
+
+
+Little Nelly, though weak and lame, was the first of the children to
+come down to the parlour in the morning to help her mother, Dame Desley,
+to lay the table for breakfast. The child felt a little frightened at
+the idea of the stranger guest, and doubted whether with all her best
+efforts she could ever please Mr. Learning.
+
+White were the round breakfast rolls--and whiter still the table-cloth
+on which they were laid; and merrily sang the kettle on the hob, as the
+white steam rose from its spout.
+
+"Why are there two tea-pots?" asked Matty, who had just come into the
+parlour, dressed out in the finest style, as a visitor was expected.
+
+"The larger one is for us, my dear," said her mother, as she went to the
+cupboard for tea; "and out of the little square-shaped one I shall help
+my friend Mr. Learning."
+
+Matty was so curious to know why Mr. Learning should have a whole
+tea-pot to himself, that she kept hanging about the table, touching the
+plates, jingling the cups and saucers, and not noticing Dick and Lubin,
+who had just come into the room.
+
+Dame Desley filled the large tea-pot, first putting in tea, and
+afterwards hot water, after the usual fashion; she then went again to
+the cupboard, and bringing out a dumpy stone bottle, to the amazement of
+Matty filled the little tea-pot with ink.
+
+"Now, my dear," she said, turning to Nelly, who stood behind ready to
+help her, "bring from my desk a quire of foolscap paper, put it on
+yonder plate, and place a good steel pen beside it. Mr. Learning has a
+very peculiar taste; instead of tea, toast and butter, he always
+breakfasts on paper and ink."
+
+"Paper and ink!" echoed all the children; "what a very funny fellow he
+must be."
+
+"No wonder he's thin!" cried Lubin, opening his round eyes very wide.
+
+"Hush! here he comes," said Dame Desley, going herself to open the door
+for her honoured guest.
+
+Mr. Learning entered with a solemn air; he was tall, thin, and grave. He
+had a forehead very broad and very high, and was bald at the top of his
+head. Thick bushy brows overhung his eyes, which looked calmly through
+the spectacles which rested on his nose, and a long beard descended from
+his chin.
+
+The children received their mother's guest each in a different way.
+Dick, who had made up his mind that Mr. Learning would procure for him
+fortune and fame, gave him such a long hearty shake that it seemed as if
+the boy meant to wring off his hand! Lubin, with a pouting air, held out
+his fat fist when desired by his mother to bid the gentleman
+"good-morning." Matty, hanging her head on one side with a very affected
+air, touched his fingers with the tips of her own. Poor Nelly, who was
+more shy and timid than the rest, dared not lift up her eyes as she
+obeyed her mother's command; but she was cheered when the formidable Mr.
+Learning said in a pleasant voice, "I hope that we shall all be very
+good friends when we understand each other better."
+
+Then all sat down to breakfast. None of the children--except Lubin, who
+always thought eating and drinking a very important affair--could attend
+much to their meal, they watched with such surprise and amusement the
+movements of Mr. Learning. Helping himself to his inky draught with a
+pen, which he used instead of a spoon, he then devoured sheet after
+sheet of foolscap paper with such evident relish, that Dick could hardly
+help bursting out into a laugh, and Matty was inclined to titter. Mr.
+Learning used a pen-wiper instead of a napkin, which saved Dame Desley's
+linen. He ate his breakfast with a thoughtful air, hardly speaking a
+single word. When the repast was ended, all arose from the table, and
+the dame, with a sigh, prepared to bid a long good-bye to her children.
+
+"I leave you under good care, my darlings," said she; "and I expect on
+my return to find you wiser, happier, and better from the instructions
+of Mr. Learning, who will show you the little homes provided for you,
+and teach you how to furnish them. Mind that you do all that he bids you
+do; work with cheerful good-will, you will then have reason all your
+lives to rejoice that you ever knew such a friend. And one more parting
+word, my children: beware all of the society of Pride; I know that he is
+lurking about in this neighbourhood, but keep him ever out of your
+homes."
+
+The children were sorry to part with their mother; lame Nelly was
+especially sorry. The tears rose into the little girl's eyes, but she
+hastily wiped them away, and tried to look cheerful and hopeful, that
+she might not sadden her mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE COTTAGES OF HEAD.
+
+
+"Come with me, my young friends," said Mr. Learning, as soon as Dame
+Desley had departed; "I will take you to the four little cottages that
+have been bought for you by your mother, and which you are, by my help,
+to furnish with all things needful."
+
+"A cottage all to myself--what fun!" exclaimed Dick, cutting a caper on
+the grass.
+
+Guided by Mr. Learning, the four children went on their way towards the
+villas of Head, four tiny dwellings that stood close together on the top
+of a hill, two looking to the east and two to the west. Nice little
+cottages they were, each with a small garden behind it. The two that
+fronted the west were thatched with golden-coloured straw, and the glass
+in the little windows was almost as blue as the sky. The two that looked
+to the east had darker thatch and brown glass windows. The first were
+for Matty and Nelly, the others for Lubin and Dick.
+
+"Mine is the prettiest, much the prettiest cottage!" exclaimed Matty,
+with a smile of delight; "it has the brightest thatch, and the whitest
+wall, and the most elegant shape besides!"
+
+"Mine is the biggest!" cried Dick with some pride.
+
+Now each of the cottages of Head had two little doors, the funniest that
+ever were seen; they were just of the form of ears, and Matty's and
+Nelly's were almost hidden by the golden thatch above them. The children
+went in and examined the inside of the dwellings one by one. Each had
+four little rooms--parlour, bedroom, kitchen, and spare room. But the
+walls were quite rough and bare; not a scrap of carpet covered the
+boards; there were chimneys, it is true, but no grates were to be seen
+in the empty fireplaces.
+
+"Well," cried Dick, as with his companions he returned to the space
+between the cottages, in which they had left Mr. Learning standing, "I
+should be mighty sorry to have to live in such an unfurnished house!"
+
+"If it remain unfurnished it will be your own fault," replied Mr.
+Learning, as he drew from his pocket four purses, yellow, red, and
+pink, and blue. "These are the magic purses of Time," he continued, "and
+most valuable gifts are they; each of you shall possess one. Every
+morning you will find in them a certain number of pieces of silver and
+copper money,--men name them hours and minutes. A few you will employ in
+paying for your lodging and food in that large dwelling hard by, called
+Needful House, in which you may remain for a while until your cottages
+are fit to be lived in. Some of your hours and minutes you must spend on
+every week-day in buying furniture for these little Heads in the town of
+Education."
+
+Dick caught eagerly at the yellow purse, and instantly began to count
+out the money. Every bright coin had the stamp of a pair of wings on one
+side, with the motto, "_Time flies fast_," and on the other side in
+raised letters the motto, "_Use me well_."
+
+Lubin and Matty took the red and pink purses with a careless air, as,
+like too many amongst us, they did not know their value. Lame Nelly very
+gratefully received the blue purse, with the hours and minutes in it.
+
+"And now," cried Dick, "where is this town of Education, for I'm in a
+desperate hurry to begin to furnish my Head?"
+
+Mr. Learning moved a few steps to the right, and pointed with his
+gold-headed cane to a spot where some smoke rising in the valley showed
+that a large town must be.
+
+"You can see it yonder through the trees," said the sage.
+
+"Oh, dear! it is a good way off!" said Lubin. "I hope that you don't
+expect us to travel there every day."
+
+"You must not only travel there," replied Mr. Learning, "but you must
+carry back the things which you purchase, without minding the trouble or
+fatigue. The way is very straight and direct. You must go down this
+hill, which is called Puzzle; it is not long, but tolerably steep: you
+must cross the brook Bother which flows at the bottom, and then the
+shady lane of Trouble will take you right to the town."
+
+"And what must we do when we get there?" asked Dick.
+
+"Your first care, of course, must be to paper your rooms; each one must
+do that for himself. The paper you will buy with your money from the
+decorators, Messrs. Reading and Writing; their house is the first that
+you will reach when you come to the end of the lane. Then you will
+doubtless look out for grates, and other needful articles of hardware;
+they may be had at reasonable prices from Mr. Arithmetic, the
+ironmonger. Mr. History, the carpet-manufacturer, has a large assortment
+to show; and General Knowledge, the carpenter, keeps a wonderful variety
+of beds, tables, and chairs, of every quality and size."
+
+"And our gardens, too, will want looking after," cried Dick.
+
+"Mr. Geography, the nurseryman, will help you to lay them out according
+to the newest design. You, my young friends," continued Mr. Learning,
+turning towards the two little girls, "who have garden walls with a
+western aspect, on which the fruit-trees of needlework can grow, must
+buy plants from Mrs. Sewing, whose white cottage you plainly can see,
+just at the other side of the brook, near where those weeping willows
+are dipping their branches in the stream."
+
+"We shall have lots to do with our money," sighed Lubin.
+
+"But quite enough of money for all that you require, if you only do not
+throw it away, nor let some quick-fingered thief like Procrastination
+steal away your treasure of Time," replied Mr. Learning with a smile.
+"Think of the pleasure which it will give your mother if she find each
+of you, on her return six months hence, comfortably settled in a
+well-furnished house of your own! If any additional motive for exertion
+be needed, know that when your mother comes back, I will present a
+beautiful silver crown of Success to whichever of you four shall have
+best employed your money in furnishing your garden and house."
+
+"That crown shall be mine!" thought Dick; "I'll win it and wear it too!"
+
+"I shall certainly never get a crown," said Nelly Desley half aloud; "it
+is quite enough for me if my mother be pleased with my cottage!" A fear
+was on the little girl's mind that she should manage her shopping very
+badly, and she hoped that the brook would be shallow, as she could see
+no bridge across it.
+
+"I shall take my time about this furnishing," said Lubin, as soon as Mr.
+Learning had taken his departure, promising to return some day to watch
+the progress of his charges. Lubin, though not lame like Nelly, was
+heavy and slow in his movements, and often was laughed at by Dick for
+his great dislike to trouble.
+
+"My cottage looks so pretty outside," said silly little Matty, shaking
+her fair locks, "that I almost think it would do without any furnishing
+at all."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+PLAIN-WORK AND FANCY-WORK.
+
+
+"I'll take the measure of my walls at once," cried Dick, "and see what
+quantity of paper I shall have to buy from Mr. Reading. Shall I look
+after yours too?" and he turned good-naturedly to his sisters.
+
+"Please do, dear Dick," replied Nelly.
+
+"I shall leave Master Lubin to measure his own; a lazy young urchin like
+him would not move a finger if he could help it; I would not give one of
+my minutes for his chance of winning the crown of Success!"
+
+"I shall do very well," grumbled Lubin, not much pleased at the cutting
+remark.
+
+"Matty, dear," said Nelly to her sister, "as we have something to buy
+that our brothers have not--and plants of needlework, mother says, are
+best when put in at the beginning of spring--had we not better set off
+at once and buy what Mr. Learning recommended? Mrs. Sewing does not
+live far off; we might carry up our needlework plants before our
+brothers are ready to start with us for the town of Education."
+
+"You are always in a hurry!" cried Matty.
+
+"It is because I am lame," replied Nelly meekly; "as I can never go
+fast, I am obliged to make up for my slowness by starting early."
+
+"Well, it's a fine bright morning, and it's rare fun to have a run down
+hill!" cried Matty, "so I am quite willing to go."
+
+Off she flew like a bird, her long ringlets streaming behind her, and
+her merry laugh was borne back by the wind to Nelly, who, at a much
+slower pace, walked carefully down the hill. As Matty, however, took to
+chasing a bright butterfly, which led her quite out of her way, Nelly
+was the first to reach the brook which flowed at the bottom of the hill.
+To her great comfort she found that there were stepping-stones across
+it, so that there was no need that she should wet her feet with the
+waters of Bother. Mrs. Sewing's house was also quite near, so that there
+was little trouble in reaching it.
+
+The good woman herself was outside her door, occupied in training a
+large plant of needlework over her porch.
+
+"Good-morning," said Nelly, who had slowly picked her way over the
+stepping-stones of the brook.
+
+"Good-morning," repeated Matty, who had rushed on, out of breath with
+her haste, that she might not be behind her sister.
+
+Mrs. Sewing was a prim little dame, dressed in a curious garment of
+patchwork, with a necklace of small round pin-cushions hanging almost as
+low as her waist. Instead of her own hair she wore a most singular wig,
+made entirely of skeins of cotton and wool, which hung a long way down
+her back.
+
+She received her young customers with a low formal courtesy, and said
+with a smile as she turned from the one to the other,--
+
+    "That girl is wise, and worth the knowing,
+     Who in life's spring-time comes to sewing."
+
+"Mrs. Sewing," said Matty, who could hardly refrain from laughing at the
+funny appearance of the prim old lady, "we've come to buy plants of
+needlework from you to train up our garden walls. We've plenty of money
+to buy them with,"--here she jingled her hours and minutes,--"so pray
+show us your stock directly, for we're in haste to begin our planting."
+
+With another courtesy Mrs. Sewing made reply,--
+
+    "I've Running-up and Felling-down,
+     And Hemming for a lady's gown;
+     I've Button-hole, and Herring-bone,
+     And Stitching, finest ever known;
+     I've Whipping that will cause no crying,
+     And Basting, never source of sighing;
+     For good Plain-work, there's no denying,
+     Is always worth a woman's trying."
+
+"I don't much admire these Plain-work plants," said Matty, with rather a
+discontented air; "their blossoms are so miserably small, the leaves are
+so big, and the stems are all set with thorns, just as sharp as needles.
+You have something yonder a thousand times prettier, with flowers of
+every hue, and in such lovely little pots!" and Matty pointed as she
+spoke to a row of plants of Fancy-work, that were at no great distance.
+
+Again Mrs. Sewing courtesied and replied,--
+
+    "I've Knitting, Netting, Crochet, Tatting,
+     I've Bead-work, German-work, and Plaiting,
+     I've Tent-stitch, Cross-stitch, Stitches various
+     To show off patterns multifarious;
+     Round Fancy-work each lady lingers,
+     So please your taste and ply your fingers."
+
+"There now!" exclaimed Matty, who, followed by Nelly, had eagerly run to
+the Fancy-work row; "was ever anything so pretty as this! Every blossom
+like bunches of beads that glitter so brightly in the sun! This, this is
+the plant for my money; and then it is so easy to be carried!"
+
+Nelly also looked with great admiration on the beautiful flower, and
+felt greatly inclined to choose one like it. She knew that she had not
+hours enough to purchase all that she might like, and it was quite
+natural in a little girl to wish for what was pretty and pleasant. But a
+thought crossed the lame child's mind, and laying her hand on Matty's
+arm, she whispered in her sister's ear: "Don't you remember, dear, how
+fond mother is of the fruits of Plain-work; we've heard her say many a
+time that no Fancy-work in the world is half so much to her liking. Now
+mother will come back to us again when the fruit will have had time to
+ripen; pretty blossoms are nice to look at; but the great thing, after
+all, is the fruit."
+
+"I'm not going to plague myself with that stupid Plain-work," cried
+Matty, shrugging her shoulders; "but it may do for _you_!" She said this
+in so scornful a tone that it brought the colour to Nelly's pale cheek.
+
+"Why should I mind?" thought the lame little girl; "I know that mother
+likes Plain-work best; she values things that are useful rather than
+those that are pretty; and oh, I'm so glad that she does so, or what
+would become of me!"
+
+So Matty purchased the pretty ornamented creeper, with its clusters of
+bright-coloured beads, and Nelly took a fine thriving plant of
+Plain-work, to train up her garden wall.
+
+Then both took leave of Mrs. Sewing, who, smiling and courtesying to the
+girls, bade them farewell in these words,--
+
+    "Pleasure and profit both attend ye,
+     Sewing ever shall befriend ye!"
+
+Matty's plant was in a small light pot, and she easily carried it across
+the brook; then turning, she looked back at her sister, who could hardly
+see the stepping-stones through the thick leaves of the plant which she
+bore. Nelly's pot was also very heavy, and before she could reach the
+shore, her lame foot slipped on a stone, and she fell splash into the
+waters of Bother.
+
+The stream was very shallow, so there was no danger of her being
+drowned, but the shock, the tumble, and the wetting were anything but
+agreeable. It was very unkind in Matty to stand, as she did, laughing at
+her poor lame sister, as she floundered in the brook of Bother, still
+grasping her pot of Plain-work.
+
+"Oh, dear, dear! how the thorn-needles are pricking my fingers!" gasped
+Nelly.
+
+"Then let go--throw the stupid Plain-work away," cried Matty.
+
+But Nelly had too brave a spirit for that. She knew that what was worth
+acquiring was worth bearing, and she would not be discouraged by a
+trifle. I wish that some of my little readers who sit pouting and
+fretting over a seam, crying over a broken needle, or a prick on a tiny
+finger, could have seen Nelly when, with repeated efforts, she scrambled
+out of the brook, with Plain-work safe in her grasp.
+
+The two girls now made their way up the hill of Puzzle, on their return
+to the cottages of Head. Matty, eager to plant her pretty creeper,
+greatly outstripped her sister, as she had done when they at first had
+set out. But with patient, uncomplaining labour, Nelly Desley plodded on
+her course, and before long both Plain-work and Fancy-work were safely
+transplanted into the ground by the wall at the back of the gardens.
+
+[Illustration: Nelly could hardly see the stepping-stones through the
+thick leaves of the plant which she bore. _Page 27._]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+MR. ALPHABET.
+
+
+"Now we're all ready to set off to Messrs. Reading and Writing," cried
+Dick, as the four children stood together on the slope of the hill; "I
+vote we have a race--one, two, three, off and away!" and dashing forward
+like a young stag, he rushed down the hill, distancing even Matty, and
+with the force of his own rapid descent cleared brook Bother at a bound.
+
+Nelly could not help clapping her hands.
+
+"I should have thought," observed fat Lubin, who had kept at her side,
+"that you, of all people in the world, would have hated this silly
+racing, and disliked to see any one go at so desperate a pace."
+
+"Why should I dislike it?" asked the lame child; "I would go at a great
+pace too, if I only were able."
+
+"But when you are lame, does it not vex you to be so distanced by
+others?"
+
+Nelly hesitated a little before she replied, "Sometimes, I own, it does
+vex me a little; but then I am comforted when I think that as long as I
+do my best I should be only glad that others can do better."
+
+Lubin and Nelly came up with their brother and sister at the cottage of
+Mrs. Sewing; for Dick, who was in a merry mood, had stopped there to
+help the old dame to transplant a fine slip of Fancy-work, and Matty was
+standing laughing beside him.
+
+"See how well he does it!" she cried.
+
+"I wonder that he is not ashamed to use his fingers like a girl!"
+exclaimed Lubin, who was himself remarkably clumsy.
+
+Mrs. Sewing turned round with a smile and a courtesy.
+
+    "Better the fingers thus employing
+     Than in fighting, fidgeting, or destroying,"
+
+observed she.
+
+Dick looked up and laughed. "I'll soon prove to you, my lad," he cried,
+"that hands that can ground a pretty slip of German work, are ready and
+fit for something harder," and he squared up towards Lubin with clenched
+fists, and such a merry look of defiance, that his brother was more
+than convinced by the sight, and trotted off along the lane of Trouble,
+at a much brisker pace than usual.
+
+"We'll go after the plump one," cried Dick, "or he'll arrive at Mr.
+Reading's before us."
+
+Along the lane they all went. The weather had been dry of late, and the
+road was not so muddy as usual. Indeed the walk was so agreeable that
+Dick remarked that "trouble is a pleasure." It was not long before the
+four young householders found themselves at the door of Messrs. Reading
+and Writing.
+
+Their shop was a very large and handsome one; indeed a finer and better
+was not to be seen in the whole town of Education, on the outskirts of
+which it stood. It was separated into two divisions, over the first and
+principal of which Mr. Reading himself presided. A great variety of
+papers for walls were displayed in the large glass windows, and when the
+children peeped in they saw a vast number more in the shop.
+
+"Well, here's a fine choice!" exclaimed Matty, in pleased surprise; "I
+think that one might spend half one's life in the shop of Mr. Reading,
+and always find out something pretty and new."
+
+"But where is Mr. Reading himself?" cried Lubin; "and how are we to get
+through this iron grating which shuts us out from the shop?"
+
+His last question was answered by the funniest little dwarf that ever
+was seen, who popped out from behind the counter, and with a large iron
+key in his hand came toddling up to the grating. He was just twenty-six
+inches high, and had a head almost as big as the rest of his body.
+
+"I say, little chap, will you let us in?" said Dick, rapping on the iron
+bars.
+
+"I'm not accustomed to be spoken to after that fashion," cried the dwarf
+angrily; "my name is not 'little chap,' but 'Mr. Alphabet,' though some
+dare to call me A B C. I ought to be treated with respect, for I am
+several thousand years old."
+
+"You've been wondrously slow then in your growth," laughed Lubin; "I
+think I could jump over your head."
+
+"It's easier said than done," grumbled Alphabet, casting up a glance of
+scorn at the boy, whose fat figure was not formed for jumping; "and I
+should advise you to have a care how you provoke me by any boasting or
+insolent language. I am both strong and bold, and I come of an ancient
+race. My father was an Egyptian, or a Phoenician, or--"
+
+"Never mind your father just now, my good fellow," cried Dick; "just
+turn your key in the lock, and let us into the shop of Mr. Reading."
+
+"You don't suppose that I'm going to let you pass without paying toll,"
+growled Alphabet; "I always expect a fee of some of the money of Time."
+
+"Let us in," cried Lubin, kicking the grating.
+
+"You may kick till you're tired," said the gruffy little dwarf; "no one
+gets to Mr. Reading without paying toll to Mr. Alphabet, his highly
+respectable porter."
+
+"Let's give him his fee and be done with it," cried Matty, hastily
+pulling out her purse.
+
+Seeing that there was no use in refusing, as Alphabet had the key of the
+gate, each of the children now produced some money, Dick giving less
+than the others. Alphabet took the bright hours with a merry grin, as he
+swung back the iron grating; but when Lubin was about to pass in, the
+dwarf planted himself in the way.
+
+"You said that you could jump over my head; just try."
+
+"I don't just think that I could," said Lubin, who was daunted by the
+manner of the dwarf.
+
+"Now, for your stupid boast," growled Alphabet, "I will not allow you to
+pass till you've paid twice as much as the others have done;" and as he
+spoke he half closed the grating in Lubin's face.
+
+"You can't keep me out now you've unlocked it," cried Lubin (who was,
+however, still on the outside, having been as usual behind-hand), and
+he tried to push the gate open.
+
+"Push away," said the dwarf with a grin.
+
+But poor Lubin soon found to his cost that Alphabet was strong as well
+as little, and quite able to hold his own against any amount of pushing.
+
+"Won't you help me?" cried Lubin to Dick; the fat boy was getting quite
+red with his efforts.
+
+"Oh, nonsense; fair play is a jewel!" exclaimed Dick; "you must fight it
+out for yourself. If you can't master little A B C, a precious poor
+creature you must be."
+
+"Pay double toll, or I'll never let you in!" shouted the passionate
+dwarf.
+
+There was no help for it; poor Lubin was obliged to pull out his money;
+and Alphabet, with a grin of triumph, at last allowed him to enter.
+
+"Is Mr. Reading at home?" asked Dick.
+
+"He is just within," said the dwarf; "if you'll look over the papers for
+a minute, I'll go and tell him that you are waiting."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+MR. READING'S FINE SHOP.
+
+
+"Well, Mr. Reading keeps a splendid assortment indeed!" exclaimed Dick,
+looking round the immense shop with delight. "There are such lots of
+fine papers here that the only difficulty will be which to choose!"
+
+"I know what I will choose!" cried Matty; "that paper all covered with
+pretty little fairies!"
+
+"It is but a poor paper; I cannot in conscience recommend it for wear,"
+said Mr. Reading, who at that instant made his appearance from an inner
+part of the shop.
+
+"Oh, but it is charming!" cried Matty; "I should care for no paper like
+that."
+
+"And I see what I like best!" exclaimed Dick; "there's the jolliest
+paper that ever was made; don't you see it, up in that corner?--sets of
+cannibals dancing round a fire!"
+
+"That's the Robinson Crusoe pattern," observed Mr. Reading, "a great
+favourite with young customers of mine."
+
+"That's the paper for my money!" cried Dick; "I never saw anything more
+to my mind!"
+
+Nelly and Lubin then chose their patterns, the former thinking what
+would please the taste of her mother, the latter what would cost least
+of his Time money; for the lazy rogue grudged every hour that he gave to
+reading.
+
+A difficulty came into Nelly's mind. "We are to paper our rooms
+ourselves," said she; "how can we do so, having nothing with which we
+can fasten the paper on firmly?"
+
+"I've the paste of Attention at your service," said Reading; "you will
+find nothing more certain to stick on a paper than that. You shall carry
+home a can of it to-day."
+
+"And there is another thing which we must remember," observed Lubin, who
+had a sensible and reflecting mind, though too lazy to make much use of
+it; "as our walls are higher of course than ourselves, we must have a
+ladder to lift us to the higher parts of them."
+
+"I can supply that want also," cried the ready Mr. Reading, who seemed
+to take pleasure in serving his young guests; "I've the magic ladder of
+Spelling, and I am willing to let it on hire."
+
+"Let's see this ladder," said Dick.
+
+At a word from his master, Alphabet, the stout little dwarf, withdrew
+into an inner part of the dwelling, and soon re-appeared, lugging with
+him a ladder which was three times as long as himself.
+
+"This is a very curious and ingenious ladder," remarked Mr. Reading,
+"and quite worthy of your closest observation. You see that on the
+_under_ part of each step is a sentence quite perfectly spelt; but this,
+of course, cannot be seen when the ladder is placed by a wall. On the
+upper part appears the same sentence, but with many a blunder in it to
+try your powers of recollection. You must study the ladder well before
+you attempt to mount it, and get the right spelling fixed in your mind,
+so as to make no mistakes. Then, before putting your foot upon any step,
+you must spell the sentence upon it; if you correct every blunder, the
+wood will be firm as a rock; but if you leave a single fault unnoticed,
+one little letter misplaced, the step will give way under your weight,
+and land you flat on the floor."
+
+"What a horrible ladder!" exclaimed Lubin; "it seems to have been
+expressly contrived to break the neck of every one who is so silly as to
+mount it."
+
+"It only needs care in the using," replied polite Mr. Reading, unable to
+suppress a quiet smile; while Alphabet, who thought it a _capital_ joke,
+burst into a loud laugh. "I confess that the ladder of Spelling has
+been the cause of many a tumble; but still it is an excellent
+ladder,--the trees of which it was made grew beside our own stream of
+Bother."
+
+"Any one might have guessed that!" muttered Lubin, rubbing his head with
+a disconsolate air, as if he already felt the bumps produced by the
+ladder of Spelling.
+
+"Let's see these funny sentences on the steps," said Dick, "that we are
+forced to spell so finely. Such a comical ladder as this will make the
+papering of our walls a very slow affair."
+
+As my readers may be curious to know whether they could have mounted the
+ladder without any step breaking beneath them, I will give them a few of
+the sentences to correct at their leisure. I write the faulty words in
+italics, though I hope that it is not needful to do so.
+
+    I _hav to ants, too unkels to_,
+    The kindest _wons_ I ever _new_.
+
+    _Except_ this _presint, nevew deer_,
+    I am _sow_ glad to _here your hear_.
+
+    _Gals sow shurts_, and boys _sew beens_,
+    Labour is _scene_ in various _seens_.
+
+    I _eat ate appels_ at a _fate_,
+    Then took my _leve_ and _warked_ home _strait_.
+
+    The winds they _blue_; the sky was _blew_;
+    Tom, as they dashed the _oshon threw_,
+    _Write overbored_ a _poney through_.
+
+    Our _sovrin rains_ in joy and _piece_;
+    The summer _reigns_ our crops _increese_;
+    The _weery_ horse from _rain_ release.
+
+"I tell you what I'll do," said Lubin, after thoughtfully surveying the
+ladder from the top to the bottom: "I'll get good-natured little Nelly
+to stand below while I'm climbing the steps, and she shall call out to
+me the right spelling, so that I shall be certain to make no blunder."
+
+Polite Mr. Reading shook his head. "Each must master the difficulty for
+himself," he replied; "not a single step would keep firm were there any
+attempt at such prompting."
+
+Poor Lubin heaved a sigh like a groan.
+
+"Who's afraid!" exclaimed Dick; "the greater the difficulty the greater
+the glory of mounting to the top of the ladder! Just roll up our papers,
+Mr. Reading, we'll carry them under our arms. The girls will take charge
+of the can of paste, and as for this remarkable ladder, Lubin and I will
+contrive to bear it between us."
+
+Thus loaded, the little party passed again through the iron grating.
+Dick walked first, with a confident air, holding one end of the ladder
+of Spelling, while Lubin, grumbling and sighing, supported the other
+end. Nelly followed with the can of Attention, for Matty was too much
+engaged in looking at and admiring her pretty fairy paper to think of
+her lame little sister. Mr. Reading, the most polite and agreeable of
+shopkeepers, bade them farewell with a bow; and little Alphabet shouted
+after Lubin, "When you can manage to get to the top of the ladder of
+Spelling without tumbling down on your nose, I'll give you free leave to
+come back and jump over my head if you like it!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE LADDER OF SPELLING.
+
+
+"What a jolly pleasant fellow old Reading is!" cried Dick, as they
+jogged along.
+
+"Well enough," replied Lubin, jerking his shoulder, "if he had not
+plagued us with this hateful ladder, and did not keep such a covetous,
+impudent little porter as that ugly old dwarf A B C."
+
+"I did not see much harm in the dwarf," laughed Dick; "the best fun I
+ever had in my life was seeing you pushing on one side of the gate, and
+the little chap pushing on the other. Alphabet was too hard for you,
+Lubin, my boy, though he is such a mite of a man."
+
+The observation made Lubin rather sulky, and he said nothing till,
+having passed through the lane of Trouble, the party stopped by the
+brook of Bother.
+
+"I'm afraid, Lubin," observed Dick, "that an awkward fellow like you may
+miss your footing if attempting to cross while carrying a weight on
+your shoulder. You go first, unburdened, and then I'll easily stretch
+out the end of the ladder for you to catch hold of."
+
+Lubin did not wait to be twice invited to put down his tiresome burden.
+He flung down his end of the ladder, went across the stepping-stones at
+once, and then, without so much as turning to look at his companion,
+began to walk fast up the hill.
+
+"Holloa! stop! where are you going?" shouted Dick.
+
+Lubin only quickened his pace.
+
+"The lazy rogue means to leave me to carry this ladder all by myself!"
+exclaimed Dick, in high indignation.
+
+"I wish that I could help you, dear Dick," said Nelly; "but I'm lame,
+and--"
+
+"And you've been carrying the can all the way, till your face is quite
+pale with fatigue. I wonder that that saucy puss Matty is not ashamed of
+treating you so."
+
+"I was so busy with my fairies that I forgot," began Matty.
+
+"Ah, well; take the can now and remember. And as for the ladder--"
+Without finishing his sentence, to the surprise of the girls, Dick
+suddenly turned round, and walked back several paces. His object soon
+became plain; he was giving himself room for a run. Once more he rushed
+forward with a bound, and, laden as he was with ladder and with paper,
+was over the brook in a moment.
+
+"There's a jump!" he exclaimed, his face flushed less with the effect,
+than with the pride which he felt in having accomplished such a feat;
+"depend on't, a boy who can leap like that won't soon be turned back in
+life's long race by any difficulty or trial. I only wish that Mr.
+Learning could have seen me take that jump."
+
+Nelly's admiration of her brother's remarkable powers was a little
+damped by a fear that arose in her mind when she saw how he gloried in
+them. Nelly was very fond of Dick, but she could not help thinking that
+she would rather have seen him conquer his pride than jump over
+half-a-dozen Bothers. Slowly and thoughtfully the little girl passed
+over the brook, and Matty, who was now carrying the can, brought up the
+rear of the party.
+
+"Dick," said Matty, when she had joined her brother, "I wonder that you
+did not lay the ladder of Spelling across the stream, and make a bridge
+of it at once."
+
+"I was too wary a bird for that," laughed Dick. "You know I've not yet
+mastered that awkward spelling, and if I'd put my foot upon a step, I
+should just have gone souse into Bother."
+
+"Oh, I quite forgot!" exclaimed Matty.
+
+"You seem to have a trick of forgetting," said her brother; "you forget
+that your can of Attention is full, and you swing it to and fro as you
+walk, so that you spill it at every step. You had better give it up
+again to Nelly."
+
+"How Lubin trots up the hill!" cried Matty. "I never thought that he
+could get on so fast."
+
+"He knows pretty well what he has to expect when I get up with him!"
+cried Dick, who was indignant at his brother's desertion; "I mean to
+give the fat rogue such a thrashing as he never had before in his life!"
+
+"Oh no, dear Dick!" exclaimed Nelly. "I am sure that you had better
+forgive and forget."
+
+"I don't see why I should," rejoined Dick.
+
+"There are a great many reasons," said Nelly, who never suffered an
+angry or revengeful feeling to rest in her heart; "we know that it is
+noble and right to forgive, and to do as we would be done by; and has
+not dear mother a thousand times told us to live in love and kindness
+together?"
+
+"But he played me such a shabby trick!" exclaimed Dick.
+
+"You must remember, dear brother, that Lubin is not so strong as you
+are, and cannot bear a weight with such ease."
+
+"No; you're right there!" cried Dick proudly, raising the ladder of
+Spelling with one hand above his head, to show the might of his arm.
+
+Nelly saw that her brother was getting into better humour, and ventured
+to say something more. "There is another reason why you should forgive
+Lubin. Poor Lubin has also, perhaps, something to forgive and forget."
+
+"I never ran off and left him in the lurch."
+
+"No," replied Nelly, in a very gentle tone; "but when he was in trouble
+with Alphabet, you burst out laughing instead of helping him. I don't
+think, dear Dick, that you know what pain you give by your way of joking
+and mocking at others who can't do as much as yourself."
+
+"Have I ever pained you, Nelly?"
+
+"Sometimes," replied the child.
+
+Dick was silent for a few minutes. He was recalling to mind times when
+he had ridiculed his gentle little sister for her lameness--the slow
+pace which she could not avoid. He felt ashamed of his ungenerous
+conduct, and willing to make some amends.
+
+"It was too bad in me to hurt _you_, Nelly, who never gave pain to any
+one; so, for your sake, this time I'll consent to forgive and forget."
+
+While this conversation went on, the brother and sisters had walked
+half-way up the hill, and, before many minutes had passed, they had all
+arrived at their group of cottages. Dick kept his word to Nelly, and
+took no further notice of the desertion of Lubin, than by saying, with a
+laugh, when first they met, "You went up the hill at such a pace, my
+fine fellow, that one might have thought that you fancied the terrible
+Alphabet following close at your heels."
+
+Lubin looked rather sulky, but was glad to be so easily let off; he was
+not aware that he owed Dick's forbearance to the kindly offices of
+peacemaker Nelly.
+
+As the day was now far advanced, the children resolved not to begin
+their papering work till the morrow. They went to the house Needful,
+where they were to have their board and lodging for a short time, till
+their cottages should be a little furnished. They were all rather tired
+with their day's exertions, and none but Dick felt disposed to take a
+stroll in the evening.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+BREAKING DOWN.
+
+
+The first care of Matty and Nelly in the morning, after they had taken
+their breakfast, was to water their needlework plants.
+
+"I can't think," said Matty to her sister, "how you could be so silly as
+to choose that ugly Plain-work,--I'm sure there's not a bit of beauty in
+it."
+
+"I wait for the fruit," said Nelly meekly.
+
+"It does not climb high like mine, to adorn the walls; it creeps heavily
+along the ground. It is such a mean-looking plant."
+
+"We shall not think it mean in the season of ripening," observed Nelly.
+
+"Ah, here comes Lubin!" cried Matty; "he was late for breakfast, as
+usual. Good-morning, my lazy brother. Do you know what has become of
+Dick?"
+
+"Not I," answered Lubin, with a yawn.
+
+"Perhaps he has been working at his cottage already," said Nelly, "and
+has been studying the ladder of Spelling. Just wait till I fetch the can
+of paste--we'll put Attention into several little pots, and all begin
+papering our walls together."
+
+Nelly soon brought the paste, which she had kept during the night at
+house Needful. As Lubin and his sisters went towards the group of
+cottages, they heard the cheerful voice of Dick calling to them from the
+inside of his own.
+
+"Come in here with you, and I'll show you something worth the seeing."
+
+"Why, Dick," exclaimed Matty, who was the first to enter, "you don't
+mean to say that you have papered half your parlour already!"
+
+"I don't say it, but you may see it," said Dick.
+
+"What wonderful progress you have made!"
+
+"I should say that I have," returned Dick, with a mighty self-satisfied
+air, as he looked around his parlour, already quite gay with the
+Robinson Crusoe pattern. "I've done more, too, than you can see," he
+added, striking his hand on the ladder of Spelling, which he had placed
+by the wall; "I've learned every sentence in this ladder as perfectly as
+any man can learn them, and can now climb to the very top with the
+greatest safety and ease."
+
+Matty and Lubin looked on their clever brother with eyes in which
+admiration seemed mixed with a little envy.
+
+"But how could you paper the room without paste?" exclaimed Nelly; "I
+had charge of the whole supply."
+
+"My dear simple sister," replied Dick, "you don't suppose that all the
+paste in the world is held in your can, or that no other kind is to be
+had. I took a stroll yesterday evening with my acquaintance, young
+Pride, and he told me of a first-rate paste called Emulation, showed me
+where to get it, and helped me to lay in a capital store. You've no
+notion how pleasantly it made me get on with my work. I believe I shall
+paper all my four rooms before you have finished a single one of yours."
+
+"Oh, let me have some of your paste!" cried Matty.
+
+"Have it and welcome," said Dick; "it's cheap, and there's plenty for
+all. I don't know what is making our little Nelly look so serious and
+grave."
+
+"Oh, Dick," said the child, in a hesitating tone, "did not dear mother
+warn us to have nothing to do with Pride?"
+
+"He's a jolly good fellow!" cried Dick.
+
+"But mother forbade us to keep company with him."
+
+"Really, Nelly," said Dick, rather sharply, "I'm old enough to choose my
+own friends."
+
+"But if Pride should prove to be not a friend but an enemy? Oh, dear
+brother, I should be afraid to use anything that Pride recommends."
+
+Dick burst into a laugh. "Use what you like, poor, patient, plodding
+little pussy; leave me to follow my own ways. You've not resolved, as I
+have, to win the crown of Success. You were never made to shine, unless
+it be like some little taper, giving its quiet light in a cottage; while
+I mean to dazzle the world some day, like the eruption of a splendid
+volcano."
+
+"A precious lot of mischief you may do," observed Lubin; "better be a
+sober taper in a cottage, that cheers and gives light to some one, than
+a blazing volcano, that makes a grand show indeed, but leaves ruins and
+ashes behind it."
+
+"Every one to his liking!" cried Dick, nimbly mounting the ladder, and
+spelling over the sentences so fast that his hearers could hardly follow
+him. Doubtless he meant to show off his talent, but, in his eagerness to
+be admired, he forgot--who can wonder that he did so?--the right
+spelling of one little word. Down he fell crack on the floor, the moment
+that he put his foot on the _poney_!
+
+Up jumped Dick in a second, not hurt indeed, but a good deal mortified,
+especially as Lubin laughed, and Matty began to titter.
+
+    "Here we go up, up, up,
+       Here we go down, down, down, oh!
+     That is clever Dick's way
+       Of winning the silver crown, oh!"
+
+cried Lubin, his fat sides shaking with mirth.
+
+"I would not stand that from him!" exclaimed a voice from without, and
+the shadow of Pride, a beetle-browed, black-haired, ill-favoured lad,
+now darkened the doorway of Dick.
+
+"I'll stand no impudence!" cried Dick in a passion, and, dashing with
+clenched fist up to Lubin, he knocked him down with a blow.
+
+"Give it him well!" shouted Pride.
+
+But Nelly rushed forward in haste, and threw herself between her two
+brothers. "Oh, don't, don't!" she cried in distress; "remember our
+mother, remember the love which we all should bear to one another! It
+was wrong in Lubin to laugh--but oh, please--please don't beat him any
+more."
+
+"I'll beat him in another way!" exclaimed Dick, who was, perhaps, a
+little ashamed of having struck his younger brother; "I'll beat him at
+climbing this ladder,--one fall shall never daunt me!" and once more he
+ascended the steps, spelling without a single blunder, till, on the very
+topmost round, he waved his hand in triumph.
+
+"I hope you're not hurt?" whispered Nelly to Lubin, who was slowly
+rising from the ground.
+
+The boy turned gloomily away.
+
+"You don't want her, do you, to cuddle and pet you as if you were a
+great big baby?" said Pride. "I wonder you don't go to your own cottage,
+and shut yourself up quietly there."
+
+"I'll go and have nothing more to do with any of them," muttered Lubin,
+pushing Nelly aside, and leaving the cottage of Dick in a mood by no
+means amiable.
+
+Nelly sighed; and as it appeared that she could at present be of no more
+use to her brothers, she quietly took her portion of Attention, and went
+to paper her own little room.
+
+I shall not tell of all her difficulties and troubles, nor how, when
+using the ladder of Spelling, she found it several times give way, and
+drop her down on the floor. The process of learning is a slow one, as
+every one is likely to know who has done enough of the papering work to
+be able to read this book;--and as for that troublesome ladder, A. L. O.
+E. will not venture to say that she has never had a tumble from it
+herself. I need only mention, as regards lame Nelly, that in the end,
+after days and weeks of patient labour, her house was very neatly
+papered indeed.
+
+Matty had far less trouble. The ladder of Spelling seemed made on
+purpose to suit her convenience; she mounted the steps with greater
+ease than even the active Dick could do. Her walls were soon covered
+with fairies; but, as Lubin observed, no one could think the cottage of
+Head well furnished with a paper so poor and thin,--you could almost see
+the bricks through it. Matty was, however, well pleased; and even, in
+the blindness of self-love, had some hopes of the silver crown. Pride
+flattered her skill and her quickness, and was always a welcome guest at
+her cottage as well as in Dick's. Neither the brother nor the sister yet
+knew the evils that might arise from their using the paste of Emulation.
+
+And how fared poor Lubin meantime? He worked slowly, by fits and starts,
+whenever the humour was on him, but it seemed to his brother and sisters
+as if his walls would never be papered. Nelly, after her own day's work,
+would carry the ladder to Lubin, but he constantly refused to use it.
+
+"What nonsense it is," he would angrily say, "to have words sounded in
+one way, and spelt in another. I wish that the fellow who made that
+ladder had been well ducked in the brook of Bother."
+
+"But as it _has_ been made, and we've no other," observed Nelly, "would
+it not be wise to make the best of it?"
+
+By her gentle persuasion Lubin more than once attempted to mount the
+first step, but it always gave way beneath him; he never could remember
+of the _to_, _too_, and _two_, which was the right one to use.
+
+At last, catching up the ladder in despair, Lubin flung it out of his
+door.
+
+"Let it go--I should like to break it to bits and make a bonfire of it!"
+he cried; "I can paper my rooms without it."
+
+"Oh, no; not the upper parts," suggested Nelly.
+
+"I don't care for the upper parts, I'll leave them as they are,"
+answered Lubin. "If the bricks and mortar are ugly, no one need look at
+them, say I."
+
+"But, Lubin," exclaimed Matty, who had just come in, "you will be quite
+ashamed of your house if it be furnished worse than a ploughboy's."
+
+"It will do very well," replied Lubin. "I hate this papering nonsense,
+and I wish that Mr. Learning had been far enough away, rather than come
+to plague us poor children with his tiresome Reading and Spelling!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MR. LEARNING'S VISIT.
+
+
+It must not be supposed that during the time which it took to paper the
+cottages, other things were neglected; that Plain-work and Fancy-work
+were not watered, or that frequent shopping expeditions were not made to
+the town of Education. My history is by no means a journal of each day's
+proceedings, but only an account of some incidents that seem most worthy
+of note.
+
+I wish that I could tell my young readers that Dick frankly owned
+himself sorry for having knocked down poor Lubin. Perhaps he would have
+done so, for he had a kind and generous disposition, but for the evil
+influence of Pride. This dark companion was almost always now at the
+elbow of Dick, filling him with notions of his own importance, making
+him look down upon every one who was not so sharp as himself. From
+cottage to cottage Pride moved, now putting in Lubin's mind gloomy,
+angry feelings towards his brother; now flattering the vanity of Matty,
+till she thought herself a perfect model of beauty and almost too good
+to keep company with her lame little sister Nelly. Pride did not fail
+also to try to put evil into Nelly's heart, but she never would let him
+converse with her; she remembered the words of her mother, and shunned
+the dark tempter who leads so many astray.
+
+"I wonder," said Pride one day to Matty as she was watering her
+Fancy-work plant,--"I wonder why a lovely young creature like you should
+not spend more of Time's money upon dress."
+
+Matty giggled and blushed, and said that she feared that there was not
+such a person as a good milliner to be found in all the town of
+Education.
+
+"Well," said Pride, "I think that I can help you to find one whom no one
+has ever excelled in this important line of business. There is a distant
+relation of my own, Miss Folly, who is wonderfully quick with her
+fingers, and makes all sorts of elegant things. Lady Fashion has her so
+often with her at her fine town-house, that it is clear that she regards
+Miss Folly almost in the light of a friend, and would not know how to
+get on without her. Folly is particularly anxious to employ her art in
+hiding any changes made by age. I have known an old lady dressed up by
+her with wig, rouge, and a low muslin dress, fastened up with bunches of
+roses, whom you really would have taken, at least at a distance, for
+some lovely young creature of twenty!"
+
+"Oh, could you not introduce me to Miss Folly!" exclaimed Matty; "if she
+could so beautify an ugly old lady, what would she do for a young girl
+like me!"
+
+"I will bring her here with the greatest pleasure," replied Pride; and
+glancing at Matty's dress, he added, "From the elegant style of your
+attire, I should have really imagined that you had long ago known Miss
+Folly."
+
+When Dick had almost finished his papering, and Matty was far advanced
+with hers, the children received one day a visit from Mr. Learning, who
+came to observe their progress. Nelly was so hard at work in her spare
+room, that she did not hear his step, and was a little startled when she
+felt a heavy hand laid on her shoulder.
+
+"Don't be afraid," said Mr. Learning kindly, "go quietly on with your
+work. 'Slow and sure' is your motto, I see; what you do is done neatly
+and nicely."
+
+Nelly looked up with a pleased smile. She had never expected to receive
+a word of praise from the tall stately gentleman in black, who lived
+upon paper and ink.
+
+Mr. Learning then proceeded to Matty's cottage. Matty, who happened to
+be twining flowers in her beautiful hair, started up, and, in a little
+confusion, greeted her guardian with a courtesy.
+
+He glanced round the cottage for awhile in silence. Matty thought that
+he must be admiring the quickness with which she had papered her walls;
+his first words disappointed her not a little.
+
+"You have made a great mistake in not choosing a better and stronger
+paper; labour is thrown away upon this. However quickly you may get over
+your work, no one will ever think a dwelling well-furnished whose walls
+are covered with nothing but fairies."
+
+"Stupid, solemn, cross-grained old critic as he is!" thought Matty; "I
+knew that he and I would never agree together. I paper my walls to
+please my own taste, and snap my fingers at Learning!"
+
+The grave guardian then stalked slowly across the little plot of ground
+which divided the boys' cottages from those of the girls. Though Dick's
+was just opposite to Matty's, Mr. Learning chose to cross over first to
+Lubin's.
+
+The boy, buried in a deep slumber, lay snoring upon the floor, quite
+unconscious that any one had entered. With great disgust Mr. Learning
+looked around on one of the most untidy rooms that his eyes had ever
+beheld. It was only papered to such a height as the arm of the fat boy
+could reach, and even the little that had been done had been finished in
+the very worst way. So small a quantity of the paste of Attention had
+been used, that the paper was already falling off; odd pieces were lying
+here and there, and the most careless observer must have seen that he
+was in the dwelling of a sluggard.
+
+Mr. Learning said nothing at all; he did not even waken the sleeping
+boy, though he felt a little inclined to give him a poke with his boot.
+The stately guardian took out from his pocket a piece of chalk, and
+wrote on the rough bricks above the paper, in letters half a foot high,
+the single word DUNCE, then turning round on his heel, he quitted the
+cottage of Lubin.
+
+It was perhaps intentionally that the sage had arranged to make his
+visit to Dick the last. Here there was much to satisfy and please his
+philosophic eye, and Mr. Learning's grave face relaxed into a smile as
+pleasant as if a whole dozen of copy-books had been spread out for
+dinner before him.
+
+"You're a clever fellow," said he; and Dick made a very low bow, pleased
+but not at all surprised by the compliment.
+
+"I should not wonder if, some day," pursued Mr. Learning, "I should be
+able to introduce you to my friends the Ologies."
+
+"Pray, who may they be?" asked Dick; "I never heard of them before."
+
+"They are of a remarkably superior family, that has been settled for a
+length of years in the higher part of the town of Education. There are a
+number of brothers, and they are all remarkable men. There's--
+
+"The Ology, who keeps a religious library;
+
+"Myth Ology, who deals in books describing the superstitions of heathen
+nations;
+
+"Ge Ology, whose collection of marbles, stones, various earths, and old
+fossils makes him famous;
+
+"Phren Ology, who professes to tell the characters of people by feeling
+the bumps on their heads;
+
+"Chron Ology, who manufactures nails that are known by the name of
+dates;
+
+"Conch Ology, who keeps a museum with a vast variety of shells;
+
+"Entom Ology, who has another filled with butterflies and other insects;
+
+"Ichthy Ology, whose taste leads him to make a collection of fish;
+
+"Zo Ology, who has a large garden with all kinds of creatures in it."
+
+"What a very large family it is!" exclaimed Dick, who had begun to
+think that these Ologies would never come to an end.
+
+"I have not mentioned all," replied Learning. "But all are intimate
+friends of mine, and I invite them all every year to a feast in my house
+in London."
+
+"I wonder what you give them to eat!" thought Dick, "and whether these
+Ologies have all your own taste for paper and ink!" He had a little awe
+for Mr. Learning, so did not utter the reflection aloud.
+
+"You shall know them all some day," continued the guardian; "they will
+help you to fortune and to fame!"
+
+"Why not know them at once?" cried Dick.
+
+Mr. Learning smiled again; but this time his smile was not so pleasant.
+"You are by far too young," he replied, "and have something else to
+think of at present. Your cottage is nearly papered, I see, but you have
+as yet not a single grate within it."
+
+"I'm going to the ironmonger's this very day," cried Dick; "there's no
+use in waiting for my brother and sisters, they are so slow at their
+work. I shall be hand and glove with all the Ologies before Lubin has
+covered his ugly bricks!"
+
+What was Mr. Learning looking at so attentively through his spectacles,
+as Dick uttered this sounding boast? He had caught a glimpse of Pride,
+who, upon his entrance, had hidden himself behind the open door, and who
+was there listening to the conversation between Dick and his guardian.
+
+"Let me give you one word of advice, my boy," said Mr. Learning, in a
+serious tone; "go to the town of Education as often as you will, and buy
+what you may, but never let Pride go with you. He is a safe companion
+for no one; and the better that you are acquainted with _me_, the less
+cause you will find to cherish _him_!" and with this quiet warning, Mr.
+Learning quitted the cottage.
+
+"Ah, Pride!" cried Dick, as the dark one sneaked out of his hiding-place
+behind the door; "you find that the saying is true, 'Listeners never
+hear good of themselves.'"
+
+Pride looked offended and annoyed.
+
+"Never mind, old friend," continued Dick; "I won't attend to a word that
+he said, for I find you as pleasant a companion as any that ever I knew.
+I'm just going off to the town to buy grates from Arithmetic the
+Ironmonger, and if you like to come with me, I can but say that you'll
+be heartily welcome."
+
+Pride needed no second invitation, and the two soon started together.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+DICK'S MISHAP.
+
+
+Messrs. Arithmetic and Mathematics were large manufacturers of ironware
+and machinery of every kind, of which they kept an immense assortment
+continually upon sale in a shop attached to the premises. They were said
+to be near connections as well as partners in business. Mr. Arithmetic
+had the name of a hard man, who looked sharply after every farthing,
+though not quite so hard perhaps as his partner Mr. Mathematics. And yet
+his workmen, who were all called _ciphers_, One, Two, Three, Four, Five,
+Six, Seven, Eight and Nine, never complained of their master. They said
+that they always received their just due, and as long as they kept in
+their own proper place, had never any reason to grumble.
+
+Mr. Mathematics was a great philosopher, and shut himself up a good
+deal, that he might have leisure to invent new and curious machines. He
+did not show himself to customers so often as Mr. Arithmetic, who was
+the soul of the business, keeping all the workmen in order, scarcely
+ever out of his shop, and ready to serve all the world.
+
+The Ironmongery establishment was on the top of a steep cliff that rose
+on the right side of the town of Education, just beyond Mr. Reading's
+large shop; and thither, on that fine summer's day, Dick and Pride
+wended their way.
+
+"We must go up here," observed Dick, as they reached a narrow staircase
+cut in the cliff, and known by the name of the Multiplication stairs. I
+should not wonder if my readers had run up it many a time; if so, I need
+not tell them that it consists of twelve flights of steps, with twelve
+steps in every flight; that the first and second are so easy that a baby
+might almost toddle up them; that the two next are rather more steep,
+while the fifth is easier again; that the seventh and eighth are perhaps
+the worst; while the tenth flight quite tempts one to run, it is so
+delightfully smooth!
+
+Dick was so active and vigorous a boy, that he mounted up to the top
+without even stopping to take breath. He had thence a fine view of the
+distant landscape; but what interested him most was to look down on the
+town which lay at his feet, and see the gilded names of the different
+Ologies shining on the fronts of their dwellings. There was Chemistry's
+beautiful shop too in view, with lovely-coloured glass jars in its
+windows; and Botany's vast garden not far off, bright with the hues of a
+thousand flowers. A fine place to look at, and a good place to dwell in,
+is this town of Education.
+
+An immense building was now before Dick, though rather dull and
+unattractive in appearance; the names of Messrs. Arithmetic and
+Mathematics were in large black letters over the door. Dick entered,
+followed by Pride, and viewed with astonishment the vast variety of iron
+utensils around him. He could scarcely stop to look at the simple
+grates, called sums, which were the things that he came for, his eye was
+attracted by so many articles more curious and more interesting. There
+were big rules of-three kettles, simple, inverse, and compound;
+reduction grinding-machines, and tables of weights of every species and
+size. There were innumerable instruments of various kinds that were
+known by the name of fractions; Dick did not exactly know their use, but
+they looked like instruments of torture. In an inner compartment of the
+place great machines were fizzing and whizzing, pistons rising and
+falling, wheels rolling and rumbling; that part belonged especially to
+Mr. Mathematics, and many of his partner's customers never entered that
+wing of the building.
+
+"What do you require here?" said Mr. Arithmetic, a man dressed in
+iron-gray clothes, with a face which looked dry and hard as one of his
+own kettles, above which was a shock of iron-gray hair, which gave him
+rather a formidable appearance.
+
+"I want to buy four little grates, to put in my house," said Dick,
+standing with his hand on his hip, and speaking in an easy tone, to show
+that he was not afraid of Mr. Arithmetic.
+
+"I understand: my four first sums--Addition, Multiplication, Division,
+and Subtraction;" and the learned ironmonger pointed to a pile of some
+hundreds of the articles required by Dick.
+
+"They are such simple, light little things," observed the boy, "that
+I'll carry off a couple with ease."
+
+"As far as mere weight goes," said Pride, "you might bear away all four
+at once; but they are rather awkward to hold, and, if I understood you
+aright, you are obliged to carry all your purchases yourself."
+
+"Ay," observed Mr. Arithmetic with a grim smile, "when the Prince of
+Wales himself came to shop in our town, he was obliged to be his own
+porter. Governesses and tutors may pack up the loads, but the pupils
+have the carrying after all."
+
+"I certainly could manage two grates at once," observed Dick.
+
+"I would advise you to be content with one at a time," said Arithmetic,
+"and come for the second to-morrow."
+
+"Pick me out four good ones, not too small," cried Dick, trying to speak
+with an air of command; "I'll walk in further with my comrade, and have
+a look at yonder machines."
+
+"Don't go too near those in work," said Mr. Arithmetic to Dick; "little
+boys may get into trouble if they meddle with things that they don't
+understand."
+
+"Perhaps I can understand rather more than he supposes," muttered Dick,
+walking with head erect, and nose in the air, and a sort of swaggering
+step, which he probably thought best suited for a genius.
+
+He passed on between rows of strange machines, whose use he could
+scarcely guess at; but he was ashamed to show any ignorance while Pride
+was close at his side. At last Dick stopped before a turning-lathe,
+which had been made by a man called Euclid, and watched with interest
+and surprise all the curious articles called problems, which a clever
+workman was every few minutes forming with the circular saw.
+
+"That does not look such hard work after all," said Dick; "the man has
+only to hold up the wood to that curious whirling machine, and it cuts
+it right into shape in a second. I think that I could do that myself."
+
+"I should not advise you to try," said the workman, as he stopped his
+lathe for a short time, to go and look for a piece of hard wood. Pride
+glanced meaningly at Dick, and the boy's foot was in a minute on the
+board whose motion turned the circular saw.
+
+"Give me that problem, I'll show you what I can do!" cried the eager
+Dick to his prompter; the next sound that he uttered was a yell, as the
+saw cut one of his fingers almost to the bone!
+
+The cry drew Mr. Arithmetic to the spot. "Is the hand off?" was his cold
+hard question.
+
+Poor Dick held up his bleeding finger.
+
+"You've got your lesson cheaply," said the iron-gray man; "you had
+better know your own powers a little better before you meddle with
+matters like this. Wrap up your finger in your handkerchief, take up
+your grate, and be gone."
+
+Much mortified by his morning's adventure, poor Dick in silence obeyed,
+not making an attempt to burden himself then with anything but a simple
+sum of Addition. It would have been well indeed for the boy if the
+experience of that day had cured him of his foolish presumption, and
+made him give up the company of Pride.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MISS FOLLY.
+
+
+"Oh, dear! how frightful this great big DUNCE looks upon my wall!" cried
+poor Lubin; "and how shall I ever get rid of it? It's always staring me
+in the face, and telling tales of me to every one that comes into the
+room! What shall I do with the ugly thing?"
+
+"Cover it over, dear Lubin," said Nelly, who felt for her brother's
+distress.
+
+"Does it not look hideous?" cried Lubin, looking round with a woe-begone
+face.
+
+"It does look hideous indeed, and, if I were you, I would paper it over
+directly. No one could see it then."
+
+"It's too high for me to reach," sighed Lubin.
+
+"Yes, unless you were to use--" Nelly hesitated, for she knew Lubin's
+dislike to the ladder of Spelling.
+
+"I know what you mean," said Lubin gloomily; "but I won't use that
+ladder just now. Perhaps--there's no saying--perhaps some day I may
+learn to spell without stumbling, and get rid of that hateful word
+DUNCE."
+
+"No time like the present," suggested little Nelly, with a smile.
+
+"Not to-day, I say; I'm not in the humour; I've no fancy for a tumble on
+the floor."
+
+"Have you a fancy, then, to go with me to Mr. Arithmetic's, to get
+grates for our little fireplaces?"
+
+"That's where Dick cut his finger yesterday?"
+
+"Yes; poor Dick!" exclaimed Nelly; "but we won't go so near to the
+machines."
+
+"I'll keep at arms' length from all problems," cried Lubin. "Well, if
+you are going to the ironmonger's shop, we may just as well go together.
+Is Dick to be of the party?"
+
+"No," replied Nelly; "yesterday's mishap had made him rather dislike
+Arithmetic, though the accident did not happen in his part of the
+building. But I hope that Matty will come; I was just going to invite
+her."
+
+Casting one more vexed glance at the great DUNCE on his wall, Lubin
+sallied forth from his cottage with Nelly. As they crossed over the
+little green space to Matty's door, they heard such a jabber of voices
+within her cottage, that one might have thought that the little
+dwelling was full of chattering magpies.
+
+In the parlour appeared Matty on her knees, examining with eager praises
+the contents of a large box of millinery open before her; while, talking
+so fast that she could hardly be understood, a curious creature stood
+beside her, whose dress, manner, and appearance, amazed both Lubin and
+Nelly.
+
+The stranger was by nature very small and mean in appearance; but she
+had puffed out her dress with crinoline and hoops to a size so immense,
+that she half filled up Matty's little parlour, and it was hard to
+imagine how she had contrived to squeeze herself through the doorway.
+She had seven very full flounces, each of a different colour, adorned
+with flowers and beads. Her waist had been pulled in very tightly
+indeed, till it resembled that of a wasp; and a quantity of gaudy
+jewellery shone on her neck and arms. But the head-dress of Miss
+Folly--for this was she--was still more peculiar than her figure. An
+immense plume of peacock's feathers stuck upright in her frizzled red
+hair, which was all drawn back from her forehead, to show as much as
+possible of her face. Her great goggle eyes were rolling about with a
+perpetual motion to match that of her tongue; and her cheeks, rouged
+till they looked like peonies, were dotted over with black bits of
+plaster. I don't know, dear reader, whether Miss Folly be an
+acquaintance of yours; if so, I hope that you will excuse my saying
+that, notwithstanding her rouge and her jewels, I consider her a perfect
+fright.
+
+But here let us make no mistake. I know that there are certain persons
+who confuse between Miss Folly and Miss Fun, and fancy that these are
+names for one and the same person. I assure you that this is not the
+case; Folly and Fun are perfectly distinct. I own that laughing,
+singing, playful little Fun, is rather a pet of my own; she and I have
+had pleasant hours together; nay, I have actually consulted her when
+writing this very book. It is true that she needs to be kept in order,
+for her spirits get sometimes a little too wild; she must be forbidden
+to do any mischief, or give pain to any creature living. But when under
+good control, Fun is a bright and charming companion, especially to the
+young; and I delight in hearing her merry laugh, and in watching her
+sparkling eyes. But as for Folly, I cannot abide her; her mirth only
+makes me sad. Perhaps, before they lay down my book, my readers may more
+clearly distinguish what qualities make Miss Folly unlike that general
+favourite--Fun.
+
+[Illustration: Miss Folly went jabbering on: "Just try that bonnet on
+your head." _Page 73._]
+
+It was clear that Matty Desley was very well satisfied with her
+companion, and she turned over the wares with delight, as Miss Folly
+went jabbering on,--
+
+"There, now; that's something that I can quite recommend; it's decidedly
+_� la mode_, worn by all the duchesses, countesses, baronesses, and lady
+mayoresses, at all the balls, routs, conversaziones, and concerts given
+this season! And--yes, just try that bonnet on your head, and look at
+yourself in this glass"--(Folly always carries a glass)--"doesn't it show
+off the charming face?--doesn't it suit the pretty complexion?--doesn't
+it make you look quite bewitching, a lovely little fairy as you are?"
+
+"Matty!" cried Lubin, the moment Folly paused to take breath, "we're
+going to Arithmetic the ironmonger; will you come with us and buy a new
+grate?"
+
+    "Multiplication is a vexation,
+       Addition is as bad;
+     The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,
+       And Fractions make me mad!"
+
+cried Folly, rolling her goggle eyes, and thinking herself quite a wit.
+
+"Was it not at Arithmetic's factory that Dick hurt himself yesterday?"
+said Matty.
+
+"Hurt himself, did he?" interrupted Folly, who seemed resolved to take
+the largest share of the conversation. "Why did he not come to me for a
+salve? I've the best salve that ever was invented--Flattery salve,
+warranted to heal all manner of bruises and sores; yes, headaches, and
+heartaches, and all kinds of aches. It's patronized by all the heads of
+the nobility and gentry. I've tried it myself many a time, and always
+find it a perfect cure! When I've the high-strikes (I'm very subject to
+the high-strikes), I just rub a little on the tip of my ear, and it
+calms down my nerves like a charm. I wish you would try it!" she cried,
+turning to Lubin.
+
+"I'm not subject to high-strikes, and don't want Flattery salve," said
+the boy, in his blunt, simple manner; "all I want is to know whether
+you, Matty, will go with us to the town of Education."
+
+"I can't go to-day!" cried Matty, annoyed at being interrupted by her
+brother and sister; "I shall want every minute of Time's money to buy
+some of Miss Folly's pretty things!"
+
+"Leave Miss Folly, I should say," cried Lubin, who had no want of plain
+common-sense; "a pleasant, good-humoured smile makes a face look nicer
+than all that flummery there."
+
+"Dear Matty, the days go fast," said Nelly, "and you know that our
+mother expects to find our cottages well furnished on her return. I
+really think that we've no Time money to spare upon what can be of no
+possible use."
+
+"What would my Lady Fashion, my most particular friend, say if she
+could hear you?" exclaimed Folly, who had been struggling to get in a
+word, much talking being very characteristic of Folly; "she--Lady
+Fashion I mean--is always for the ornamental; the useful she leaves to
+the vulgar. As for your sister there" (Folly only condescended to speak
+to Matty), "she knows nothing, I see, of flounces, furbelows, fringes,
+and flowers; she'd put on a bonnet back part forward, or a shawl wrong
+side out; and she looks like a whipping-post, or a thread-paper, or
+a--"
+
+"Oh, stop that jabber, will you!" cried Lubin, putting his hands to his
+ears.
+
+"Come with us, Matty," entreated Nelly, "and buy something solid and
+useful. Summer will soon be over, and when cold weather comes, what
+should we do without grates?"
+
+"I can't come, and I won't come!" cried Matty pettishly; "don't you see
+that I'm exceedingly busy?"
+
+"Come away, Nelly," said Lubin; "leave her to her fine Miss Folly; let
+her furnish her head, if she likes it, with fairies, furbelows, and
+flounces!"
+
+Off went the brother and sister, but they had proceeded some way from
+the door before they got beyond reach of the sound of Miss Folly's
+chattering tongue.
+
+Down hill Puzzle, across brook Bother, along Trouble lane, fat little
+Lubin and Nelly went very sociably together.
+
+"I don't think that you're as lame as you were," said the boy.
+
+"The way seems shorter than it did," observed Nelly; "but one feels the
+hill most when coming back."
+
+As the children passed Mr. Reading's fine shop, little Alphabet peeped
+through the grating, to the no small annoyance of Lubin.
+
+"Ha, ha! my brave fellow!" cried the dwarf, "have you mounted the ladder
+of Spelling, and have you now come to jump over my head?"
+
+Lubin did not answer, but quickened his pace. He and his sister soon
+found themselves at the bottom of Multiplication stairs.
+
+"I wonder how we shall ever get up to the top?" thought lame Nelly, as,
+with rather a disconsolate air, she glanced up the twelve flights of
+steps.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A VISIT TO ARITHMETIC.
+
+
+"It's a dreadful pull up this staircase!" exclaimed Lubin, as panting
+and puffing he stopped half-way, his fat round face flushed with fatigue
+till it looked almost the colour of a cock's comb.
+
+"It is dreadfully tiring!" sighed Nelly, pausing a moment to take
+breath.
+
+"It is worse than the ladder of Spelling!" cried Lubin. "I vote that we
+go back at once."
+
+"Oh no, dear Lubin!" said his sister, immediately starting again on her
+weary ascent--"perseverance, you know, conquers difficulties;" and as
+she uttered the words, the lame girl stumbled at that step _seven times
+eight_.
+
+"You'll never succeed," observed Lubin.
+
+"I'll try again," said the patient Nelly; and slowly but steadily she
+mounted.
+
+Her example encouraged her brother to follow.
+
+"I say, Nelly," observed Lubin, "what a plague all this education
+furnishing is! What lucky dogs those savages are who live in caves that
+want no fittings, and who have never heard of Reading papers, or ladders
+of Spelling, or this horrible Multiplication!"
+
+Nelly could not help laughing.
+
+"The very same thought was passing through my head," said she; "but I
+tried to drive it away, for it seemed to be only fit for Miss Folly."
+
+"Perhaps a cave might not be so very pleasant," rejoined Lubin. "But I
+wish that some good-natured fairy could furnish these cottages of ours
+with a stroke of her wand, and save us all this terrible trouble."
+
+"It would not be so good for us, I daresay," said Nelly, stumbling again
+at _nine times six_.
+
+"And why not?" inquired her brother.
+
+"Why," replied Nelly, as she rubbed her bruised ankle, "I think that the
+trouble and pain serve to exercise our patience and perseverance, and to
+make us more fit to meet the trials which are sure to come when we are
+older. Besides," she added, still mounting as she spoke, "we take more
+pleasure in that which has cost us trouble than in that which we get
+with ease; and it is real enjoyment to feel that a difficulty has been
+overcome."
+
+"I'm sure that we can have no pleasure from this Multiplication stair."
+
+"Oh yes, when we get to the top!" cried Nelly, who had just reached the
+pleasant tenth flight, and now went along it hand in hand with her
+brother at a pace that was almost rapid.
+
+"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Lubin, not long after, as he stood panting on
+the topmost step.
+
+"Oh, what a charming view!" exclaimed Nelly. "I'm so glad that we
+persevered!"
+
+"It's a tremendous big place, this town of Education," said Lubin,
+looking down from his height. "I don't like the look of all those
+Ologies. I'm afraid that a great lot of things are required for a really
+well-furnished house."
+
+"We have only to think of our grates at present," said Nelly. "Please
+keep close beside me, Lubin; for I've heard that Mr. Arithmetic is a
+terribly hard man, and I'm rather afraid to face him."
+
+So again, hand in hand, the two children walked into the big shop
+together, and looked in wonder, as Dick had done, at the great heaps of
+goods within it.
+
+"We won't go near that machinery part," whispered Lubin. "One of these
+big thundering engines would crack my poor head like a nutshell."
+
+"What do you want?" asked the iron-gray man, coming from behind a great
+pile of coal-scuttles.
+
+Nelly squeezed Lubin's hand to make him speak first, for she was a shy
+little girl.
+
+"We each want four sum-grates, for four little fireplaces," said
+Lubin--"the very lightest that you can give us. I should like some no
+bigger than my shoe."
+
+"You're made of different metal from the young fellow whom we had here
+yesterday," said Arithmetic, looking down with some scorn at the fat
+little boy. "You'll never cut your fingers by meddling with problems, I
+guess."
+
+"You may answer for that," said Lubin.
+
+Mr. Arithmetic, without further delay, produced specimens of his four
+simplest kinds of sum grates, like those from which Dick had been
+supplied. Lubin and Nelly soon chose Addition as their first purchase
+from Arithmetic--a grate so small and so light that even the little girl
+supported the burden with tolerable ease.
+
+"You must come back to-morrow for something a little heavier," said Mr.
+Arithmetic. "Addition is simple enough; but Division needs a little
+greater effort of strength."
+
+"We've done grand things to-day," exclaimed Lubin; "it's time enough to
+think about to-morrow."
+
+"Oh, I will certainly come back then!" cried Nelly, not a little pleased
+at her present success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE WONDERFUL BOY.
+
+
+That evening Dick and his dark companion Pride sat in his cottage
+together. The boy looked out of spirits or out of temper. Perhaps his
+cut still pained him; perhaps the perpetual patter of the shower which
+was falling made him gloomy and dull, for a violent rain had come on,
+which continued during the whole of that night.
+
+"Who would have thought," said Pride, "that lazy Lubin and lame Nelly
+would have mounted so bravely to the top of Multiplication staircase,
+and have carried back, safely over Bother, such nice little grates of
+Addition? You must really look sharp, Dick Desley, or they'll furnish
+their cottages before you."
+
+"Before me!" exclaimed Dick, with a sneer. "I could do more with my
+little finger than Lubin with all his fat fist."
+
+"Certainly," observed Pride, "it would be an intolerable disgrace to a
+clever fellow like you if you let any one get before you. You are not
+one who would endure to see another winning from you the crown of
+Success."
+
+"I'll never see _that_," cried Dick, haughtily. "I should like to know
+who has a chance against me!"
+
+"No one has the smallest chance against you, if you only exert
+yourself," said Pride. "If I were you I would put forth my powers, and
+do something to astonish them all."
+
+"I will!" cried Dick, with decision. "I'll go to Arithmetic to-morrow,
+and bring back the three remaining sum-grates all at once. But what
+wretched weather we have this evening!" he exclaimed; "I'm afraid all
+the brightness of summer is going. And what's that on my wall--that dull
+stain as of damp, that seems creeping over my paper?"
+
+"It is merely caused by the rain. I should think nothing of it," said
+Pride.
+
+But Dick did think something of the stain. He saw that it marred the
+beauty of that upon which he had bestowed much diligent labour.
+
+"I'll cross over to Nelly's cottage," he said, "and see if the damp is
+staining hers also."
+
+Nelly was busy fixing in her grate. She looked upon her brother with a
+smile.
+
+"How kind to come and see me through the rain!"
+
+"I did not come to see you, but your paper. How is this?--there is not a
+damp spot upon it!"
+
+"Nor on Lubin's neither," remarked Nelly. "But I was with Matty just
+now, and the damp shows sadly on her fairies."
+
+"What on earth can make the difference?" cried Dick.
+
+"I do not know, unless--unless--" Nelly hesitated before she
+added--"unless it be that both Matty and you used the paste that Pride
+recommended."
+
+"That has nothing to do with it," said Dick, as he quitted the cottage
+in displeasure.
+
+But Nelly had been right in her guess. There will be an ugly stain upon
+any work which we only pursue with zeal because we want to _outdo_
+others in it.
+
+Dick did not make his appearance on the following morning at the
+breakfast-table. The children still took their meals at the house
+Needful till their cottages should be better prepared.
+
+"I am so glad that it has stopped raining," said Nelly, when she had
+finished her breakfast. "I have been wishing for the weather to clear,
+for I promised Mr. Arithmetic that I would go back for the grate of
+Division. Matty, dear, you will come with us to-day?"
+
+Matty had come down to breakfast in a dress almost as ridiculously fine
+as that worn by Miss Folly herself. She tossed her head, and replied,--
+
+"I've something better to do than to buy, or carry, or scrub wretched
+sum-grates of Arithmetic. I'm going out with Miss Folly, to be
+introduced to some of her friends."
+
+"But, Matty, the grates are quite necessary," urged Nelly. "We are soon
+to take up our quarters in our cottages, and sleep there as well as
+work. What shall we do when the cold weather comes if we've no means of
+having a fire?"
+
+"How shall we cook our dinners?" asked Lubin. "If there's one thing more
+useful in a house than anything else, I should say it is a grate in the
+kitchen."
+
+"Oh, Miss Folly tells me never to look forward to winter," cried Matty,
+"but just enjoy myself while I can. So I am not going to plague myself
+with either Addition or Division to-day. To look after such vulgar
+things is only a shopkeeper's business."
+
+"But what will mother say," persisted Nelly, "if she find your cottage
+unfurnished?"
+
+"Unfurnished, indeed!" cried Matty. "It will be far better furnished
+than yours. I mean to have French mirrors, and Italian paintings, and
+German glass and china. I shall get a tambourine also, and perhaps some
+day a guitar. Miss Folly tells me that Lady Fashion, her most particular
+friend, has all these; and though they make a fine show, they are not so
+dear as one would think."
+
+"They are all good and beautiful things, I daresay," began Nelly;
+"but--"
+
+"But grates must come before mirrors, and carpets before German china,"
+laughed Lubin. "We must buy what is needful first, and think of what is
+pretty afterwards."
+
+"That may be your way; but it is not my way, and it was never the way of
+Miss Folly," cried Matty, as she flaunted out of the house.
+
+"I wonder at Dick being so late," observed Nelly; "we ought to be off to
+the town."
+
+"He is not late, but early," said Lubin. "He had had his breakfast, and
+started for the town of Education, before I was out of my bed."
+
+"I wish that he had waited for us," cried Nelly; "it is so nice to go
+through our work all together. You and I had now better set off."
+
+"I'm going presently," replied Lubin. "I've just five minutes to spare;
+and I'm about to step round to Amusement's bazaar, hard by here, to get
+a few barley-sugar drops, to refresh me on my wearisome walk."
+
+"I think that you had better delay your visit to the bazaar until you
+have done your business with Mr. Arithmetic. Our mother's proverb, you
+know, is, 'Duty first, and pleasure afterwards.' The sky is dark, the
+weather uncertain; we may be stopped from going altogether if we do not
+start off at once."
+
+"I should like to be stopped altogether," said Lubin, with a smile. "I
+should not care if I never took another journey to the town of
+Education."
+
+"What! after all that you said to Matty about the necessity of grates?"
+
+"Ah, yes; they are needful enough, but they are not needed just at this
+moment. You may go on if you like it, I'll get my sugar-drops first. Set
+off now, I'll soon overtake you; I won't spend much time at
+Amusement's."
+
+Nelly sighed, but she saw that there was no use in further entreaty, so
+she set forth alone. The path down hill was slippery and wet from the
+rain that had fallen at night--a sister's kind word, or a brother's
+strong arm, would have been a real comfort now to the lame little girl.
+Often and often did Nelly turn and look behind her, to see if Lubin
+were not following after; but in vain she looked, not a sign appeared on
+the hill of the fat little sluggard.
+
+Nelly came to the stream of Bother. The brook was muddy and swollen, and
+went racing on faster than usual. The stepping-stones were scarcely seen
+above the brown waters that eddied around them.
+
+"Oh dear, oh dear; I wish that Lubin or Dick were with me!" cried poor
+Nelly, as she gave one more anxious glance behind her. "It is miserable
+to have to go alone across such a stream as this." She put her little
+foot upon the first stone, she fancied that it trembled beneath her
+weight--then on the next, she was almost in the water. It was nothing
+but a strong sense of duty that made the poor child go on. With
+trembling steps and dizzy brain she proceeded on her dangerous way, and
+great was her relief when she reached in safety the farther shore.
+
+"One difficulty is happily past, but how shall I enter the great town
+all alone? how shall I climb the wearisome stair? how shall I face cold
+stern Mr. Arithmetic, with no brother or sister to back me?" such were
+the reflections of Nelly as she made her way slowly along the muddy lane
+of Trouble. Some of my readers may have experienced what a dull and
+discouraging thing it is to do business all by one's self in the town of
+Education.
+
+One difficulty, however, Nelly found less great than she had expected it
+to be. It is a curious fact, but well known to all, that those who have
+once mounted Multiplication staircase never complain any more of its
+steepness. Nelly ascended it without a single stumble, till, when she
+had almost reached the top, she met her brother Dick coming down from
+Mr. Arithmetic's. What was her astonishment to see the strong boy laden
+with three grates fastened together, Division, Subtraction,
+Multiplication, placed one on the top of another!
+
+"O Dick, you can never carry all that at once!"
+
+"I do carry all at once, as you may see," replied Dick, with a smile of
+triumph; "I'd advise you to get out of my way, lest I knock you over the
+staircase."
+
+"Surely, surely you can't bear that great burden across the swollen
+brook, or up the steep hill."
+
+"Take no fears for me: I can't fail with the crown of Success in my
+view!" exclaimed Dick, bearing his three grates aloft, as some warrior
+might carry his banner.
+
+"If you would only wait a few minutes for me," began Nelly, but Dick at
+once cut her short.
+
+"I wait for nobody!" he cried, pushing past his lame little sister. "If
+you had been up this morning as early as I was, you might have enjoyed
+the pleasure of my company." And so saying, Dick and his iron grates
+went clattering down the staircase.
+
+Alone poor Nelly entered the shop, alone she took up her purchase, and
+alone she descended the twelve flights of steps, trembling under the
+weight of Division, which she had found a much more serious burden than
+little Addition had been.
+
+"How could Dick carry _three_ grates at a time," thought Nelly, "when
+one is almost more than I can support. But then I'm a poor, stupid,
+lame, little creature, and Dick--oh, Dick is a wonderful boy!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE THIEF OF TIME.
+
+
+When Lubin had said that he would not spend much Time money at Amusement
+bazaar, he had fully intended to keep his word. He meant to go steadily
+on his walk to Education, or, as we might call it, "do his lessons," so
+soon as he had had a little diversion. But let me advise all my dear
+young readers to put off their visits to Mrs. Amusement's till they have
+spent such hours as business requires in the town of Education. Let them
+count their money before they set out, spend a good portion of it wisely
+and well, and then, with light hearts and easy consciences, they may go
+to refresh and enjoy themselves at Mrs. Amusement's bazaar.
+
+Which of us does not know that bazaar? It lies on the further side of
+hill Puzzle, very near to the cottages of Head, and a beautiful large
+cherry-tree hangs its branches over the door. The house is not lofty,
+but low and wide, with a multitude of bright little windows. It is
+divided within into numerous stalls, each possessing separate
+attractions. There is one much frequented by boys, where bats and balls,
+bows and arrows, models of boats, and little brass guns are seen in
+great profusion. At another stall there are pretty dolls of every size
+and shape, wooden, wax, and gutta-percha; some made to open and shut
+their eyes, and some to utter a sound. There are few prettier sights
+than that of a number of rosy, good-humoured children, who have finished
+their lessons well, and are going, each with a bright hour or two in his
+hand, to the bazaar of Mrs. Amusement.
+
+The stall that most attracted fat Lubin was one at which sweetmeats were
+sold: raspberry, strawberry, pine-apple drops, bull's-eye, pink rock,
+and chocolate sticks, barley-sugar twisted into shapes more various than
+I can describe or remember. Lubin had taken his five minutes in his
+hand, and now spent them easily enough; but there were more, oh, many
+more things that he thought that he would like from the stall. He went
+humming on as he examined the sweetmeats a favourite proverb of his,
+"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." But the fat little dunce
+might have added, "All play and no work will make Lubin a duller."
+
+Full of interest in all that he saw, with his eyes greedily fixed on
+the stall, Lubin did not notice a lean, small figure, which, softly as a
+serpent on the grass, had stolen up to his side. This was no other than
+Procrastination, a pickpocket well known to the police, who had often
+been caught in the very act of robbing her Majesty's subjects of Time,
+had been tried and sent to prison, but on getting out had always
+returned to his bad occupation again. The poet Young long ago set up a
+placard to warn men to take care of their pockets, giving notice to all
+concerned that "_Procrastination is the thief of Time_;" but, in spite
+of this warning, there are few amongst us who must not own with regret
+that the stealthy hand of Procrastination has robbed us of many an hour.
+
+Have you never suffered from Procrastination, good reader? It is he who
+makes us _put off_ till to-morrow what ought to be done to-day. It is he
+who whispers, "It will be time enough," when a duty should be performed
+directly. If you are aware, at this very moment, while you sit with this
+book in your hand, that you ought to be busy with Arithmetic, or should
+write a letter to a friend, or do some little piece of business, start
+up without an instant's delay, shut this book with a clap; perhaps you
+may then catch between its leaves the sly fingers of thief
+Procrastination.
+
+Poor Lubin was not on his guard: he noticed not the form that crept
+after him as noiselessly as a shadow. Procrastination took the
+opportunity when the boy's attention was most engaged with the
+sweetmeats, to draw out Time's fairy purse, and rifle it of its precious
+contents. Silently then he replaced the purse emptied for that day, in
+hopes, perhaps, that when the morrow filled it with new hours and
+minutes, he might rob its possessor again of the treasure which he
+guarded so badly.
+
+"Well, now," exclaimed Lubin, "I can't stop much longer, for I promised
+Nelly to follow her quickly, and I know that I ought to be at Mr.
+Arithmetic's by this time. I'll just spend two or three minutes more on
+those sugar-plums shaped like marbles, and then away to my business and
+work like a man."
+
+So Lubin plunged his fat hand into his pocket, and drew forth his purse
+of Time. In went his fingers, fumbling about to pull out the minutes
+that he wanted, but he fumbled and felt in vain--not an hour was
+left--not a single little minute, to pay for what he required.
+
+"It's that rogue Procrastination who has robbed me!" exclaimed the
+indignant boy, as turning sharply round he caught a glimpse of a slim
+little figure sneaking round the corner of a counter.
+
+Lubin instantly gave chase. Fat as he was, it was wonderful to see how
+he dodged the pickpocket, first round this stall, then round that,
+shouting all the time, "Stop, thief! stop, thief!" as loudly as he could
+bawl. I need scarcely add that all the boy's efforts were useless. Who
+ever yet recovered lost Time? Out of breath and out of heart, poor Lubin
+stopped panting at last; Procrastination had had a fair start, and
+carried off his spoil in triumph.
+
+"There's no use in attempting to go to Education to-day, I've not a
+minute left," was Lubin's sorrowful reflection. "Oh, that I had started
+with my sister, had thought of my business before my play, what useful
+things I might then have bought with the hours which are now lost to me
+for ever!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+DUTY AND AFFECTION.
+
+
+In the meantime, poor Nelly had been wearily wending her way along the
+lane of Trouble, with her burdensome Division on her shoulder. She felt,
+as many a little student has felt, quite out of humour for work; her
+arms ached, and so did her head; the mud in the lane was so deep that
+she could scarcely keep on her shoes, and she sometimes sank in it
+almost up to her ankle.
+
+Thus in sorrowful plight the lame girl at last reached the brook of
+Bother. Its brown turbid waters looked rougher and deeper and dirtier
+than they ever had done before. The stepping-stones had almost
+disappeared!
+
+Nelly Desley heaved a long weary sigh as she looked before her, and
+rubbed her forehead very hard, as puzzled children are wont to do.
+
+"Oh, this tiresome Division, how shall I ever manage it! I never saw
+Bother so bad. _Nine's in fifty-nine_"--another violent rub; "I know
+what will be _in_, a poor little girl will be in brook Bother!--and
+_what's to be carried_? why this grate is to be carried, and a very
+_great_ vexation it is."
+
+Weary Nelly sat down, almost in despair, on a stone by the bank of the
+stream. What object attracted her eye, some yards lower down the current
+of the brook, round which the muddy waves were eddying and rolling?
+
+"Why--can it be?--yes, there are Dick's three grates all together,
+Division, Multiplication, and Subtraction!" Nelly started up in alarm:
+"Oh, what can have become of my brother?"
+
+A little reflection soon reassured Nelly. Dick, the most active of boys,
+and a famous swimmer besides, could not have come to much harm in a
+brook in which, though many have been ducked, no one has ever yet been
+quite drowned. It seemed clear that the boy had found the weight which,
+prompted by Pride, he had tried to carry, somewhat too much for his
+strength; and, being unable to carry it across the waters of Bother, had
+flung down his tiresome burden, which, by the force of its own weight,
+had stuck fast in the mud of the brook.
+
+"Well, if Dick has failed, I need not mind failing," cried Nelly. "I
+think that I'll do what he has done, and fling away this horrid
+Division,--oh, what a relief that would be! But still, would it not be
+foolish--would it not be wrong--to give way so to impatience? My dear
+mother bade me obey Mr. Learning for her sake, she wishes my cottage to
+be properly furnished; I must not be a sluggard or a coward. I must do
+my best to get over this Bother."
+
+"Well resolved--bravely resolved," said a voice on the other side of the
+brook; and from behind the clump of willows which drooped their long
+branches in the stream, Nelly saw two beautiful maidens come forth. They
+were like, and yet unlike, each other. Both were very fair to look on,
+both of noble height and graceful mien; but the one had an air of more
+stately dignity, such as might beseem a queen; and her large dark eyes
+looked graver and more thoughtful than those of her sister. The other
+had smiling soft blue eyes, beaming with tender love, and the sunlight
+fell on her golden hair till it seemed like a glory around her.
+
+These lovely maidens were no strangers to Nelly, almost from her infancy
+she had looked upon them as friends; many sweet counsels and good gifts
+had the lame little girl received from Duty and Affection.
+
+"Oh, Duty!" exclaimed Nelly, who was rejoiced to find herself no longer
+alone, "only show me how I can get across, and I will not mind labour or
+trouble."
+
+Duty retired for a few moments to her retreat behind the willows, and
+then returned, bearing on her shoulder a narrow plank. With the help of
+smiling Affection she placed this across the stream.
+
+"This plank, dear child," said calm, stately Duty, "was cut from the
+tree of Patience, and small as it seems, can well support your weight.
+Boldly venture upon it; the stream runs fast to-day, you are no longer
+able to ford it, but on the plank of Patience you safely can pass
+across."
+
+Giddy and tired as she felt, Nelly instantly obeyed the voice of Duty,
+and placed her foot on the plank. Duty leant forward, and held out her
+firm hand to aid her, and soon the trembling child and her wearisome
+burden were safe on the bank nearest to the cottages of Head.
+
+"Oh, I am so glad to be well over!" exclaimed Nelly, and with exceeding
+pleasure she looked up in the face of Duty, and smiled.
+
+"And now sit down and rest yourself, dear one," said Affection,
+spreading a thick mantle on the grass, that its dampness might not hurt
+the child.
+
+"May I?" asked Nelly timidly of Duty.
+
+The beauteous maiden bowed her head in assent. There was no sternness
+now in her look; Duty is no enemy to innocent enjoyment--rather should
+we say that there is no real enjoyment but that which is found by those
+who take Duty for their guide and their friend.
+
+"See, here is refreshment for you," said Affection, placing before the
+wearied child a rich cluster of delicious fruit. How sweet is such
+refreshment given by the hand of Affection, how doubly sweet after
+efforts made at the call of Duty!
+
+Never, perhaps, had Nelly Desley passed a happier hour than she did now
+on the bank of that stream which she had crossed with such trouble and
+fear. She now looked with pleasure at the waves as they rushed so
+rapidly by her.
+
+One thought only disturbed little Nelly. "Poor Dick! I wish that I knew
+of his safety," said she.
+
+"He is safe enough," replied Duty; "but there, as you may see, lie his
+three grates in the mud of the stream."
+
+"If he had only had the plank of Patience," exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"It was offered to him as well as to you," said Duty with a graver air;
+"and I thought at first that your brother would have gladly accepted my
+offer. But there came to this shore of the brook a dark, ill-favoured
+lad--"
+
+"It must have been Pride!" exclaimed Nelly, who knew too well her
+brother's companion.
+
+"This Pride," continued Duty, "began to taunt and to scoff. 'Holloa!' he
+shouted across the stream, 'will a genius like you stoop to be directed
+by a woman! Duty is for slaves, and Patience for donkeys. Kick aside
+that miserable plank, and clear the brook with a bound, as you've often
+cleared it before.'"
+
+"Dick is a wonderful boy for jumping," cried Nelly, who greatly admired
+her brother.
+
+"He jumped once too often," observed Duty; "this time he jumped not over
+but into the brook, and mighty was the splash which he made!"
+
+Even gentle Affection could scarcely help laughing at the recollection
+of the scene.
+
+"But he scrambled out!" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Yes; very muddy, and wet, and cross, leaving all his three grates
+behind him. I do not know whether Pride dried Dick's clothes, and wiped
+off the mud, they both ran off as fast as they could; I think that your
+brother was ashamed to be seen, after having so scornfully refused the
+aid of Affection and Duty."
+
+It was now time for Nelly to continue her walk and return to her own
+little cottage. Her beautiful friends accompanied her all the way up
+hill Puzzle, and made the steep way quite pleasant by their cheerful,
+wise conversation. Tiring as her lonely expedition to the town of
+Education had been, Nelly never in future times remembered without a
+feeling of enjoyment her little adventure by the brook where she had met
+with Duty and Affection.
+
+Dick with some trouble recovered his grates from the stream. But he
+never looked at them with pleasure, for they served to remind him of the
+day when, prompted by foolish Pride, he had overtasked his powers, and,
+spurning the plank of Patience, had gone floundering into brook Bother!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+GRAMMAR'S BAZAAR.
+
+
+I cannot undertake to describe all the expeditions to Education, nor the
+various purchases made by the children; but I will here mention the
+first visit made by the Desleys to Grammar's famous bazaar, a place much
+frequented by all those who dwell in the town.
+
+I need hardly tell my readers that Grammar's Bazaar lies in quite an
+opposite direction from Mrs. Amusement's, and that the two concerns have
+no connection whatever with each other. There are no sweetmeats sold in
+the former; the goods are all called _words_, and are arranged in
+perfect order on nine stalls, kept by nine sisters, well known by the
+name of Parts of Speech. These sisters live and work together in the
+greatest harmony and comfort, and are highly respected by all the
+inhabitants of the town of Education. Some indeed call them "slow" and
+"tiresome," and Miss Folly has been heard to declare that the very
+mention of them gives her the fidgets; but neither you nor I, dear
+reader, form our opinions by those of Miss Folly.
+
+It was on a fine morning in summer that Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly
+paid their first visit to Grammar's Bazaar. They entered it by a low
+porch, half choked up with parcels of words tied up in sentences ready
+to be sent to various customers.
+
+"A dull, dark place this is!" exclaimed Lubin; "I would not give
+Amusement's Bazaar for fifty like this."
+
+"Any chance of having one's pocket picked here?" said Dick, with a
+malicious wink at his brother.
+
+"Let's visit all the stalls one after another," cried Matty, "before we
+make any purchase; I like to see all that's to be seen. What a comical
+little body is standing behind the first counter; she is not as big as
+Alphabet, I should say."
+
+"She looks like his sister," observed Nelly; "but I suppose that she is
+one of the Parts of Speech." And she read the name "Article" fastened up
+at the back of the stall.
+
+"What may you sell here, my little lady?" asked Dick, in his easy,
+self-confident way; "I see only three hooks on your counter."
+
+Miss Article Part of Speech had to stand upon a stool that her head
+might peep over the top of her stall. "I'm but a little creature," said
+she, with a good-humoured smile; "_a_, _an_, and _the_ are all the words
+that I'm trusted to sell. If you want to see a larger assortment, pass
+on to my sister Noun; she has many thousands of words to show you,
+models of everything that can be seen, heard, or felt in the world."
+
+Surely enough a most prodigious collection appeared on the counter of
+Noun, a large portly maiden who presided over the stall next to that of
+Article. There were _cups_ and _saucers_, _pins_ and _needles_, _caps_
+and _bonnets_, models of _houses_, _churches_, _beasts_, _birds_, and
+_fishes_, by far too numerous to describe.
+
+"These are all _common_," observed Noun, seeing the eyes of Dick fixed
+admiringly upon the collection; "I have behind me some more curious
+things that have all names of their own," and she pointed to a row of
+small figures. "These are not _common_ but, _proper_," she continued;
+"you will notice here _Wellington_, _Napoleon_, _Nelson_, and our
+gracious sovereign _Victoria_."
+
+[Illustration: Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly paying their first visit to
+Grammar's Bazaar. _Page 103._]
+
+"And oh, look here, at Miss Adjective's counter!" cried Matty; "she
+keeps such a lot of dolls' things to dress up the figures of Noun. A
+_pretty_, _nice_, _curious_ cape--"
+
+"An _absurd_, _ridiculous_, _preposterous_ cap," added Dick.
+
+"Observe," said Adjective with a courteous air, "that I arrange my words
+in three rows, one above another, which I call _degrees of
+comparison_--_positive_, _comparative_, _superlative_."
+
+"I see, I see," exclaimed Dick; "here's a bonnet, _frightful_--that's
+positive; another _more frightful_--that's comparative; and this with
+the superlative yellow tuft, I should call the _most frightful_ of all.
+So, Nelly's clever--that's positive--"
+
+"I don't think so," murmured Nelly.
+
+"Matty's cleverer--that's comparative."
+
+Matty laughed.
+
+"And I am superlatively clever--without doubt the _cleverest_ of all!"
+
+"In your own opinion," growled Lubin.
+
+Nelly wandered on to the next stall, which was kept by the maiden
+Pronoun. Though smaller in size, she was so much like her sister Noun as
+to be frequently taken for her. As it was a trouble to stout Noun to go
+far or move fast, she very often sent Pronoun upon various errands in
+her stead. Pronoun sold not many words; such as she had were mere
+pictures of such as were kept by her sister. _I_, _thou_, _he_, _she_,
+and _it_, and some others which we need not stop to enumerate.
+
+"Here's a famous big stall!" exclaimed Dick, stopping in front of
+Verb's, which was a very remarkable one, being covered with clock-work
+figures all in motion. One could see by them what it is to _plough_, to
+_sow_, to _reap_, to _work_, to _weep_, and to _dance_. The counter of
+Verb was almost as extensive as that of her sister Noun.
+
+"How do you make all these things move?" said Dick with some curiosity
+to Verb.
+
+"I _conjugate_ them; that is, wind them up," she replied, showing a
+small brass key.
+
+"Is it easy to conjugate them?" asked the boy.
+
+"Easy enough with the _regular_ words," replied Verb, "but a good many
+of mine are quite _irregular_ in their construction, and it is hard to
+conjugate them."
+
+"And if one conjugate them carelessly, I suppose," said Dick, "that
+there would be a great crack or whiz, and the whole affair would go to
+smash."
+
+"Oh, don't stop there asking such questions!" cried Lubin; "I'm heartily
+tired of this stupid bazaar--and if you go on so slowly, we shall never
+get to the end!"
+
+"I like to understand things," said Dick; "there's a great deal to
+attract one's attention in this curious counter of Verb."
+
+"Adverb, who keeps the next one," observed Nelly, "sells stands for her
+sister Verb's figures, to display them _nicely_, _prettily_, _safely_!"
+
+"_Badly_, _crookedly_, _awkwardly_!" cried Dick, who was in one of his
+funny moods. "I don't like the look of Adverb, I think that she's given
+to _lies_!"
+
+"The three sisters who have the last stall," whispered Matty to Dick,
+"seem all but poor little creatures!"
+
+"I should call them small, smaller, and smallest, like the three degrees
+of comparison," laughed Dick, "but I see their names at the backs of
+their counters,--Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection."
+
+"Pray, Miss Preposition, what are these?" asked Nelly, as she took up
+some small labels from that lady's stall, with _from_, _by_, _of_, and
+such names upon them.
+
+"They are to show in what _case_ Noun's words are to be packed," replied
+Preposition politely. "You may remark yonder boxes with _Nominative_,
+_Possessive_, and such names painted upon them; it is my business to
+label my sister's goods, that they may be packed according to rule."
+
+"It must be stupid work to deal in nothing but tickets!" exclaimed Dick;
+"if I were a Part of Speech, I'd be Noun rather than Preposition! And
+what has Conjunction to sell?"
+
+"Only little balls of string to tie bundles of words together, such as
+_and_, _either_, _or_; and scissors to divide the bundles, such as
+_neither_, _nor_, _notwithstanding_."
+
+"Oh, come here, come here!" cried Matty eagerly; "there's nothing
+amusing to look at on the counters of Conjunction or Preposition, but
+Interjection has something very funny! Look at these gutta-percha balls
+shaped like faces, some showing pleasure--some horror--some surprise;
+just give them a little squeeze, and hear how you make them squeak!"
+
+Lubin pressed one of the heads between his fat fingers, and _oh! ah!_
+squeaked the red lips.
+
+"I'll try one!" cried Dick, catching up another; "it's so like Matty's
+friend, Miss Folly, that I'm sure that she sat for her likeness!" He
+thumped it down on the counter, and out came a shrill "_lack-a-day!_"
+
+"I think," laughed Nelly, "that Interjection sells the funniest words of
+all!"
+
+"And the ones that we could best do without," said Dick scornfully,
+throwing down the _lack-a-day_ ball.
+
+The children did not leave the Grammar Bazaar empty-handed. I must just
+remark that Matty loaded herself most with words from the stall of
+Adjective, choosing most of them from the Superlative row; and that
+Lubin, notwithstanding the neat labels of Miss Preposition, never knew
+how to put one of the words which he got from Noun or Pronoun into its
+own proper case.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+PRIDE AND FOLLY.
+
+
+One day Mr. Learning, having finished a whole volume of travels for
+breakfast, made up his mind to pay a visit to his charges at the
+cottages of Head. He walked, as usual, at a rapid pace, with long
+strides, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left; his thoughts
+too busy with researches into the manners and peculiarities of distant
+lands, for him to notice how autumnal hues were already tinging the
+trees, or how summer roses were giving place to the convolvulus and the
+dahlia. Mr. Learning did not go empty-handed; he carried with him as
+presents to the young Desleys four small hammers of Memory, and four
+bags of brass nails called Dates.
+
+This time the first cottage which he entered was that of Dick, and he
+would doubtless have been pleased to see the numerous articles for
+ornament and use with which it already was furnished, had not the first
+object which met his eye been the ugly figure of Pride.
+
+Pride was engaged in making a list of all the furniture in Dick's
+dwelling, very much like an auctioneer's puff. Everything, according to
+him, was "first-rate," "of superior quality," or, "fit for the residence
+of any nobleman in the land." Pride sat with his back to the door, and
+therefore was not aware of the entrance of Learning, till the stately
+gentleman in spectacles tapped him on the shoulder with one of the
+hammers.
+
+Up jumped Pride in a moment. He had no time to hide himself, or to beat
+a retreat, so, being one of the most impudent fellows in the world, he
+resolved to brave out the matter with the solemn philosopher.
+
+"I did not expect to find you here again," said Mr. Learning in his
+stiffest and coldest manner.
+
+"Well, I'm surprised to hear that," replied saucy Pride, resting his
+hand on his hip, and trying to look quite at his ease; "as I go
+everywhere, and am welcomed by everybody, it's natural enough that I
+should chance to meet the most potent, grave, and reverend Mr.
+Learning."
+
+"Where is your master?" asked Learning shortly.
+
+"_My_ master, indeed!" echoed Pride; "Dick never yet mastered me. I
+should rather say that I am _his_ master!"
+
+"Where has he gone?" inquired Learning, without seeming to notice the
+insolent remark.
+
+"He has gone to History's shop, to purchase a carpet for his parlour. He
+is sure to select a pattern of the newest and most elegant design."
+
+"Then I leave these for him," said the grave philosopher; "a bag full of
+bright brass Dates, and a hammer of Memory to knock them well in."
+
+"If you had brought a sackful instead of a bagful," observed Pride, "it
+would not have been too much for Dick Desley; and as for the
+hammer--don't you know that he has a prodigiously fine Memory of his
+own?"
+
+Without condescending to reply, Mr. Learning put down his gifts, turned
+round, and, quitting the cottage which harboured so impudent a guest,
+went to the next one, which was Lubin's. The door, as usual, was wide
+open, and the place deserted and empty. Mr. Learning did not even cross
+the threshold, so disgusted was he at the unfurnished, untidy state of
+the sluggard's home.
+
+"I may as well leave these for him, but he'll never know how to use
+them," muttered Learning, throwing in the hammer and nails.
+
+He then crossed over to Matty's pretty cottage. Her door was also ajar,
+and grave Mr. Learning stopped at it for some moments in astonishment
+at the sight which presented itself to his view.
+
+Miss Folly, in her seven flounces, her beads and flowers, peacock's
+plume, rouge, ribbons, and all, was half reclining on the uncarpeted
+floor, engaged in blowing bubbles. As each rose from the bowl of her
+pipe, swelling and shining, and then mounting aloft, she watched it with
+a look of affected delight and admiration in her up-turned eyes. No
+contrast could be imagined greater than that between the stately
+gentleman clothed in black, with his broad intellectual brow, spectacled
+eyes, and grave, solemn manner; and light, fantastical, frivolous Miss
+Folly, clad in the most absurd of styles, but looking as though she
+thought herself the very pink of perfection.
+
+"Dear, who can that funny old fogie be!" exclaimed Folly, as she caught
+sight of grave Mr. Learning.
+
+"Who may _you_ be, and what are you doing?" asked Learning, with less
+politeness than he usually showed to ladies.
+
+"You don't mean to say that you've never heard of me!" cried Folly, her
+words bubbling out fast like water out of a bottle; "you must be Mr.
+Ignorance, if you don't know that I'm Mademoiselle Folly, the most
+particular friend of lovely Lady Fashion, and the inventress of
+tight-lacing, steel-hoops, hair-powder, masks, periwigs--"
+
+"Flattened heads, blackened teeth, nose-rings, lip-rings, and
+tattooing," added Mr. Learning, remembering the account of a tribe of
+savages which he had been reading that morning.
+
+"And as to what I am doing," continued Miss Folly, taking up her pipe,
+which she had laid down on the entrance of a stranger, "I'm very
+usefully employed: I'm furnishing the cottage of Miss Matty Desley."
+
+"Furnishing!" exclaimed Mr. Learning in surprise, as Miss Folly, with
+distended cheeks, commenced blowing another bubble.
+
+Folly was too busy at that moment to reply, even her tongue for a while
+was silent; but after she had succeeded in filling a big bubble, and had
+loosened it from the pipe with a gentle shake, she vouchsafed a little
+explanation.
+
+"Yes, I'm furnishing the cottage with fancies; their poetical name is
+day-dreams, cheap, elegant bubble-fancies."
+
+"You must take me for an idiot!" exclaimed Mr. Learning; "no one in his
+senses could ever dream of furnishing a house with bubbles!"
+
+Miss Folly was so intently gazing after the ascending bubble that she
+seemed to forget even the presence of the sage. As the airy globule
+ascended, she began pouring forth a stream of disconnected nonsense,
+seeming to speak merely for her own pleasure, as her words could
+certainly not be intended for the information of any listener.
+
+"A carriage and four--sleek bays with long tails; no, white horses
+with pretty pink rosettes, and harness all glittering with silver!
+Drive through London--up and down Hyde Park--taken for the
+Queen--bowing--smiling--ah me, the bubble has burst!"
+
+"This is some poor creature that has lost her wits!" thought the
+astonished Mr. Learning, scarcely knowing whether to regard Miss Folly
+with pity or with contempt. Already another bubble was swelling on the
+bowl of her pipe, and in a minute another bright ball was floating aloft
+in the air.
+
+"Exquisite beauty--great attractions--such a voice--such a manner--such
+a killing smile! An ode from the poet-laureate; bouquets, sent without
+end; roses in the middle of winter; a hundred and fifty scented pink
+notes on Valentine's day; the star of the season; the--lack-a-day! that
+lovely bubble has gone for ever!"
+
+"It's time that I should go too," said Mr. Learning; "I've heard enough
+of nonsense to last for a lifetime!"
+
+He was about to depart when Matty suddenly burst into the cottage, in
+her eager haste almost knocking down her astonished guardian with a roll
+of goods which she carried on her shoulder. The shock of the collision
+was great, but not so great as the shock to poor Matty at so suddenly
+coming upon Mr. Learning when she only expected to find Miss Folly. She
+dropped her burden with an exclamation of surprise, and then tried to
+stammer forth an apology, but knew not how to begin. Mr. Learning stood
+straight before her, more erect and stately than ever, sternly looking
+down through his steel spectacles at the confused and blushing girl.
+Miss Folly, however, was quite at her ease, and hastily pushing aside
+her basin and pipe, began instantly to unroll the large parcel which
+Matty had dropped in her fright.
+
+"Ah, I knew it would be so! You have chosen the sweetest pattern--the
+prettiest--most tasteful--most charming little carpet that ever a girl
+set eyes on!" and she began spreading out on the floor a fabric so thin,
+that it seemed as if made of rose-leaves.
+
+"Did you buy that trash from Mr. History?" said Mr. Learning sternly to
+Matty.
+
+"No--why--I own--Miss Folly recommended me rather to try Mr. Fiction,
+who lives close to Amusement's bazaar. It is a great matter, you know,
+not to have to cross over brook Bother, or carry a carpet up-hill. And
+Mr. Fiction has such a magnificent shop, and his wares are so very
+cheap."
+
+"Cheap and often worthless!" exclaimed the angry guardian, striking the
+carpet with his heel, and proving the truth of his words by tearing a
+great hole in the middle. "I brought a gift for you, Matilda Desley, but
+I have no intention of leaving it here now. My hammer of Memory, my
+bright brass Dates, are not required to fasten down such miserable trash
+as this! But," he muttered as he strode away, "it is at any rate all of
+a piece! a carpet framed by Fiction is just the thing for a cottage
+papered with fairies, furnished with fancies, and occupied by Miss
+Folly!"
+
+"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Folly, the moment that his back was turned, "I'm
+glad that the old owl has flown off--he looked ready to peck out my
+eyes!"
+
+I should like, with wise Mr. Learning, to bid farewell to Folly for
+ever. Perhaps my readers may wonder that I should have introduced them
+to a creature so very absurd. I should not have done so had I had no
+suspicion that Folly might intrude herself, without introduction, when
+they themselves are furnishing their own little cottages of Head. Has
+no little girl who now gazes on this page, ever sat for hours blowing
+bubbles of fancies with Folly, listening to worse--more ridiculous
+nonsense than that which shocked Mr. Learning? Has she not delighted to
+imagine herself great, rich, beautiful, and admired? has she not
+consulted Folly about her dress--spent her precious minutes and hours on
+a looking-glass--or a fanciful garment, or a worthless work of Fiction,
+when duties had to be performed, when valuable things were to be bought
+in the good town of Education?
+
+Ah, dear little laughing reader, have I, like grave Mr. Learning, caught
+some one in the very fact of harbouring Miss Folly? Turn her out--at
+once turn her out! She is a silly companion, an unsafe guide; she will
+never make you loved, respected, or happy. Though not quite so dark and
+dangerous as Pride, she is much more closely related to him than people
+would at first imagine; there is much of Pride in Folly--and oh, for
+poor, weak, ignorant beings like ourselves, is not Folly seen in all
+Pride!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+THE CARPET OF HISTORY.
+
+
+Mr. Learning now stood at the top of hill Puzzle, watching Dick, Lubin,
+and Nelly, returning laden with carpets from History's shop. Though the
+carpets, like the rooms, were but small, they were rather heavy burdens
+for children in wet and slippery weather.
+
+Learning smiled his own quiet smile, to see the different and
+characteristic movements of his young charges, the Desleys. Dick, the
+quick and energetic Dick, was half-way up hill Puzzle when his brother
+and sister were only beginning to ascend. His bright young face was
+flushed, but rather with pleasure than fatigue; he sped on with a light
+elastic tread, neither panting nor pausing, but bearing the carpet of
+History as though he felt not its weight. He moved all the more swiftly
+for seeing that his guardian's eye was upon him, and on reaching the
+crown of the hill, saluted Mr. Learning with a very self-satisfied air.
+
+"You make good progress," observed the sage, politely returning his
+salute.
+
+"Oh, I get over everything with a hop, skip, and jump," replied the
+laughing boy, forgetting his flounder in Bother, "and you'll soon have
+the pleasure of presenting me with the silver crown of Success. It's
+nearly time, I should think, for you to introduce me to all your learned
+friends the Ologies! But there's one gentleman in Education whom I fancy
+more than all--the glorious old fellow who keeps a shop filled with jars
+of different colours, retorts, electric-machines, and bottles of powders
+and gases; I've heard that he sells such fireworks as would set all the
+world in a blaze!"
+
+"You mean, of course, Mr. Chemistry," replied the sage; "he is my much
+valued friend; there is not a more pleasing companion to be found in the
+whole town of Education than he. But you are yet far too young, Master
+Dick, to make the acquaintance of so superior and intellectual a man.
+His goods are not yet for you, though in time you may make them your
+own. Attend at present to your carpets and your grates; furnish your
+cottage with facts from General Knowledge; a day perhaps may arrive when
+you will be ready for things more abstruse, and then I'll introduce you
+myself both to the Ologies and to Mr. Chemistry, which latter will, I
+have no doubt, display to you all his magazine of wonders."
+
+"Always putting off!" muttered Dick between his teeth; "always treating
+one like a mere child. I shall have long enough to wait if I wait for
+the introduction of slow Mr. Learning. I can do very well without it,
+and shall certainly try some day whether, by putting a bold face on the
+matter, I am not able to make my own way to the favour of Mr.
+Chemistry!"
+
+These last words were only overheard by Pride, for Dick had already
+entered his cottage. In a few minutes more the sound of his busy hammer
+told that he was already setting vigorously to work to nail down his
+History carpet.
+
+"How comparatively slowly the two other children make their way up the
+hill!" said Learning, who stood watching Lubin and Nelly. "Why, the boy
+has twice sat down to rest on his bundle; and now, surely my spectacles
+must be at fault, can he be rolling his carpet up the hill, instead of
+carrying it on his shoulder! In a fine miry state it will be by the time
+that he reaches his dwelling!"
+
+Surely enough the lazy boy was getting on with his History carpet in the
+laziest of ways, pushing instead of bearing, rolling it along as if it
+were a snowball, and seeming to be quite regardless of the fact that the
+path was covered with mud! Have none of my readers done the same, been
+content to get up a task in _any way_, however slothful and careless?
+
+"Are you not ashamed of that?" exclaimed Mr. Learning, pointing to the
+dirty roll of carpet, as Lubin gained the top of the hill.
+
+"Oh, sir, the mud will rub off when it is dry," said the boy with an air
+of unconcern; "the inner side, where the pattern is, cannot be soiled in
+the least."
+
+"Unroll it and see," said stern Mr. Learning.
+
+Lubin slowly obeyed, and had certainly little cause to be pleased with
+the condition of his new purchase. The pattern, which was full and rich,
+represented a hundred different scenes of interest. There was the wooden
+horse of old Troy; here appeared the gallant sons of Sparta defending
+the pass of Thermopyl�; great men of Greece and of Rome, British
+monarchs and statesmen in varied costumes and different attitudes,
+adorned the History carpet. Adorned, did I say? rather once had adorned,
+for all was now a jumble of confusion! There was a great blot of mud
+just over the face of Julius C�sar, and not a single Roman emperor
+stood out clear and distinct. In silent indignation Mr. Learning turned
+away, leaving Lubin to do the best that he could with his poor soiled
+History carpet.
+
+Nelly Desley, weary, but cheerful, had just carried her burden home. She
+was unrolling it now in her simple but beautifully neat little parlour,
+and surveying with great delight the charming pattern upon it.
+
+"Of all the purchases that I have made, this pleases me most!" she
+cried. "What a wonderful variety of pictures, so amusing and
+interesting! Ah, there is good Queen Philippa on her knees, begging for
+the citizens of Calais; and there brave Joan of Arc leading on her
+soldiers to battle! And there, oh, there are the holy martyrs tied to
+the stake for the sake of the truth, looking so calmly and meekly
+upwards, as though they had no fear of dying! I can never pass a dull
+evening now with this wonderful carpet before me; it seems as though it
+would take a lifetime to know all its various scenes."
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Learning, who had entered her parlour unobserved, "that
+beautiful carpet will serve as a constant feast for the mind. Fiction
+may boast that his dyes are the brightest; this I utterly deny; no
+colours are so vivid or so lasting as those that have been fixed by
+Truth, and these should alone be employed in the carpets which History
+produces."
+
+Mr. Learning then graciously bestowed upon Nelly the gift of the hammer
+and nails, and quitted the cottages of Head well satisfied with at least
+one of his charges.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+HAMMERING IN DATES.
+
+
+Knock--knock--knock! "Oh, this wearisome hammering!" sighed poor Nelly,
+as stooping over her carpet till the blood swelled the veins of her
+forehead, she tried to fasten in, one by one, the date-nails which Mr.
+Learning had given. "I do not see why it is needful to knock in all
+these tiresome nails! Lubin has thrown his whole stock into a rubbish
+corner, I know, and says that he never means to prick his fingers again
+by thrusting them into such a bag!" knock--knock! "Stephen came to the
+throne in 1145, or 1154, I'm sure I don't know which--and, what's more,
+I don't care! Ah!" the last exclamation was a cry of pain, for the
+hammer in the girl's awkward hand had come down with some force on her
+fingers.
+
+"Well, Nelly, what is the matter?" asked Lubin, showing his jolly fat
+face at the door.
+
+"I'm tired to death of these dates!" replied Nelly, raising her flushed
+face at the question.
+
+"So was I with the very first of them; I never got beyond William the
+Conqueror; my carpet will stick on very well without nails, if no one
+takes to dancing a jig upon it! You are just wearing your spirits out,
+Nelly, and I'm sure that I wouldn't do that for any man, least of all
+for that sour Mr. Learning, who scribbled DUNCE on my wall!"
+
+"I think," said Nelly, "that my friend Duty would tell me to go
+hammering on with these dates."
+
+"Duty would keep one in tight order," laughed Lubin, "but I prefer
+following my own pleasure. I'm off to Amusement's bazaar, and I advise
+you to come with me now."
+
+"Oh, Lubin, not now; not till I have finished my work."
+
+"Then I'll go without you," said the boy, leaving poor Nelly to her
+troublesome task.
+
+Scarcely had Nelly begun her hammering again, when Matty popped in her
+pretty little face.
+
+"Why, Nelly, what's the use of tiring yourself like that! You will never
+manage to knock in all those nails!"
+
+"I am afraid that I will not," sighed poor Nelly.
+
+"Do as I do," continued Matty. "Miss Folly, kind creature, has supplied
+me with spangles, which are, all the world must own, just as pretty as
+any brass nails!"
+
+"Spangles!" repeated Nelly in surprise; "no one can fasten down a carpet
+with spangles!"
+
+"It's the _look_ of the thing that I care for," said Matty, who had
+evidently become a very apt pupil of Folly. "And now I'll tell you where
+I'm going, Nelly. I have long thought, you know, that a pretty
+tambourine would look wonderfully well in my parlour; and I think, if I
+could buy one cheap, that a French picture would give it a fashionable
+air. I am going on a purchasing expedition, dear Miss Folly being my
+guide."
+
+"Oh, Matty!" exclaimed Nelly, "you know that you have not yet bought
+half the things that you require from Mr. Arithmetic the ironmonger!"
+
+"I wish Mr. Arithmetic at Jericho!" cried Matty peevishly; "his goods
+are so heavy--so uninteresting; they make no show; I won't plague myself
+with such things!"
+
+"Matty, Matty, my beauty!" called the shrill voice of Folly from
+without.
+
+"I'm coming in a moment," cried Matty, as she hastened to join her
+companion.
+
+Sadly, but with quiet resolution, Nelly took up her hammer again. Not
+many minutes had passed before she received a visit from Dick.
+
+"How long are you going to keep on knocking in those dates?" exclaimed
+the boy; "I put in all mine long ago. You see," he added with a merry
+laugh, as he held up his hands, "I've _nails at my fingers' ends_!"
+
+Nelly, who did not quite understand the joke, and was too honest to
+pretend that she did so, bent down again over her work.
+
+"I can't think how you are so slow!" cried Dick. "I've heard you hammer,
+hammer, hammering for such a time, that I expected when I came in to
+find your carpet studded all over with dates, and you have not put in
+more than six!"
+
+"I am sorry that I am so slow and stupid," said Nelly, with a sigh; "it
+is not my fault but my misfortune."
+
+Dick felt a little repentant for his unkind and thoughtless words. "I
+must say, Nelly," he observed, "that slow as you are, your cottage is
+far better furnished than Matty's, though she is so active and bright.
+What a lot of trash she has stuffed into her rooms! And such a lovely
+cottage she has! If the inside only matched the outside, it would be
+charming indeed!"
+
+"Dear Matty would have furnished her house very nicely," said Nelly,
+"if Miss Folly had not come in the way."
+
+"Ah, yes! Folly is at the bottom of the mischief!" cried Dick. "How
+absurdly she has made Matty dress; what numbers of good hours has the
+silly girl spent in making herself look ridiculous!"
+
+"Oh, don't be hard on Matty!" cried her sister.
+
+"Would you believe it!" said Dick, "Miss Folly has persuaded her to get
+not only her carpet, but her chairs and tables also, from Mr. Fiction!
+They are as slight as if made of pasteboard, and won't stand a single
+week's wear! Now _my_ furniture is good and substantial, and was very
+reasonable in price besides."
+
+"Where did you get it?" asked Nelly.
+
+"Oh, you know, where Mr. Learning recommended us to go. I buy my
+furniture from the upholsterer, General Knowledge, whose shop adjoins
+Mr. Reading's."
+
+"The immense warehouse of _facts_," said Nelly.
+
+"You may well call it immense," cried Dick; "I believe that it would
+take one a lifetime to go thoroughly over the place. There are vaults
+below full of furniture facts; rooms beyond rooms stuffed with facts;
+mount the stairs, and you'll find story upon story all filled with
+valuable facts! I assure you, Nelly, that it is a very curious and
+interesting place to visit, and I never go to General Knowledge without
+carrying back something well worth the having. I'm just on my way to him
+now."
+
+"I should like to go with you," said Nelly; "I shall want beds, tables,
+and chairs; and as I can't carry much at once, I shall need to go very
+often to the warehouse."
+
+"Come then now, and be quick!" cried Dick, who was, as usual, impatient
+to start.
+
+"I think--indeed I am sure," replied Nelly, "that Duty would advise me
+first to finish the task which I have begun. If other furniture were
+brought in just now, I might find it harder to nail down my carpet."
+
+"Good-bye, dear drudge!" cried Dick; "I believe that it would be better
+for us all if we stuck to the counsels of Duty as steadily as you always
+do! But you see I'm a quick, sharp fellow, and don't like to be tied
+down by rules; I get what I will, when I will, and where I will; and
+depend on't, in the end I'll win the crown of Success, for no cottage of
+Head will be found so well-furnished as mine!"
+
+And with this somewhat conceited speech on his tongue, off darted our
+clever young Dick, ran down hill Puzzle at speed, and lightly sprang
+over brook Bother!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE PURSUED BIRD.
+
+
+"There is no doubt but that Dick will be the one to win the crown," was
+the silent reflection of Nelly; "I work from no hopes of getting _that_;
+but it will be quite reward enough for me if my dear mother be pleased
+with my cottage; and smiles from Duty and Affection would make any
+labour seem light."
+
+By dint of steady hammering Nelly at last managed to fix in a goodly
+number of dates. When she was satisfied that enough had been done, she
+rose from her knees, and relieved herself by a yawn.
+
+"I will go and see after my Plain-work," said she; "the fruit upon it is
+swelling quite big--I am glad that it will be perfectly ripe when my
+dear mother comes back. If she be satisfied with it, how little shall I
+grudge my past trouble--how joyful and happy I shall be!"
+
+Nelly uttered these words as she crossed her threshold, and felt the
+fresh, pleasant air playing upon her flushed cheek and her aching brow.
+
+At that moment her ear caught a whirring sound, as of wings, and looking
+upwards, she beheld a beautiful bird pursued by a hawk darting down
+towards her at the utmost speed that terror could lend it. Scarcely had
+she seen its danger, when the little fluttering fugitive had sought
+shelter in the bosom of the child.
+
+"Oh, poor little bird--poor little bird--the hawk shall not catch you!"
+cried Nelly, putting one hand over the trembling creature, and holding
+out the other to keep the fierce pursuer away.
+
+The hawk, which was of a species called "Tempers," not altogether
+unknown in Great Britain (my readers may, perhaps, have seen specimens),
+wheeled round and round in circles, as if unwilling to give up its prey.
+Nelly was quite afraid that it might attack her, and still pressing the
+poor frightened bird to her bosom, she hurried back into her cottage.
+
+"You are safe, pretty creature--quite safe. You need no longer tremble
+and flutter," said the little girl to the bird. It almost seemed as if
+the fugitive understood her; it spread its pinions, but not to fly away;
+lightly it hopped on to her hand, and rubbed its soft head against her
+shoulder.
+
+"I never saw such a beauty of a bird!" cried the delighted Nelly; "and
+it seems just as tame as it is pretty. What lovely white silvery wings,
+what soft eyes that gleam like rubies, the changing tints on its neck
+and breast are lovelier than anything I ever saw before!"
+
+Still perched on her hand, the bird opened his beak, and began to warble
+a song of gratitude far sweeter than any nightingale's lay. Little Nelly
+was enraptured at the sound.
+
+"Oh, how glad I am," she exclaimed, "that I did not leave my hammering
+before--that I did not go, as I much wished to go, either with Lubin or
+Dick. This lovely creature would then have been torn to pieces by the
+cruel hawk, and I should have seen nothing of it, except perhaps a few
+stained feathers at my door."
+
+"I hear the well-known warble of my bird Content!" cried a voice from
+without which Nelly at once recognized; and running to open the door as
+fast as her lameness would let her, she joyfully admitted her two
+friends, Affection and Duty.
+
+Content fluttered to the hand of his mistress, Duty.
+
+"Ah, truant!" cried the fair maiden, as she caressed her little
+favourite, "how could you wander from me--how could you ever fancy
+yourself safe apart from Duty? I saw the hawk wheeling in the air, and
+I trembled for my beautiful pet; but he has found here a refuge and
+protector. Nelly, I thank you for your kindness, and it is with pleasure
+that I reward it. You have saved the bird, and the bird shall be yours.
+Go, pretty warbler, go; and, warned by former danger, keep close to your
+new young mistress."
+
+Nelly uttered an exclamation of delight, as, obedient to the word,
+silver-winged Content flew again into her bosom, and nestled there like
+a child.
+
+"Oh, thanks, thanks!" she cried; "such a treasure as this will be a
+constant delight. I would rather have the bird Content, than even the
+crown of Success."
+
+"You must never part with it," said Duty earnestly, "whoever may tempt
+you to do so; my gift must never be sold or exchanged. Content is a
+wonderful bird; joy and happiness breathe in his note. Though I be not
+visibly present, such a mysterious tie connects Content with Duty, that
+when you have followed my rules, and acted as I would have you act, my
+bird will cheer and reward you with one of his sweetest songs."
+
+"I will never, never part with him of my own free will," said Nelly, as
+she fondled her bird.
+
+Affection now came forward. The reader may remark that the sisters
+seemed ever to keep close together, as though they scarcely could live
+apart. They were indeed tenderly attached, and felt a pleasure in each
+other's society which made them never willingly sundered. Duty felt that
+without Affection she would find every occupation a weary task; and
+Affection, who was a little given to extravagance, would often have got
+into trouble without the quiet counsels of Duty. Each looked fairer and
+brighter when seen in the company of her sister.
+
+Affection now placed before Nelly a Book, wrapped in a cover of gold.
+"To my sister's gift," she said, "I must add one yet more precious.
+However well the head may be furnished, if the _highest_ knowledge be
+wanting, all other things become worthless and vain. Treasure this Book,
+dear child; make it your counsellor and guide; you will not prize it
+less because Duty requires you to study it, and it may be pleasant to
+you to remember that you first received it from my hand as the best, the
+noblest gift which even Affection could offer."
+
+Youthful reader, do you know that Book, and do you dearly prize it? It
+is that volume which gives knowledge compared to which all the
+inventions of science, all the learning of man, all the wisdom of this
+world, is but as dust in the balance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+PLANS AND PLOTS.
+
+
+How happy was little Nelly now, with Content as her constant companion.
+He was with her when she went on expeditions to the town of Education,
+flying before her, then stopping to rest on some bush by the wayside to
+cheer her by his musical song. When she returned home laden with
+furniture, facts from the warehouse of General Knowledge, or some of
+Arithmetic's more heavy productions, the way seemed shorter, the burden
+more light when Content was fluttering near. When the four Desleys at
+last took up their abode in their four little homes, the presence of
+beautiful Content made Nelly's as bright as a palace.
+
+It is time that I should say something about the gardens which lay
+behind the cottages of Head, and which were to be cultivated by the
+children. These were very curiously laid out, according to the plans
+given by Geography, the celebrated gardener. Each garden represented a
+map. There were plots of green grass for the sea, dotted with daisies
+for tiny islands. There was rich dark mould for the land, and flowers or
+small bushes were planted wherever the capitals of countries should be.
+Dick, who was very ingenious, contrived to have some characteristic
+plant for most of those cities.
+
+"See," he exclaimed, "there is a rose-bush for London, a thistle for
+bonny Edinburgh, and a patch of green shamrock for Dublin. I'm getting a
+lily for Paris, as that is the capital of France; and as Holland is
+famous for tulips, Amsterdam a tulip shall be."
+
+"And what will you give Belgium?" inquired Matty.
+
+"Brussels sprouts, to be sure."
+
+Dick worked early and late at his garden, and it was by far the finest
+of the four; even in the season of autumn the difference was very
+marked. Lubin was so often sauntering off to Amusement's bazaar, and
+spending his hours at one of her counters, that Geography the gardener
+grew quite out of patience with him. Lubin quite forgot where to put in
+the tiny box hedges which marked the boundaries of various countries, so
+that France spread half over Germany, and swallowed up poor little
+Belgium altogether. "Italy," as Dick laughingly observed, "was shaped
+like a gouty shoe, instead of a long slender boot;" and so much grass
+overran the border, that Matty was certain that all Lubin's land would
+soon be drowned by the sea. London, Edinburgh, and Paris were dying for
+want of watering, and nothing seemed to flourish in Lubin's Europe but
+such things as groundsel and chickweed.
+
+Matty at first succeeded far better with her flowers. She had a taste
+for gardening, she said, and laid out her map very nicely. Whatever
+accorded with her inclination, Matty did quickly and well; but she
+worked from no regard to Duty, and whenever she felt a little tired, she
+threw down her spade, and went to amuse herself with touching her new
+tambourine, or blowing bubbles of Fancy with Folly. Yet, upon the whole,
+Matty's garden was fair and pleasant to behold.
+
+Nelly, who was lame, and had little strength for hard work, found
+gardening a serious task. It took her long to lay out the plots, long to
+plant the box hedges; and watering the cities, and keeping the ground
+clear of weeds seemed an endless business to Nelly. Yet cheerfully and
+bravely she worked, while, perched on a bush beside her, the beautiful
+bird Content poured forth enlivening lays. The harder she laboured, the
+louder sang he; and whenever she glanced up from her task, she saw the
+gleam of his silver wing reflecting the sunshine from heaven.
+
+"Oh, dear little bird!" cried Nelly, "with what a song will you welcome
+my mother, who will soon return to us now. How she will stroke your soft
+feathers, and delight in your cheerful lay! Then, perhaps, thoughtful
+Duty and sweet Affection will come and remain as my guests, and fill my
+home with peace and with gladness when chill winter darkens around. Oh,
+how happily shall we all then gather around our blazing Christmas fire!"
+
+It seems strange that so kind and gentle a child as Nelly should ever
+have an enemy; but she was certainly an object of envy and dislike both
+to Miss Folly and Pride.
+
+"I hate that sober, sensible little minx, who is always thinking of
+Affection and Duty," said Miss Folly one day to Pride, as they were
+walking in a thicket together, just as the damp evening mist was
+beginning to fall.
+
+"I hate her heartily," muttered Pride between his clenched teeth; "for
+she not only shuts her own door against me, but tries with all the power
+that she has to weaken my influence with her brothers and sister. She
+has not succeeded, and she shall not; but I never forget a wrong, and
+I'd give anything in the world to be able to spite and vex her."
+
+"It drives me wild to hear that bird of hers always singing so gaily!"
+cried Folly.
+
+"Could we not wring its neck?" exclaimed Pride.
+
+"We dare not so much as touch it without her leave," said Miss Folly,
+shaking her peacock plume with vexation; "and yet I'd rather make myself
+a head-dress of its feathers than of those of any other bird of the
+air."
+
+"We'll get hold of it, and kill it without mercy!" cried ugly Pride,
+grinding his teeth as he spoke; "but we must work by cunning, for we
+dare not use force, the child is under such powerful protection."
+
+"I'll coax Nelly to part with her bird," said Folly; and rolling her
+goggle eyes, she added, "you know that I'm a rare hand at coaxing."
+
+"There are few who can withstand you," answered the dark one; his words
+made Folly simper, she knew not how to blush. "And if," continued Pride,
+"you succeed, you will make Nelly mortally offend both Duty and
+Affection; and to break with friends such as they are, will make her
+miserable indeed."
+
+"She'll only need a good big bribe," said Folly. "I believe that Matty
+would part with the dearest friend that she has for the sake of a few
+bright ribbons, or a bunch of fine feathers to wear."
+
+"But Matty is not Nelly," observed Pride.
+
+"Oh, Nelly is only a girl!" cried Folly, tossing her frizzled head, "and
+there never yet was a girl that could not be wheedled by Folly into
+doing the silliest thing in the world. If I persuaded Matty that Fashion
+required her to tattoo her nose all over, to dye her hair green, or
+blue, or mauve, or to walk on all fours like a cat,--don't you suppose
+that she would do it?"
+
+Pride only shrugged his shoulders in reply.
+
+"Haven't I coaxed Chinese ladies to torture their babies by squeezing
+their feet into shoes so small, that the half-lamed creatures could
+never, throughout life, walk except in a waddle? Have I not--"
+
+"You have done all sorts of wonderful things," said Pride; "no one
+doubts your power of persuading. Try now your arts upon Nelly, get her
+to give up her bird, and strangle Content as soon as you get it under
+your dainty fingers. If you shall be baffled, I will try next; 'twill be
+strange indeed if a simple child like Nelly be able to withstand us
+both."
+
+"No fear of that!" exclaimed Folly.
+
+So the two conspirators parted, equally resolved, by any possible means,
+to effect their object. It was not the first time that Folly and Pride
+had consulted together how to bring sorrow and shame into a young loving
+heart; not the first time that they had agreed to use their utmost
+efforts to destroy a bright and beautiful creature, and silence for ever
+in death the warbling voice of Content.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE COCKATOO, PARADE.
+
+
+"Good morning to you, sweet Nelly, dear industrious Nelly!" was the
+greeting of Folly on the following morning, as she stood with a red
+cockatoo on her wrist, quite filling up Nelly's doorway with her iron
+hoop and her flounces.
+
+Nelly was busily engaged in screwing on the legs of a table made of
+facts from Natural History, which she had bought from General Knowledge.
+A very curious table it was: the facts were as numerous, and fitted
+together as closely, as the bits of wood in a Tunbridge-ware box; and
+the legs were carved all over with figures of birds and beasts. That
+table had cost many hours, and had been carried home bit by bit; it was
+one of the prettiest and handsomest pieces of furniture which appeared
+in the little cottage.
+
+"Good morning," replied Nelly very coldly, in answer to the salutation;
+she had no good opinion of Miss Folly, and hoped that she did not intend
+to linger. Folly had, however, come with an object, and did not appear
+to notice the coldness of the child, indeed no one is slower than Folly
+in taking a hint to depart.
+
+"I see that you are as fond of creatures as I am," cried Miss Folly,
+turning her goggle eyes upon her parrot; "I have a fancy, I may say a
+passion, for them! I keep a regular 'happy family' at home--dogs, cats,
+mice, parrots, and pigeons, and a little pet alligator, the dearest duck
+of an alligator, that I've taught to eat out of my hand! You must really
+come and see them all one day."
+
+"Thank you, but I'm very busy," replied poor Nelly, who wished that her
+jabbering visitor would leave her in quiet to work.
+
+"But I've no bird like your Content; I really think that I must add it
+to my collection," said Folly; "it seems to me quite unique!"
+
+Nelly had no notion what _unique_ could mean, but she had a great notion
+that her Content should never be added to Miss Folly's "happy family."
+
+"Now I've just been thinking," continued the chatterer, "that it would
+be a nice plan--a most charming plan, for you and me to make a little
+exchange. You give me your bird Content, which I'll always cherish and
+coddle, and feed on sugar-plums and strawberry ice, in affectionate
+remembrance of you"--(O Folly! Folly! how little you care for
+truth!)--"and you shall have my magnificent cockatoo, Parade, that I've
+taught to speak myself; he's the finest creature in the world: you shall
+hear how clever he is!"
+
+Folly coaxed the bird on her wrist, called him by a dozen pretty names,
+smiled at him, nodded to him, whistled for him, and at length induced
+him to speak. The cockatoo bobbed his head up and down, shook his wings,
+puffed out his red feathers, and then in harsh, sharp tones repeated
+about a dozen times the sentence, "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I
+fine?"
+
+The bird Content, perched on the mantelpiece, seemed listening in wonder
+to a voice so unlike his own.
+
+"That is a clever cockatoo," said Nelly, with a smile; "but I would not
+exchange my Content for any other bird in the world."
+
+"Ah, but Parade is a beauty--a real beauty!" cried Miss Folly; "Lady
+Fashion, my most particular friend, would give anything to possess him!
+I assure you that when I put him in my window, every passer-by stops to
+stare at the creature. Only just hear him again."
+
+And again Parade bobbed his head up and down, swelled himself out, and
+repeated, "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+
+"I protest," cried Folly, speaking faster than ever, "he'll sometimes
+keep repeating over that sentence from morning till night!"
+
+Nelly was too polite to say it aloud, but she thought that one might get
+very weary of hearing "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+
+"I really do not wish to make any exchange," said the lame girl with
+mild decision; "Parade has very bright colours, it is true, but I love
+better the silver wings and soft note of my pretty Content."
+
+Even Folly could not but see that this her first effort had failed; but
+Folly is not easily discouraged. "If this stupid girl do not care for
+Parade," thought she, "I'll find something else that she cares for;" and
+putting the cockatoo down on the table, Folly drew a gay jewel-case from
+her pocket.
+
+"What do you say to these?" she exclaimed, opening the case, and drawing
+from it a long string of what looked like pearls, with a sparkling clasp
+which seemed to be made of diamonds.
+
+"They are very pretty indeed!" said Nelly.
+
+"And so becoming--so charmingly becoming! I assure you, my dear, if you
+would only let me dress up your hair, put it back _� l'Imperatrice_, and
+adorn it with these lovely pearls, there's not a creature that would
+know you again!"
+
+Nelly laughed, and Folly thought that she had now found a vulnerable
+point; that, like the crow in the fable, the child could be caught by
+flattery.
+
+"You don't do justice to yourself, my dear; your dress is so common and
+plain that no one guesses how well you would look if you attended a
+little to style. If you wore such clothes as Matty now wears, and
+carried them off with an air, you may depend on't that people would take
+you for a very grand lady indeed!"
+
+"But why should I wish to be taken for what I am not?" asked Nelly
+simply.
+
+"My dear, what an absurd question! Does not every one wish to be taken
+for somebody grander than herself?" cried Folly, jabbering at railroad
+speed. "The child of the dogs' meat man wears a necklace and hoop; the
+farmer's daughter cuts out the squire's; the kitchen-maids on Sundays
+deck out as ladies; each one mimics some one above her, and wants to cut
+a dash in the world! If any one were content to appear really _what she
+is_, I should cut her society at once; I should let the whole world know
+that she had _nothing to do with Folly_!"
+
+Sharing the excitement of his mistress, "Ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+cried Parade.
+
+"Now, my dear, I'll tell you what I'll do," continued Folly, lowering
+her voice to a confidential tone; "you shall give me your bird Content,
+and, as I told you before, I shall feed him and foster him with the same
+care as I do my own pet alligator. In return I will not only present you
+with this charming string of pearls, but will show you how to wear them
+in a manner the most bewitching."
+
+"I do not think that pearls would suit a plain little girl like me!"
+
+"Plain! if ever I heard such a thing. You've a countenance quite out of
+the common! You've the prettiest nose--the sweetest little nose; and as
+for your smile!--" Folly threw up her hands, and cast up her eyes, to
+denote admiration too great to be expressed by mere words.
+
+Poor little Nelly was rather taken aback by praises to which she had not
+been accustomed. She certainly placed little confidence in anything said
+by her visitor; yet flattery has some sweetness in it, even from the
+lips of Folly. Let no little girl who reads my story despise poor Nelly
+for smiling and blushing, unless she be quite certain that she never
+herself has done the same on a similar occasion. But Nelly, though
+amused, was not caught even by the bait of the pearls and the praises.
+She remembered many a word of sensible advice given by her faithful
+friend Duty, and drawing a little back from Folly, who in her eager
+confidential manner had pressed up quite close to the child, she said in
+a modest tone, "Whatever our looks may be, a simple and sober dress,
+such as suits our age and station, is what Duty always recommends."
+
+"Duty--the old horror!" exclaimed Folly, who could not endure the very
+name; "I don't wonder that you're formal and quiet, if you tie yourself
+down to her laws. No, no, my pretty Nell, you must break away at once
+from such a dull, tiresome guide; don't talk to me of Duty again! I'll
+take you under my charge; I'll show you all my delights; I'll even--"
+here Folly again lowered her voice to a confidential tone, and leant
+forward her frizzled head as she whispered, "I'll even manage to
+introduce you to my most particular friend, Lady Fashion!"
+
+"Nothing on earth would make me give up Duty!" exclaimed Nelly warmly,
+for she could bear no word spoken against her friend. "I will never
+forget her, nor part with her gift; and I don't want, indeed I don't, to
+be introduced to Lady Fashion!"
+
+Miss Folly started back in indignation and horror. "Not want to be
+introduced to Lady Fashion! the girl must be out of her senses! Not one
+moment longer shall Folly condescend to stay near one who has the
+effrontery to own that she does not want to be introduced to Lady
+Fashion!" and, snatching up her cockatoo, Parade, Miss Folly rushed out
+of the cottage as fast as her mass of frippery would let her.
+
+Nelly looked after her with a wondering smile, and Content, perched on
+the shoulder of his young mistress, burst forth into the merriest of
+songs.
+
+Miss Folly did not stop in her running till she arrived, out of breath,
+at the spot where Pride was awaiting her return.
+
+"What success?" asked the dark one, though he saw at a glance that Folly
+had been baffled and defeated.
+
+"I'll never go near her again!" gasped forth Folly; "I'll never put my
+foot across her threshold! She has disappointed me, rejected me,
+insulted me; she does not care for my cockatoo, Parade, nor wish to be
+introduced to my most particular friend, Lady Fashion!" and Folly almost
+cried with spite and vexation.
+
+"She will not escape me so easily," said Pride; "my arts are deeper than
+yours. I have resolved that her bird shall die, and die it shall, before
+to-morrow, let her guard it as well as she may."
+
+"She always keeps Content beside her," observed Folly, "and you know
+that neither of us are able to take it away by force."
+
+"Not by force," said Pride gloomily, "but by fraud. I know that I cannot
+with my own hands wring the neck of Content; but I'll do more, I'll make
+Nelly kill him herself!"
+
+"How can you do that?" exclaimed wondering Folly.
+
+Pride glanced round to see that no one else was listening before he
+replied, in a voice sunk to a horrible whisper, "I've a poisoned cage,
+called Ambition, very fair and fine to the eye. Let Content be but once
+placed in that, and he will swell, and swell, till he burst, like one of
+your own bubbles, Miss Folly."
+
+Folly looked charmed at the clever idea. "But how to get the bird into
+the cage?" said she.
+
+"Leave that to me," answered Pride; "I know how to manage these matters.
+There is many a one who would scorn to listen to the offers of Folly,
+who cannot turn a deaf ear to Pride. You have power over a weak mind
+like Matty's, and can turn and mould her at your will; but it needs a
+more subtle spirit, a more artful lure, to overcome a girl who has been
+brought up under the guidance of Duty."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+THE CAGE OF AMBITION.
+
+
+"Well furnished, yet simply furnished--all good, plain, solid--that is
+what I like and approve!"
+
+Nelly looked up on hearing these words, and her glance became one of
+surprise when she saw by whom they had been uttered. Pride was standing
+with folded arms not at the door but at the window; his dark, haughty
+expression was gone, and he looked mildly down at the child.
+
+"Do not fear me, Nelly," he said, "I shall make no attempt to enter. I
+know that you have been set against me by those who have little
+acquaintance with me. I blame them not, they act for the best; and I
+honour you for following the counsels of such friends as Duty and
+Affection."
+
+"Really," thought Nelly as she listened, "Pride is not so bad as I took
+him to be."
+
+"Perhaps," continued the cunning deceiver, "were my character better
+known, even virtuous Duty herself would find me no foe, but a friend.
+Mr. Learning I often have served, though he will not acknowledge my
+services. I have spurred on his cleverest pupil to efforts which,
+without me, he would never have made."
+
+"But have you not brought Dick into some trouble?" suggested Nelly,
+glancing timidly up at Pride.
+
+"Such troubles as generous natures encounter, the dangers that await the
+daring--dangers much to be preferred to the inglorious safety of the
+sluggard. To yourself, Nelly, I appeal, for you are a girl of rare
+sense; your brave perseverance in labour, your wise use of the bridge of
+Patience, your attention to the call of Duty, show that you possess a
+judgment far beyond what might be expected at your age."
+
+"Pride is not half so ugly as I used to fancy that he was," thought
+Nelly.
+
+"To you I appeal," continued Pride. "Had I possessed the same influence
+over Lubin as that which I have exercised over his brother, would not
+the result have been for good? Would not Lubin's cottage have been
+better furnished, his hours more nobly employed; would he not have
+scorned to throw away so much money on sweetmeats; would not honest
+Pride have kept him from the meanness of giving up everything for
+Amusement?"
+
+"Yes, I believe so," answered Nelly, and she was only speaking the
+truth; she might have added, however, that no efforts are really noble,
+no acts really worthy of praise, that are owing, not to a regard for
+Duty, but to the influence of selfish Pride.
+
+"I could not forbear calling here," continued the deceiver, who felt
+that his artful words were beginning to make an impression, "to
+congratulate you, as I do with all my heart, upon your late conduct, so
+noble and wise."
+
+"When--where?" asked the wondering Nelly.
+
+"I speak of your triumph over Miss Folly--over that weak, silly,
+frivolous creature who has, unhappily, so much power over the minds of
+ignorant girls. Wise were you, Nelly, most wise, not to exchange your
+beautiful Content for false pearls or prating Parade. You have a soul
+above froth and frippery, you despise both flattery and Folly, no one
+will catch you blowing bubbles of Fancy to furnish a most empty
+dwelling!"
+
+Nelly began to understand how it was that Dick had found Pride such a
+pleasant companion.
+
+"Yes," continued the deceiver, leaning through the open window, on the
+sill of which he rested his arms, "you scorn that poor wretched Parade,
+that screams 'Ain't I fine?' to each passer-by, as if seeking to attract
+vulgar notice. Independent of others, you can stand by yourself; you
+have won Content, you prize it, you deserve it; but has it never struck
+your mind, Nelly, how difficult it may prove for you to _keep_ it?"
+
+"No," replied Nelly, caressing her bird; "I shall never give my
+favourite away."
+
+"But your favourite may take wing and depart. Do you expect Content to
+remain in this small cottage, with all the free air to soar in?"
+
+Nelly looked uneasy and anxious, and pressed her bird closer to her
+heart.
+
+"It is the nature of birds to mount aloft. Trust me, Nelly, Content will
+not linger long here while he has unrestrained use of his wings."
+
+"I could not bear to lose him!" cried Nelly.
+
+"To save you that pain," said Pride, watching closely her face as he
+spoke, "see what I have brought for you here!" and he raised and placed
+on the sill of the window the gilded cage of Ambition.
+
+"Oh, what a splendid, magnificent cage!" cried poor simple Nelly,
+suspecting no evil; "and did you really intend it for me?"
+
+"See how ready I am to forgive and forget," said Pride, with a wicked,
+mocking smile, as he saw the guileless child lay her hand on the
+poisoned gift; "you have spoken against me, tried to drive me away--nay,
+at this very moment, I believe, you would not suffer me to enter your
+door--and yet I bring you this cage that you may never lose your
+Content; that you may see it grow greater and greater, and never fly
+from your home!"
+
+"You are very good," began Nelly, and stopped short; she was startled at
+the sound of her own words.
+
+"Yes, I am _very good_, am I?" laughed Pride, as he turned away from the
+window, and then began to stalk down the hill, muttering to himself as
+he walked, "Ay, she will think me very good, doubtless, when she
+sees--as she will see before morning--her beautiful, her cherished
+Content gasping and swelling in the agonies of death!" and as in thought
+he enjoyed his barbarous triumph, how hideous grew the dark features of
+Pride.
+
+But the wicked one was blowing the trumpet of victory before the battle
+had been won! Nelly, indeed, looked with admiration and pleasure upon
+the glittering cage, and was about to place her favourite within it,
+when a thought arrested her hand. "My mother has warned us very often to
+have nothing to do with Pride; Duty has told me again and again that
+nowhere upon earth could I find a more dangerous companion than he.
+Ought I to accept this gift? is it suitable, is it right, to take a
+present from one whom I dare not invite to enter my cottage? Oh, surely
+I have done wrong in listening with such pleasure to his flattering
+words! What should I do now; what would Duty counsel me to do? I will
+return to him his beautiful cage, and keep nothing, however charming,
+that ever belonged to Pride!"
+
+Catching up the tempting gift, Nelly hastened out of her cottage and saw
+Pride descending the hill.
+
+"Pride! Pride!" she called out as loudly as she could. The dark one
+pretended not to hear, and only quickened his steps.
+
+"Oh, how shall I ever overtake him," thought lame Nelly; and again she
+called, but in vain, while she followed as fast as she could.
+
+"Had I not better keep and use the cage, since it is so hard to return
+it?" thought Nelly. Inclination bade her go back, and imprison Content
+within the glittering bars; but the recollection of Duty was strong, and
+exerting her utmost efforts, the child succeeded in overtaking Pride
+when he had almost reached brook Bother.
+
+"Oh, take this back," gasped the panting Nelly; "it is fine and
+tempting, I own, but Duty would not allow me to keep it."
+
+"You don't mean to insult me by returning my gift?" exclaimed Pride, in
+a tone of fierce disappointment.
+
+"I must do what is right," said Nelly, though frightened by his
+threatening scowl; "take back your cage of Ambition, I dare give it no
+place in my home!"
+
+"Then--there, let it go!" thundered Pride; and snatching up the poisoned
+cage, he sent it whirling round and round through the air till it fell
+splashing into brook Bother! "I only wish that I could send you after
+it!" he exclaimed, and gnashing his teeth with disappointment and fury,
+Pride rushed away from the spot.
+
+Little Nelly returned up the hill at a much slower pace than that at
+which she had descended it. Ere she had gone half-way a bright silver
+wing gleamed through the air, and Content alighted on her shoulder.
+Perched there, the sweet bird poured forth so loud and joyous a lay that
+one might fancy that he knew the danger from which he had so narrowly
+escaped, and was aware of the fact which so many, by bitter experience,
+have learned, that Content must be poisoned and perish if placed in the
+gilded cage of Ambition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+A VISIT TO MR. CHEMISTRY.
+
+
+With her bird still warbling on her shoulder, Nelly bent her steps to
+the cottage of her sister. Matty had cared little for her society of
+late, but Duty and Affection had both taught Nelly to keep up all family
+ties. She was going to tell Matty of her little adventure, but Nelly
+found her too full of her own troubles to care about anything else.
+
+"Such a provoking thing has happened!" exclaimed Matty, who was seated
+on a very flimsy chair, which she had purchased from Mr. Fiction. It
+gave such a loud crack as she leant back upon it, that Nelly expected to
+see it come to pieces beneath the weight of her sister.
+
+"O Matty, I wish that you would buy better furniture from General
+Knowledge," cried Nelly; "I do believe that in a few weeks those
+wretched chairs will be fit for nothing but firewood!"
+
+"I did buy a pair of screens from General Knowledge," cried Matty; "I
+brought them home several weeks ago, as you perhaps may remember."
+
+"Yes, I recollect," replied Nelly; "they were handsome and valuable
+screens. One was made of Botany _facts_, all carved over with leaves and
+flowers; the other of Biography _facts_, covered with likenesses of
+great men. They were really a beautiful pair, but I don't see them now,"
+added Nelly, with an inquiring glance round the room.
+
+"They're lost to me and my heirs for ever!" cried Matty, again tossing
+herself backwards on her chair, which again gave an ominous creaking.
+
+"How could they be lost?" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Stolen--stolen by the robber Forgetfulness," answered Matty; "a regular
+burglar he is! I neglected to lock my door at night--I never dreamed of
+any danger--and in came the robber and carried away my pair of beautiful
+screens."
+
+"How very vexatious," exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Yes, indeed; where's the use of spending hours upon hours in
+furnishing, and labouring to carry heavy things over brook Bother and up
+the steep hill of Puzzle, if Forgetfulness sneak in at last and carry
+the best goods away."
+
+"What use, indeed," echoed Nelly; "the sad warnings of the misfortunes
+which have happened to you and poor Lubin from Forgetfulness stealing
+your facts, and Procrastination robbing him of his hours, must make each
+of us more careful in guarding our treasures from such thieves."
+
+"If Forgetfulness had only taken one of those worthless chairs instead,"
+sighed Matty; "to think of losing the best facts, and keeping the
+useless fictions."
+
+"How now--what's the matter?" cried the cheerful voice of Dick, as he
+entered Matty's cottage with a brisk lively step; "you look as doleful
+as Miss Folly did just now when I met her with her red cockatoo on her
+wrist, appearing so disconsolate and sad that I thought her most
+particular friend, Lady Fashion, must have died of late hours or
+tight-lacing!"
+
+"Miss Folly disconsolate and sad!" exclaimed Matty; "ah, perhaps she had
+heard that my poor little cottage had been robbed."
+
+"That was not the cause of her melancholy," said Dick; "I daresay, were
+the truth to be known, that Miss Folly herself had something to do with
+the business; for many a day has she been seen in company with
+Forgetfulness the burglar."
+
+"I'm certain that Folly is perfectly innocent," cried Matty.
+
+"Oh, I don't mean to accuse the fair lady; I only mention what I have
+heard; you and she may settle the affair between you. But as regards her
+present vexation, that, Nelly, all lies at your door. It seems that you
+despised her cockatoo Parade, and would not part with Content in
+exchange for it. But I've set all matters right; I've taken a fancy to
+the creature, I've promised to buy it from Folly, and instead of prating
+for ever, '_Ain't I fine?_' I'll teach it to cry, '_Ain't I clever?_'"
+
+"And then you'll give it to me!" exclaimed Matty. "There's nothing that
+I adore like Parade; often and often I've wished to have it. I'm quite
+astonished that Nelly should prefer that dull, spiritless creature,
+Content."
+
+"I've done more yet to put Folly into good humour," said Dick, who,
+though he heartily despised his sister's companion, yet liked to amuse
+himself sometimes with her airs; "I've invited her to come this evening
+and see my grand display of fireworks."
+
+"Fireworks! oh, that will be charming!" exclaimed Matty, clapping her
+hands.
+
+"And I've desired her to bring Pride with her; nothing goes off well
+without him."
+
+Nelly, who had a disagreeable recollection of her late interview with
+Pride, looked very grave on hearing of the invitation given to him by
+her brother.
+
+"Where did you get the fireworks?" asked Matty, who, in her pleasure at
+the idea of seeing something new, had quite forgotten her loss.
+
+"Where but from Mr. Chemistry? I knew that it was all nonsense in old
+Learning to say that his goods were not yet for me. Pride and I were
+laughing half the evening at the sage's old-fashioned notions. I suppose
+that he thinks that no one can see the world till forced to look at it
+through spectacles, like himself. 'You need an introduction, indeed!'
+cried Pride; 'just step up boldly like a man. Mr. Chemistry, with his
+gases, his retorts, his acids, and his alkalies, will be glad enough to
+see the colour of your money without making uncivil observations.' Said
+I, 'Mr. Pride, your advice is good, and I'll act upon it directly.' So
+off starts I, brave as a lion; plank Patience still lay across brook
+Bother, but I kicked it right into the stream."
+
+"Oh, why did you do so?" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Patience may do well enough for you," replied Dick, "but you see a chap
+like me doesn't want it. Well, to go on with my story. I found Mr.
+Chemistry hard at work beside an electric machine, and I stopped some
+moments to watch the crackling sparks drawn from the whirling glass
+wheel. At last the old fellow looked up, and saw me with my purse in my
+hand. 'You're a young student,' says he. 'An old head on young
+shoulders,' says I, looking as solemn and wise as Mr. Learning himself
+could do. 'You'll need to undergo a short examination,' says he, 'upon
+the first principles of my science.' Those words rather took me aback,
+for I had not counted upon that. 'What's a simple body?' says he,
+turning over to the first page of a book that was near him. 'A simple
+body,' says I; 'why, that is my sister Matty, for she's hand and glove
+with Miss Folly.'"
+
+"O Dick, how could you speak so?" cried Matty.
+
+"I set the old fellow laughing, and then, of course, I got everything my
+own way. I told him that I did not want science but fireworks, and that
+I knew that he had them in lots. I wished something that would go
+hissing, and fizzing, and whizzing, and astonish and dazzle beholders.
+To make a long story short, I carried off all that I wanted; and I
+invite you both this evening to see my grand firework display."
+
+"It will be delightful--quite charming," cried Matty; "and my darling
+Miss Folly to be there!"
+
+"Miss Folly and Pride too," said Dick; "but what makes our Nelly so
+solemn and grave?" he added, clapping the lame girl on the shoulder.
+
+"O Dick, I should like much--very much--to see your fireworks, but I
+cannot--indeed, I cannot--go to meet Folly and Pride."
+
+"What nonsense!" exclaimed Dick, impatiently; "if they're good enough
+company for us, they're surely good enough company for you."
+
+"Both my dear mother and Duty have warned me against such companions; I
+may not go where they go."
+
+"Stay at home then--no one wants you!" exclaimed Dick, who, puffed up as
+he was by self-confidence, could not endure the slightest opposition.
+"Set yourself up for a model child--lame, plain, and stupid as you are."
+
+Poor Nelly's heart swelled as if it would burst at such undeserved
+rudeness from her brother. She returned, however, no angry word, but
+silently and quietly quitted the place. Her eyes were so much dimmed by
+tears, that she could scarcely see her way back to her own little
+cottage.
+
+"It was a shame in me to speak so to Nelly," exclaimed Dick, who
+repented of his unkind speech almost as soon as he had uttered it.
+
+"You had better tell her so," said Matty, who, though frivolous and
+careless, was not an ill-natured girl.
+
+Dick turned to follow Nelly, and would doubtless have made all things
+smooth with his sister, had he not met dark Pride at the door.
+
+Ah, dear reader, have you never been stopped by Pride when going to beg
+forgiveness of one to whom you knew that you had done a wrong, and
+especially when that injured party was younger and less clever than
+yourself?
+
+Dick would not _demean_ himself, as he called it, in the presence of
+watchful Pride, by telling his little sister that he was sorry for
+having hurt her feelings. Pride came to talk about the fireworks, and,
+in eager conversation with him, thoughtless Dick soon forgot the wound
+which his overbearing temper had inflicted upon a gentle and loving
+heart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+A LESSON.
+
+
+Evening was coming on. Poor Nelly sat sad and alone in the parlour of
+her little cottage. She had seen little of Dick since the morning; and
+when they had accidentally met, he had not uttered one word of regret
+for his unkindness. Indeed, his manner had been so careless, that it
+appeared that what had passed so lately between them had quite gone out
+of his mind. Nelly tried to forgive and forget, but her spirit was sad
+and low. Even Content seemed to droop his wing, and would scarcely give
+even a chirp.
+
+Nelly felt also--as what girl of her age would not feel!--being shutout
+from the merry little party that were going to enjoy the fireworks. The
+display, on account of the direction of the wind, was to be close in
+front of Matty's cottage, instead of that of Dick; and as this dwelling,
+as we know, adjoined Nelly's, the lame girl from her little window
+could have but an imperfect view, and would lose all the general effect.
+
+"Perhaps," thought poor Nelly, "I have been needlessly strict after all;
+I have been a little too particular in doing what I thought that duty
+might require. I have lost a great deal of pleasure, and I have offended
+my own dear brother. Everything has seemed gloomy since the
+morning--even my bird will not sing. Ah, how glad I am that my mother
+will soon return. I shall never doubt what I ought to do when I have her
+dear voice to guide me; and I am sure that when she is here, Content
+will warble from morning till night."
+
+"What, Nelly, here all alone?" said Lubin, putting his round,
+good-humoured face in at the door.
+
+Nelly only looked up and smiled, for at that moment she could not speak;
+and her smile was so sad, that Lubin came in and seated himself at her
+side.
+
+"Why, you have been crying, Nelly!" he said. "What is the matter with
+you, dear? Has Forgetfulness robbed you of your choicest facts, or
+Procrastination--the sly rogue!--stolen your hours, or have you dropped
+some nice little purchase of yours into the muddy waters of Bother?"
+
+Nelly shook her head in reply to each question. "I have vexed Dick,"
+she answered at last, "by refusing to join his party at the firework
+display, because he has invited Pride and Miss Folly."
+
+"I daresay that you did quite right," observed Lubin; "though it's
+rather hard upon you to have to give up the fireworks and fun. You'll
+hardly see anything from your window. Come to my cottage opposite; there
+you will have a good view of it all."
+
+"I would rather remain quietly here, dear Lubin; with many thanks to you
+for the offer. I have no heart for amusement this evening, and would not
+wish Dick to see me watching, as if by stealth, the fireworks which I
+would not go openly to view." As Nelly spoke, she could not prevent two
+large tears, which had been gathering beneath her lashes, from
+overflowing her eyes.
+
+Lubin, lazy sluggard as he was, yet was a kind-hearted boy, and would do
+a good turn for any one, provided it gave him small trouble. "I'll stay
+with you, Nelly," he said, kissing the tear from her cheek; "it will be
+better for me, you know, to keep clear of Folly and Pride." Nelly
+squeezed his hand to express her thanks. "There is Miss Folly
+approaching already," continued Lubin. "One might know her coming were
+she a mile off, by the sound of her jabbering voice."
+
+Lubin rose and went to the window to look out. "Yes; there is Miss
+Folly--peacock plume, balloon dress, and all; and she has a red cockatoo
+on her wrist. Black-browed Pride is behind her. Matty and Dick are
+running to meet them."
+
+Nelly did not go to the window; but she heard the voices without, which
+sounded distinctly through the still evening air.
+
+"I wonder if it will ever get dark enough for the lovely, delightful
+fireworks. I've been wishing all the afternoon that I could push on the
+sun double-quick to the west. It's always dark when one wants it to be
+light, and light when one wants it to be dark." My readers will scarcely
+need to be told that these words were spoken by Folly.
+
+"I'm glad that you've brought your cockatoo," said Dick; "you know that
+I'm going to buy him."
+
+"He's worth his weight in gold--he is; pretty creature!--just listen to
+him now!" And Nelly could hear the harsh, grating voice of Parade:
+"Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+
+"I'm going to teach him something else," observed Dick. "Just let me
+have him here for a few minutes. The fireworks are ready prepared, but
+we must wait till the twilight grows darker. In the meantime, I will
+amuse myself by giving Master Cockatoo a lesson in talking."
+
+"You'll soon make him say what you like," observed Pride.
+
+"Isn't it a beautiful bird?" cried Matty.
+
+"They are gathering round the cockatoo, Nelly," said Lubin, who was
+still at the window. "Only Miss Folly, with her painted face and goggle
+eyes, is peeping at the preparations for the fireworks."
+
+The last faint tinge of red had faded from the sky. Deeper and deeper
+grew the gathering shades. Lubin could scarcely distinguish the features
+of the group that were amusing themselves with Parade.
+
+"Now, my good cockatoo," began Dick, standing in front of his
+red-feathered pupil, "you know 'variety is charming,' says the proverb.
+We may like to hear you say the same thing over nine hundred and
+ninety-nine times; but when a question is asked for the thousandth time,
+we begin to wish for a little variation. Suppose now, just for a change,
+you say, 'Ain't I clever? ain't I clever?'"
+
+"Ain't I fine?--ain't I fine?" screamed Parade.
+
+"Fine? Yes, we know that you are; dark as it is growing, we see that you
+are; it's a fact which no one will dispute. But just try now--"
+
+Dick had not time to conclude his sentence. Bang!--crash!--there was a
+loud deafening noise, as if a cannon had been suddenly fired at their
+ears. Nelly started in terror to her feet, and rushed to the window to
+see what had happened--frightened by the shrieks and cries which
+succeeded the terrible explosion, that had smashed every pane of glass
+in the cottages! The whole air was full of thick smoke, through which
+Nelly beheld Miss Folly, with her flounces all on fire, rushing wildly
+into the dwelling of Dick, which was just opposite to that of Matty.
+
+"O Lubin! something terrible has happened. Plunge the table-cover into
+that pailful of water--let us fly to save--oh, help! help!"
+
+Back again through Dick's doorway rushed screaming Miss Folly, after
+having set fire to his curtains within. Happily she was met by Lubin and
+Nelly, who threw over her flaming, flaring dress the damp folds of the
+dripping table-cover. She struggled fiercely to get away from them, as
+though she thought that they meant to smother her; and it was with the
+utmost difficulty that the two succeeded in throwing Folly on the
+ground, and putting out the flames entirely, by rolling her round and
+round in the mire.
+
+Matty's screams of alarm mingled with those of Miss Folly; and not
+without cause, for the explosion had set fire to the thatch of her
+cottage; and through the windows of Dick's came a terrible fiery
+glow--his furniture was all in a blaze. The whole scene around was as
+light as day in the fierce red glare of the burning.
+
+Happily assistance was near--very near. Duty and Affection had been
+ascending the hill to pay an evening visit to Nelly, when they had been
+startled by the noise of the explosion, the shrieks, and then the sight
+of the blazing thatch. Without a moment's delay they had shouted for
+assistance to a party of men who were going homewards at the close of a
+day's work. A cart full of empty barrels happened to be passing at the
+same time, and its contents were instantly seized upon for use. The
+labourers, incited and directed by the sisters, rushed down at once to
+the brook, thankful that water was so nigh. Happily there was no wind to
+fan the fierce conflagration, a heavy mist was beginning to rise, and
+strong and willing hands were at work to put out the fire. Duty and
+Affection were everywhere--encouraging the men, directing their efforts,
+nay, labouring themselves with an energy and courage which filled all
+beholders with surprise. Never could Nelly forget that night. The
+rushing to and fro--the crackling of the flames--the hissing of the
+water thrown upon them--the volumes of smoke that arose, the cries, the
+screams, the hallooing--then the shout of triumph when at length the
+fire was completely subdued.
+
+Nelly's chief alarm was on account of her brother and sister. While the
+tumult yet raged around, she rushed, guided by Matty's screams, to a
+spot where she found the poor girl trembling in an agony of terror.
+
+"Oh, Matty, are you injured?" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"I don't know--I can't tell," sobbed Matty, who was much more frightened
+than hurt, though her hair, and even her eyebrows, had been singed by
+the explosion of the fireworks.
+
+"And Dick--poor Dick--is he safe?" cried Nelly, glancing anxiously
+around.
+
+"There he is--lying on the ground!" exclaimed Lubin, who had just
+discovered his brother stretched senseless upon the earth, having been
+struck on the head by a large piece of wood at the time of the
+explosion.
+
+"Oh, I hope and trust that he is not killed!" exclaimed Nelly, running
+to him, in bitter distress.
+
+"Not killed, only stunned--see, he is opening his eyes," said Lubin, who
+was now on his knees, supporting his brother in his arms. "If Matty
+would only assist us, we could carry him into your cottage, Nelly, out
+of this noise and confusion."
+
+Tenderly the three young Desleys raised their poor wounded brother, and
+carried him into the cottage. Affection soon followed, to attend to his
+hurts and bind up his bleeding brow--for Affection is a nurse of great
+skill.
+
+The fire was out--the danger over; Duty rewarded the labourers, and the
+cottages were left to the children and their two faithful friends in
+need. Duty and Affection remained through all the dark hours of that
+trying night, soothing Matty, encouraging Lubin, cheering the heart of
+poor Nelly. Even when obliged to leave for awhile, the sisters paid
+repeated visits to the cottage, bearing with them everything needful.
+Nelly now found, indeed, what it was to have such friends as Duty and
+Affection.
+
+Dick's injury had brought on brain-fever. For three days and nights
+Nelly scarcely quitted her brother. All his unkindness was quite
+forgotten, and she would not have left her place at his side for ought
+that the world could give. Dick had been severely, though not
+dangerously, hurt. It would be some time, the doctor said, before he
+would be fit for any exertion. Books must be kept from his sight; he
+must not, for weeks to come, be allowed to visit the town of Education.
+But his life had been happily spared; gradually his strength would
+return. Nelly did not like to tell the poor invalid that all the
+furniture of his cottage, which he had regarded with so much
+satisfaction, had been destroyed by the fire; nor that poor Matty's
+thatch had been burned, and her pretty white wall all blackened and
+scorched by the flame.
+
+Dear reader! should you ever be tempted to harbour Pride, on account of
+a well-furnished head or a beautiful face--oh, remember how soon the
+fairest features may be made unsightly, the most talented mind rendered
+feeble and weak, by a sudden accident or fever. The labours of years may
+be swept away--the highest powers rendered useless; and one whom all
+admire to-day, may be but an object of pity to-morrow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+HEARING THE TRUTH.
+
+
+It was not until Dick was able to sit up, propped by cushions, in an
+arm-chair, that Nelly could be persuaded by Lubin to make a little
+expedition with him to buy some things needful for their mother, whose
+arrival in two days was expected. Lubin liked to do nothing by himself;
+he would not have taken the trouble to cross brook Bother unless a
+sister had been at his side; and poor Matty had positively refused to
+go, as she disliked showing herself to strangers while her hair and
+eyebrows were so sadly disfigured by the fire.
+
+"Please, Matty," said Nelly, before she set out, "see that poor Dick
+wants nothing during my absence. Perhaps you would sit beside him. But,
+pray, say nothing to him that can possibly vex or excite him; you know
+that he is still very weak, and the fever might possibly return."
+
+Matty agreed to play the nurse for an hour, and with a slow and
+lingering step she accordingly went to the cottage in which her brother
+was staying.
+
+It was sad to see the young, bright, active boy placed like an aged man
+in an arm-chair, his cheek, so lately glowing with health, almost as
+pale as the pillow upon which it was resting. Dick's eye was, however,
+still bright, and he had his old playfulness of manner, though his tone
+was more feeble than usual, as he exclaimed, on the entrance of his
+sister, "Why, Matty, you and I look for all the world as if we had been
+in the wars! I with this bandage across my brow, you with your hair
+cropped close, and your eyebrows all singed off; you can't think how
+funny you look!"
+
+Poor Matty hid her face with her hands, and was ready to burst into
+tears.
+
+"Oh, don't take it to heart!" cried Dick; "hair will soon grow again,
+you know. I wonder that your friend Miss Folly has not helped you to an
+elegant wig."
+
+"She is no friend of mine!" exclaimed Matty, with vehemence. "Do you not
+know that it was Folly who caused the explosion? She thought, like an
+idiot as she is, that it would be fun to put a match to the fireworks
+when all our backs were turned, and make us start with surprise. It was
+her meddling that caused all this mischief and misery;" and again poor
+disfigured Matty hid her face in her hands.
+
+"Then I hope that you'll cut her from this day forth," observed Dick.
+
+"She has cut us," replied Matty, quickly. "Have you not heard how her
+flounces were all in a blaze, and how she rushed about as if mad, into a
+cottage and out again, till Nelly and Lubin knocked her down just in
+time to save her from being quite burned?"
+
+"I have heard nothing," said Dick, raising himself on his chair, with an
+expression of curiosity and interest; "you know that Nelly has been my
+nurse, and she would hardly speak a word for fear lest she should put me
+into a fever."
+
+Matty was eager to impart all her knowledge, quite regardless of Nelly's
+parting warning, and began to talk so fast that Dick could not help
+being reminded of poor Miss Folly.
+
+"Well, you shall hear everything now. Folly was knocked down, or pulled
+down, as I said, and then rolled about in the mud, till you could hardly
+have distinguished her head from her feet, or her peacock's plume from a
+cow's tail. And very thankful and very much delighted she ought to have
+been, for, if she had been quite choked with mire, it would have been
+better than burning alive!"
+
+"A painful choice," observed Dick.
+
+"But she was _not_ choked to death," continued Matty; "she was not hurt
+the least bit; and yet--would you believe it?--Miss Folly is in a most
+furious rage against those who saved her. She declares that she ought to
+have a lawsuit against Nelly and Lubin to recover the value of her
+clothes, and another to get them punished for knocking her into the mud;
+and she has promised a thousand times never to come near one of our
+family again."
+
+"I hope," said Dick, with a smile, "that for once Miss Folly may keep
+her promise. But what has become of her red cockatoo?"
+
+"Ah, there's another great grievance!" cried Matty. "The bird must have
+been frightened by the explosion; and no wonder, for a terrible sight it
+was, and a horrible noise it made. Parade has flown off, no one knows
+whither; and though papers and placards about him have been put up in
+every direction, offering no end of rewards to whoever will bring him
+back, the bird is not to be found. Folly says, that poor innocent I must
+have hidden him somewhere from view; but I am sure that I have not even
+a guess whither the gaudy creature has fled!"
+
+"Had you hidden him," observed Dick Desley, "Parade would soon have
+betrayed you by screaming out 'Ain't I fine?' And what has become of
+Pride?"
+
+"Some say," replied Matty, "that he got a great blow on the nose at the
+time of the explosion; others say that he was not at all injured by it.
+He certainly did not help Duty to put out the fire. All that I know of
+Pride is, that he came to our villas this morning, and walked straight
+up to yours, I suppose from its being the one which he had been most
+accustomed to visit. I saw him from my window, standing awhile with
+folded arms, gloomily surveying the place; he then shrugged his
+shoulders, said, 'What a wreck!' and instantly stalked away."
+
+"What did he mean by exclaiming 'What a wreck?'" asked Dick, with a look
+of surprise.
+
+"He meant your poor cottage, of course," replied Matty; "all its
+furniture burned and destroyed."
+
+"How--what?" exclaimed Dick in a startled tone; "the fire was not in my
+cottage at all; the explosion took place by yours."
+
+"I know that too well," sighed poor Matty; "but Folly rushed straight
+into your home, blazing away like a rocket, then rushed out again, but
+not before she had set your curtains on fire."
+
+"Do you mean that all my furniture is burned!" exclaimed Dick, striking
+his fist with violence upon a table that was near him.
+
+"Burned to a cinder," replied Matty; "there's scarcely anything left but
+the grates."
+
+"The carpet--the splendid carpet destroyed too?" cried poor Dick,
+starting upright on his feet.
+
+"Great holes burned in every part, and all the dates as black as
+charcoal!"
+
+Dick sank back on his seat with a groan.
+
+"The beautifully papered walls," continued Matty, "not fit to be looked
+at now; the fine furniture-facts mere charred wood, or little heaps of
+gray ashes!"
+
+"And mother coming back the day after to-morrow!" exclaimed Dick, with a
+burst of anguish. "And doubtless Mr. Learning will come with her,
+bringing the crown of Success for which I have laboured so hard! I must
+go at once to the town," he cried wildly; "I must work, work hard till
+they appear!" And springing from his chair he made an effort to walk;
+but the limbs, once so active and strong, would no longer support his
+weight, and, overcome with vexation, Dick tottered back into his seat.
+
+"I can't do it," he cried; "I can't go! Oh, misery and disappointment!
+Leave me, Matty, leave me; remain no longer with a wretched boy who has
+lost everything that he valued!"
+
+Matty was frightened at the vehement storm of passion which her
+indiscretion had raised; and being quite unable to speak a word of
+comfort to her brother, she crept out of the cottage, feeling more
+unhappy than when she had entered it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+A BRAVE EFFORT.
+
+
+"Oh! why should this be--why should this be?" groaned Dick, as soon as
+he found himself alone; "why should I, the genius of the family,
+suddenly find myself reduced to the state of the veriest dunce? Why
+should one wretched accident take from me more than Matty lost by
+Forgetfulness, or Lubin by Procrastination? Why should I have a cottage
+so ruined and empty--I who had made its furniture my glory--I who had
+worked so hard and so well?"
+
+It is a wise thing for those in trouble to try and search for the reason
+of their trials. No sorrow is sent without a cause. Dick sat long with
+his brow leaning on his hand, thinking, and thinking, and seeking as
+well as his poor, languid mind would let him, to trace out his past
+career.
+
+Why had he worked so hard--why had he worked so well? Was it indeed for
+the sake of his mother, or from regard to Mr. Learning, or because he
+had been taught by Duty in all things to do his best? Dick looked round
+upon Nelly's little room; every article there reminded him of patient
+perseverance, of steady application, not because labour had been easy
+and pleasant, but because she had felt it to be _right_. Dick, who was a
+very intelligent boy, could not but see, now that reflection was forced
+upon him, that he had spent his hours and furnished his cottage only to
+please and enrich himself, to triumph over his brother and sisters, to
+gain the silver crown of Success, and to gratify evil Pride! Yes, Pride
+had urged him to every effort: Pride had made him resolve that no
+cottage should be as splendidly furnished as his own; Pride had dogged
+his steps, directed his labours, had introduced him to mischievous
+Folly, and, worst of all, had made him look down on his best friends and
+nearest relations, and insult his gentle little sister! Ah! this was the
+bitterest reflection of all!
+
+"How Pride used to make me laugh at the laziness of Lubin, the vanity of
+Matty, the lameness of my dear little Nelly, though that was no fault of
+her own. I remember now but too well that it was through him that I
+insulted the sister whose talents might be less than mine, but whose
+virtues should have been my example. It was Pride who made me ashamed
+to ask forgiveness, or express regret for words as unjust as they were
+unkind. Yes, this sore trial must have been sent to warn me that he who
+takes Pride as his bosom companion will sooner or later repent of having
+done so. What Pride can offer is but a sorry exchange for the peace, the
+harmony, the love which it seems his delight to destroy! Was it Pride
+who nursed me through my illness? Was it Pride who so gently bore with
+my wayward humours; who prepared the cooling draught for my fevered
+lips, and never seemed weary of watching beside me all through the long
+dreary night? O Nelly, not one word of reproach did I ever hear from
+your tongue; but my heart reproaches me the more for having mocked at
+your tender counsels, given way to impatient temper, and thrown away
+your love as a worthless thing at the bidding of haughty Pride!"
+
+"Did I not hear my own name?" said a voice at the door, and the beams of
+the setting sun threw a dark shadow across the threshold. The next
+moment Pride would have entered, but Dick waved him back with a gesture
+of command.
+
+"What--do you not know your old friend?" cried Pride.
+
+"I know my old tempter," said the boy, with emotion. "Pride, I have
+lately suffered much, but I have not suffered in vain; I have lost
+much, but I have gained something also--a knowledge of myself, and of
+you! Here let us part, and for ever."
+
+"This is some delusion of a fevered brain!" cried Pride, beginning to
+look very angry.
+
+"No, my fever has passed away, and with it all my vain delusions. To
+think myself superior to all others was a delusion; to think that Pride
+would make me happy was a delusion: to think that a well-furnished head
+could make up for a haughty and selfish heart, that was the worst
+delusion of all!"
+
+Pride still lingered, unwilling to depart, or to give up one whom he had
+so long regarded as his slave; but the sound of footsteps was now heard,
+and Lubin and Nelly appeared at the door. The little girl cast an
+uneasy, frightened glance at Pride, who scowled darkly on her in return.
+But Duty and Affection, the beautiful sisters, were accompanying the
+children to their home, and Pride, bold as he was, shrank back abashed
+at their calm, majestic presence.
+
+Dick, though languid and weak, nerved himself now for a great and
+painful effort. He had never been accustomed to own himself wrong, and
+the thought of doing so, not privately but openly, in the presence of so
+many witnesses, brought the warm blood to his pallid cheek, and made his
+heart throb with excitement. But he knew no better way of proving to
+Pride that his empire indeed was over; no better way of making amends to
+Nelly for past unkindness and scorn. Raising himself, therefore, and
+supporting his weak frame by grasping the table beside him, he uttered
+these words, in a clear and distinct, though somewhat tremulous
+tone:--"Nelly, before all, I ask your forgiveness for past unkind and
+foolish conduct, and thank you for the tender care which I have so
+little deserved; and I also ask Lubin's pardon"--here Dick turned
+towards his brother--"for having often provoked him by rude and mocking
+words."
+
+Nelly's only reply was running forward and throwing her arms around
+Dick; Lubin warmly grasped his hand; Pride, grinding his teeth with
+suppressed fury, glared for a moment at the three, then, turning round
+with something like a yell, rushed away from the spot. Let us hope that
+he never returned!
+
+"Well done, nobly done, brave boy!" exclaimed Duty, coming forward, the
+red rays of the setting sun streaming upon her glorious figure, and her
+face, which was bright with loveliness exceeding all mortal beauty. It
+was the first time that the wounded boy had ever received _her_ praise;
+and how sweet fell its accents from her lips, those lips that falsehood
+never had stained!
+
+"We were coming to see you," said gentle Affection, "and met these our
+young friends on the way."
+
+"Coming to see me!" cried the invalid; "poor, helpless, ruined sufferer
+that I am!"
+
+"Nay," said Affection, with a beaming smile, "speak not so gloomily of
+your state. I bring you the refreshing draught of Hope, to revive your
+spirits and restore your strength!"
+
+As Affection spoke she poured out from a phial into a glass a sparkling
+effervescing liquid. Dick took it eagerly from her hand, and as he drank
+it as if drinking in life, Affection continued thus to address
+him:--"You will soon recover from the effects of your accident, and be
+able with new vigour and energy to refurnish your own little cottage.
+You will easily make up for lost time; indeed, the loss which you have
+sustained is not so great as has been represented. Look with a hopeful
+eye on the future, with a thankful eye on the past; he cannot be very
+ignorant who is instructed by Duty, nor very poor who has at his command
+all the treasures of Affection!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+EXPECTATION.
+
+
+Very bright and beautiful was the day on which Dame Desley returned to
+her family. The sun rose in the morning in full glory, all surrounded
+with rosy clouds. The breath of the air was soft and sweet as that of
+balmy Spring, and Autumn could only be known by the splendid mantle of
+yellow, red, and brown, which she had thrown over the trees and bushes.
+Even brook Bother itself seemed to sparkle and dance in the sunbeams,
+and the white houses of Education reflected the cheerful light.
+
+Nelly rose early, her heart bounding with delight, and made everything
+ready in her cottage to welcome the mother whom she loved. As she was
+busily rubbing up some of her furniture-facts till they shone as
+brightly as mirrors, poor Lubin joined his sister, looking disconsolate
+and dull.
+
+"Nelly," said he, rubbing his forehead, "I'm afraid that my cottage is
+not well furnished. I've no table, and scarcely a chair, my carpet is
+all in a muddle, and I'm afraid that my dear mother will be
+disappointed--even disgusted."
+
+Nelly did not know what to reply, so she only shook her head gravely.
+
+"Do you think, Nelly, that I'd have time to rush off to Education this
+morning and bring back a table, bed, and a couple of chairs on my back?"
+
+Though Nelly was really sorry for her brother, she could hardly help
+smiling at the idea of fat little Lubin puffing, panting, and blowing,
+under such a formidable burden. "I fear that you have no time to-day,"
+she replied, "for even one journey to the town of Education. We expect
+our dear mother early, and we all, except poor Dick, who is not strong
+enough yet, are going to meet her on the road."
+
+Lubin rubbed his forehead harder than before. "Had it not been for that
+thief Procrastination!" he exclaimed,--
+
+"And Amusement Bazaar," suggested Nelly.
+
+"Oh," exclaimed Lubin, half ready to cry, "what a stupid donkey I have
+been!"
+
+"I wish," said the pitying Nelly, "that we were allowed to help each
+other more. Not that I have much furniture to spare, but how gladly
+would I give of that little!"
+
+"That's impossible," sighed poor Lubin; "and even if you could stuff my
+empty cottage with a dozen or so of your facts, that would not hide the
+horrible DUNCE which Mr. Learning scrawled on my wall. To think of
+mother's seeing it! ugh! how dreadfully shocked she will be!" and Lubin
+gave his forehead an actual bang, as if to punish it for his own
+neglect.
+
+"Well, Lubin dear," said Nelly in a soothing tone, "we may regret the
+mistakes of the past, but let them only make us more anxious to do more
+with our future hours. You will begin to work hard to-morrow, and carry
+away a good store from Arithmetic or General Knowledge."
+
+"I believe the first thing that I should do," observed the rueful boy,
+"is to master that ladder of Spelling."
+
+"True, you will never get on without that," said Nelly. "I daresay with
+patience and pains you will get a well-furnished house after all."
+
+Poor Lubin looked only half comforted; but hearing a slow, feeble step,
+he hastened with Nelly to support Dick, and lead him to his comfortable
+arm-chair.
+
+"So mother is coming to-day, and you are all going to meet her," said
+the pale boy, with a languid smile.
+
+"You will wait and welcome her here, dear brother," said Nelly.
+
+"No," replied Dick, with quiet sadness; "I will await her in my own poor
+cottage, it is there that she expects to see me. Will you kindly support
+me thither? I have just enough strength to cross the sward."
+
+"But--" began Lubin, and stopped short.
+
+"Why should you go there," said Nelly, "when you are so welcome to
+remain where you are? and--"
+
+"I know what you are thinking," observed Dick; "you think that I will
+not be able to bear looking on the change and the ruin. But it is
+better, Nelly, that I should see all. I have needed the bitter lesson. I
+would rather go thither at once, and accustom myself to the sight before
+my dear mother arrives."
+
+As the boy was evidently in earnest, Lubin and Nelly made no further
+objections. Dick, supported by them on either side, soon crossed over to
+his cottage, and was placed in one of the chairs which had been brought
+out of his own little kitchen, that room having quite escaped the
+effects of the fire. Dick looked sadly but calmly around him.
+
+"See," said Nelly, "matters are not so bad after all. The curtains are
+gone, and some of the facts, but the grate, fire-irons, and fender are
+as good as ever, they only want a little rubbing up. A great part of the
+carpet is safe, and all your purchases from Grammar's Bazaar happened to
+be stowed in the kitchen, so you see that they have not suffered at all.
+When you get a little strength, dear Dick, you will soon make everything
+right; a few new purchases will render your cottage as beautiful as it
+was before the fire."
+
+Dick smiled, and pressed the hand of his sister.
+
+Matty now rushed in, all in a flutter. "I'm so glad that you have not
+started!" she exclaimed. "I could not have endured not to have been
+amongst the first to welcome my mother!"
+
+"Go then, go all," said Dick.
+
+"I do not like to leave you alone here," observed Nelly, lingering by
+the chair of her brother.
+
+"I shall not be dull," replied Dick; "the bird Content is singing in
+your home, and I shall listen here to his strains. I should rather be
+alone for awhile; there is little chance now that my quiet will be
+disturbed either by Pride or Miss Folly."
+
+So Lubin and his sisters departed, Dick remaining behind, rather
+thoughtful than sad. He was a changed boy from what he had been at the
+time when he had bounded over the brook, bearing the ladder of Spelling
+aloft; or when he had laughed at Lubin for his struggle with Alphabet,
+the strong little dwarf. Dick had become weak, so he could feel for
+weakness; an accident had swept away the best part of his wealth, so
+that he had a fellow-feeling for the poor. Dick had become more gentle,
+more humble, more kind; that which he had deemed a terrible misfortune,
+that which had laid him on a bed of sickness, had been in truth one of
+the happiest events of his life. He had gained much more than he had
+lost.
+
+Dick sat for some time in eager expectation of his mother's arrival,
+listening to every noise, and keeping his watchful eye on the road which
+he could see through the open door. At last there was a sound as of
+advancing steps and eager voices; weak as he still was, Dick sprang to
+his feet, and in another minute, to his great delight, he was clasped to
+the heart of his mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+EMPTY AND FURNISHED.
+
+
+"You find the poor cottage in a sad state," was Dick's melancholy
+observation, as his mother, after the first loving greeting, seated
+herself at his side, holding his thin hand in her own, and looking
+tenderly at his pale features.
+
+"O mother, if you had only seen it before the fire!" exclaimed Nelly;
+"it was beautiful--quite beautiful--so much better furnished than any of
+ours!"
+
+"It will be beautiful again," said Dame Desley, cheerfully; "my boy only
+wants a little more Time-money when his strength is perfectly restored.
+And I can see," she added, rising and opening the back-door, through
+which she could view the garden, "that great pains were once taken
+here."
+
+"I have not been able to attend to it since my illness," said Dick; "but
+as soon as I am able to set to work again, I will try to get all into
+order."
+
+"I must now go and examine the other cottages," said Dame Desley; "I
+noticed as I came here that the wall of Matty's had been scorched, and
+that the new thatch which has been put on does not look quite so well as
+the old; but I hear that the inside has sustained no harm, and I shall
+now examine with pleasure the furniture bought by my child."
+
+As Dame Desley was proceeding to the next cottage, which, as we all
+know, was that of Lubin, whom should she meet but Mr. Learning, cane in
+hand, and spectacles on nose, with a white box under his arm.
+
+"Oh, what on earth brings him here just now!" exclaimed Lubin to Nelly,
+ready to stamp with vexation; "as if it were not bad enough to have
+mother examining my poor empty cottage, without having him to look on
+all the time through those horrid spectacles, that will magnify every
+defect. Just hear now how mother is thanking him for all that he has
+done for her children, and see what a sly meaning glance he is casting
+at me, looking through his glasses, as much as to say--'There's one
+stupid dunce of a fellow; I could never make anything of him.'"
+
+"You will do better in future," whispered Nelly, as she went forward to
+shake hands with Mr. Learning, who benignantly smiled at his pupil.
+
+"We will go in here first," said Dame Desley; "Lubin, dear, come to my
+side."
+
+The poor boy would gladly have kept back, and had some thoughts of
+running away down the hill, so grievously was he ashamed that his mother
+and guardian should see what little use he had made of his hours. He
+dared not, however, disobey; so with Dame Desley on one side, and
+stately Mr. Learning on the other, feeling like a culprit between two
+constables, he entered his ill-furnished cottage.
+
+Dame Desley looked to the right hand, and then she looked to the left;
+and the longer she looked the longer grew her face, and the graver the
+expression which it wore. There was a terribly awkward silence. Nelly
+felt quite uncomfortable, and Lubin stood twisting the button on his
+jacket, and wishing himself up to the neck in brook Bother, or anywhere
+but at home. At last the mother spoke, but her accents were those of
+displeasure.
+
+"What can you have done, stupid boy, with all your minutes and hours?"
+
+"I gave some to my shopping--" whimpered Lubin.
+
+"Humph!" growled Mr. Learning.
+
+"Very few, I fear," said Dame Desley.
+
+"Procrastination picked my pocket of some, and--and--"
+
+"I suspect that the frequenters of Amusement's Bazaar could tell us
+where the best part have gone," said Mr. Learning with freezing
+severity. "You have thrown away your minutes and your hours upon balls,
+ninepins, marbles, and lollypops."
+
+What could poor Lubin reply? He knew that the accusation was too true.
+His distress reached its height on his seeing that the eyes of his
+mother were resting on the big DUNCE, which stared in black letters from
+the wall.
+
+"Oh, that I could pummel Mr. Learning for writing it up there!" thought
+Lubin.
+
+"I wonder that you do not blush to look at that!" exclaimed Dame Desley,
+in high displeasure. "This very day you must be off to Mr. Reading's,
+and get a respectable paper to cover that shameful wall."
+
+"And don't forget the ladder of Spelling," cried Mr. Learning; "there's
+nothing to be done without that."
+
+Nelly, who saw that Lubin's face was growing as red as the feathers of
+Parade, now timidly came forward to try and draw attention from the
+unhappy sluggard. "Dear mother, I hope that you remember that you have
+other cottages to see," she said, placing her hand in that of Dame
+Desley.
+
+"And I hope that I shall find them very different indeed from this,"
+said the disappointed parent, as she crossed over the way to Matty's.
+
+The little owner ran on in front, with mingled feelings of hope and
+fear. She knew that her home was not empty; that the furniture looked
+very gay; but she could not help suspecting that her mother, and yet
+more the sage Mr. Learning, might think some of it tawdry and worthless.
+Flinging the door wide open to admit her guests, Matty ran in so
+hurriedly to put a piece of furniture straight, that her foot was caught
+in her unfastened carpet, and down she fell on her nose.
+
+"My dear child, I hope that you're not hurt," cried Dame Desley.
+
+Matty jumped up, rubbed her nose, and said that it was "nothing," though
+looking extremely annoyed at such a beginning to the survey.
+
+"What a hole you have torn in the carpet!" cried her mother. "Why, it is
+not fastened down with nails; you must be in danger of tripping every
+minute."
+
+"Such a carpet!" exclaimed Learning, with contempt, kicking it up with
+his heel.
+
+"And what a paper!" cried the mother; "as shabby as it is gaudy, and all
+with the damp showing through."
+
+"But I have some things very pretty indeed," said Matty, in rather a
+petulant tone; for she could not bear that any fault should be found
+with her beautiful cottage. "I'm sure that the porcelain jars on the
+mantelpiece are fit for the palace of a princess; and just look at my
+gilded French mirror, and my elegant tambourine."
+
+Dame Desley appeared by no means as much delighted at these fine things
+as her daughter had expected; and Mr. Learning dryly observed, "I see
+that you have troubled Mr. Arithmetic, the ironmonger, as little as Mr.
+History, the carpet manufacturer; and however pretty your fancy articles
+may be, I must just venture to remark that a poker is more useful than
+porcelain, a mat than a gilded French mirror, and that, though a
+tambourine may be charming, it can't supply the place of a table."
+
+"Your furniture also looks so light and fragile," observed Dame Desley,
+"that I should be almost afraid to use it."
+
+"Oh, it does exceedingly well," cried the mortified Matty, tossing
+herself down on a chair, to show that her mother was mistaken. She had
+chosen, however, an unfortunate way of displaying the strength of her
+furniture; the luckless chair gave way with a crash, and Matty came down
+with a thumping blow--not this time on her nose, but on the back of her
+head.
+
+More hurt than she had been by her former tumble, and yet more mortified
+than hurt, the poor child began to cry. Dame Desley and Nelly ran to
+raise her, while Mr. Learning, grave as he usually was, could hardly
+refrain from laughing.
+
+"She has quite a bump on her poor head!" cried Nelly. "Dear Matty! what
+can we do for her?"
+
+"Get me the pink salve from the mantelpiece," sobbed Matty. Her sister
+hurried to the place as fast as she could.
+
+"Let me see it first," said Dame Desley, examining the little china pot,
+which was labelled, "FLATTERY SALVE, _patronized by the nobility and
+gentry. Warranted to heal all manner of bruises and sores._"
+
+"Where did you get this?" inquired the mother. Matty whimpered out that
+she had had it from Miss Folly.
+
+"Let Miss Folly keep her own trash to herself!" cried the indignant
+dame, flinging the little pot out of the window; "that is a most
+dangerous salve: its effect is often that of injuring the brain,
+weakening the senses--producing dizziness and delirium! Bring a little
+cold water, Nelly; that is a far better thing to apply to a bump on the
+head like this."
+
+"I am afraid," observed Mr. Learning, as the simple remedy was tried
+with effect, "that Matty, quick and ready a pupil as she is, will have
+almost as much to do as Lubin before her cottage is really well
+furnished. She had better at once commence the work of getting rid of
+the trash; and I should recommend her to make a famous large bonfire of
+it to celebrate her mother's return."
+
+Poor Matty, who had at first eyed with mingled curiosity and hope the
+white box under the arm of her guardian--believing that it must contain
+the silver crown of Success--felt her heart sink at these words; and
+with drooping head and melancholy mien, she went with her companions to
+the cottage adjoining.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+FRUITS OF NEEDLEWORK.
+
+
+"Now this is what I should call neat--neat, and not gaudy," said Dame
+Desley, as she stood in the doorway of Nelly's home, and surveyed with a
+pleased eye the perfect order of the place. "The fire-irons bright,
+though small--the paper chosen with judgment--everything needful, though
+there is little to spare--each article in its proper place, and neat and
+good of its kind." Oh, how delightful to Nelly was the praise which she
+had fairly earned by self-denying labour!
+
+"Considering that Nelly is lame--that she has never been gifted either
+with quickness or strength, I have every reason," observed Mr. Learning,
+"to be satisfied with what she has done."
+
+"And what a beautiful bird; and how tame!" cried Dame Desley, as
+Content, recognizing a friend, hopped lightly down to her finger.
+
+"That was the gift of my dear friend, Duty," said Nelly.
+
+"A friend whom you cannot prize too much, or follow too closely,"
+observed her mother.
+
+"Here she comes herself!" cried Nelly in joyful surprise, "and sweet
+Affection behind her! They have doubtless come here to-day to welcome
+home my dear mother."
+
+The meeting was a very joyous one. Duty and Affection had for many years
+been the valued friends of Dame Desley.
+
+After the first words of greeting had passed between them, Affection
+inquired whether the dame had seen the gardens of her daughters, and
+looked at their needlework plants.
+
+"Not yet, but I am going to examine them," replied the mother.
+
+"Let us all come together!" said Duty.
+
+With a very low bow of respect, Mr. Learning offered his arm to the
+noble maiden; Affection rested one hand on Dame Desley's, and, smiling,
+held out the other to Nelly; Lubin and Matty followed behind--the boy
+somewhat sulky and sad, but the girl with reviving spirits. Matty was a
+little jealous of the praises which her sister had received; but she
+expected in the garden, if not in the cottage, to be found far superior
+to poor, lame Nelly.
+
+The gardens of Nelly and Matty were divided from each other only by a
+box-hedge, which was scarcely three inches high. The party, though
+entering from Nelly's back-door, went immediately into the garden of her
+sister, as Dame Desley thought that it was right to attend first to that
+of the elder.
+
+Both gardens won a fair meed of praise. Matty, as has before been
+mentioned, happened to be fond of geographical flowers; and while the
+arrangement of the two gardens was equally neat and correct, Matty had
+certainly a larger number of countries and capitals to display.
+
+"I should not wonder," whispered Matty to Lubin, "if I were to win the
+silver crown of Success after all."
+
+Lubin's only answer was a sigh; for he knew that he had lost all chance
+of getting the prize.
+
+"And now for the needlework plants," said Dame Desley, approaching the
+garden-wall.
+
+Every one uttered an exclamation of pleasure on beholding Matty's
+beautiful creeper. Ripe fruits, with rosy down like that upon the peach,
+hung on its twining boughs, looking lovelier by contrast with its green
+and shining leaves. Matty plucked one, and offered it to her mother. The
+dame quickly removed the rind, and a delicate little bead-purse met her
+admiring gaze. It was of pink and gold, with tiny tassels to match.
+Matty pulled another fruit from the bough, and it offered to view a
+pretty bead-mat, with a pattern of flowers upon it.
+
+"Well, that is a fine plant!" observed Mr. Learning, admiration in his
+spectacled eyes.
+
+Matty triumphantly squeezed Lubin's arm. "I think that I shall get the
+prize," she whispered. "I should have been sure of it if that stupid
+chair had not given me such an unfortunate tumble. How ugly Nelly's
+plant looks yonder, with its large, coarse, prickly stem; and it grows
+so close to the ground. I should be ashamed to have such a thing in my
+garden!"
+
+"Now for Nelly's needlework," said Affection.
+
+The whole party moved on to the spot, when they saw a plant--not
+beautiful, it must be owned, but with three fruits, as big as pumpkins,
+resting upon the ground, half covered with large green leaves.
+
+"Shall I pluck one?" said Nelly, modestly.
+
+"Let us see it," replied Mr. Learning.
+
+Nelly stooped, and broke from its stalk the smallest of the fruits. It
+was so ripe that the rind burst open in her hands, and out dropped a cap
+as white as snow, with a number of delicate frills all neatly hemmed and
+gathered. With a smile and a blush, Nelly presented her little offering
+to her mother, while a murmur of approbation sounded from all around.
+
+"Ah, how useful this will be!" exclaimed Dame Desley; "this fruit is
+charming indeed!"
+
+"Let us see the others," said Duty, bending forward to gaze.
+
+Again Nelly stooped and raised the ripe fruit; again it burst open in
+her grasp. She pulled out an apron, very prettily made, with neat little
+pockets in front!
+
+"The very thing that I have been wanting!" cried the dame, putting it on
+with pleasure and pride.
+
+"There's more yet to be seen," said Mr. Learning.
+
+The third fruit was so very big, that but for the assistance of both
+Duty and Affection, Nelly would hardly have known how to manage. It was
+not quite so ripe as the others, and would not come readily from the
+thick stalk, and the rind did not burst open as those of the two first
+had done.
+
+"How can we see what is in it?" cried Matty.
+
+"Something very good is in it, no doubt," said Affection; and Duty,
+pulling a pair of scissors out of her pocket, soon decided the question.
+A great hole was made in the rind, and all the party pressed round with
+curiosity to watch the little girl, who now began slowly to draw out
+the gray contents of the fruit.
+
+"I say," exclaimed Lubin, "what's that long thing?--it looks for all the
+world like a sleeve."
+
+"The body is coming after," cried Matty.
+
+Yes, sure enough it was coming, body and skirt and all--a nice, new,
+warm dress, for Dame Desley to wear through the approaching winter.
+
+When the whole of the huge fruit was emptied, and the gown held up by
+Affection, there was a general clapping of hands, in admiration of the
+wonderful plant. Matty alone looked coldly upon it, and observed in a
+low tone to Lubin, that such a dress as that would certainly never be
+worn by Lady Fashion.
+
+"Nor made by her most particular friend," laughed Lubin, who had half
+forgotten his own troubles in Nelly's triumph. "Depend upon it that a
+sensible dress like that was never stitched by Miss Folly."
+
+"We may congratulate Nelly," said Duty, "upon the success of her
+Plain-work. I wish that every girl in the land had such a plant in her
+garden."
+
+"I think that none of us can doubt," observed Mr. Learning, taking the
+white box from under his arm, "which of our four young friends has made
+the best use of Time-money--which has best deserved the crown of
+Success." And opening the box, he took out a most elegant wreath of
+leaves worked in filigree silver, and made an attempt to place it on the
+head of the blushing Nelly. But the little girl modestly shrank back.
+
+"Oh, no!" cried Nelly; "it is not for me. It would not be right, it
+would not be fair, that poor Dick should lose what he had fairly earned,
+because Folly set his furniture on fire. Lubin can witness, Matty can
+witness, that his cottage was far better furnished than mine before the
+accident happened. Indeed the crown ought to be his. I could not bear to
+deprive him of it."
+
+Duty smiled kindly at the little pleader; Affection stooped down and
+gave her a kiss.
+
+"I must say," observed honest Lubin, in answer to Nelly's appeal, "that
+none of us cut such a dash as Dick did before that unlucky explosion."
+
+"Nelly," said Mr. Learning, with a most benevolent air, "the crown is
+yours--I give it to you. You may bear it to your brother, if you will."
+
+The lame girl waited for no further permission, but hurried off at the
+greatest speed which she could command, to carry to another the prize
+which she herself might have worn.
+
+"After all, I believe that Nelly _has_ deserved all the praise and love
+which she has won," sighed the disappointed Matty, her jealousy
+conquered by the example of generous self-denial which she saw in her
+younger sister.
+
+The party quickly followed the steps of Nelly Desley to the cottage of
+Dick--Lubin assisting his mother to carry the various gifts of his
+sisters. Affection quitted the rest for a few minutes in order to direct
+the movements of some attendants, who were spreading a table in the open
+air, in the space between the cottages. They were making preparations
+for a banquet, designed as a pleasant surprise for the Desleys upon
+their mother's return. The treat was given by Duty and Affection upon
+the joyful occasion, and especially intended to honour the wearer of the
+crown of Success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS.
+
+
+"Mine, Nelly! no, it can never be mine!" exclaimed Dick, resisting with
+emotion the efforts of his sister to place the crown on his head.
+
+"It was to be for the one who had made the best use of his hours," said
+Nelly; "it is fairly yours, for none of our furniture could be compared
+to that which you brought from the town. It was not your fault that an
+accident destroyed what had cost you so many good hours, nor is it right
+that you should suffer a double loss from the fire."
+
+"There might have been reason in what you say," observed the pale
+invalid, "if the accident had indeed been owing to no error of my own.
+Nay, Nelly, you must not prevent me from telling the whole truth. It is
+best that I should speak, and that all these my friends should hear."
+Dame Desley, her children, and her guests, were all standing around the
+boy. "If," continued Dick, "I had obeyed the voice of my mother--if I
+had turned my back upon Pride, and not attempted, at his bidding, things
+that I was not able to perform--if he had not introduced me to Folly,
+whom I encouraged, although I despised her--the explosion would never
+have taken place, I should have suffered no shame and loss. I am willing
+to bear the consequences of my own wilfulness and presumption. I should
+blush to wear the crown of Success, which I feel that I do not merit.
+Let me see it on your brow, dear Nelly; its proper place is there. Next
+to the pleasure of winning it myself, is that of knowing that it belongs
+to one who so richly deserves it."
+
+Nelly was no longer able to resist. The sparkling crown was placed on
+her brow. Lubin congratulated her with frank kindness, and even Matty
+felt that she had no right to complain. The reflection, however, passed
+through the mind of the girl, "All this honour and pleasure might have
+been mine, had I never listened to Folly!"
+
+And now Mr. Learning came forward, and stood in the centre of the
+circle, leaning one hand on the arm-chair of Dick, while with the other
+he motioned for silence. It was clear, from his preparatory cough, that
+the sage was going to make a speech.
+
+"My friends," he began, in his distinct, solemn tone, glancing benignly
+around, "we are all met together on a happy occasion. We see merit
+rewarded with success, and patient obedience to Duty achieving more than
+talent or genius. Before we proceed to the banquet to which our fair
+friends have invited us, let me mention before all my intentions in
+regard to the future year. When twelve months have run their course I
+will again return to this place, again look for a kindly welcome, again
+examine the cottages here. If I find that Dick has made up for the
+past--that Matty, giving up all connection with Folly, has furnished
+wisely and well--that Lubin, by steady perseverance, has made all forget
+that the word DUNCE was ever inscribed on his wall--not only one, but
+all and each of my young friends shall receive a crown of Success."
+
+"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Lubin, who had just been forming a number of
+good resolutions. A smile of pleasure lit up the pale features of Dick;
+and Matty, in expectation, already felt the silver crown on her head.
+
+"And now," said graceful Duty, "let Mr. Learning conduct our Nelly to
+the feast prepared, as she is Queen of the day."
+
+Even Dick, as if gaining fresh strength from the sight of the pleasant
+company around him, was able, leaning on his mother, to join the
+cheerful circle that on that beautiful autumnal day gathered around the
+board. Conversation flowed freely, nothing painful was recalled, no one
+whispered about Pride, no one mentioned Miss Folly. Brightly sparkled
+the beverage of Hope, foaming and bubbling in the glass; and every one
+who has tasted it knows what a delicious beverage it is. The stores of
+Amusement had been half emptied to furnish sweetmeats and cakes for the
+table; and Affection had provided a large quantity of the dried fruits
+of sweet Recollections. Merry were the smiles that were exchanged; merry
+the jests that were made; merriest of all the loud song of Content, as
+he warbled his lay of delight, fluttering round the head of her who wore
+the silver crown of Success.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And I now would gather around me my readers, to make them a little
+address ere we part. I see them in my mind's eye--from the school-boy
+with jacket and cap, who has thought it a condescension to read such
+"childish stuff," to the little curly-headed urchin in tartan frock,
+who, when taking a drive with mamma, asks whether the little stream
+which he passes be not "the real brook Bother." There is the tall elder
+sister, who only reads aloud "to amuse the children;" and the girl who
+"hates all lessons;" and the little laughing fairy who expects some day
+to see dwarf Alphabet standing at the door of a shop. It is not hard to
+make a speech when no one can see the speaker. So, without blushing, or
+coughing, or stammering, A. L. O. E. addresses her readers.
+
+Have not you, my friends, been reading in my story of persons and scenes
+with which you yourselves are familiar? Have you not each a nice little
+head to furnish, and Time-money to pay for your purchases? And do not
+all your best friends recommend you to go to the good town of Education?
+Do not you know the muddy brook Bother? Have you not crossed it on the
+plank of Patience; or have you never--pray pardon the question--gone
+floundering right into the middle? I am pretty sure that you have paid
+toll to Alphabet, the stout little dwarf; that you have felt how
+troublesome and tedious it is to climb Multiplication staircase; that
+you have examined Reading's fine shop; glanced at Arithmetic's grates
+and fire-irons; and probably tumbled many a time from that awkward
+ladder of Spelling. Have I not amongst my young audience a clever Dick,
+a lazy Lubin, a silly Matty, and a lame little child like Nelly? Each
+reader must judge for himself which character most resembles his own,
+and let each kindly accept a suitable word of advice.
+
+Clever reader! beware of Pride. Don't let him lurk behind your
+door--don't let him lead you to cut either your fingers or your friends,
+by attempting things for which you are not fitted, or by looking down
+upon companions not gifted with powers like your own. Do not despise
+Patience, or think that you are too clever to need it. It is not the
+quickest or sharpest pupil that really spends Time to best purpose.
+Often has the haughty, self-willed genius been found to forfeit the
+crown of Success.
+
+Lazy reader! you who love play far better than work, and are tempted to
+vote Education, its tradesmen, its family of Ologies, and all, as the
+greatest bores in the world, beware of Procrastination--beware of the
+thief of Time--beware of putting off till to-morrow what ought to be
+done to-day. Can you bear to see that word DUNCE so terribly distinct on
+your wall? Can you bear to throw away on nothing but Amusement those
+precious hours and minutes which, well employed, might gain for you the
+silver crown of Success?
+
+Silly reader!--but here I must pause, for it is probable that no little
+girl glancing over my pages will accept the title as her own. Yet, if
+she know Miss Folly, delight in her gossiping prate, dress according to
+her fanciful taste, and value her poisonous salve, she must really
+excuse me for classing her with our poor, conceited young Matty. There
+are thousands and tens of thousands, I fear, of such silly girls in the
+world (some of them may _possibly_ be amongst my readers), who would
+furnish their heads with bubbles, and neglect the good for the gay. To
+such I would utter a gentle warning. Folly can never lead you to real
+happiness or real usefulness in the world. She may promise you pleasures
+for a moment; but her pleasures either vanish into air, or leave pain
+and vexation behind. Then shut her out from your home; give her idle
+fancies no room. Let your dress be sober, neat, and quiet--suited to the
+station in which you are placed. Girls who deck themselves out to be
+admired remind us of the cockatoo Parade, puffing out its red feathers,
+and always repeating the cry, "Ain't I fine? ain't I fine?" Let your
+furniture be useful and solid; water well the plant of Plain-work. It is
+not the fanciful, frivolous miss who merits the crown of Success.
+
+But, perhaps, amongst my audience are several who may be described as
+lame, from the difficulty with which they make their way to the town of
+Education. They can hardly climb up hill Puzzle, and are often tempted
+to sit down in despair by the swollen waters of Bother! Courage, my dear
+young friends! Resolute perseverance will yet win the crown of Success.
+If you keep your eye upon Duty, and bravely follow where she would
+lead--if, guided by gentle Affection, you steadily pursue a right
+course--you will conquer difficulties at last, be useful, honoured, and
+beloved.
+
+But if you would further know _how_ to find out Duty, and, having found
+her, how to get strength and courage to follow her precepts, remember,
+dear friends, what was the best gift that even Affection could offer.
+There is something better than human knowledge--something stronger than
+mortal efforts--something more precious than earthly Success! Oh, make
+it your own, for only when that is possessed will the bird Content fold
+its silver wings, and rest in your bosoms for ever!
+
+
+
+
+The "Little Hazel" Series.
+
+EIGHT VOLUMES BY THE AUTHOR OF "LITTLE HAZEL."
+
+Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 1s. 6d. each.
+
+
+    Little Frida; or, The King's Messenger. By the Author of "Little
+    Hazel, the King's Messenger," etc.
+
+        The story of a little girl who was found by a woodcutter in the
+        Black Forest in Germany, and was taken to his home and brought
+        up there by his kind-hearted wife along with her own children.
+
+
+    The Crown of Glory; or, "Faithful unto Death." A Scottish Story
+    of Martyr Times. By the Author of "Little Hazel, the King's
+    Messenger."
+
+        A tale, founded on history, regarding the first medical
+        missionary in Scotland.
+
+
+    The Guiding Pillar. A Story for the Young. By the Author of
+    "Under the Old Oaks; or, Won by Love."
+
+        An interesting tale for the young, illustrating the sure
+        guidance of the pillar-cloud of Providence for all willing to
+        follow in humble faith.
+
+
+    Little Hazel, the King's Messenger. By the Author of "Little
+    Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket," etc.
+
+        A story for the young, showing what a Christian child may do.
+
+
+    Little Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket. By the Author of "Little
+    Hazel, the King's Messenger," etc.
+
+        A tale for the young, illustrative of the preciousness of
+        Scripture promises.
+
+
+    The Royal Banner; or, Gold and Rubies. A Story for the Young.
+    By the Author of "Little Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket," etc.
+
+        A well-written story of home and school life. Cannot fail to
+        prove interesting.
+
+
+    "Thy Kingdom Come." A Tale for Boys and Girls.
+
+
+    Under the Old Oaks; or, Won by Love. By the Author of "Little
+    Hazel, the King's Messenger," etc.
+
+
+UNIFORM WITH "LITTLE HAZEL" SERIES.
+
+
+    Little Tora, the Swedish Schoolmistress; And Other Stories.
+    By Mrs. WOODS BAKER, Author of "The Swedish Twins," etc.
+
+        "Charming idyllic pictures of Swedish life."--_Scotsman._
+
+
+    A Helping Hand. By M. B. SYNGE, Author of "A Child of the
+    Mews," etc.
+
+
+    Archie's Chances. By the Author of "The Spanish Brothers," etc.
+    With Illustrations.
+
+
+    Alive in the Jungle. A Story for the Young. By ELEANOR STREDDER,
+    Author of "Jack and His Ostrich," etc.
+
+        A fascinating story of child-snatching by a wolf, of the life
+        led by the child in the wolf's lair, and of the cunning device
+        of a native hunter to effect the rescue of the child.
+
+
+
+
+The A. L. O. E. Series.
+
+Crown 8vo Volumes. Cloth extra, 4s. each; gilt edges, 5s. each.
+
+
+    Exiles in Babylon; or, Children of Light. With Thirty-four
+    Illustrations.
+
+        A lively tale, in which are skilfully introduced lectures on
+        the history of Daniel.
+
+
+    Hebrew Heroes. A Tale founded on Jewish History. With
+    Twenty-eight Illustrations.
+
+        A story founded on that stirring period of Jewish history, the
+        wars of Judas Maccab�us. The tale is beautifully and truthfully
+        told, and presents a faithful picture of the period and the
+        people.
+
+
+    Pictures of St. Peter in an English Home.
+
+        "A. L. O. E. invokes the aid of entertaining dialogue, and
+        probably may have more readers than all the other writers on
+        St. Peter put together.... The book is brilliantly written."
+        --_Presbyterian Messenger._
+
+
+    Rescued from Egypt. With Twenty-eight Illustrations.
+
+        An interesting tale, toned and improved by illustrations from
+        the history of Moses and the people of Israel.
+
+
+    The Shepherd of Bethlehem. With Forty Illustrations.
+
+        A charming tale, including cottage lectures on the history of
+        David, which the incidents of the story illustrate.
+
+
+Price 2s. 6d. each; with gilt edges, 3s. each.
+
+
+    Beyond the Black Waters. A Tale.
+
+        A story illustrating the truth that "sorrow tracketh wrong,"
+        and that there can be no peace of conscience till sin has been
+        confessed both to God and man, and forgiveness obtained. The
+        scene is laid chiefly in Burma.
+
+
+    The Blacksmith of Boniface Lane.
+
+        A tale having a historical basis. The incidents and characters
+        are portrayed with all the freshness and picturesqueness common
+        to A. L. O. E.'s works.
+
+
+    Claudia. A Tale.
+
+        A tale for the young. Difference between intellectual and
+        spiritual life. Pride of intellect and self-confidence humbled,
+        and true happiness gained at last along with true humility.
+
+
+    Cyril Ashley. A Tale.
+
+        An English tale for young persons, illustrative of some of the
+        practical lessons to be learned from the Scripture story of
+        Jonah the prophet.
+
+
+    Driven into Exile.
+
+        "One of the best books we have ever received from our old friend
+        A. L. O. E.... The pen-portraits in the book are deftly
+        drawn."--_Christian Leader._
+
+
+    The Forlorn Hope.
+
+        A tale, written in A. L. O. E.'s charming style, of the
+        anti-slavery movement in America. Though an unhappy marriage
+        and its consequences form the main topic of the book, the
+        noble part played by W. L. Garrison in the emancipation of
+        the negro is vividly sketched.
+
+
+    The Giant-Killer; or, The Battle which All must Fight.
+
+        A tale for the young, illustrating "the battle which all must
+        fight" with the Giants Sloth, Selfishness, Untruth, Hate, and
+        Pride.
+
+
+    Harold's Bride.
+
+        An interesting story, written in the author's characteristic
+        style, and affording instructive glimpses of the hardships and
+        dangers of missionary life in the rural districts of India.
+
+
+
+
+The A. L. O. E. Series.
+
+Crown 8vo Volumes. Cloth extra, 2s. 6d. each; gilt edges, 3s. each.
+
+
+    The Haunted Room. A Tale.
+
+        An interesting tale, intended to warn against nervous and
+        superstitious fears and weakness, and show remedy of Christian
+        courage and presence of mind.
+
+
+    Idols in the Heart. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+        The story of a young wife and stepmother. Idols in the
+        family--pride, pleasure, self-will, and too blind
+        affection--discovered and dethroned.
+
+
+    The Iron Chain and the Golden.
+
+        A story founded on the struggle in England between the "regular"
+        and the "secular" clergy during the reign of Henry the First.
+        Interesting pictures are given of the life of the English people
+        during the days of this early Norman king.
+
+
+    The Lady of Provence; or, Humbled and Healed. A Tale of the First
+    French Revolution.
+
+        A pious English girl made a blessing to her French mistress in
+        the terrible scenes of the Revolution; illustrative of the
+        Scripture story of Naaman, the Syrian general.
+
+
+    On the Way; or, Places Passed by Pilgrims. With Twelve
+    Illustrations.
+
+
+    Pride and His Prisoners.
+
+
+    The Spanish Cavalier. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+
+    The Triumph Over Midian.
+
+        A tale for the young, illustrative of the Scripture history of
+        Gideon.
+
+
+    The Young Pilgrim. A Tale illustrating the "Pilgrim's Progress."
+    With Twenty-seven Illustrations.
+
+        A child's companion to the "Pilgrim's Progress." It is intended
+        to bring the ideas of that wonderful allegory within the
+        comprehension of the young mind.
+
+
+New Uniform Binding. Post 8vo Volumes. Price 2s. each.
+
+
+    The City of Nocross.
+
+    The Crown of Success; or, Four Heads to Furnish. With Eight
+    Illustrations.
+
+    Fairy Frisket; or, Peeps at Insect Life. With Upwards of Fifty
+    Illustrations.
+
+    Fairy Know-a-Bit; or, A Nutshell of Knowledge. With Upwards of
+    Forty Illustrations.
+
+    The Holiday Chaplet of Stories. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+    Precepts in Practice; or, Stories Illustrating the Proverbs.
+    With Thirty-nine Illustrations.
+
+    The Silver Casket; or, The World and its Wiles. Illustrated.
+
+    The Sunday Chaplet of Stories. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+    War and Peace. A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul in 1842. With
+    Eight Illustrations.
+
+    A Wreath of Indian Stories.
+
+
+
+
+Uniform with the "Little Hazel" Series.
+
+Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 1s. 6d. each.
+
+
+    The Academy Boys in Camp. By S. F. SPEAR.
+
+        A capital story for boys. The characters and incidents are
+        natural, and are sketched in a lively and attractive way.
+
+
+    A Dog's Mission; or, The Story of the Old Avery House. And Other
+    Stories. By HARRIET BEECHER STOWE. With Illustrations.
+
+
+    Archie's Find. A Story of Australian Life. By ELEANOR STREDDER,
+    Author of "Jack and His Ostrich," etc.
+
+        A pleasantly-written story of life in Australia. It tells how
+        Archie accidentally discovered a gold-mine, and thus brought
+        about important changes in more lives than one.
+
+
+    At "The Hollies;" or, Staying with Auntie. By E. TABOR STEPHENSON,
+    Author of "When I was a Little Girl," etc.
+
+        A tale for the young, full of instruction, and written in a
+        picturesque style.
+
+
+    Aunt Bell, the Good Fairy of the Family. With the Story of Her
+    Four-footed Black Guards. By HENLEY I. ARDEN.
+
+        A capital book for the young. It shows the responsibility
+        which attaches to the possession of great privileges, and
+        the blessings of independence and leisure when used for the
+        glory of God and the good of our neighbour.
+
+
+    The Blind Brother; or, Lost in the Mine. A Story for the Young.
+    By H. GREENE.
+
+
+    Aunt Martha's Corner Cupboard. A Story for Little Boys and Girls.
+    By M. and E. KIRBY. With numerous Illustrations.
+
+        Within the framework of a simple domestic story is comprised an
+        account of the production of tea, coffee, sugar, etc.
+
+
+    The Basket of Flowers. A Tale for the Young. With numerous
+    Illustrations.
+
+        The story of a pious German gardener and his daughter. Truth and
+        honesty, after many trials, are rewarded at last.
+
+
+    The Blind Girl; or, The Story of Little Vendla. By the Author of
+    "The Swedish Twins," etc.
+
+        A charming Swedish story, describing domestic life in a Swedish
+        rural parsonage.
+
+
+    Breakers Ahead; or, Uncle Jack's Stories of Great Shipwrecks of
+    Recent Times. By Mrs. SAXBY, Author of "Rock Bound," etc.
+
+        A stirring narrative of the adventures and perils of a
+        sea-faring life. Gives graphic accounts of the loss of
+        the _Captain_, the _Cospatrick_, the _La Plata_, the
+        _Strathmore_, etc.
+
+
+    Black Gull Rock. A Story of the Cornish Wreckers. By MORICE
+    GERARD, Author of "The Victoria Cross," etc.
+
+        A book for girls. When a great ship is being lured to its fate
+        on Black Gull Rock, some one suddenly fires the beacon on Beacon
+        Hill, and the ship is saved. Who fired the beacon?
+
+
+T. NELSON AND SONS, London, Edinburgh, and New York.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CROWN OF SUCCESS***
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+******* This file should be named 25516-8.txt or 25516-8.zip *******
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+<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Crown of Success, by Charlotte Maria
+Tucker</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: The Crown of Success</p>
+<p>Author: Charlotte Maria Tucker</p>
+<p>Release Date: May 18, 2008  [eBook #25516]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CROWN OF SUCCESS***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by<br />
+    Mark C. Orton, Linda McKeown, Jacqueline Jeremy,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (http://www.pgdp.net)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>THE CROWN OF SUCCESS</h1>
+
+<p class="link"><a name="front" id="front">&nbsp;</a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/front.jpg" class="jpg" width="400" height="621" alt="Frontispiece." title="Page 213" />
+<span class="caption">The sparkling crown was placed on her brow.<br />
+<a href="#the"><em>Page 213.</em></a></span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="block">
+<div class="figright" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/i005.jpg" width="100" height="51" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<h2><big>THE CROWN OF<br />
+SUCCESS</big> &nbsp; <span class="smcap">BY A. L. O. E.</span><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+Thomas Nelson and Sons<br />
+
+
+<small>London, Edinburgh, Dublin<br />
+and New York</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h3><a name="con" id="con"></a><em>CONTENTS.</em></h3>
+
+<table summary="Table of contents">
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>I.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Dame's departure,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#i">7</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>II.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Mr. Learning at breakfast,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#ii">12</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>III.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Cottages of Head,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#iii">16</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>IV.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Plain-work and Fancy-work,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#iv">22</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>V.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Mr. Alphabet,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#v">29</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>VI.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Mr. Reading's fine shop,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#vi">35</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>VII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Ladder of Spelling,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#vii">41</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda">
+    <em>VIII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"> <em>Breaking down,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#viii">      47</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>IX.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Mr. Learning's visit,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#ix">55</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>X.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Dick's mishap,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#x">63</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XI.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Miss Folly,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xi">69</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda">
+    <em>XII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"> <em>A visit to Arithmetic,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xii">77</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XIII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The wonderful Boy,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xiii">81</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XIV.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Thief of Time,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xiv">90</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XV.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"> <em>Duty and Affection,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xv">95</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XVI.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Grammar's Bazaar,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xvi">102</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XVII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Pride and Folly,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xvii">110</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XVIII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Carpet of History,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xviii">119</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XIX.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Hammering in Dates,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xix">125</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XX.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The pursued Bird,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xx">131</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXI.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Plans and Plots,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxi">136</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Cockatoo, Parade,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxii">143</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXIII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Cage of Ambition,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxiii">152</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXIV.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>A visit to Mr. Chemistry,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxiv">159</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXV.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>A Lesson,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxv">167</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXVI.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Hearing the Truth,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxvi">177</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXVII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>A Brave Effort,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxvii">185</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXVIII.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Expectation,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxviii">190</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXIX.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Empty and Furnished,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxix">196</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXX.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>Fruits of Needlework,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxx">204</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tda"><em>XXXI.</em></td>
+<td class="tdb"><em>The Crown of Success,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#xxxi">212</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr />
+
+
+<h3><em>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</em></h3>
+
+<table summary="List of Illustrations">
+<tr>
+<td class="tdd"><em>The sparkling crown was placed on her brow,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#front"><em>Frontispiece</em></a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tdd"><em>Nelly could hardly see the stepping-stones through the
+thick leaves of the plant which she bore,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#nelly2">27</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tdd"><em>Miss folly went jabbering on: "Just try that bonnet on
+your head,"</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#miss2">73</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td class="tdd"><em>Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly paying their first visit
+to Grammar's Bazaar,</em></td>
+<td class="tdc"><a href="#dick2">103</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+<hr />
+
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>
+<a name="i" id="i"></a><big>THE CROWN OF SUCCESS.</big><br /></h2>
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I.<br />
+<small>THE DAME'S DEPARTURE.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft2" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap1.jpg" width="100" height="178" alt="A" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap1">MERRY life had Dame Desley and her four children led in their rural
+home. The sound of their cheerful voices, the patter of their little
+feet, the laugh, the shout, and the song, had been heard from morning
+till night. I will not stop to tell of all the daisy-chains and
+cowslip-balls made by the children under the big elm-tree that grew on
+their mother's lawn; or how they gathered ripe blackberries in autumn;
+or in the glowing days of summer played about the hay-cocks, and buried
+one another in the hay. Their lives were thoughtless and gay, like those
+of the sparrows in the garden, or the merry little squirrels in the
+wood.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>
+But a time came at last when these careless days must end. Dame Desley
+had to take a long journey&mdash;she would be absent for many a month&mdash;and on
+the evening before her departure she called her four children around
+her.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear children," she said, "I must leave you; I must give you up for
+a while to the care of another. But I have chosen a guardian for you who
+is worthy of all your respect. Mr. Learning is coming to see you
+to-morrow, just an hour before I start; and I hope that he will find you
+all good and obedient children during my absence. Whatever he may bid
+you do, do for the love of me, and when you attend to Mr. Learning,
+think that you are pleasing your mother."</p>
+
+<p>When the four children were alone together, just before going to rest,
+they began eagerly to talk over what Dame Desley had told them.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder whether I shall like this Mr. Learning," said Dick, a merry,
+intelligent boy, with bright eyes that were always twinkling with fun.
+None of his age could excel him in racing or running; he could climb a
+tree like a squirrel, and clear a haycock with a bound. He loved the
+free careless life which he had led in his mother's home, but still he
+wished for one more full of adventure and excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm quite sure that I shall not like Mr. Learning,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> cried Matty; "for
+I have seen him two or three times, and I did not fancy his looks at
+all. He is as solemn and as grave as an owl; he wears spectacles, and
+has a very long nose, and his back is as stiff as a poker." Matty was a
+pretty little girl, with blue eyes, and golden curls hanging down her
+neck, but she had a conceited air, which spoiled her looks to my mind.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that we could stay where we are, and go on as we always have
+done, without being plagued by Mr. Learning at all," cried Lubin, with a
+weary yawn. Such a fat little fellow as he was, just the shape of a
+roly-poly pudding, with cheeks as red as the apples that grew on the
+trees in the orchard.</p>
+
+<p>"But mother spoke kindly of him," said Nelly, a pale lame child who sat
+in the corner of the room, stringing buttercups and daisies; "if she
+likes him, should not we try to like him, and not set our hearts against
+what mother thinks for our good."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps Mr. Learning's company may be pleasant for a change!" cried
+Dick. "I hear that he gives lots of presents to his friends, and makes
+them both rich and great. It would be a stupid thing, after all, to
+spend all one's life in gathering wild-flowers, or kicking up one's
+heels in the hay. I mean to be famous one day, and they say there's no
+way of being so without the help of old Learning.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> There's Mr. Sharp
+that lives at the hall; his beautiful house and grounds, his carriages,
+horses and dogs, all came from Mr. Learning. I've heard of people who,
+when they were boys, were so poor that they hardly had bread to eat,
+whom Mr. Learning took under his care, and now they've lots of good
+things of every sort and kind. Sometimes they're asked to dine with the
+Lord Mayor of London, where they feast upon turtle and champagne&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Fat little Lubin opened wide both his eyes and mouth on hearing of this.</p>
+
+<p>"And sometimes," continued Dick, "they are actually invited to court,
+being high in the favour of the Queen."</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to go to court," said Matty, "and wear fine feathers and
+lace. But I wonder if Mr. Learning will think of doing such grand things
+for us."</p>
+
+<p>"We will see!" cried the merry Dick; "I'm resolved to get on in the
+world!" and he turned head over heels at once, as a beginning to his
+onward progress.</p>
+
+<p>"My children, it is time to go to rest," said the voice of Dame Desley
+at the door. "Remember to be up in good time in the morning, for my
+worthy friend Mr. Learning is to breakfast with me to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+Off went the children to bed. Dick lay awake for some time, thinking
+over what was before him, and when his merry eyes closed at last in
+sleep, the subject haunted him still. He dreamed that he was climbing up
+a little hillock, made of nothing but books of all the colours of the
+rainbow&mdash;purple, and orange, and blue&mdash;and each book that he looked at
+had his name as its author in big gilt letters on the back. On the top
+of the hillock stood Mr. Learning, holding a finely-bound volume in one
+hand, while he held out the other to Dick to help him on in his
+climbing. Very proud and very joyful was the little boy in his dream as
+he clambered higher and higher, and thought what a famous figure he was
+going to make in the world! But what was his delight when Mr. Learning
+placed the well-bound book in his hand, and on opening it he found that
+all its leaves were made of five-pound notes!</p>
+
+<p>"Why, I shall be as rich as Cr&oelig;sus, and as famous as all the seven
+wise men of Greece put together!" cried Dick, cutting a caper at the top
+of his hillock in such a transport of joy, that he knocked over the
+whole pile of books, just as if it had been a house made of cards, and
+came down flat on his face with such a bang, that it startled him out of
+his dream.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>
+<a name="ii" id="ii"></a>CHAPTER II.<br />
+<small>MR. LEARNING AT BREAKFAST.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap2.jpg" width="100" height="188" alt="L" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">ITTLE Nelly, though weak and lame, was the first of the children to
+come down to the parlour in the morning to help her mother, Dame Desley,
+to lay the table for breakfast. The child felt a little frightened at
+the idea of the stranger guest, and doubted whether with all her best
+efforts she could ever please Mr. Learning.</p>
+
+<p>White were the round breakfast rolls&mdash;and whiter still the table-cloth
+on which they were laid; and merrily sang the kettle on the hob, as the
+white steam rose from its spout.</p>
+
+<p>"Why are there two tea-pots?" asked Matty, who had just come into the
+parlour, dressed out in the finest style, as a visitor was expected.</p>
+
+<p>"The larger one is for us, my dear," said her mother, as she went to the
+cupboard for tea; "and out of the little square-shaped one I shall help
+my friend Mr. Learning."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
+Matty was so curious to know why Mr. Learning should have a whole
+tea-pot to himself, that she kept hanging about the table, touching the
+plates, jingling the cups and saucers, and not noticing Dick and Lubin,
+who had just come into the room.</p>
+
+<p>Dame Desley filled the large tea-pot, first putting in tea, and
+afterwards hot water, after the usual fashion; she then went again to
+the cupboard, and bringing out a dumpy stone bottle, to the amazement of
+Matty filled the little tea-pot with ink.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, my dear," she said, turning to Nelly, who stood behind ready to
+help her, "bring from my desk a quire of foolscap paper, put it on
+yonder plate, and place a good steel pen beside it. Mr. Learning has a
+very peculiar taste; instead of tea, toast and butter, he always
+breakfasts on paper and ink."</p>
+
+<p>"Paper and ink!" echoed all the children; "what a very funny fellow he
+must be."</p>
+
+<p>"No wonder he's thin!" cried Lubin, opening his round eyes very wide.</p>
+
+<p>"Hush! here he comes," said Dame Desley, going herself to open the door
+for her honoured guest.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Learning entered with a solemn air; he was tall, thin, and grave. He
+had a forehead very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> broad and very high, and was bald at the top of his
+head. Thick bushy brows overhung his eyes, which looked calmly through
+the spectacles which rested on his nose, and a long beard descended from
+his chin.</p>
+
+<p>The children received their mother's guest each in a different way.
+Dick, who had made up his mind that Mr. Learning would procure for him
+fortune and fame, gave him such a long hearty shake that it seemed as if
+the boy meant to wring off his hand! Lubin, with a pouting air, held out
+his fat fist when desired by his mother to bid the gentleman
+"good-morning." Matty, hanging her head on one side with a very affected
+air, touched his fingers with the tips of her own. Poor Nelly, who was
+more shy and timid than the rest, dared not lift up her eyes as she
+obeyed her mother's command; but she was cheered when the formidable Mr.
+Learning said in a pleasant voice, "I hope that we shall all be very
+good friends when we understand each other better."</p>
+
+<p>Then all sat down to breakfast. None of the children&mdash;except Lubin, who
+always thought eating and drinking a very important affair&mdash;could attend
+much to their meal, they watched with such surprise and amusement the
+movements of Mr. Learning. Helping himself to his inky draught with a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
+pen, which he used instead of a spoon, he then devoured sheet after
+sheet of foolscap paper with such evident relish, that Dick could hardly
+help bursting out into a laugh, and Matty was inclined to titter. Mr.
+Learning used a pen-wiper instead of a napkin, which saved Dame Desley's
+linen. He ate his breakfast with a thoughtful air, hardly speaking a
+single word. When the repast was ended, all arose from the table, and
+the dame, with a sigh, prepared to bid a long good-bye to her children.</p>
+
+<p>"I leave you under good care, my darlings," said she; "and I expect on
+my return to find you wiser, happier, and better from the instructions
+of Mr. Learning, who will show you the little homes provided for you,
+and teach you how to furnish them. Mind that you do all that he bids you
+do; work with cheerful good-will, you will then have reason all your
+lives to rejoice that you ever knew such a friend. And one more parting
+word, my children: beware all of the society of Pride; I know that he is
+lurking about in this neighbourhood, but keep him ever out of your
+homes."</p>
+
+<p>The children were sorry to part with their mother; lame Nelly was
+especially sorry. The tears rose into the little girl's eyes, but she
+hastily wiped them away, and tried to look cheerful and hopeful, that
+she might not sadden her mother.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+<a name="iii" id="iii"></a>CHAPTER III.<br />
+<small>THE COTTAGES OF HEAD.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap3.jpg" width="100" height="161" alt="&ldquo;C" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">OME with me, my young friends," said Mr. Learning, as soon as Dame
+Desley had departed; "I will take you to the four little cottages that
+have been bought for you by your mother, and which you are, by my help,
+to furnish with all things needful."</p>
+
+<p>"A cottage all to myself&mdash;what fun!" exclaimed Dick, cutting a caper on
+the grass.</p>
+
+<p>Guided by Mr. Learning, the four children went on their way towards the
+villas of Head, four tiny dwellings that stood close together on the top
+of a hill, two looking to the east and two to the west. Nice little
+cottages they were, each with a small garden behind it. The two that
+fronted the west were thatched with golden-coloured straw, and the glass
+in the little windows was almost as blue as the sky. The two that looked
+to the east had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> darker thatch and brown glass windows. The first were
+for Matty and Nelly, the others for Lubin and Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Mine is the prettiest, much the prettiest cottage!" exclaimed Matty,
+with a smile of delight; "it has the brightest thatch, and the whitest
+wall, and the most elegant shape besides!"</p>
+
+<p>"Mine is the biggest!" cried Dick with some pride.</p>
+
+<p>Now each of the cottages of Head had two little doors, the funniest that
+ever were seen; they were just of the form of ears, and Matty's and
+Nelly's were almost hidden by the golden thatch above them. The children
+went in and examined the inside of the dwellings one by one. Each had
+four little rooms&mdash;parlour, bedroom, kitchen, and spare room. But the
+walls were quite rough and bare; not a scrap of carpet covered the
+boards; there were chimneys, it is true, but no grates were to be seen
+in the empty fireplaces.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," cried Dick, as with his companions he returned to the space
+between the cottages, in which they had left Mr. Learning standing, "I
+should be mighty sorry to have to live in such an unfurnished house!"</p>
+
+<p>"If it remain unfurnished it will be your own fault," replied Mr.
+Learning, as he drew from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> pocket four purses, yellow, red, and
+pink, and blue. "These are the magic purses of Time," he continued, "and
+most valuable gifts are they; each of you shall possess one. Every
+morning you will find in them a certain number of pieces of silver and
+copper money,&mdash;men name them hours and minutes. A few you will employ in
+paying for your lodging and food in that large dwelling hard by, called
+Needful House, in which you may remain for a while until your cottages
+are fit to be lived in. Some of your hours and minutes you must spend on
+every week-day in buying furniture for these little Heads in the town of
+Education."</p>
+
+<p>Dick caught eagerly at the yellow purse, and instantly began to count
+out the money. Every bright coin had the stamp of a pair of wings on one
+side, with the motto, "<em>Time flies fast</em>," and on the other side in
+raised letters the motto, "<em>Use me well</em>."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin and Matty took the red and pink purses with a careless air, as,
+like too many amongst us, they did not know their value. Lame Nelly very
+gratefully received the blue purse, with the hours and minutes in it.</p>
+
+<p>"And now," cried Dick, "where is this town of Education, for I'm in a
+desperate hurry to begin to furnish my Head?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Learning moved a few steps to the right, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> pointed with his
+gold-headed cane to a spot where some smoke rising in the valley showed
+that a large town must be.</p>
+
+<p>"You can see it yonder through the trees," said the sage.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear! it is a good way off!" said Lubin. "I hope that you don't
+expect us to travel there every day."</p>
+
+<p>"You must not only travel there," replied Mr. Learning, "but you must
+carry back the things which you purchase, without minding the trouble or
+fatigue. The way is very straight and direct. You must go down this
+hill, which is called Puzzle; it is not long, but tolerably steep: you
+must cross the brook Bother which flows at the bottom, and then the
+shady lane of Trouble will take you right to the town."</p>
+
+<p>"And what must we do when we get there?" asked Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Your first care, of course, must be to paper your rooms; each one must
+do that for himself. The paper you will buy with your money from the
+decorators, Messrs. Reading and Writing; their house is the first that
+you will reach when you come to the end of the lane. Then you will
+doubtless look out for grates, and other needful articles of hardware;
+they may be had at reasonable prices from Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> Arithmetic, the
+ironmonger. Mr. History, the carpet-manufacturer, has a large assortment
+to show; and General Knowledge, the carpenter, keeps a wonderful variety
+of beds, tables, and chairs, of every quality and size."</p>
+
+<p>"And our gardens, too, will want looking after," cried Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Geography, the nurseryman, will help you to lay them out according
+to the newest design. You, my young friends," continued Mr. Learning,
+turning towards the two little girls, "who have garden walls with a
+western aspect, on which the fruit-trees of needlework can grow, must
+buy plants from Mrs. Sewing, whose white cottage you plainly can see,
+just at the other side of the brook, near where those weeping willows
+are dipping their branches in the stream."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall have lots to do with our money," sighed Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"But quite enough of money for all that you require, if you only do not
+throw it away, nor let some quick-fingered thief like Procrastination
+steal away your treasure of Time," replied Mr. Learning with a smile.
+"Think of the pleasure which it will give your mother if she find each
+of you, on her return six months hence, comfortably settled in a
+well-furnished house of your own! If any additional<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> motive for exertion
+be needed, know that when your mother comes back, I will present a
+beautiful silver crown of Success to whichever of you four shall have
+best employed your money in furnishing your garden and house."</p>
+
+<p>"That crown shall be mine!" thought Dick; "I'll win it and wear it too!"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall certainly never get a crown," said Nelly Desley half aloud; "it
+is quite enough for me if my mother be pleased with my cottage!" A fear
+was on the little girl's mind that she should manage her shopping very
+badly, and she hoped that the brook would be shallow, as she could see
+no bridge across it.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall take my time about this furnishing," said Lubin, as soon as Mr.
+Learning had taken his departure, promising to return some day to watch
+the progress of his charges. Lubin, though not lame like Nelly, was
+heavy and slow in his movements, and often was laughed at by Dick for
+his great dislike to trouble.</p>
+
+<p>"My cottage looks so pretty outside," said silly little Matty, shaking
+her fair locks, "that I almost think it would do without any furnishing
+at all."</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
+<a name="iv" id="iv"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br />
+<small>PLAIN-WORK AND FANCY-WORK.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap4.jpg" width="100" height="174" alt="&ldquo;I" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">'LL take the measure of my walls at once," cried Dick, "and see what
+quantity of paper I shall have to buy from Mr. Reading. Shall I look
+after yours too?" and he turned good-naturedly to his sisters.</p>
+
+<p>"Please do, dear Dick," replied Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall leave Master Lubin to measure his own; a lazy young urchin like
+him would not move a finger if he could help it; I would not give one of
+my minutes for his chance of winning the crown of Success!"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall do very well," grumbled Lubin, not much pleased at the cutting
+remark.</p>
+
+<p>"Matty, dear," said Nelly to her sister, "as we have something to buy
+that our brothers have not&mdash;and plants of needlework, mother says, are
+best when put in at the beginning of spring&mdash;had we not better set off
+at once and buy what Mr. Learning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> recommended? Mrs. Sewing does not
+live far off; we might carry up our needlework plants before our
+brothers are ready to start with us for the town of Education."</p>
+
+<p>"You are always in a hurry!" cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"It is because I am lame," replied Nelly meekly; "as I can never go
+fast, I am obliged to make up for my slowness by starting early."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it's a fine bright morning, and it's rare fun to have a run down
+hill!" cried Matty, "so I am quite willing to go."</p>
+
+<p>Off she flew like a bird, her long ringlets streaming behind her, and
+her merry laugh was borne back by the wind to Nelly, who, at a much
+slower pace, walked carefully down the hill. As Matty, however, took to
+chasing a bright butterfly, which led her quite out of her way, Nelly
+was the first to reach the brook which flowed at the bottom of the hill.
+To her great comfort she found that there were stepping-stones across
+it, so that there was no need that she should wet her feet with the
+waters of Bother. Mrs. Sewing's house was also quite near, so that there
+was little trouble in reaching it.</p>
+
+<p>The good woman herself was outside her door, occupied in training a
+large plant of needlework over her porch.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-morning," said Nelly, who had slowly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> picked her way over the
+stepping-stones of the brook.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-morning," repeated Matty, who had rushed on, out of breath with
+her haste, that she might not be behind her sister.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Sewing was a prim little dame, dressed in a curious garment of
+patchwork, with a necklace of small round pin-cushions hanging almost as
+low as her waist. Instead of her own hair she wore a most singular wig,
+made entirely of skeins of cotton and wool, which hung a long way down
+her back.</p>
+
+<p>She received her young customers with a low formal courtesy, and said
+with a smile as she turned from the one to the other,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"That girl is wise, and worth the knowing,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who in life's spring-time comes to sewing."<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Sewing," said Matty, who could hardly refrain from laughing at the
+funny appearance of the prim old lady, "we've come to buy plants of
+needlework from you to train up our garden walls. We've plenty of money
+to buy them with,"&mdash;here she jingled her hours and minutes,&mdash;"so pray
+show us your stock directly, for we're in haste to begin our planting."</p>
+
+<p>With another courtesy Mrs. Sewing made reply,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"I've Running-up and Felling-down,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And Hemming for a lady's gown;<br /></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>
+<span class="i0">I've Button-hole, and Herring-bone,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And Stitching, finest ever known;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I've Whipping that will cause no crying,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And Basting, never source of sighing;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For good Plain-work, there's no denying,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is always worth a woman's trying."<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>"I don't much admire these Plain-work plants," said Matty, with rather a
+discontented air; "their blossoms are so miserably small, the leaves are
+so big, and the stems are all set with thorns, just as sharp as needles.
+You have something yonder a thousand times prettier, with flowers of
+every hue, and in such lovely little pots!" and Matty pointed as she
+spoke to a row of plants of Fancy-work, that were at no great distance.</p>
+
+<p>Again Mrs. Sewing courtesied and replied,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"I've Knitting, Netting, Crochet, Tatting,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I've Bead-work, German-work, and Plaiting,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I've Tent-stitch, Cross-stitch, Stitches various<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To show off patterns multifarious;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Round Fancy-work each lady lingers,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">So please your taste and ply your fingers."<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>"There now!" exclaimed Matty, who, followed by Nelly, had eagerly run to
+the Fancy-work row; "was ever anything so pretty as this! Every blossom
+like bunches of beads that glitter so brightly in the sun! This, this is
+the plant for my money; and then it is so easy to be carried!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+Nelly also looked with great admiration on the beautiful flower, and
+felt greatly inclined to choose one like it. She knew that she had not
+hours enough to purchase all that she might like, and it was quite
+natural in a little girl to wish for what was pretty and pleasant. But a
+thought crossed the lame child's mind, and laying her hand on Matty's
+arm, she whispered in her sister's ear: "Don't you remember, dear, how
+fond mother is of the fruits of Plain-work; we've heard her say many a
+time that no Fancy-work in the world is half so much to her liking. Now
+mother will come back to us again when the fruit will have had time to
+ripen; pretty blossoms are nice to look at; but the great thing, after
+all, is the fruit."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not going to plague myself with that stupid Plain-work," cried
+Matty, shrugging her shoulders; "but it may do for <em>you</em>!" She said this
+in so scornful a tone that it brought the colour to Nelly's pale cheek.</p>
+
+<p>"Why should I mind?" thought the lame little girl; "I know that mother
+likes Plain-work best; she values things that are useful rather than
+those that are pretty; and oh, I'm so glad that she does so, or what
+would become of me!"</p>
+
+<p>So Matty purchased the pretty ornamented creeper, with its clusters of
+bright-coloured beads,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> and Nelly took a fine thriving plant of
+Plain-work, to train up her garden wall.</p>
+
+<p>Then both took leave of Mrs. Sewing, who, smiling and courtesying to the
+girls, bade them farewell in these words,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"Pleasure and profit both attend ye,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sewing ever shall befriend ye!"<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>Matty's plant was in a small light pot, and she easily carried it across
+the brook; then turning, she looked back at her sister, <a name="nelly" id="nelly"></a>who could hardly
+see the stepping-stones through the thick leaves of the plant which she
+bore. Nelly's pot was also very heavy, and before she could reach the
+shore, her lame foot slipped on a stone, and she fell splash into the
+waters of Bother.</p>
+
+<p>The stream was very shallow, so there was no danger of her being
+drowned, but the shock, the tumble, and the wetting were anything but
+agreeable. It was very unkind in Matty to stand, as she did, laughing at
+her poor lame sister, as she floundered in the brook of Bother, still
+grasping her pot of Plain-work.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear, dear! how the thorn-needles are pricking my fingers!" gasped
+Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Then let go&mdash;throw the stupid Plain-work away," cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>
+But Nelly had too brave a spirit for that. She knew that what was worth
+acquiring was worth bearing, and she would not be discouraged by a
+trifle. I wish that some of my little readers who sit pouting and
+fretting over a seam, crying over a broken needle, or a prick on a tiny
+finger, could have seen Nelly when, with repeated efforts, she scrambled
+out of the brook, with Plain-work safe in her grasp.</p>
+
+<p>The two girls now made their way up the hill of Puzzle, on their return
+to the cottages of Head. Matty, eager to plant her pretty creeper,
+greatly outstripped her sister, as she had done when they at first had
+set out. But with patient, uncomplaining labour, Nelly Desley plodded on
+her course, and before long both Plain-work and Fancy-work were safely
+transplanted into the ground by the wall at the back of the gardens.</p>
+
+<p class="link"><a name="nelly2" id="nelly2">&nbsp;</a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/i033.jpg" class="jpg" width="400" height="627" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Nelly could hardly see the stepping-stones through the
+thick leaves of the plant which she bore.<br />
+<a href="#nelly"><em>Page 27.</em></a></span>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+<a name="v" id="v"></a>CHAPTER V.<br />
+
+<small>MR. ALPHABET.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap5.jpg" width="100" height="168" alt="&ldquo;N" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">OW we're all ready to set off to Messrs. Reading and Writing," cried
+Dick, as the four children stood together on the slope of the hill; "I
+vote we have a race&mdash;one, two, three, off and away!" and dashing forward
+like a young stag, he rushed down the hill, distancing even Matty, and
+with the force of his own rapid descent cleared brook Bother at a bound.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly could not help clapping her hands.</p>
+
+<p>"I should have thought," observed fat Lubin, who had kept at her side,
+"that you, of all people in the world, would have hated this silly
+racing, and disliked to see any one go at so desperate a pace."</p>
+
+<p>"Why should I dislike it?" asked the lame child; "I would go at a great
+pace too, if I only were able."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>
+"But when you are lame, does it not vex you to be so distanced by
+others?"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly hesitated a little before she replied, "Sometimes, I own, it does
+vex me a little; but then I am comforted when I think that as long as I
+do my best I should be only glad that others can do better."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin and Nelly came up with their brother and sister at the cottage of
+Mrs. Sewing; for Dick, who was in a merry mood, had stopped there to
+help the old dame to transplant a fine slip of Fancy-work, and Matty was
+standing laughing beside him.</p>
+
+<p>"See how well he does it!" she cried.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder that he is not ashamed to use his fingers like a girl!"
+exclaimed Lubin, who was himself remarkably clumsy.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Sewing turned round with a smile and a courtesy.</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"Better the fingers thus employing<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Than in fighting, fidgeting, or destroying,"<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p class="noi">observed she.</p>
+
+<p>Dick looked up and laughed. "I'll soon prove to you, my lad," he cried,
+"that hands that can ground a pretty slip of German work, are ready and
+fit for something harder," and he squared up towards Lubin with clenched
+fists, and such a merry look of defiance, that his brother was more
+than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> convinced by the sight, and trotted off along the lane of Trouble,
+at a much brisker pace than usual.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go after the plump one," cried Dick, "or he'll arrive at Mr.
+Reading's before us."</p>
+
+<p>Along the lane they all went. The weather had been dry of late, and the
+road was not so muddy as usual. Indeed the walk was so agreeable that
+Dick remarked that "trouble is a pleasure." It was not long before the
+four young householders found themselves at the door of Messrs. Reading
+and Writing.</p>
+
+<p>Their shop was a very large and handsome one; indeed a finer and better
+was not to be seen in the whole town of Education, on the outskirts of
+which it stood. It was separated into two divisions, over the first and
+principal of which Mr. Reading himself presided. A great variety of
+papers for walls were displayed in the large glass windows, and when the
+children peeped in they saw a vast number more in the shop.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, here's a fine choice!" exclaimed Matty, in pleased surprise; "I
+think that one might spend half one's life in the shop of Mr. Reading,
+and always find out something pretty and new."</p>
+
+<p>"But where is Mr. Reading himself?" cried Lubin; "and how are we to get
+through this iron grating which shuts us out from the shop?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>
+His last question was answered by the funniest little dwarf that ever
+was seen, who popped out from behind the counter, and with a large iron
+key in his hand came toddling up to the grating. He was just twenty-six
+inches high, and had a head almost as big as the rest of his body.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, little chap, will you let us in?" said Dick, rapping on the iron
+bars.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not accustomed to be spoken to after that fashion," cried the dwarf
+angrily; "my name is not 'little chap,' but 'Mr. Alphabet,' though some
+dare to call me A B C. I ought to be treated with respect, for I am
+several thousand years old."</p>
+
+<p>"You've been wondrously slow then in your growth," laughed Lubin; "I
+think I could jump over your head."</p>
+
+<p>"It's easier said than done," grumbled Alphabet, casting up a glance of
+scorn at the boy, whose fat figure was not formed for jumping; "and I
+should advise you to have a care how you provoke me by any boasting or
+insolent language. I am both strong and bold, and I come of an ancient
+race. My father was an Egyptian, or a Ph&oelig;nician, or&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind your father just now, my good fellow," cried Dick; "just
+turn your key in the lock, and let us into the shop of Mr. Reading."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't suppose that I'm going to let you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> pass without paying toll,"
+growled Alphabet; "I always expect a fee of some of the money of Time."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us in," cried Lubin, kicking the grating.</p>
+
+<p>"You may kick till you're tired," said the gruffy little dwarf; "no one
+gets to Mr. Reading without paying toll to Mr. Alphabet, his highly
+respectable porter."</p>
+
+<p>"Let's give him his fee and be done with it," cried Matty, hastily
+pulling out her purse.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing that there was no use in refusing, as Alphabet had the key of the
+gate, each of the children now produced some money, Dick giving less
+than the others. Alphabet took the bright hours with a merry grin, as he
+swung back the iron grating; but when Lubin was about to pass in, the
+dwarf planted himself in the way.</p>
+
+<p>"You said that you could jump over my head; just try."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't just think that I could," said Lubin, who was daunted by the
+manner of the dwarf.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, for your stupid boast," growled Alphabet, "I will not allow you to
+pass till you've paid twice as much as the others have done;" and as he
+spoke he half closed the grating in Lubin's face.</p>
+
+<p>"You can't keep me out now you've unlocked it," cried Lubin (who was,
+however, still on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> outside, having been as usual behind-hand), and
+he tried to push the gate open.</p>
+
+<p>"Push away," said the dwarf with a grin.</p>
+
+<p>But poor Lubin soon found to his cost that Alphabet was strong as well
+as little, and quite able to hold his own against any amount of pushing.</p>
+
+<p>"Won't you help me?" cried Lubin to Dick; the fat boy was getting quite
+red with his efforts.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, nonsense; fair play is a jewel!" exclaimed Dick; "you must fight it
+out for yourself. If you can't master little A B C, a precious poor
+creature you must be."</p>
+
+<p>"Pay double toll, or I'll never let you in!" shouted the passionate
+dwarf.</p>
+
+<p>There was no help for it; poor Lubin was obliged to pull out his money;
+and Alphabet, with a grin of triumph, at last allowed him to enter.</p>
+
+<p>"Is Mr. Reading at home?" asked Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"He is just within," said the dwarf; "if you'll look over the papers for
+a minute, I'll go and tell him that you are waiting."</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+<a name="vi" id="vi"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br />
+<small>MR. READING'S FINE SHOP.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap6.jpg" width="100" height="154" alt="&ldquo;W" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">ELL, Mr. Reading keeps a splendid assortment indeed!" exclaimed Dick,
+looking round the immense shop with delight. "There are such lots of
+fine papers here that the only difficulty will be which to choose!"</p>
+
+<p>"I know what I will choose!" cried Matty; "that paper all covered with
+pretty little fairies!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is but a poor paper; I cannot in conscience recommend it for wear,"
+said Mr. Reading, who at that instant made his appearance from an inner
+part of the shop.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, but it is charming!" cried Matty; "I should care for no paper like
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"And I see what I like best!" exclaimed Dick; "there's the jolliest
+paper that ever was made; don't you see it, up in that corner?&mdash;sets of
+cannibals dancing round a fire!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
+"That's the Robinson Crusoe pattern," observed Mr. Reading, "a great
+favourite with young customers of mine."</p>
+
+<p>"That's the paper for my money!" cried Dick; "I never saw anything more
+to my mind!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly and Lubin then chose their patterns, the former thinking what
+would please the taste of her mother, the latter what would cost least
+of his Time money; for the lazy rogue grudged every hour that he gave to
+reading.</p>
+
+<p>A difficulty came into Nelly's mind. "We are to paper our rooms
+ourselves," said she; "how can we do so, having nothing with which we
+can fasten the paper on firmly?"</p>
+
+<p>"I've the paste of Attention at your service," said Reading; "you will
+find nothing more certain to stick on a paper than that. You shall carry
+home a can of it to-day."</p>
+
+<p>"And there is another thing which we must remember," observed Lubin, who
+had a sensible and reflecting mind, though too lazy to make much use of
+it; "as our walls are higher of course than ourselves, we must have a
+ladder to lift us to the higher parts of them."</p>
+
+<p>"I can supply that want also," cried the ready Mr. Reading, who seemed
+to take pleasure in serving his young guests; "I've the magic ladder of
+Spelling, and I am willing to let it on hire."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+"Let's see this ladder," said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>At a word from his master, Alphabet, the stout little dwarf, withdrew
+into an inner part of the dwelling, and soon re-appeared, lugging with
+him a ladder which was three times as long as himself.</p>
+
+<p>"This is a very curious and ingenious ladder," remarked Mr. Reading,
+"and quite worthy of your closest observation. You see that on the
+<em>under</em> part of each step is a sentence quite perfectly spelt; but this,
+of course, cannot be seen when the ladder is placed by a wall. On the
+upper part appears the same sentence, but with many a blunder in it to
+try your powers of recollection. You must study the ladder well before
+you attempt to mount it, and get the right spelling fixed in your mind,
+so as to make no mistakes. Then, before putting your foot upon any step,
+you must spell the sentence upon it; if you correct every blunder, the
+wood will be firm as a rock; but if you leave a single fault unnoticed,
+one little letter misplaced, the step will give way under your weight,
+and land you flat on the floor."</p>
+
+<p>"What a horrible ladder!" exclaimed Lubin; "it seems to have been
+expressly contrived to break the neck of every one who is so silly as to
+mount it."</p>
+
+<p>"It only needs care in the using," replied polite Mr. Reading, unable to
+suppress a quiet smile; while Alphabet, who thought it a <em>capital</em> joke,
+burst into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> a loud laugh. "I confess that the ladder of Spelling has
+been the cause of many a tumble; but still it is an excellent
+ladder,&mdash;the trees of which it was made grew beside our own stream of
+Bother."</p>
+
+<p>"Any one might have guessed that!" muttered Lubin, rubbing his head with
+a disconsolate air, as if he already felt the bumps produced by the
+ladder of Spelling.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's see these funny sentences on the steps," said Dick, "that we are
+forced to spell so finely. Such a comical ladder as this will make the
+papering of our walls a very slow affair."</p>
+
+<p>As my readers may be curious to know whether they could have mounted the
+ladder without any step breaking beneath them, I will give them a few of
+the sentences to correct at their leisure. I write the faulty words in
+italics, though I hope that it is not needful to do so.</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">I <em>hav to ants, too unkels to</em>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The kindest <em>wons</em> I ever <em>new</em>.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0"><em>Except</em> this <em>presint, nevew deer</em>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I am <em>sow</em> glad to <em>here your hear</em>.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0"><em>Gals sow shurts</em>, and boys <em>sew beens</em>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Labour is <em>scene</em> in various <em>seens</em>.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">I <em>eat ate appels</em> at a <em>fate</em>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then took my <em>leve</em> and <em>warked</em> home <em>strait</em>.<br /></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">The winds they <em>blue</em>; the sky was <em>blew</em>;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Tom, as they dashed the <em>oshon threw</em>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0"><em>Write overbored</em> a <em>poney through</em>.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Our <em>sovrin rains</em> in joy and <em>piece</em>;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The summer <em>reigns</em> our crops <em>increese</em>;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The <em>weery</em> horse from <em>rain</em> release.<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>"I tell you what I'll do," said Lubin, after thoughtfully surveying the
+ladder from the top to the bottom: "I'll get good-natured little Nelly
+to stand below while I'm climbing the steps, and she shall call out to
+me the right spelling, so that I shall be certain to make no blunder."</p>
+
+<p>Polite Mr. Reading shook his head. "Each must master the difficulty for
+himself," he replied; "not a single step would keep firm were there any
+attempt at such prompting."</p>
+
+<p>Poor Lubin heaved a sigh like a groan.</p>
+
+<p>"Who's afraid!" exclaimed Dick; "the greater the difficulty the greater
+the glory of mounting to the top of the ladder! Just roll up our papers,
+Mr. Reading, we'll carry them under our arms. The girls will take charge
+of the can of paste, and as for this remarkable ladder, Lubin and I will
+contrive to bear it between us."</p>
+
+<p>Thus loaded, the little party passed again through the iron grating.
+Dick walked first, with a confident air, holding one end of the ladder
+of Spelling, while Lubin, grumbling and sighing, supported the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> other
+end. Nelly followed with the can of Attention, for Matty was too much
+engaged in looking at and admiring her pretty fairy paper to think of
+her lame little sister. Mr. Reading, the most polite and agreeable of
+shopkeepers, bade them farewell with a bow; and little Alphabet shouted
+after Lubin, "When you can manage to get to the top of the ladder of
+Spelling without tumbling down on your nose, I'll give you free leave to
+come back and jump over my head if you like it!"</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
+<a name="vii" id="vii"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br />
+<small>THE LADDER OF SPELLING.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap7.jpg" width="100" height="154" alt="&ldquo;W" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">HAT a jolly pleasant fellow old Reading is!" cried Dick, as they
+jogged along.</p>
+
+<p>"Well enough," replied Lubin, jerking his shoulder, "if he had not
+plagued us with this hateful ladder, and did not keep such a covetous,
+impudent little porter as that ugly old dwarf A B C."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not see much harm in the dwarf," laughed Dick; "the best fun I
+ever had in my life was seeing you pushing on one side of the gate, and
+the little chap pushing on the other. Alphabet was too hard for you,
+Lubin, my boy, though he is such a mite of a man."</p>
+
+<p>The observation made Lubin rather sulky, and he said nothing till,
+having passed through the lane of Trouble, the party stopped by the
+brook of Bother.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid, Lubin," observed Dick, "that an awkward fellow like you may
+miss your footing if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> attempting to cross while carrying a weight on
+your shoulder. You go first, unburdened, and then I'll easily stretch
+out the end of the ladder for you to catch hold of."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin did not wait to be twice invited to put down his tiresome burden.
+He flung down his end of the ladder, went across the stepping-stones at
+once, and then, without so much as turning to look at his companion,
+began to walk fast up the hill.</p>
+
+<p>"Holloa! stop! where are you going?" shouted Dick.</p>
+
+<p>Lubin only quickened his pace.</p>
+
+<p>"The lazy rogue means to leave me to carry this ladder all by myself!"
+exclaimed Dick, in high indignation.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that I could help you, dear Dick," said Nelly; "but I'm lame,
+and&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"And you've been carrying the can all the way, till your face is quite
+pale with fatigue. I wonder that that saucy puss Matty is not ashamed of
+treating you so."</p>
+
+<p>"I was so busy with my fairies that I forgot," began Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, well; take the can now and remember. And as for the ladder&mdash;"
+Without finishing his sentence, to the surprise of the girls, Dick
+suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> turned round, and walked back several paces. His object soon
+became plain; he was giving himself room for a run. Once more he rushed
+forward with a bound, and, laden as he was with ladder and with paper,
+was over the brook in a moment.</p>
+
+<p>"There's a jump!" he exclaimed, his face flushed less with the effect,
+than with the pride which he felt in having accomplished such a feat;
+"depend on't, a boy who can leap like that won't soon be turned back in
+life's long race by any difficulty or trial. I only wish that Mr.
+Learning could have seen me take that jump."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly's admiration of her brother's remarkable powers was a little
+damped by a fear that arose in her mind when she saw how he gloried in
+them. Nelly was very fond of Dick, but she could not help thinking that
+she would rather have seen him conquer his pride than jump over
+half-a-dozen Bothers. Slowly and thoughtfully the little girl passed
+over the brook, and Matty, who was now carrying the can, brought up the
+rear of the party.</p>
+
+<p>"Dick," said Matty, when she had joined her brother, "I wonder that you
+did not lay the ladder of Spelling across the stream, and make a bridge
+of it at once."</p>
+
+<p>"I was too wary a bird for that," laughed Dick. "You know I've not yet
+mastered that awkward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> spelling, and if I'd put my foot upon a step, I
+should just have gone souse into Bother."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I quite forgot!" exclaimed Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to have a trick of forgetting," said her brother; "you forget
+that your can of Attention is full, and you swing it to and fro as you
+walk, so that you spill it at every step. You had better give it up
+again to Nelly."</p>
+
+<p>"How Lubin trots up the hill!" cried Matty. "I never thought that he
+could get on so fast."</p>
+
+<p>"He knows pretty well what he has to expect when I get up with him!"
+cried Dick, who was indignant at his brother's desertion; "I mean to
+give the fat rogue such a thrashing as he never had before in his life!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh no, dear Dick!" exclaimed Nelly. "I am sure that you had better
+forgive and forget."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see why I should," rejoined Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"There are a great many reasons," said Nelly, who never suffered an
+angry or revengeful feeling to rest in her heart; "we know that it is
+noble and right to forgive, and to do as we would be done by; and has
+not dear mother a thousand times told us to live in love and kindness
+together?"</p>
+
+<p>"But he played me such a shabby trick!" exclaimed Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"You must remember, dear brother, that Lubin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> is not so strong as you
+are, and cannot bear a weight with such ease."</p>
+
+<p>"No; you're right there!" cried Dick proudly, raising the ladder of
+Spelling with one hand above his head, to show the might of his arm.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly saw that her brother was getting into better humour, and ventured
+to say something more. "There is another reason why you should forgive
+Lubin. Poor Lubin has also, perhaps, something to forgive and forget."</p>
+
+<p>"I never ran off and left him in the lurch."</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Nelly, in a very gentle tone; "but when he was in trouble
+with Alphabet, you burst out laughing instead of helping him. I don't
+think, dear Dick, that you know what pain you give by your way of joking
+and mocking at others who can't do as much as yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Have I ever pained you, Nelly?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sometimes," replied the child.</p>
+
+<p>Dick was silent for a few minutes. He was recalling to mind times when
+he had ridiculed his gentle little sister for her lameness&mdash;the slow
+pace which she could not avoid. He felt ashamed of his ungenerous
+conduct, and willing to make some amends.</p>
+
+<p>"It was too bad in me to hurt <em>you</em>, Nelly, who never gave pain to any
+one; so, for your sake, this time I'll consent to forgive and forget."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+While this conversation went on, the brother and sisters had walked
+half-way up the hill, and, before many minutes had passed, they had all
+arrived at their group of cottages. Dick kept his word to Nelly, and
+took no further notice of the desertion of Lubin, than by saying, with a
+laugh, when first they met, "You went up the hill at such a pace, my
+fine fellow, that one might have thought that you fancied the terrible
+Alphabet following close at your heels."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin looked rather sulky, but was glad to be so easily let off; he was
+not aware that he owed Dick's forbearance to the kindly offices of
+peacemaker Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>As the day was now far advanced, the children resolved not to begin
+their papering work till the morrow. They went to the house Needful,
+where they were to have their board and lodging for a short time, till
+their cottages should be a little furnished. They were all rather tired
+with their day's exertions, and none but Dick felt disposed to take a
+stroll in the evening.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+<a name="viii" id="viii"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br />
+<small>BREAKING DOWN.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap8.jpg" width="100" height="178" alt="T" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">HE first care of Matty and Nelly in the morning, after they had taken
+their breakfast, was to water their needlework plants.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't think," said Matty to her sister, "how you could be so silly as
+to choose that ugly Plain-work,&mdash;I'm sure there's not a bit of beauty in
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"I wait for the fruit," said Nelly meekly.</p>
+
+<p>"It does not climb high like mine, to adorn the walls; it creeps heavily
+along the ground. It is such a mean-looking plant."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall not think it mean in the season of ripening," observed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, here comes Lubin!" cried Matty; "he was late for breakfast, as
+usual. Good-morning, my lazy brother. Do you know what has become of
+Dick?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not I," answered Lubin, with a yawn.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps he has been working at his cottage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> already," said Nelly, "and
+has been studying the ladder of Spelling. Just wait till I fetch the can
+of paste&mdash;we'll put Attention into several little pots, and all begin
+papering our walls together."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly soon brought the paste, which she had kept during the night at
+house Needful. As Lubin and his sisters went towards the group of
+cottages, they heard the cheerful voice of Dick calling to them from the
+inside of his own.</p>
+
+<p>"Come in here with you, and I'll show you something worth the seeing."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Dick," exclaimed Matty, who was the first to enter, "you don't
+mean to say that you have papered half your parlour already!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't say it, but you may see it," said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"What wonderful progress you have made!"</p>
+
+<p>"I should say that I have," returned Dick, with a mighty self-satisfied
+air, as he looked around his parlour, already quite gay with the
+Robinson Crusoe pattern. "I've done more, too, than you can see," he
+added, striking his hand on the ladder of Spelling, which he had placed
+by the wall; "I've learned every sentence in this ladder as perfectly as
+any man can learn them, and can now climb to the very top with the
+greatest safety and ease."</p>
+
+<p>Matty and Lubin looked on their clever brother<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> with eyes in which
+admiration seemed mixed with a little envy.</p>
+
+<p>"But how could you paper the room without paste?" exclaimed Nelly; "I
+had charge of the whole supply."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear simple sister," replied Dick, "you don't suppose that all the
+paste in the world is held in your can, or that no other kind is to be
+had. I took a stroll yesterday evening with my acquaintance, young
+Pride, and he told me of a first-rate paste called Emulation, showed me
+where to get it, and helped me to lay in a capital store. You've no
+notion how pleasantly it made me get on with my work. I believe I shall
+paper all my four rooms before you have finished a single one of yours."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, let me have some of your paste!" cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"Have it and welcome," said Dick; "it's cheap, and there's plenty for
+all. I don't know what is making our little Nelly look so serious and
+grave."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Dick," said the child, in a hesitating tone, "did not dear mother
+warn us to have nothing to do with Pride?"</p>
+
+<p>"He's a jolly good fellow!" cried Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"But mother forbade us to keep company with him."</p>
+
+<p>"Really, Nelly," said Dick, rather sharply, "I'm old enough to choose my
+own friends."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+"But if Pride should prove to be not a friend but an enemy? Oh, dear
+brother, I should be afraid to use anything that Pride recommends."</p>
+
+<p>Dick burst into a laugh. "Use what you like, poor, patient, plodding
+little pussy; leave me to follow my own ways. You've not resolved, as I
+have, to win the crown of Success. You were never made to shine, unless
+it be like some little taper, giving its quiet light in a cottage; while
+I mean to dazzle the world some day, like the eruption of a splendid
+volcano."</p>
+
+<p>"A precious lot of mischief you may do," observed Lubin; "better be a
+sober taper in a cottage, that cheers and gives light to some one, than
+a blazing volcano, that makes a grand show indeed, but leaves ruins and
+ashes behind it."</p>
+
+<p>"Every one to his liking!" cried Dick, nimbly mounting the ladder, and
+spelling over the sentences so fast that his hearers could hardly follow
+him. Doubtless he meant to show off his talent, but, in his eagerness to
+be admired, he forgot&mdash;who can wonder that he did so?&mdash;the right
+spelling of one little word. Down he fell crack on the floor, the moment
+that he put his foot on the <em>poney</em>!</p>
+
+<p>Up jumped Dick in a second, not hurt indeed, but a good deal mortified,
+especially as Lubin laughed, and Matty began to titter.</p>
+
+<div class="bl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"Here we go up, up, up,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Here we go down, down, down, oh!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That is clever Dick's way<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Of winning the silver crown, oh!"<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p class="noi">cried Lubin, his fat sides shaking with mirth.</p>
+
+<p>"I would not stand that from him!" exclaimed a voice from without, and
+the shadow of Pride, a beetle-browed, black-haired, ill-favoured lad,
+now darkened the doorway of Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll stand no impudence!" cried Dick in a passion, and, dashing with
+clenched fist up to Lubin, he knocked him down with a blow.</p>
+
+<p>"Give it him well!" shouted Pride.</p>
+
+<p>But Nelly rushed forward in haste, and threw herself between her two
+brothers. "Oh, don't, don't!" she cried in distress; "remember our
+mother, remember the love which we all should bear to one another! It
+was wrong in Lubin to laugh&mdash;but oh, please&mdash;please don't beat him any
+more."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll beat him in another way!" exclaimed Dick, who was, perhaps, a
+little ashamed of having struck his younger brother; "I'll beat him at
+climbing this ladder,&mdash;one fall shall never daunt me!" and once more he
+ascended the steps, spelling without a single blunder, till, on the very
+topmost round, he waved his hand in triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope you're not hurt?" whispered Nelly to Lubin, who was slowly
+rising from the ground.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+The boy turned gloomily away.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't want her, do you, to cuddle and pet you as if you were a
+great big baby?" said Pride. "I wonder you don't go to your own cottage,
+and shut yourself up quietly there."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll go and have nothing more to do with any of them," muttered Lubin,
+pushing Nelly aside, and leaving the cottage of Dick in a mood by no
+means amiable.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly sighed; and as it appeared that she could at present be of no more
+use to her brothers, she quietly took her portion of Attention, and went
+to paper her own little room.</p>
+
+<p>I shall not tell of all her difficulties and troubles, nor how, when
+using the ladder of Spelling, she found it several times give way, and
+drop her down on the floor. The process of learning is a slow one, as
+every one is likely to know who has done enough of the papering work to
+be able to read this book;&mdash;and as for that troublesome ladder, A. L. O.
+E. will not venture to say that she has never had a tumble from it
+herself. I need only mention, as regards lame Nelly, that in the end,
+after days and weeks of patient labour, her house was very neatly
+papered indeed.</p>
+
+<p>Matty had far less trouble. The ladder of Spelling seemed made on
+purpose to suit her convenience;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> she mounted the steps with greater
+ease than even the active Dick could do. Her walls were soon covered
+with fairies; but, as Lubin observed, no one could think the cottage of
+Head well furnished with a paper so poor and thin,&mdash;you could almost see
+the bricks through it. Matty was, however, well pleased; and even, in
+the blindness of self-love, had some hopes of the silver crown. Pride
+flattered her skill and her quickness, and was always a welcome guest at
+her cottage as well as in Dick's. Neither the brother nor the sister yet
+knew the evils that might arise from their using the paste of Emulation.</p>
+
+<p>And how fared poor Lubin meantime? He worked slowly, by fits and starts,
+whenever the humour was on him, but it seemed to his brother and sisters
+as if his walls would never be papered. Nelly, after her own day's work,
+would carry the ladder to Lubin, but he constantly refused to use it.</p>
+
+<p>"What nonsense it is," he would angrily say, "to have words sounded in
+one way, and spelt in another. I wish that the fellow who made that
+ladder had been well ducked in the brook of Bother."</p>
+
+<p>"But as it <em>has</em> been made, and we've no other," observed Nelly, "would
+it not be wise to make the best of it?"</p>
+
+<p>By her gentle persuasion Lubin more than once attempted to mount the
+first step, but it always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> gave way beneath him; he never could remember
+of the <em>to</em>, <em>too</em>, and <em>two</em>, which was the right one to use.</p>
+
+<p>At last, catching up the ladder in despair, Lubin flung it out of his
+door.</p>
+
+<p>"Let it go&mdash;I should like to break it to bits and make a bonfire of it!"
+he cried; "I can paper my rooms without it."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no; not the upper parts," suggested Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care for the upper parts, I'll leave them as they are,"
+answered Lubin. "If the bricks and mortar are ugly, no one need look at
+them, say I."</p>
+
+<p>"But, Lubin," exclaimed Matty, who had just come in, "you will be quite
+ashamed of your house if it be furnished worse than a ploughboy's."</p>
+
+<p>"It will do very well," replied Lubin. "I hate this papering nonsense,
+and I wish that Mr. Learning had been far enough away, rather than come
+to plague us poor children with his tiresome Reading and Spelling!"</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
+<a name="ix" id="ix"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br />
+<small>MR. LEARNING'S VISIT.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap9.jpg" width="100" height="181" alt="I" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">T must not be supposed that during the time which it took to paper the
+cottages, other things were neglected; that Plain-work and Fancy-work
+were not watered, or that frequent shopping expeditions were not made to
+the town of Education. My history is by no means a journal of each day's
+proceedings, but only an account of some incidents that seem most worthy
+of note.</p>
+
+<p>I wish that I could tell my young readers that Dick frankly owned
+himself sorry for having knocked down poor Lubin. Perhaps he would have
+done so, for he had a kind and generous disposition, but for the evil
+influence of Pride. This dark companion was almost always now at the
+elbow of Dick, filling him with notions of his own importance, making
+him look down upon every one who was not so sharp as himself. From
+cottage to cottage Pride moved, now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> putting in Lubin's mind gloomy,
+angry feelings towards his brother; now flattering the vanity of Matty,
+till she thought herself a perfect model of beauty and almost too good
+to keep company with her lame little sister Nelly. Pride did not fail
+also to try to put evil into Nelly's heart, but she never would let him
+converse with her; she remembered the words of her mother, and shunned
+the dark tempter who leads so many astray.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder," said Pride one day to Matty as she was watering her
+Fancy-work plant,&mdash;"I wonder why a lovely young creature like you should
+not spend more of Time's money upon dress."</p>
+
+<p>Matty giggled and blushed, and said that she feared that there was not
+such a person as a good milliner to be found in all the town of
+Education.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Pride, "I think that I can help you to find one whom no one
+has ever excelled in this important line of business. There is a distant
+relation of my own, Miss Folly, who is wonderfully quick with her
+fingers, and makes all sorts of elegant things. Lady Fashion has her so
+often with her at her fine town-house, that it is clear that she regards
+Miss Folly almost in the light of a friend, and would not know how to
+get on without her. Folly is particularly anxious to employ her art in
+hiding any changes made by age. I have known an old lady<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> dressed up by
+her with wig, rouge, and a low muslin dress, fastened up with bunches of
+roses, whom you really would have taken, at least at a distance, for
+some lovely young creature of twenty!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, could you not introduce me to Miss Folly!" exclaimed Matty; "if she
+could so beautify an ugly old lady, what would she do for a young girl
+like me!"</p>
+
+<p>"I will bring her here with the greatest pleasure," replied Pride; and
+glancing at Matty's dress, he added, "From the elegant style of your
+attire, I should have really imagined that you had long ago known Miss
+Folly."</p>
+
+<p>When Dick had almost finished his papering, and Matty was far advanced
+with hers, the children received one day a visit from Mr. Learning, who
+came to observe their progress. Nelly was so hard at work in her spare
+room, that she did not hear his step, and was a little startled when she
+felt a heavy hand laid on her shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't be afraid," said Mr. Learning kindly, "go quietly on with your
+work. 'Slow and sure' is your motto, I see; what you do is done neatly
+and nicely."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly looked up with a pleased smile. She had never expected to receive
+a word of praise from the tall stately gentleman in black, who lived
+upon paper and ink.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>
+Mr. Learning then proceeded to Matty's cottage. Matty, who happened to
+be twining flowers in her beautiful hair, started up, and, in a little
+confusion, greeted her guardian with a courtesy.</p>
+
+<p>He glanced round the cottage for awhile in silence. Matty thought that
+he must be admiring the quickness with which she had papered her walls;
+his first words disappointed her not a little.</p>
+
+<p>"You have made a great mistake in not choosing a better and stronger
+paper; labour is thrown away upon this. However quickly you may get over
+your work, no one will ever think a dwelling well-furnished whose walls
+are covered with nothing but fairies."</p>
+
+<p>"Stupid, solemn, cross-grained old critic as he is!" thought Matty; "I
+knew that he and I would never agree together. I paper my walls to
+please my own taste, and snap my fingers at Learning!"</p>
+
+<p>The grave guardian then stalked slowly across the little plot of ground
+which divided the boys' cottages from those of the girls. Though Dick's
+was just opposite to Matty's, Mr. Learning chose to cross over first to
+Lubin's.</p>
+
+<p>The boy, buried in a deep slumber, lay snoring upon the floor, quite
+unconscious that any one had entered. With great disgust Mr. Learning
+looked around on one of the most untidy rooms that his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> eyes had ever
+beheld. It was only papered to such a height as the arm of the fat boy
+could reach, and even the little that had been done had been finished in
+the very worst way. So small a quantity of the paste of Attention had
+been used, that the paper was already falling off; odd pieces were lying
+here and there, and the most careless observer must have seen that he
+was in the dwelling of a sluggard.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Learning said nothing at all; he did not even waken the sleeping
+boy, though he felt a little inclined to give him a poke with his boot.
+The stately guardian took out from his pocket a piece of chalk, and
+wrote on the rough bricks above the paper, in letters half a foot high,
+the single word <span class="smcap">dunce</span>, then turning round on his heel, he quitted the
+cottage of Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>It was perhaps intentionally that the sage had arranged to make his
+visit to Dick the last. Here there was much to satisfy and please his
+philosophic eye, and Mr. Learning's grave face relaxed into a smile as
+pleasant as if a whole dozen of copy-books had been spread out for
+dinner before him.</p>
+
+<p>"You're a clever fellow," said he; and Dick made a very low bow, pleased
+but not at all surprised by the compliment.</p>
+
+<p>"I should not wonder if, some day," pursued Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> Learning, "I should be
+able to introduce you to my friends the Ologies."</p>
+
+<p>"Pray, who may they be?" asked Dick; "I never heard of them before."</p>
+
+<p>"They are of a remarkably superior family, that has been settled for a
+length of years in the higher part of the town of Education. There are a
+number of brothers, and they are all remarkable men. There's&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The Ology, who keeps a religious library;</p>
+
+<p>"Myth Ology, who deals in books describing the superstitions of heathen
+nations;</p>
+
+<p>"Ge Ology, whose collection of marbles, stones, various earths, and old
+fossils makes him famous;</p>
+
+<p>"Phren Ology, who professes to tell the characters of people by feeling
+the bumps on their heads;</p>
+
+<p>"Chron Ology, who manufactures nails that are known by the name of
+dates;</p>
+
+<p>"Conch Ology, who keeps a museum with a vast variety of shells;</p>
+
+<p>"Entom Ology, who has another filled with butterflies and other insects;</p>
+
+<p>"Ichthy Ology, whose taste leads him to make a collection of fish;</p>
+
+<p>"Zo Ology, who has a large garden with all kinds of creatures in it."</p>
+
+<p>"What a very large family it is!" exclaimed Dick,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> who had begun to
+think that these Ologies would never come to an end.</p>
+
+<p>"I have not mentioned all," replied Learning. "But all are intimate
+friends of mine, and I invite them all every year to a feast in my house
+in London."</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder what you give them to eat!" thought Dick, "and whether these
+Ologies have all your own taste for paper and ink!" He had a little awe
+for Mr. Learning, so did not utter the reflection aloud.</p>
+
+<p>"You shall know them all some day," continued the guardian; "they will
+help you to fortune and to fame!"</p>
+
+<p>"Why not know them at once?" cried Dick.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Learning smiled again; but this time his smile was not so pleasant.
+"You are by far too young," he replied, "and have something else to
+think of at present. Your cottage is nearly papered, I see, but you have
+as yet not a single grate within it."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to the ironmonger's this very day," cried Dick; "there's no
+use in waiting for my brother and sisters, they are so slow at their
+work. I shall be hand and glove with all the Ologies before Lubin has
+covered his ugly bricks!"</p>
+
+<p>What was Mr. Learning looking at so attentively<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> through his spectacles,
+as Dick uttered this sounding boast? He had caught a glimpse of Pride,
+who, upon his entrance, had hidden himself behind the open door, and who
+was there listening to the conversation between Dick and his guardian.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me give you one word of advice, my boy," said Mr. Learning, in a
+serious tone; "go to the town of Education as often as you will, and buy
+what you may, but never let Pride go with you. He is a safe companion
+for no one; and the better that you are acquainted with <em>me</em>, the less
+cause you will find to cherish <em>him</em>!" and with this quiet warning, Mr.
+Learning quitted the cottage.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, Pride!" cried Dick, as the dark one sneaked out of his hiding-place
+behind the door; "you find that the saying is true, 'Listeners never
+hear good of themselves.'"</p>
+
+<p>Pride looked offended and annoyed.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind, old friend," continued Dick; "I won't attend to a word that
+he said, for I find you as pleasant a companion as any that ever I knew.
+I'm just going off to the town to buy grates from Arithmetic the
+Ironmonger, and if you like to come with me, I can but say that you'll
+be heartily welcome."</p>
+
+<p>Pride needed no second invitation, and the two soon started together.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>
+<a name="x" id="x"></a>CHAPTER X.<br />
+<small>DICK'S MISHAP.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap10.jpg" width="100" height="181" alt="M" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">ESSRS. Arithmetic and Mathematics were large manufacturers of ironware
+and machinery of every kind, of which they kept an immense assortment
+continually upon sale in a shop attached to the premises. They were said
+to be near connections as well as partners in business. Mr. Arithmetic
+had the name of a hard man, who looked sharply after every farthing,
+though not quite so hard perhaps as his partner Mr. Mathematics. And yet
+his workmen, who were all called <em>ciphers</em>, One, Two, Three, Four, Five,
+Six, Seven, Eight and Nine, never complained of their master. They said
+that they always received their just due, and as long as they kept in
+their own proper place, had never any reason to grumble.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Mathematics was a great philosopher, and shut himself up a good
+deal, that he might have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> leisure to invent new and curious machines. He
+did not show himself to customers so often as Mr. Arithmetic, who was
+the soul of the business, keeping all the workmen in order, scarcely
+ever out of his shop, and ready to serve all the world.</p>
+
+<p>The Ironmongery establishment was on the top of a steep cliff that rose
+on the right side of the town of Education, just beyond Mr. Reading's
+large shop; and thither, on that fine summer's day, Dick and Pride
+wended their way.</p>
+
+<p>"We must go up here," observed Dick, as they reached a narrow staircase
+cut in the cliff, and known by the name of the Multiplication stairs. I
+should not wonder if my readers had run up it many a time; if so, I need
+not tell them that it consists of twelve flights of steps, with twelve
+steps in every flight; that the first and second are so easy that a baby
+might almost toddle up them; that the two next are rather more steep,
+while the fifth is easier again; that the seventh and eighth are perhaps
+the worst; while the tenth flight quite tempts one to run, it is so
+delightfully smooth!</p>
+
+<p>Dick was so active and vigorous a boy, that he mounted up to the top
+without even stopping to take breath. He had thence a fine view of the
+distant landscape; but what interested him most was to look down on the
+town which lay at his feet, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> see the gilded names of the different
+Ologies shining on the fronts of their dwellings. There was Chemistry's
+beautiful shop too in view, with lovely-coloured glass jars in its
+windows; and Botany's vast garden not far off, bright with the hues of a
+thousand flowers. A fine place to look at, and a good place to dwell in,
+is this town of Education.</p>
+
+<p>An immense building was now before Dick, though rather dull and
+unattractive in appearance; the names of Messrs. Arithmetic and
+Mathematics were in large black letters over the door. Dick entered,
+followed by Pride, and viewed with astonishment the vast variety of iron
+utensils around him. He could scarcely stop to look at the simple
+grates, called sums, which were the things that he came for, his eye was
+attracted by so many articles more curious and more interesting. There
+were big rules of-three kettles, simple, inverse, and compound;
+reduction grinding-machines, and tables of weights of every species and
+size. There were innumerable instruments of various kinds that were
+known by the name of fractions; Dick did not exactly know their use, but
+they looked like instruments of torture. In an inner compartment of the
+place great machines were fizzing and whizzing, pistons rising and
+falling, wheels rolling and rumbling; that part belonged especially to
+Mr. Mathematics, and many of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> partner's customers never entered that
+wing of the building.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you require here?" said Mr. Arithmetic, a man dressed in
+iron-gray clothes, with a face which looked dry and hard as one of his
+own kettles, above which was a shock of iron-gray hair, which gave him
+rather a formidable appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"I want to buy four little grates, to put in my house," said Dick,
+standing with his hand on his hip, and speaking in an easy tone, to show
+that he was not afraid of Mr. Arithmetic.</p>
+
+<p>"I understand: my four first sums&mdash;Addition, Multiplication, Division,
+and Subtraction;" and the learned ironmonger pointed to a pile of some
+hundreds of the articles required by Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"They are such simple, light little things," observed the boy, "that
+I'll carry off a couple with ease."</p>
+
+<p>"As far as mere weight goes," said Pride, "you might bear away all four
+at once; but they are rather awkward to hold, and, if I understood you
+aright, you are obliged to carry all your purchases yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Ay," observed Mr. Arithmetic with a grim smile, "when the Prince of
+Wales himself came to shop in our town, he was obliged to be his own
+porter. Governesses and tutors may pack up the loads, but the pupils
+have the carrying after all."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>
+"I certainly could manage two grates at once," observed Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"I would advise you to be content with one at a time," said Arithmetic,
+"and come for the second to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Pick me out four good ones, not too small," cried Dick, trying to speak
+with an air of command; "I'll walk in further with my comrade, and have
+a look at yonder machines."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go too near those in work," said Mr. Arithmetic to Dick; "little
+boys may get into trouble if they meddle with things that they don't
+understand."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I can understand rather more than he supposes," muttered Dick,
+walking with head erect, and nose in the air, and a sort of swaggering
+step, which he probably thought best suited for a genius.</p>
+
+<p>He passed on between rows of strange machines, whose use he could
+scarcely guess at; but he was ashamed to show any ignorance while Pride
+was close at his side. At last Dick stopped before a turning-lathe,
+which had been made by a man called Euclid, and watched with interest
+and surprise all the curious articles called problems, which a clever
+workman was every few minutes forming with the circular saw.</p>
+
+<p>"That does not look such hard work after all," said Dick; "the man has
+only to hold up the wood to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> that curious whirling machine, and it cuts
+it right into shape in a second. I think that I could do that myself."</p>
+
+<p>"I should not advise you to try," said the workman, as he stopped his
+lathe for a short time, to go and look for a piece of hard wood. Pride
+glanced meaningly at Dick, and the boy's foot was in a minute on the
+board whose motion turned the circular saw.</p>
+
+<p>"Give me that problem, I'll show you what I can do!" cried the eager
+Dick to his prompter; the next sound that he uttered was a yell, as the
+saw cut one of his fingers almost to the bone!</p>
+
+<p>The cry drew Mr. Arithmetic to the spot. "Is the hand off?" was his cold
+hard question.</p>
+
+<p>Poor Dick held up his bleeding finger.</p>
+
+<p>"You've got your lesson cheaply," said the iron-gray man; "you had
+better know your own powers a little better before you meddle with
+matters like this. Wrap up your finger in your handkerchief, take up
+your grate, and be gone."</p>
+
+<p>Much mortified by his morning's adventure, poor Dick in silence obeyed,
+not making an attempt to burden himself then with anything but a simple
+sum of Addition. It would have been well indeed for the boy if the
+experience of that day had cured him of his foolish presumption, and
+made him give up the company of Pride.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
+<a name="xi" id="xi"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br />
+<small>MISS FOLLY.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft2" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap11.jpg" width="100" height="159" alt="&ldquo;O" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">H, dear! how frightful this great big <span class="smcap">dunce</span> looks upon my wall!" cried
+poor Lubin; "and how shall I ever get rid of it? It's always staring me
+in the face, and telling tales of me to every one that comes into the
+room! What shall I do with the ugly thing?"</p>
+
+<p>"Cover it over, dear Lubin," said Nelly, who felt for her brother's
+distress.</p>
+
+<p>"Does it not look hideous?" cried Lubin, looking round with a woe-begone
+face.</p>
+
+<p>"It does look hideous indeed, and, if I were you, I would paper it over
+directly. No one could see it then."</p>
+
+<p>"It's too high for me to reach," sighed Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, unless you were to use&mdash;" Nelly hesitated, for she knew Lubin's
+dislike to the ladder of Spelling.</p>
+
+<p>"I know what you mean," said Lubin gloomily; "but I won't use that
+ladder just now. Perhaps&mdash;there's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> no saying&mdash;perhaps some day I may
+learn to spell without stumbling, and get rid of that hateful word
+<span class="smcap">dunce</span>."</p>
+
+<p>"No time like the present," suggested little Nelly, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>"Not to-day, I say; I'm not in the humour; I've no fancy for a tumble on
+the floor."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you a fancy, then, to go with me to Mr. Arithmetic's, to get
+grates for our little fireplaces?"</p>
+
+<p>"That's where Dick cut his finger yesterday?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; poor Dick!" exclaimed Nelly; "but we won't go so near to the
+machines."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll keep at arms' length from all problems," cried Lubin. "Well, if
+you are going to the ironmonger's shop, we may just as well go together.
+Is Dick to be of the party?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Nelly; "yesterday's mishap had made him rather dislike
+Arithmetic, though the accident did not happen in his part of the
+building. But I hope that Matty will come; I was just going to invite
+her."</p>
+
+<p>Casting one more vexed glance at the great <span class="smcap">dunce</span> on his wall, Lubin
+sallied forth from his cottage with Nelly. As they crossed over the
+little green space to Matty's door, they heard such a jabber of voices
+within her cottage, that one might have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> thought that the little
+dwelling was full of chattering magpies.</p>
+
+<p>In the parlour appeared Matty on her knees, examining with eager praises
+the contents of a large box of millinery open before her; while, talking
+so fast that she could hardly be understood, a curious creature stood
+beside her, whose dress, manner, and appearance, amazed both Lubin and
+Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger was by nature very small and mean in appearance; but she
+had puffed out her dress with crinoline and hoops to a size so immense,
+that she half filled up Matty's little parlour, and it was hard to
+imagine how she had contrived to squeeze herself through the doorway.
+She had seven very full flounces, each of a different colour, adorned
+with flowers and beads. Her waist had been pulled in very tightly
+indeed, till it resembled that of a wasp; and a quantity of gaudy
+jewellery shone on her neck and arms. But the head-dress of Miss
+Folly&mdash;for this was she&mdash;was still more peculiar than her figure. An
+immense plume of peacock's feathers stuck upright in her frizzled red
+hair, which was all drawn back from her forehead, to show as much as
+possible of her face. Her great goggle eyes were rolling about with a
+perpetual motion to match that of her tongue; and her cheeks, rouged
+till they looked like peonies, were dotted over with black bits of
+plaster.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> I don't know, dear reader, whether Miss Folly be an
+acquaintance of yours; if so, I hope that you will excuse my saying
+that, notwithstanding her rouge and her jewels, I consider her a perfect
+fright.</p>
+
+<p>But here let us make no mistake. I know that there are certain persons
+who confuse between Miss Folly and Miss Fun, and fancy that these are
+names for one and the same person. I assure you that this is not the
+case; Folly and Fun are perfectly distinct. I own that laughing,
+singing, playful little Fun, is rather a pet of my own; she and I have
+had pleasant hours together; nay, I have actually consulted her when
+writing this very book. It is true that she needs to be kept in order,
+for her spirits get sometimes a little too wild; she must be forbidden
+to do any mischief, or give pain to any creature living. But when under
+good control, Fun is a bright and charming companion, especially to the
+young; and I delight in hearing her merry laugh, and in watching her
+sparkling eyes. But as for Folly, I cannot abide her; her mirth only
+makes me sad. Perhaps, before they lay down my book, my readers may more
+clearly distinguish what qualities make Miss Folly unlike that general
+favourite&mdash;Fun.</p>
+
+<p class="link"><a name="miss2" id="miss2">&nbsp;</a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/i079.jpg" class="jpg" width="400" height="629" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption"><a name="miss" id="miss"></a>Miss Folly went jabbering on: &quot;Just try that bonnet on
+your head.&quot;<br />
+<a href="#miss"><em>Page 73.</em></a></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
+It was clear that Matty Desley was very well satisfied with her
+companion, and she turned over the wares with delight, as Miss Folly
+went jabbering on,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"There, now; that's something that I can quite recommend; it's decidedly
+<em>&agrave; la mode</em>, worn by all the duchesses, countesses, baronesses, and lady
+mayoresses, at all the balls, routs, conversaziones, and concerts given
+this season! And&mdash;yes, just try that bonnet on your head, and look at
+yourself in this glass"&mdash;(Folly always carries a glass)&mdash;"doesn't it
+show off the charming face?&mdash;doesn't it suit the pretty
+complexion?&mdash;doesn't it make you look quite bewitching, a lovely little
+fairy as you are?"</p>
+
+<p>"Matty!" cried Lubin, the moment Folly paused to take breath, "we're
+going to Arithmetic the ironmonger; will you come with us and buy a new
+grate?"</p>
+
+<div class="bl">
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="io">"Multiplication is a vexation,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Addition is as bad;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And Fractions make me mad!"<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p class="noi">cried Folly, rolling her goggle eyes, and thinking herself quite a wit.</p>
+
+<p>"Was it not at Arithmetic's factory that Dick hurt himself yesterday?"
+said Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"Hurt himself, did he?" interrupted Folly, who seemed resolved to take
+the largest share of the conversation. "Why did he not come to me for a
+salve? I've the best salve that ever was invented&mdash;Flattery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> salve,
+warranted to heal all manner of bruises and sores; yes, headaches, and
+heartaches, and all kinds of aches. It's patronized by all the heads of
+the nobility and gentry. I've tried it myself many a time, and always
+find it a perfect cure! When I've the high-strikes (I'm very subject to
+the high-strikes), I just rub a little on the tip of my ear, and it
+calms down my nerves like a charm. I wish you would try it!" she cried,
+turning to Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not subject to high-strikes, and don't want Flattery salve," said
+the boy, in his blunt, simple manner; "all I want is to know whether
+you, Matty, will go with us to the town of Education."</p>
+
+<p>"I can't go to-day!" cried Matty, annoyed at being interrupted by her
+brother and sister; "I shall want every minute of Time's money to buy
+some of Miss Folly's pretty things!"</p>
+
+<p>"Leave Miss Folly, I should say," cried Lubin, who had no want of plain
+common-sense; "a pleasant, good-humoured smile makes a face look nicer
+than all that flummery there."</p>
+
+<p>"Dear Matty, the days go fast," said Nelly, "and you know that our
+mother expects to find our cottages well furnished on her return. I
+really think that we've no Time money to spare upon what can be of no
+possible use."</p>
+
+<p>"What would my Lady Fashion, my most particular<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> friend, say if she
+could hear you?" exclaimed Folly, who had been struggling to get in a
+word, much talking being very characteristic of Folly; "she&mdash;Lady
+Fashion I mean&mdash;is always for the ornamental; the useful she leaves to
+the vulgar. As for your sister there" (Folly only condescended to speak
+to Matty), "she knows nothing, I see, of flounces, furbelows, fringes,
+and flowers; she'd put on a bonnet back part forward, or a shawl wrong
+side out; and she looks like a whipping-post, or a thread-paper, or
+a&mdash;-"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, stop that jabber, will you!" cried Lubin, putting his hands to his
+ears.</p>
+
+<p>"Come with us, Matty," entreated Nelly, "and buy something solid and
+useful. Summer will soon be over, and when cold weather comes, what
+should we do without grates?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can't come, and I won't come!" cried Matty pettishly; "don't you see
+that I'm exceedingly busy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Come away, Nelly," said Lubin; "leave her to her fine Miss Folly; let
+her furnish her head, if she likes it, with fairies, furbelows, and
+flounces!"</p>
+
+<p>Off went the brother and sister, but they had proceeded some way from
+the door before they got beyond reach of the sound of Miss Folly's
+chattering tongue.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+Down hill Puzzle, across brook Bother, along Trouble lane, fat little
+Lubin and Nelly went very sociably together.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think that you're as lame as you were," said the boy.</p>
+
+<p>"The way seems shorter than it did," observed Nelly; "but one feels the
+hill most when coming back."</p>
+
+<p>As the children passed Mr. Reading's fine shop, little Alphabet peeped
+through the grating, to the no small annoyance of Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"Ha, ha! my brave fellow!" cried the dwarf, "have you mounted the ladder
+of Spelling, and have you now come to jump over my head?"</p>
+
+<p>Lubin did not answer, but quickened his pace. He and his sister soon
+found themselves at the bottom of Multiplication stairs.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder how we shall ever get up to the top?" thought lame Nelly, as,
+with rather a disconsolate air, she glanced up the twelve flights of
+steps.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+<a name="xii" id="xii"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br />
+<small>A VISIT TO ARITHMETIC.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap12.jpg" width="100" height="175" alt="&ldquo;I" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">T'S a dreadful pull up this staircase!" exclaimed Lubin, as panting
+and puffing he stopped half-way, his fat round face flushed with fatigue
+till it looked almost the colour of a cock's comb.</p>
+
+<p>"It is dreadfully tiring!" sighed Nelly, pausing a moment to take
+breath.</p>
+
+<p>"It is worse than the ladder of Spelling!" cried Lubin. "I vote that we
+go back at once."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh no, dear Lubin!" said his sister, immediately starting again on her
+weary ascent&mdash;"perseverance, you know, conquers difficulties;" and as
+she uttered the words, the lame girl stumbled at that step <em>seven times
+eight</em>.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll never succeed," observed Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll try again," said the patient Nelly; and slowly but steadily she
+mounted.</p>
+
+<p>Her example encouraged her brother to follow.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
+"I say, Nelly," observed Lubin, "what a plague all this education
+furnishing is! What lucky dogs those savages are who live in caves that
+want no fittings, and who have never heard of Reading papers, or ladders
+of Spelling, or this horrible Multiplication!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly could not help laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"The very same thought was passing through my head," said she; "but I
+tried to drive it away, for it seemed to be only fit for Miss Folly."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps a cave might not be so very pleasant," rejoined Lubin. "But I
+wish that some good-natured fairy could furnish these cottages of ours
+with a stroke of her wand, and save us all this terrible trouble."</p>
+
+<p>"It would not be so good for us, I daresay," said Nelly, stumbling again
+at <em>nine times six</em>.</p>
+
+<p>"And why not?" inquired her brother.</p>
+
+<p>"Why," replied Nelly, as she rubbed her bruised ankle, "I think that the
+trouble and pain serve to exercise our patience and perseverance, and to
+make us more fit to meet the trials which are sure to come when we are
+older. Besides," she added, still mounting as she spoke, "we take more
+pleasure in that which has cost us trouble than in that which we get
+with ease; and it is real enjoyment to feel that a difficulty has been
+overcome."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+"I'm sure that we can have no pleasure from this Multiplication stair."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, when we get to the top!" cried Nelly, who had just reached the
+pleasant tenth flight, and now went along it hand in hand with her
+brother at a pace that was almost rapid.</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Lubin, not long after, as he stood panting on
+the topmost step.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, what a charming view!" exclaimed Nelly. "I'm so glad that we
+persevered!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's a tremendous big place, this town of Education," said Lubin,
+looking down from his height. "I don't like the look of all those
+Ologies. I'm afraid that a great lot of things are required for a really
+well-furnished house."</p>
+
+<p>"We have only to think of our grates at present," said Nelly. "Please
+keep close beside me, Lubin; for I've heard that Mr. Arithmetic is a
+terribly hard man, and I'm rather afraid to face him."</p>
+
+<p>So again, hand in hand, the two children walked into the big shop
+together, and looked in wonder, as Dick had done, at the great heaps of
+goods within it.</p>
+
+<p>"We won't go near that machinery part," whispered Lubin. "One of these
+big thundering engines would crack my poor head like a nutshell."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" asked the iron-gray man, coming from behind a great
+pile of coal-scuttles.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
+Nelly squeezed Lubin's hand to make him speak first, for she was a shy
+little girl.</p>
+
+<p>"We each want four sum-grates, for four little fireplaces," said
+Lubin&mdash;"the very lightest that you can give us. I should like some no
+bigger than my shoe."</p>
+
+<p>"You're made of different metal from the young fellow whom we had here
+yesterday," said Arithmetic, looking down with some scorn at the fat
+little boy. "You'll never cut your fingers by meddling with problems, I
+guess."</p>
+
+<p>"You may answer for that," said Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Arithmetic, without further delay, produced specimens of his four
+simplest kinds of sum grates, like those from which Dick had been
+supplied. Lubin and Nelly soon chose Addition as their first purchase
+from Arithmetic&mdash;a grate so small and so light that even the little girl
+supported the burden with tolerable ease.</p>
+
+<p>"You must come back to-morrow for something a little heavier," said Mr.
+Arithmetic. "Addition is simple enough; but Division needs a little
+greater effort of strength."</p>
+
+<p>"We've done grand things to-day," exclaimed Lubin; "it's time enough to
+think about to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I will certainly come back then!" cried Nelly, not a little pleased
+at her present success.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>
+<a name="xiii" id="xiii"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br />
+<small>THE WONDERFUL BOY.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap13.jpg" width="100" height="169" alt="T" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">HAT evening Dick and his dark companion Pride sat in his cottage
+together. The boy looked out of spirits or out of temper. Perhaps his
+cut still pained him; perhaps the perpetual patter of the shower which
+was falling made him gloomy and dull, for a violent rain had come on,
+which continued during the whole of that night.</p>
+
+<p>"Who would have thought," said Pride, "that lazy Lubin and lame Nelly
+would have mounted so bravely to the top of Multiplication staircase,
+and have carried back, safely over Bother, such nice little grates of
+Addition? You must really look sharp, Dick Desley, or they'll furnish
+their cottages before you."</p>
+
+<p>"Before me!" exclaimed Dick, with a sneer. "I could do more with my
+little finger than Lubin with all his fat fist."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>
+"Certainly," observed Pride, "it would be an intolerable disgrace to a
+clever fellow like you if you let any one get before you. You are not
+one who would endure to see another winning from you the crown of
+Success."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll never see <em>that</em>," cried Dick, haughtily. "I should like to know
+who has a chance against me!"</p>
+
+<p>"No one has the smallest chance against you, if you only exert
+yourself," said Pride. "If I were you I would put forth my powers, and
+do something to astonish them all."</p>
+
+<p>"I will!" cried Dick, with decision. "I'll go to Arithmetic to-morrow,
+and bring back the three remaining sum-grates all at once. But what
+wretched weather we have this evening!" he exclaimed; "I'm afraid all
+the brightness of summer is going. And what's that on my wall&mdash;that dull
+stain as of damp, that seems creeping over my paper?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is merely caused by the rain. I should think nothing of it," said
+Pride.</p>
+
+<p>But Dick did think something of the stain. He saw that it marred the
+beauty of that upon which he had bestowed much diligent labour.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll cross over to Nelly's cottage," he said, "and see if the damp is
+staining hers also."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
+Nelly was busy fixing in her grate. She looked upon her brother with a
+smile.</p>
+
+<p>"How kind to come and see me through the rain!"</p>
+
+<p>"I did not come to see you, but your paper. How is this?&mdash;there is not a
+damp spot upon it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Nor on Lubin's neither," remarked Nelly. "But I was with Matty just
+now, and the damp shows sadly on her fairies."</p>
+
+<p>"What on earth can make the difference?" cried Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know, unless&mdash;unless&mdash;" Nelly hesitated before she
+added&mdash;"unless it be that both Matty and you used the paste that Pride
+recommended."</p>
+
+<p>"That has nothing to do with it," said Dick, as he quitted the cottage
+in displeasure.</p>
+
+<p>But Nelly had been right in her guess. There will be an ugly stain upon
+any work which we only pursue with zeal because we want to <em>outdo</em>
+others in it.</p>
+
+<p>Dick did not make his appearance on the following morning at the
+breakfast-table. The children still took their meals at the house
+Needful till their cottages should be better prepared.</p>
+
+<p>"I am so glad that it has stopped raining," said Nelly, when she had
+finished her breakfast. "I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> been wishing for the weather to clear,
+for I promised Mr. Arithmetic that I would go back for the grate of
+Division. Matty, dear, you will come with us to-day?"</p>
+
+<p>Matty had come down to breakfast in a dress almost as ridiculously fine
+as that worn by Miss Folly herself. She tossed her head, and replied,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I've something better to do than to buy, or carry, or scrub wretched
+sum-grates of Arithmetic. I'm going out with Miss Folly, to be
+introduced to some of her friends."</p>
+
+<p>"But, Matty, the grates are quite necessary," urged Nelly. "We are soon
+to take up our quarters in our cottages, and sleep there as well as
+work. What shall we do when the cold weather comes if we've no means of
+having a fire?"</p>
+
+<p>"How shall we cook our dinners?" asked Lubin. "If there's one thing more
+useful in a house than anything else, I should say it is a grate in the
+kitchen."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Miss Folly tells me never to look forward to winter," cried Matty,
+"but just enjoy myself while I can. So I am not going to plague myself
+with either Addition or Division to-day. To look after such vulgar
+things is only a shopkeeper's business."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+"But what will mother say," persisted Nelly, "if she find your cottage
+unfurnished?"</p>
+
+<p>"Unfurnished, indeed!" cried Matty. "It will be far better furnished
+than yours. I mean to have French mirrors, and Italian paintings, and
+German glass and china. I shall get a tambourine also, and perhaps some
+day a guitar. Miss Folly tells me that Lady Fashion, her most particular
+friend, has all these; and though they make a fine show, they are not so
+dear as one would think."</p>
+
+<p>"They are all good and beautiful things, I daresay," began Nelly;
+"but&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But grates must come before mirrors, and carpets before German china,"
+laughed Lubin. "We must buy what is needful first, and think of what is
+pretty afterwards."</p>
+
+<p>"That may be your way; but it is not my way, and it was never the way of
+Miss Folly," cried Matty, as she flaunted out of the house.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder at Dick being so late," observed Nelly; "we ought to be off to
+the town."</p>
+
+<p>"He is not late, but early," said Lubin. "He had had his breakfast, and
+started for the town of Education, before I was out of my bed."</p>
+
+<p>"I wish that he had waited for us," cried Nelly; "it is so nice to go
+through our work all together. You and I had now better set off."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>
+"I'm going presently," replied Lubin. "I've just five minutes to spare;
+and I'm about to step round to Amusement's bazaar, hard by here, to get
+a few barley-sugar drops, to refresh me on my wearisome walk."</p>
+
+<p>"I think that you had better delay your visit to the bazaar until you
+have done your business with Mr. Arithmetic. Our mother's proverb, you
+know, is, 'Duty first, and pleasure afterwards.' The sky is dark, the
+weather uncertain; we may be stopped from going altogether if we do not
+start off at once."</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to be stopped altogether," said Lubin, with a smile. "I
+should not care if I never took another journey to the town of
+Education."</p>
+
+<p>"What! after all that you said to Matty about the necessity of grates?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, yes; they are needful enough, but they are not needed just at this
+moment. You may go on if you like it, I'll get my sugar-drops first. Set
+off now, I'll soon overtake you; I won't spend much time at
+Amusement's."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly sighed, but she saw that there was no use in further entreaty, so
+she set forth alone. The path down hill was slippery and wet from the
+rain that had fallen at night&mdash;a sister's kind word, or a brother's
+strong arm, would have been a real comfort now to the lame little girl.
+Often and often did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> Nelly turn and look behind her, to see if Lubin
+were not following after; but in vain she looked, not a sign appeared on
+the hill of the fat little sluggard.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly came to the stream of Bother. The brook was muddy and swollen, and
+went racing on faster than usual. The stepping-stones were scarcely seen
+above the brown waters that eddied around them.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh dear, oh dear; I wish that Lubin or Dick were with me!" cried poor
+Nelly, as she gave one more anxious glance behind her. "It is miserable
+to have to go alone across such a stream as this." She put her little
+foot upon the first stone, she fancied that it trembled beneath her
+weight&mdash;then on the next, she was almost in the water. It was nothing
+but a strong sense of duty that made the poor child go on. With
+trembling steps and dizzy brain she proceeded on her dangerous way, and
+great was her relief when she reached in safety the farther shore.</p>
+
+<p>"One difficulty is happily past, but how shall I enter the great town
+all alone? how shall I climb the wearisome stair? how shall I face cold
+stern Mr. Arithmetic, with no brother or sister to back me?" such were
+the reflections of Nelly as she made her way slowly along the muddy lane
+of Trouble. Some of my readers may have experienced what a dull and
+discouraging thing it is to do business all by one's self in the town of
+Education.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>
+One difficulty, however, Nelly found less great than she had expected it
+to be. It is a curious fact, but well known to all, that those who have
+once mounted Multiplication staircase never complain any more of its
+steepness. Nelly ascended it without a single stumble, till, when she
+had almost reached the top, she met her brother Dick coming down from
+Mr. Arithmetic's. What was her astonishment to see the strong boy laden
+with three grates fastened together, Division, Subtraction,
+Multiplication, placed one on the top of another!</p>
+
+<p>"O Dick, you can never carry all that at once!"</p>
+
+<p>"I do carry all at once, as you may see," replied Dick, with a smile of
+triumph; "I'd advise you to get out of my way, lest I knock you over the
+staircase."</p>
+
+<p>"Surely, surely you can't bear that great burden across the swollen
+brook, or up the steep hill."</p>
+
+<p>"Take no fears for me: I can't fail with the crown of Success in my
+view!" exclaimed Dick, bearing his three grates aloft, as some warrior
+might carry his banner.</p>
+
+<p>"If you would only wait a few minutes for me," began Nelly, but Dick at
+once cut her short.</p>
+
+<p>"I wait for nobody!" he cried, pushing past his lame little sister. "If
+you had been up this morning as early as I was, you might have enjoyed
+the pleasure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> of my company." And so saying, Dick and his iron grates
+went clattering down the staircase.</p>
+
+<p>Alone poor Nelly entered the shop, alone she took up her purchase, and
+alone she descended the twelve flights of steps, trembling under the
+weight of Division, which she had found a much more serious burden than
+little Addition had been.</p>
+
+<p>"How could Dick carry <em>three</em> grates at a time," thought Nelly, "when
+one is almost more than I can support. But then I'm a poor, stupid,
+lame, little creature, and Dick&mdash;oh, Dick is a wonderful boy!"</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>
+<a name="xiv" id="xiv"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br />
+<small>THE THIEF OF TIME.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap14.jpg" width="100" height="157" alt="W" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">HEN Lubin had said that he would not spend much Time money at Amusement
+bazaar, he had fully intended to keep his word. He meant to go steadily
+on his walk to Education, or, as we might call it, "do his lessons," so
+soon as he had had a little diversion. But let me advise all my dear
+young readers to put off their visits to Mrs. Amusement's till they have
+spent such hours as business requires in the town of Education. Let them
+count their money before they set out, spend a good portion of it wisely
+and well, and then, with light hearts and easy consciences, they may go
+to refresh and enjoy themselves at Mrs. Amusement's bazaar.</p>
+
+<p>Which of us does not know that bazaar? It lies on the further side of
+hill Puzzle, very near to the cottages of Head, and a beautiful large
+cherry-tree hangs its branches over the door. The house is not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> lofty,
+but low and wide, with a multitude of bright little windows. It is
+divided within into numerous stalls, each possessing separate
+attractions. There is one much frequented by boys, where bats and balls,
+bows and arrows, models of boats, and little brass guns are seen in
+great profusion. At another stall there are pretty dolls of every size
+and shape, wooden, wax, and gutta-percha; some made to open and shut
+their eyes, and some to utter a sound. There are few prettier sights
+than that of a number of rosy, good-humoured children, who have finished
+their lessons well, and are going, each with a bright hour or two in his
+hand, to the bazaar of Mrs. Amusement.</p>
+
+<p>The stall that most attracted fat Lubin was one at which sweetmeats were
+sold: raspberry, strawberry, pine-apple drops, bull's-eye, pink rock,
+and chocolate sticks, barley-sugar twisted into shapes more various than
+I can describe or remember. Lubin had taken his five minutes in his
+hand, and now spent them easily enough; but there were more, oh, many
+more things that he thought that he would like from the stall. He went
+humming on as he examined the sweetmeats a favourite proverb of his,
+"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." But the fat little dunce
+might have added, "All play and no work will make Lubin a duller."</p>
+
+<p>Full of interest in all that he saw, with his eyes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> greedily fixed on
+the stall, Lubin did not notice a lean, small figure, which, softly as a
+serpent on the grass, had stolen up to his side. This was no other than
+Procrastination, a pickpocket well known to the police, who had often
+been caught in the very act of robbing her Majesty's subjects of Time,
+had been tried and sent to prison, but on getting out had always
+returned to his bad occupation again. The poet Young long ago set up a
+placard to warn men to take care of their pockets, giving notice to all
+concerned that "<em>Procrastination is the thief of Time</em>;" but, in spite
+of this warning, there are few amongst us who must not own with regret
+that the stealthy hand of Procrastination has robbed us of many an hour.</p>
+
+<p>Have you never suffered from Procrastination, good reader? It is he who
+makes us <em>put off</em> till to-morrow what ought to be done to-day. It is he
+who whispers, "It will be time enough," when a duty should be performed
+directly. If you are aware, at this very moment, while you sit with this
+book in your hand, that you ought to be busy with Arithmetic, or should
+write a letter to a friend, or do some little piece of business, start
+up without an instant's delay, shut this book with a clap; perhaps you
+may then catch between its leaves the sly fingers of thief
+Procrastination.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+Poor Lubin was not on his guard: he noticed not the form that crept
+after him as noiselessly as a shadow. Procrastination took the
+opportunity when the boy's attention was most engaged with the
+sweetmeats, to draw out Time's fairy purse, and rifle it of its precious
+contents. Silently then he replaced the purse emptied for that day, in
+hopes, perhaps, that when the morrow filled it with new hours and
+minutes, he might rob its possessor again of the treasure which he
+guarded so badly.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, now," exclaimed Lubin, "I can't stop much longer, for I promised
+Nelly to follow her quickly, and I know that I ought to be at Mr.
+Arithmetic's by this time. I'll just spend two or three minutes more on
+those sugar-plums shaped like marbles, and then away to my business and
+work like a man."</p>
+
+<p>So Lubin plunged his fat hand into his pocket, and drew forth his purse
+of Time. In went his fingers, fumbling about to pull out the minutes
+that he wanted, but he fumbled and felt in vain&mdash;not an hour was
+left&mdash;not a single little minute, to pay for what he required.</p>
+
+<p>"It's that rogue Procrastination who has robbed me!" exclaimed the
+indignant boy, as turning sharply round he caught a glimpse of a slim
+little figure sneaking round the corner of a counter.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
+Lubin instantly gave chase. Fat as he was, it was wonderful to see how
+he dodged the pickpocket, first round this stall, then round that,
+shouting all the time, "Stop, thief! stop, thief!" as loudly as he could
+bawl. I need scarcely add that all the boy's efforts were useless. Who
+ever yet recovered lost Time? Out of breath and out of heart, poor Lubin
+stopped panting at last; Procrastination had had a fair start, and
+carried off his spoil in triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"There's no use in attempting to go to Education to-day, I've not a
+minute left," was Lubin's sorrowful reflection. "Oh, that I had started
+with my sister, had thought of my business before my play, what useful
+things I might then have bought with the hours which are now lost to me
+for ever!"</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
+<a name="xv" id="xv"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br />
+<small>DUTY AND AFFECTION.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap15.jpg" width="100" height="175" alt="I" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">N the meantime, poor Nelly had been wearily wending her way along the
+lane of Trouble, with her burdensome Division on her shoulder. She felt,
+as many a little student has felt, quite out of humour for work; her
+arms ached, and so did her head; the mud in the lane was so deep that
+she could scarcely keep on her shoes, and she sometimes sank in it
+almost up to her ankle.</p>
+
+<p>Thus in sorrowful plight the lame girl at last reached the brook of
+Bother. Its brown turbid waters looked rougher and deeper and dirtier
+than they ever had done before. The stepping-stones had almost
+disappeared!</p>
+
+<p>Nelly Desley heaved a long weary sigh as she looked before her, and
+rubbed her forehead very hard, as puzzled children are wont to do.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, this tiresome Division, how shall I ever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> manage it! I never saw
+Bother so bad. <em>Nine's in fifty-nine</em>"&mdash;another violent rub; "I know
+what will be <em>in</em>, a poor little girl will be in brook Bother!&mdash;and
+<em>what's to be carried</em>? why this grate is to be carried, and a very
+<em>great</em> vexation it is."</p>
+
+<p>Weary Nelly sat down, almost in despair, on a stone by the bank of the
+stream. What object attracted her eye, some yards lower down the current
+of the brook, round which the muddy waves were eddying and rolling?</p>
+
+<p>"Why&mdash;can it be?&mdash;yes, there are Dick's three grates all together,
+Division, Multiplication, and Subtraction!" Nelly started up in alarm:
+"Oh, what can have become of my brother?"</p>
+
+<p>A little reflection soon reassured Nelly. Dick, the most active of boys,
+and a famous swimmer besides, could not have come to much harm in a
+brook in which, though many have been ducked, no one has ever yet been
+quite drowned. It seemed clear that the boy had found the weight which,
+prompted by Pride, he had tried to carry, somewhat too much for his
+strength; and, being unable to carry it across the waters of Bother, had
+flung down his tiresome burden, which, by the force of its own weight,
+had stuck fast in the mud of the brook.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, if Dick has failed, I need not mind failing," cried Nelly. "I
+think that I'll do what he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> has done, and fling away this horrid
+Division,&mdash;oh, what a relief that would be! But still, would it not be
+foolish&mdash;would it not be wrong&mdash;to give way so to impatience? My dear
+mother bade me obey Mr. Learning for her sake, she wishes my cottage to
+be properly furnished; I must not be a sluggard or a coward. I must do
+my best to get over this Bother."</p>
+
+<p>"Well resolved&mdash;bravely resolved," said a voice on the other side of the
+brook; and from behind the clump of willows which drooped their long
+branches in the stream, Nelly saw two beautiful maidens come forth. They
+were like, and yet unlike, each other. Both were very fair to look on,
+both of noble height and graceful mien; but the one had an air of more
+stately dignity, such as might beseem a queen; and her large dark eyes
+looked graver and more thoughtful than those of her sister. The other
+had smiling soft blue eyes, beaming with tender love, and the sunlight
+fell on her golden hair till it seemed like a glory around her.</p>
+
+<p>These lovely maidens were no strangers to Nelly, almost from her infancy
+she had looked upon them as friends; many sweet counsels and good gifts
+had the lame little girl received from Duty and Affection.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Duty!" exclaimed Nelly, who was rejoiced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> to find herself no longer
+alone, "only show me how I can get across, and I will not mind labour or
+trouble."</p>
+
+<p>Duty retired for a few moments to her retreat behind the willows, and
+then returned, bearing on her shoulder a narrow plank. With the help of
+smiling Affection she placed this across the stream.</p>
+
+<p>"This plank, dear child," said calm, stately Duty, "was cut from the
+tree of Patience, and small as it seems, can well support your weight.
+Boldly venture upon it; the stream runs fast to-day, you are no longer
+able to ford it, but on the plank of Patience you safely can pass
+across."</p>
+
+<p>Giddy and tired as she felt, Nelly instantly obeyed the voice of Duty,
+and placed her foot on the plank. Duty leant forward, and held out her
+firm hand to aid her, and soon the trembling child and her wearisome
+burden were safe on the bank nearest to the cottages of Head.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I am so glad to be well over!" exclaimed Nelly, and with exceeding
+pleasure she looked up in the face of Duty, and smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"And now sit down and rest yourself, dear one," said Affection,
+spreading a thick mantle on the grass, that its dampness might not hurt
+the child.</p>
+
+<p>"May I?" asked Nelly timidly of Duty.</p>
+
+<p>The beauteous maiden bowed her head in assent.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> There was no sternness
+now in her look; Duty is no enemy to innocent enjoyment&mdash;rather should
+we say that there is no real enjoyment but that which is found by those
+who take Duty for their guide and their friend.</p>
+
+<p>"See, here is refreshment for you," said Affection, placing before the
+wearied child a rich cluster of delicious fruit. How sweet is such
+refreshment given by the hand of Affection, how doubly sweet after
+efforts made at the call of Duty!</p>
+
+<p>Never, perhaps, had Nelly Desley passed a happier hour than she did now
+on the bank of that stream which she had crossed with such trouble and
+fear. She now looked with pleasure at the waves as they rushed so
+rapidly by her.</p>
+
+<p>One thought only disturbed little Nelly. "Poor Dick! I wish that I knew
+of his safety," said she.</p>
+
+<p>"He is safe enough," replied Duty; "but there, as you may see, lie his
+three grates in the mud of the stream."</p>
+
+<p>"If he had only had the plank of Patience," exclaimed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"It was offered to him as well as to you," said Duty with a graver air;
+"and I thought at first that your brother would have gladly accepted my
+offer. But there came to this shore of the brook a dark, ill-favoured
+lad&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+"It must have been Pride!" exclaimed Nelly, who knew too well her
+brother's companion.</p>
+
+<p>"This Pride," continued Duty, "began to taunt and to scoff. 'Holloa!' he
+shouted across the stream, 'will a genius like you stoop to be directed
+by a woman! Duty is for slaves, and Patience for donkeys. Kick aside
+that miserable plank, and clear the brook with a bound, as you've often
+cleared it before.'"</p>
+
+<p>"Dick is a wonderful boy for jumping," cried Nelly, who greatly admired
+her brother.</p>
+
+<p>"He jumped once too often," observed Duty; "this time he jumped not over
+but into the brook, and mighty was the splash which he made!"</p>
+
+<p>Even gentle Affection could scarcely help laughing at the recollection
+of the scene.</p>
+
+<p>"But he scrambled out!" exclaimed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; very muddy, and wet, and cross, leaving all his three grates
+behind him. I do not know whether Pride dried Dick's clothes, and wiped
+off the mud, they both ran off as fast as they could; I think that your
+brother was ashamed to be seen, after having so scornfully refused the
+aid of Affection and Duty."</p>
+
+<p>It was now time for Nelly to continue her walk and return to her own
+little cottage. Her beautiful friends accompanied her all the way up
+hill Puzzle,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> and made the steep way quite pleasant by their cheerful,
+wise conversation. Tiring as her lonely expedition to the town of
+Education had been, Nelly never in future times remembered without a
+feeling of enjoyment her little adventure by the brook where she had met
+with Duty and Affection.</p>
+
+<p>Dick with some trouble recovered his grates from the stream. But he
+never looked at them with pleasure, for they served to remind him of the
+day when, prompted by foolish Pride, he had overtasked his powers, and,
+spurning the plank of Patience, had gone floundering into brook Bother!</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>
+<a name="xvi" id="xvi"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br />
+<small>GRAMMAR'S BAZAAR.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap16.jpg" width="100" height="182" alt="I" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap1">CANNOT undertake to describe all the expeditions to Education, nor the
+various purchases made by the children; but I will here mention the
+first visit made by the Desleys to Grammar's famous bazaar, a place much
+frequented by all those who dwell in the town.</p>
+
+<p>I need hardly tell my readers that Grammar's Bazaar lies in quite an
+opposite direction from Mrs. Amusement's, and that the two concerns have
+no connection whatever with each other. There are no sweetmeats sold in
+the former; the goods are all called <em>words</em>, and are arranged in
+perfect order on nine stalls, kept by nine sisters, well known by the
+name of Parts of Speech. These sisters live and work together in the
+greatest harmony and comfort, and are highly respected by all the
+inhabitants of the town of Education. Some indeed call them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> "slow" and
+"tiresome," and Miss Folly has been heard to declare that the very
+mention of them gives her the fidgets; but neither you nor I, dear
+reader, form our opinions by those of Miss Folly.</p>
+
+<p>It was on a fine morning in summer that <a name="dick" id="dick"></a>Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly
+paid their first visit to Grammar's Bazaar. They entered it by a low
+porch, half choked up with parcels of words tied up in sentences ready
+to be sent to various customers.</p>
+
+<p>"A dull, dark place this is!" exclaimed Lubin; "I would not give
+Amusement's Bazaar for fifty like this."</p>
+
+<p>"Any chance of having one's pocket picked here?" said Dick, with a
+malicious wink at his brother.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's visit all the stalls one after another," cried Matty, "before we
+make any purchase; I like to see all that's to be seen. What a comical
+little body is standing behind the first counter; she is not as big as
+Alphabet, I should say."</p>
+
+<p>"She looks like his sister," observed Nelly; "but I suppose that she is
+one of the Parts of Speech." And she read the name "Article" fastened up
+at the back of the stall.</p>
+
+<p>"What may you sell here, my little lady?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> asked Dick, in his easy,
+self-confident way; "I see only three hooks on your counter."</p>
+
+<p>Miss Article Part of Speech had to stand upon a stool that her head
+might peep over the top of her stall. "I'm but a little creature," said
+she, with a good-humoured smile; "<em>a</em>, <em>an</em>, and <em>the</em> are all the words
+that I'm trusted to sell. If you want to see a larger assortment, pass
+on to my sister Noun; she has many thousands of words to show you,
+models of everything that can be seen, heard, or felt in the world."</p>
+
+<p>Surely enough a most prodigious collection appeared on the counter of
+Noun, a large portly maiden who presided over the stall next to that of
+Article. There were <em>cups</em> and <em>saucers</em>, <em>pins</em> and <em>needles</em>, <em>caps</em>
+and <em>bonnets</em>, models of <em>houses</em>, <em>churches</em>, <em>beasts</em>, <em>birds</em>, and
+<em>fishes</em>, by far too numerous to describe.</p>
+
+<p>"These are all <em>common</em>," observed Noun, seeing the eyes of Dick fixed
+admiringly upon the collection; "I have behind me some more curious
+things that have all names of their own," and she pointed to a row of
+small figures. "These are not <em>common</em> but, <em>proper</em>," she continued;
+"you will notice here <em>Wellington</em>, <em>Napoleon</em>, <em>Nelson</em>, and our
+gracious sovereign <em>Victoria</em>."</p>
+
+<p class="link"><a name="dick2" id="dick2">&nbsp;</a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/i113.jpg" class="jpg" width="400" height="636" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly paying their first visit to
+Grammar&#39;s Bazaar.<br />
+<a href="#dick"><em>Page 103.</em></a></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>
+"And oh, look here, at Miss Adjective's counter!" cried Matty; "she
+keeps such a lot of dolls' things to dress up the figures of Noun. A
+<em>pretty</em>, <em>nice</em>, <em>curious</em> cape&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"An <em>absurd</em>, <em>ridiculous</em>, <em>preposterous</em> cap," added Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Observe," said Adjective with a courteous air, "that I arrange my words
+in three rows, one above another, which I call <em>degrees of
+comparison</em>&mdash;<em>positive</em>, <em>comparative</em>, <em>superlative</em>."</p>
+
+<p>"I see, I see," exclaimed Dick; "here's a bonnet, <em>frightful</em>&mdash;that's
+positive; another <em>more frightful</em>&mdash;that's comparative; and this with
+the superlative yellow tuft, I should call the <em>most frightful</em> of all.
+So, Nelly's clever&mdash;that's positive&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think so," murmured Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Matty's cleverer&mdash;that's comparative."</p>
+
+<p>Matty laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"And I am superlatively clever&mdash;without doubt the <em>cleverest</em> of all!"</p>
+
+<p>"In your own opinion," growled Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly wandered on to the next stall, which was kept by the maiden
+Pronoun. Though smaller in size, she was so much like her sister Noun as
+to be frequently taken for her. As it was a trouble to stout Noun to go
+far or move fast, she very often sent Pronoun upon various errands in
+her stead. Pronoun sold not many words; such as she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> were mere
+pictures of such as were kept by her sister. <em>I</em>, <em>thou</em>, <em>he</em>, <em>she</em>,
+and <em>it</em>, and some others which we need not stop to enumerate.</p>
+
+<p>"Here's a famous big stall!" exclaimed Dick, stopping in front of
+Verb's, which was a very remarkable one, being covered with clock-work
+figures all in motion. One could see by them what it is to <em>plough</em>, to
+<em>sow</em>, to <em>reap</em>, to <em>work</em>, to <em>weep</em>, and to <em>dance</em>. The counter of
+Verb was almost as extensive as that of her sister Noun.</p>
+
+<p>"How do you make all these things move?" said Dick with some curiosity
+to Verb.</p>
+
+<p>"I <em>conjugate</em> them; that is, wind them up," she replied, showing a
+small brass key.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it easy to conjugate them?" asked the boy.</p>
+
+<p>"Easy enough with the <em>regular</em> words," replied Verb, "but a good many
+of mine are quite <em>irregular</em> in their construction, and it is hard to
+conjugate them."</p>
+
+<p>"And if one conjugate them carelessly, I suppose," said Dick, "that
+there would be a great crack or whiz, and the whole affair would go to
+smash."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't stop there asking such questions!" cried Lubin; "I'm heartily
+tired of this stupid bazaar&mdash;and if you go on so slowly, we shall never
+get to the end!"</p>
+
+<p>"I like to understand things," said Dick; "there's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> a great deal to
+attract one's attention in this curious counter of Verb."</p>
+
+<p>"Adverb, who keeps the next one," observed Nelly, "sells stands for her
+sister Verb's figures, to display them <em>nicely</em>, <em>prettily</em>, <em>safely</em>!"</p>
+
+<p>"<em>Badly</em>, <em>crookedly</em>, <em>awkwardly</em>!" cried Dick, who was in one of his
+funny moods. "I don't like the look of Adverb, I think that she's given
+to <em>lies</em>!"</p>
+
+<p>"The three sisters who have the last stall," whispered Matty to Dick,
+"seem all but poor little creatures!"</p>
+
+<p>"I should call them small, smaller, and smallest, like the three degrees
+of comparison," laughed Dick, "but I see their names at the backs of
+their counters,&mdash;Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection."</p>
+
+<p>"Pray, Miss Preposition, what are these?" asked Nelly, as she took up
+some small labels from that lady's stall, with <em>from</em>, <em>by</em>, <em>of</em>, and
+such names upon them.</p>
+
+<p>"They are to show in what <em>case</em> Noun's words are to be packed," replied
+Preposition politely. "You may remark yonder boxes with <em>Nominative</em>,
+<em>Possessive</em>, and such names painted upon them; it is my business to
+label my sister's goods, that they may be packed according to rule."</p>
+
+<p>"It must be stupid work to deal in nothing but tickets!" exclaimed Dick;
+"if I were a Part of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> Speech, I'd be Noun rather than Preposition! And
+what has Conjunction to sell?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only little balls of string to tie bundles of words together, such as
+<em>and</em>, <em>either</em>, <em>or</em>; and scissors to divide the bundles, such as
+<em>neither</em>, <em>nor</em>, <em>notwithstanding</em>."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come here, come here!" cried Matty eagerly; "there's nothing
+amusing to look at on the counters of Conjunction or Preposition, but
+Interjection has something very funny! Look at these gutta-percha balls
+shaped like faces, some showing pleasure&mdash;some horror&mdash;some surprise;
+just give them a little squeeze, and hear how you make them squeak!"</p>
+
+<p>Lubin pressed one of the heads between his fat fingers, and <em>oh! ah!</em>
+squeaked the red lips.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll try one!" cried Dick, catching up another; "it's so like Matty's
+friend, Miss Folly, that I'm sure that she sat for her likeness!" He
+thumped it down on the counter, and out came a shrill "<em>lack-a-day!</em>"</p>
+
+<p>"I think," laughed Nelly, "that Interjection sells the funniest words of
+all!"</p>
+
+<p>"And the ones that we could best do without," said Dick scornfully,
+throwing down the <em>lack-a-day</em> ball.</p>
+
+<p>The children did not leave the Grammar Bazaar empty-handed. I must just
+remark that Matty loaded herself most with words from the stall of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+Adjective, choosing most of them from the Superlative row; and that
+Lubin, notwithstanding the neat labels of Miss Preposition, never knew
+how to put one of the words which he got from Noun or Pronoun into its
+own proper case.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+<a name="xvii" id="xvii"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br />
+<small>PRIDE AND FOLLY.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap17.jpg" width="100" height="165" alt="O" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">NE day Mr. Learning, having finished a whole volume of travels for
+breakfast, made up his mind to pay a visit to his charges at the
+cottages of Head. He walked, as usual, at a rapid pace, with long
+strides, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left; his thoughts
+too busy with researches into the manners and peculiarities of distant
+lands, for him to notice how autumnal hues were already tinging the
+trees, or how summer roses were giving place to the convolvulus and the
+dahlia. Mr. Learning did not go empty-handed; he carried with him as
+presents to the young Desleys four small hammers of Memory, and four
+bags of brass nails called Dates.</p>
+
+<p>This time the first cottage which he entered was that of Dick, and he
+would doubtless have been pleased to see the numerous articles for
+ornament and use with which it already was furnished, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> not the first
+object which met his eye been the ugly figure of Pride.</p>
+
+<p>Pride was engaged in making a list of all the furniture in Dick's
+dwelling, very much like an auctioneer's puff. Everything, according to
+him, was "first-rate," "of superior quality," or, "fit for the residence
+of any nobleman in the land." Pride sat with his back to the door, and
+therefore was not aware of the entrance of Learning, till the stately
+gentleman in spectacles tapped him on the shoulder with one of the
+hammers.</p>
+
+<p>Up jumped Pride in a moment. He had no time to hide himself, or to beat
+a retreat, so, being one of the most impudent fellows in the world, he
+resolved to brave out the matter with the solemn philosopher.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not expect to find you here again," said Mr. Learning in his
+stiffest and coldest manner.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm surprised to hear that," replied saucy Pride, resting his
+hand on his hip, and trying to look quite at his ease; "as I go
+everywhere, and am welcomed by everybody, it's natural enough that I
+should chance to meet the most potent, grave, and reverend Mr.
+Learning."</p>
+
+<p>"Where is your master?" asked Learning shortly.</p>
+
+<p>"<em>My</em> master, indeed!" echoed Pride; "Dick never yet mastered me. I
+should rather say that I am <em>his</em> master!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>
+"Where has he gone?" inquired Learning, without seeming to notice the
+insolent remark.</p>
+
+<p>"He has gone to History's shop, to purchase a carpet for his parlour. He
+is sure to select a pattern of the newest and most elegant design."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I leave these for him," said the grave philosopher; "a bag full of
+bright brass Dates, and a hammer of Memory to knock them well in."</p>
+
+<p>"If you had brought a sackful instead of a bagful," observed Pride, "it
+would not have been too much for Dick Desley; and as for the
+hammer&mdash;don't you know that he has a prodigiously fine Memory of his
+own?"</p>
+
+<p>Without condescending to reply, Mr. Learning put down his gifts, turned
+round, and, quitting the cottage which harboured so impudent a guest,
+went to the next one, which was Lubin's. The door, as usual, was wide
+open, and the place deserted and empty. Mr. Learning did not even cross
+the threshold, so disgusted was he at the unfurnished, untidy state of
+the sluggard's home.</p>
+
+<p>"I may as well leave these for him, but he'll never know how to use
+them," muttered Learning, throwing in the hammer and nails.</p>
+
+<p>He then crossed over to Matty's pretty cottage. Her door was also ajar,
+and grave Mr. Learning stopped at it for some moments in astonishment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+at the sight which presented itself to his view.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Folly, in her seven flounces, her beads and flowers, peacock's
+plume, rouge, ribbons, and all, was half reclining on the uncarpeted
+floor, engaged in blowing bubbles. As each rose from the bowl of her
+pipe, swelling and shining, and then mounting aloft, she watched it with
+a look of affected delight and admiration in her up-turned eyes. No
+contrast could be imagined greater than that between the stately
+gentleman clothed in black, with his broad intellectual brow, spectacled
+eyes, and grave, solemn manner; and light, fantastical, frivolous Miss
+Folly, clad in the most absurd of styles, but looking as though she
+thought herself the very pink of perfection.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear, who can that funny old fogie be!" exclaimed Folly, as she caught
+sight of grave Mr. Learning.</p>
+
+<p>"Who may <em>you</em> be, and what are you doing?" asked Learning, with less
+politeness than he usually showed to ladies.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't mean to say that you've never heard of me!" cried Folly, her
+words bubbling out fast like water out of a bottle; "you must be Mr.
+Ignorance, if you don't know that I'm Mademoiselle Folly, the most
+particular friend of lovely Lady<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> Fashion, and the inventress of
+tight-lacing, steel-hoops, hair-powder, masks, periwigs&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Flattened heads, blackened teeth, nose-rings, lip-rings, and
+tattooing," added Mr. Learning, remembering the account of a tribe of
+savages which he had been reading that morning.</p>
+
+<p>"And as to what I am doing," continued Miss Folly, taking up her pipe,
+which she had laid down on the entrance of a stranger, "I'm very
+usefully employed: I'm furnishing the cottage of Miss Matty Desley."</p>
+
+<p>"Furnishing!" exclaimed Mr. Learning in surprise, as Miss Folly, with
+distended cheeks, commenced blowing another bubble.</p>
+
+<p>Folly was too busy at that moment to reply, even her tongue for a while
+was silent; but after she had succeeded in filling a big bubble, and had
+loosened it from the pipe with a gentle shake, she vouchsafed a little
+explanation.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I'm furnishing the cottage with fancies; their poetical name is
+day-dreams, cheap, elegant bubble-fancies."</p>
+
+<p>"You must take me for an idiot!" exclaimed Mr. Learning; "no one in his
+senses could ever dream of furnishing a house with bubbles!"</p>
+
+<p>Miss Folly was so intently gazing after the ascending bubble that she
+seemed to forget even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> the presence of the sage. As the airy globule
+ascended, she began pouring forth a stream of disconnected nonsense,
+seeming to speak merely for her own pleasure, as her words could
+certainly not be intended for the information of any listener.</p>
+
+<p>"A carriage and four&mdash;sleek bays with long tails; no, white horses
+with pretty pink rosettes, and harness all glittering with silver!
+Drive through London&mdash;up and down Hyde Park&mdash;taken for the
+Queen&mdash;bowing&mdash;smiling&mdash;ah me, the bubble has burst!"</p>
+
+<p>"This is some poor creature that has lost her wits!" thought the
+astonished Mr. Learning, scarcely knowing whether to regard Miss Folly
+with pity or with contempt. Already another bubble was swelling on the
+bowl of her pipe, and in a minute another bright ball was floating aloft
+in the air.</p>
+
+<p>"Exquisite beauty&mdash;great attractions&mdash;such a voice&mdash;such a manner&mdash;such
+a killing smile! An ode from the poet-laureate; bouquets, sent without
+end; roses in the middle of winter; a hundred and fifty scented pink
+notes on Valentine's day; the star of the season; the&mdash;lack-a-day! that
+lovely bubble has gone for ever!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's time that I should go too," said Mr. Learning; "I've heard enough
+of nonsense to last for a lifetime!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+He was about to depart when Matty suddenly burst into the cottage, in
+her eager haste almost knocking down her astonished guardian with a roll
+of goods which she carried on her shoulder. The shock of the collision
+was great, but not so great as the shock to poor Matty at so suddenly
+coming upon Mr. Learning when she only expected to find Miss Folly. She
+dropped her burden with an exclamation of surprise, and then tried to
+stammer forth an apology, but knew not how to begin. Mr. Learning stood
+straight before her, more erect and stately than ever, sternly looking
+down through his steel spectacles at the confused and blushing girl.
+Miss Folly, however, was quite at her ease, and hastily pushing aside
+her basin and pipe, began instantly to unroll the large parcel which
+Matty had dropped in her fright.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, I knew it would be so! You have chosen the sweetest pattern&mdash;the
+prettiest&mdash;most tasteful&mdash;most charming little carpet that ever a girl
+set eyes on!" and she began spreading out on the floor a fabric so thin,
+that it seemed as if made of rose-leaves.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you buy that trash from Mr. History?" said Mr. Learning sternly to
+Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;why&mdash;I own&mdash;Miss Folly recommended me rather to try Mr. Fiction,
+who lives close to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> Amusement's bazaar. It is a great matter, you know,
+not to have to cross over brook Bother, or carry a carpet up-hill. And
+Mr. Fiction has such a magnificent shop, and his wares are so very
+cheap."</p>
+
+<p>"Cheap and often worthless!" exclaimed the angry guardian, striking the
+carpet with his heel, and proving the truth of his words by tearing a
+great hole in the middle. "I brought a gift for you, Matilda Desley, but
+I have no intention of leaving it here now. My hammer of Memory, my
+bright brass Dates, are not required to fasten down such miserable trash
+as this! But," he muttered as he strode away, "it is at any rate all of
+a piece! a carpet framed by Fiction is just the thing for a cottage
+papered with fairies, furnished with fancies, and occupied by Miss
+Folly!"</p>
+
+<p>"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Folly, the moment that his back was turned, "I'm
+glad that the old owl has flown off&mdash;he looked ready to peck out my
+eyes!"</p>
+
+<p>I should like, with wise Mr. Learning, to bid farewell to Folly for
+ever. Perhaps my readers may wonder that I should have introduced them
+to a creature so very absurd. I should not have done so had I had no
+suspicion that Folly might intrude herself, without introduction, when
+they themselves are furnishing their own little cottages of Head.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> Has
+no little girl who now gazes on this page, ever sat for hours blowing
+bubbles of fancies with Folly, listening to worse&mdash;more ridiculous
+nonsense than that which shocked Mr. Learning? Has she not delighted to
+imagine herself great, rich, beautiful, and admired? has she not
+consulted Folly about her dress&mdash;spent her precious minutes and hours on
+a looking-glass&mdash;or a fanciful garment, or a worthless work of Fiction,
+when duties had to be performed, when valuable things were to be bought
+in the good town of Education?</p>
+
+<p>Ah, dear little laughing reader, have I, like grave Mr. Learning, caught
+some one in the very fact of harbouring Miss Folly? Turn her out&mdash;at
+once turn her out! She is a silly companion, an unsafe guide; she will
+never make you loved, respected, or happy. Though not quite so dark and
+dangerous as Pride, she is much more closely related to him than people
+would at first imagine; there is much of Pride in Folly&mdash;and oh, for
+poor, weak, ignorant beings like ourselves, is not Folly seen in all
+Pride!</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
+<a name="xviii" id="xviii"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br />
+<small>THE CARPET OF HISTORY.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap18.jpg" width="100" height="171" alt="M" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">R. LEARNING now stood at the top of hill Puzzle, watching Dick, Lubin,
+and Nelly, returning laden with carpets from History's shop. Though the
+carpets, like the rooms, were but small, they were rather heavy burdens
+for children in wet and slippery weather.</p>
+
+<p>Learning smiled his own quiet smile, to see the different and
+characteristic movements of his young charges, the Desleys. Dick, the
+quick and energetic Dick, was half-way up hill Puzzle when his brother
+and sister were only beginning to ascend. His bright young face was
+flushed, but rather with pleasure than fatigue; he sped on with a light
+elastic tread, neither panting nor pausing, but bearing the carpet of
+History as though he felt not its weight. He moved all the more swiftly
+for seeing that his guardian's eye was upon him, and on reaching the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
+crown of the hill, saluted Mr. Learning with a very self-satisfied air.</p>
+
+<p>"You make good progress," observed the sage, politely returning his
+salute.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I get over everything with a hop, skip, and jump," replied the
+laughing boy, forgetting his flounder in Bother, "and you'll soon have
+the pleasure of presenting me with the silver crown of Success. It's
+nearly time, I should think, for you to introduce me to all your learned
+friends the Ologies! But there's one gentleman in Education whom I fancy
+more than all&mdash;the glorious old fellow who keeps a shop filled with jars
+of different colours, retorts, electric-machines, and bottles of powders
+and gases; I've heard that he sells such fireworks as would set all the
+world in a blaze!"</p>
+
+<p>"You mean, of course, Mr. Chemistry," replied the sage; "he is my much
+valued friend; there is not a more pleasing companion to be found in the
+whole town of Education than he. But you are yet far too young, Master
+Dick, to make the acquaintance of so superior and intellectual a man.
+His goods are not yet for you, though in time you may make them your
+own. Attend at present to your carpets and your grates; furnish your
+cottage with facts from General Knowledge; a day perhaps may arrive when
+you will be ready for things more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> abstruse, and then I'll introduce you
+myself both to the Ologies and to Mr. Chemistry, which latter will, I
+have no doubt, display to you all his magazine of wonders."</p>
+
+<p>"Always putting off!" muttered Dick between his teeth; "always treating
+one like a mere child. I shall have long enough to wait if I wait for
+the introduction of slow Mr. Learning. I can do very well without it,
+and shall certainly try some day whether, by putting a bold face on the
+matter, I am not able to make my own way to the favour of Mr.
+Chemistry!"</p>
+
+<p>These last words were only overheard by Pride, for Dick had already
+entered his cottage. In a few minutes more the sound of his busy hammer
+told that he was already setting vigorously to work to nail down his
+History carpet.</p>
+
+<p>"How comparatively slowly the two other children make their way up the
+hill!" said Learning, who stood watching Lubin and Nelly. "Why, the boy
+has twice sat down to rest on his bundle; and now, surely my spectacles
+must be at fault, can he be rolling his carpet up the hill, instead of
+carrying it on his shoulder! In a fine miry state it will be by the time
+that he reaches his dwelling!"</p>
+
+<p>Surely enough the lazy boy was getting on with his History carpet in the
+laziest of ways, pushing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> instead of bearing, rolling it along as if it
+were a snowball, and seeming to be quite regardless of the fact that the
+path was covered with mud! Have none of my readers done the same, been
+content to get up a task in <em>any way</em>, however slothful and careless?</p>
+
+<p>"Are you not ashamed of that?" exclaimed Mr. Learning, pointing to the
+dirty roll of carpet, as Lubin gained the top of the hill.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, sir, the mud will rub off when it is dry," said the boy with an air
+of unconcern; "the inner side, where the pattern is, cannot be soiled in
+the least."</p>
+
+<p>"Unroll it and see," said stern Mr. Learning.</p>
+
+<p>Lubin slowly obeyed, and had certainly little cause to be pleased with
+the condition of his new purchase. The pattern, which was full and rich,
+represented a hundred different scenes of interest. There was the wooden
+horse of old Troy; here appeared the gallant sons of Sparta defending
+the pass of Thermopyl&aelig;; great men of Greece and of Rome, British
+monarchs and statesmen in varied costumes and different attitudes,
+adorned the History carpet. Adorned, did I say? rather once had adorned,
+for all was now a jumble of confusion! There was a great blot of mud
+just over the face of Julius C&aelig;sar, and not a single Roman emperor
+stood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> out clear and distinct. In silent indignation Mr. Learning turned
+away, leaving Lubin to do the best that he could with his poor soiled
+History carpet.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly Desley, weary, but cheerful, had just carried her burden home. She
+was unrolling it now in her simple but beautifully neat little parlour,
+and surveying with great delight the charming pattern upon it.</p>
+
+<p>"Of all the purchases that I have made, this pleases me most!" she
+cried. "What a wonderful variety of pictures, so amusing and
+interesting! Ah, there is good Queen Philippa on her knees, begging for
+the citizens of Calais; and there brave Joan of Arc leading on her
+soldiers to battle! And there, oh, there are the holy martyrs tied to
+the stake for the sake of the truth, looking so calmly and meekly
+upwards, as though they had no fear of dying! I can never pass a dull
+evening now with this wonderful carpet before me; it seems as though it
+would take a lifetime to know all its various scenes."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Mr. Learning, who had entered her parlour unobserved, "that
+beautiful carpet will serve as a constant feast for the mind. Fiction
+may boast that his dyes are the brightest; this I utterly deny; no
+colours are so vivid or so lasting as those that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> have been fixed by
+Truth, and these should alone be employed in the carpets which History
+produces."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Learning then graciously bestowed upon Nelly the gift of the hammer
+and nails, and quitted the cottages of Head well satisfied with at least
+one of his charges.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+<a name="xix" id="xix"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br />
+<small>HAMMERING IN DATES.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap19.jpg" width="100" height="159" alt="K" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">NOCK&mdash;knock&mdash;knock! "Oh, this wearisome hammering!" sighed poor Nelly,
+as stooping over her carpet till the blood swelled the veins of her
+forehead, she tried to fasten in, one by one, the date-nails which Mr.
+Learning had given. "I do not see why it is needful to knock in all
+these tiresome nails! Lubin has thrown his whole stock into a rubbish
+corner, I know, and says that he never means to prick his fingers again
+by thrusting them into such a bag!" knock&mdash;knock! "Stephen came to the
+throne in 1145, or 1154, I'm sure I don't know which&mdash;and, what's more,
+I don't care! Ah!" the last exclamation was a cry of pain, for the
+hammer in the girl's awkward hand had come down with some force on her
+fingers.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Nelly, what is the matter?" asked Lubin, showing his jolly fat
+face at the door.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+"I'm tired to death of these dates!" replied Nelly, raising her flushed
+face at the question.</p>
+
+<p>"So was I with the very first of them; I never got beyond William the
+Conqueror; my carpet will stick on very well without nails, if no one
+takes to dancing a jig upon it! You are just wearing your spirits out,
+Nelly, and I'm sure that I wouldn't do that for any man, least of all
+for that sour Mr. Learning, who scribbled <span class="smcap">Dunce</span> on my wall!"</p>
+
+<p>"I think," said Nelly, "that my friend Duty would tell me to go
+hammering on with these dates."</p>
+
+<p>"Duty would keep one in tight order," laughed Lubin, "but I prefer
+following my own pleasure. I'm off to Amusement's bazaar, and I advise
+you to come with me now."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Lubin, not now; not till I have finished my work."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I'll go without you," said the boy, leaving poor Nelly to her
+troublesome task.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had Nelly begun her hammering again, when Matty popped in her
+pretty little face.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Nelly, what's the use of tiring yourself like that! You will never
+manage to knock in all those nails!"</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid that I will not," sighed poor Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Do as I do," continued Matty. "Miss Folly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> kind creature, has supplied
+me with spangles, which are, all the world must own, just as pretty as
+any brass nails!"</p>
+
+<p>"Spangles!" repeated Nelly in surprise; "no one can fasten down a carpet
+with spangles!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's the <em>look</em> of the thing that I care for," said Matty, who had
+evidently become a very apt pupil of Folly. "And now I'll tell you where
+I'm going, Nelly. I have long thought, you know, that a pretty
+tambourine would look wonderfully well in my parlour; and I think, if I
+could buy one cheap, that a French picture would give it a fashionable
+air. I am going on a purchasing expedition, dear Miss Folly being my
+guide."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Matty!" exclaimed Nelly, "you know that you have not yet bought
+half the things that you require from Mr. Arithmetic the ironmonger!"</p>
+
+<p>"I wish Mr. Arithmetic at Jericho!" cried Matty peevishly; "his goods
+are so heavy&mdash;so uninteresting; they make no show; I won't plague myself
+with such things!"</p>
+
+<p>"Matty, Matty, my beauty!" called the shrill voice of Folly from
+without.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm coming in a moment," cried Matty, as she hastened to join her
+companion.</p>
+
+<p>Sadly, but with quiet resolution, Nelly took up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> her hammer again. Not
+many minutes had passed before she received a visit from Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"How long are you going to keep on knocking in those dates?" exclaimed
+the boy; "I put in all mine long ago. You see," he added with a merry
+laugh, as he held up his hands, "I've <em>nails at my fingers' ends</em>!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly, who did not quite understand the joke, and was too honest to
+pretend that she did so, bent down again over her work.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't think how you are so slow!" cried Dick. "I've heard you hammer,
+hammer, hammering for such a time, that I expected when I came in to
+find your carpet studded all over with dates, and you have not put in
+more than six!"</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry that I am so slow and stupid," said Nelly, with a sigh; "it
+is not my fault but my misfortune."</p>
+
+<p>Dick felt a little repentant for his unkind and thoughtless words. "I
+must say, Nelly," he observed, "that slow as you are, your cottage is
+far better furnished than Matty's, though she is so active and bright.
+What a lot of trash she has stuffed into her rooms! And such a lovely
+cottage she has! If the inside only matched the outside, it would be
+charming indeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"Dear Matty would have furnished her house<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> very nicely," said Nelly,
+"if Miss Folly had not come in the way."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, yes! Folly is at the bottom of the mischief!" cried Dick. "How
+absurdly she has made Matty dress; what numbers of good hours has the
+silly girl spent in making herself look ridiculous!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't be hard on Matty!" cried her sister.</p>
+
+<p>"Would you believe it!" said Dick, "Miss Folly has persuaded her to get
+not only her carpet, but her chairs and tables also, from Mr. Fiction!
+They are as slight as if made of pasteboard, and won't stand a single
+week's wear! Now <em>my</em> furniture is good and substantial, and was very
+reasonable in price besides."</p>
+
+<p>"Where did you get it?" asked Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you know, where Mr. Learning recommended us to go. I buy my
+furniture from the upholsterer, General Knowledge, whose shop adjoins
+Mr. Reading's."</p>
+
+<p>"The immense warehouse of <em>facts</em>," said Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"You may well call it immense," cried Dick; "I believe that it would
+take one a lifetime to go thoroughly over the place. There are vaults
+below full of furniture facts; rooms beyond rooms stuffed with facts;
+mount the stairs, and you'll find story upon story all filled with
+valuable facts! I assure you, Nelly, that it is a very curious and
+interesting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> place to visit, and I never go to General Knowledge without
+carrying back something well worth the having. I'm just on my way to him
+now."</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to go with you," said Nelly; "I shall want beds, tables,
+and chairs; and as I can't carry much at once, I shall need to go very
+often to the warehouse."</p>
+
+<p>"Come then now, and be quick!" cried Dick, who was, as usual, impatient
+to start.</p>
+
+<p>"I think&mdash;indeed I am sure," replied Nelly, "that Duty would advise me
+first to finish the task which I have begun. If other furniture were
+brought in just now, I might find it harder to nail down my carpet."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, dear drudge!" cried Dick; "I believe that it would be better
+for us all if we stuck to the counsels of Duty as steadily as you always
+do! But you see I'm a quick, sharp fellow, and don't like to be tied
+down by rules; I get what I will, when I will, and where I will; and
+depend on't, in the end I'll win the crown of Success, for no cottage of
+Head will be found so well-furnished as mine!"</p>
+
+<p>And with this somewhat conceited speech on his tongue, off darted our
+clever young Dick, ran down hill Puzzle at speed, and lightly sprang
+over brook Bother!</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+<a name="xx" id="xx"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br />
+<small>THE PURSUED BIRD.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap20.jpg" width="100" height="136" alt="&ldquo;T" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">HERE is no doubt but that Dick will be the one to win the crown," was
+the silent reflection of Nelly; "I work from no hopes of getting <em>that</em>;
+but it will be quite reward enough for me if my dear mother be pleased
+with my cottage; and smiles from Duty and Affection would make any
+labour seem light."</p>
+
+<p>By dint of steady hammering Nelly at last managed to fix in a goodly
+number of dates. When she was satisfied that enough had been done, she
+rose from her knees, and relieved herself by a yawn.</p>
+
+<p>"I will go and see after my Plain-work," said she; "the fruit upon it is
+swelling quite big&mdash;I am glad that it will be perfectly ripe when my
+dear mother comes back. If she be satisfied with it, how little shall I
+grudge my past trouble&mdash;how joyful and happy I shall be!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly uttered these words as she crossed her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> threshold, and felt the
+fresh, pleasant air playing upon her flushed cheek and her aching brow.</p>
+
+<p>At that moment her ear caught a whirring sound, as of wings, and looking
+upwards, she beheld a beautiful bird pursued by a hawk darting down
+towards her at the utmost speed that terror could lend it. Scarcely had
+she seen its danger, when the little fluttering fugitive had sought
+shelter in the bosom of the child.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, poor little bird&mdash;poor little bird&mdash;the hawk shall not catch you!"
+cried Nelly, putting one hand over the trembling creature, and holding
+out the other to keep the fierce pursuer away.</p>
+
+<p>The hawk, which was of a species called "Tempers," not altogether
+unknown in Great Britain (my readers may, perhaps, have seen specimens),
+wheeled round and round in circles, as if unwilling to give up its prey.
+Nelly was quite afraid that it might attack her, and still pressing the
+poor frightened bird to her bosom, she hurried back into her cottage.</p>
+
+<p>"You are safe, pretty creature&mdash;quite safe. You need no longer tremble
+and flutter," said the little girl to the bird. It almost seemed as if
+the fugitive understood her; it spread its pinions, but not to fly away;
+lightly it hopped on to her hand, and rubbed its soft head against her
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"I never saw such a beauty of a bird!" cried the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> delighted Nelly; "and
+it seems just as tame as it is pretty. What lovely white silvery wings,
+what soft eyes that gleam like rubies, the changing tints on its neck
+and breast are lovelier than anything I ever saw before!"</p>
+
+<p>Still perched on her hand, the bird opened his beak, and began to warble
+a song of gratitude far sweeter than any nightingale's lay. Little Nelly
+was enraptured at the sound.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, how glad I am," she exclaimed, "that I did not leave my hammering
+before&mdash;that I did not go, as I much wished to go, either with Lubin or
+Dick. This lovely creature would then have been torn to pieces by the
+cruel hawk, and I should have seen nothing of it, except perhaps a few
+stained feathers at my door."</p>
+
+<p>"I hear the well-known warble of my bird Content!" cried a voice from
+without which Nelly at once recognized; and running to open the door as
+fast as her lameness would let her, she joyfully admitted her two
+friends, Affection and Duty.</p>
+
+<p>Content fluttered to the hand of his mistress, Duty.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, truant!" cried the fair maiden, as she caressed her little
+favourite, "how could you wander from me&mdash;how could you ever fancy
+yourself safe apart from Duty? I saw the hawk wheeling in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> the air, and
+I trembled for my beautiful pet; but he has found here a refuge and
+protector. Nelly, I thank you for your kindness, and it is with pleasure
+that I reward it. You have saved the bird, and the bird shall be yours.
+Go, pretty warbler, go; and, warned by former danger, keep close to your
+new young mistress."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly uttered an exclamation of delight, as, obedient to the word,
+silver-winged Content flew again into her bosom, and nestled there like
+a child.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, thanks, thanks!" she cried; "such a treasure as this will be a
+constant delight. I would rather have the bird Content, than even the
+crown of Success."</p>
+
+<p>"You must never part with it," said Duty earnestly, "whoever may tempt
+you to do so; my gift must never be sold or exchanged. Content is a
+wonderful bird; joy and happiness breathe in his note. Though I be not
+visibly present, such a mysterious tie connects Content with Duty, that
+when you have followed my rules, and acted as I would have you act, my
+bird will cheer and reward you with one of his sweetest songs."</p>
+
+<p>"I will never, never part with him of my own free will," said Nelly, as
+she fondled her bird.</p>
+
+<p>Affection now came forward. The reader may remark that the sisters
+seemed ever to keep close<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> together, as though they scarcely could live
+apart. They were indeed tenderly attached, and felt a pleasure in each
+other's society which made them never willingly sundered. Duty felt that
+without Affection she would find every occupation a weary task; and
+Affection, who was a little given to extravagance, would often have got
+into trouble without the quiet counsels of Duty. Each looked fairer and
+brighter when seen in the company of her sister.</p>
+
+<p>Affection now placed before Nelly a Book, wrapped in a cover of gold.
+"To my sister's gift," she said, "I must add one yet more precious.
+However well the head may be furnished, if the <em>highest</em> knowledge be
+wanting, all other things become worthless and vain. Treasure this Book,
+dear child; make it your counsellor and guide; you will not prize it
+less because Duty requires you to study it, and it may be pleasant to
+you to remember that you first received it from my hand as the best, the
+noblest gift which even Affection could offer."</p>
+
+<p>Youthful reader, do you know that Book, and do you dearly prize it? It
+is that volume which gives knowledge compared to which all the
+inventions of science, all the learning of man, all the wisdom of this
+world, is but as dust in the balance.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+<a name="xxi" id="xxi"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br />
+<small>PLANS AND PLOTS.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap21.jpg" width="100" height="168" alt="H" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">OW happy was little Nelly now, with Content as her constant companion.
+He was with her when she went on expeditions to the town of Education,
+flying before her, then stopping to rest on some bush by the wayside to
+cheer her by his musical song. When she returned home laden with
+furniture, facts from the warehouse of General Knowledge, or some of
+Arithmetic's more heavy productions, the way seemed shorter, the burden
+more light when Content was fluttering near. When the four Desleys at
+last took up their abode in their four little homes, the presence of
+beautiful Content made Nelly's as bright as a palace.</p>
+
+<p>It is time that I should say something about the gardens which lay
+behind the cottages of Head, and which were to be cultivated by the
+children. These were very curiously laid out, according to the plans<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+given by Geography, the celebrated gardener. Each garden represented a
+map. There were plots of green grass for the sea, dotted with daisies
+for tiny islands. There was rich dark mould for the land, and flowers or
+small bushes were planted wherever the capitals of countries should be.
+Dick, who was very ingenious, contrived to have some characteristic
+plant for most of those cities.</p>
+
+<p>"See," he exclaimed, "there is a rose-bush for London, a thistle for
+bonny Edinburgh, and a patch of green shamrock for Dublin. I'm getting a
+lily for Paris, as that is the capital of France; and as Holland is
+famous for tulips, Amsterdam a tulip shall be."</p>
+
+<p>"And what will you give Belgium?" inquired Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"Brussels sprouts, to be sure."</p>
+
+<p>Dick worked early and late at his garden, and it was by far the finest
+of the four; even in the season of autumn the difference was very
+marked. Lubin was so often sauntering off to Amusement's bazaar, and
+spending his hours at one of her counters, that Geography the gardener
+grew quite out of patience with him. Lubin quite forgot where to put in
+the tiny box hedges which marked the boundaries of various countries, so
+that France spread half over Germany, and swallowed up poor little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>
+Belgium altogether. "Italy," as Dick laughingly observed, "was shaped
+like a gouty shoe, instead of a long slender boot;" and so much grass
+overran the border, that Matty was certain that all Lubin's land would
+soon be drowned by the sea. London, Edinburgh, and Paris were dying for
+want of watering, and nothing seemed to flourish in Lubin's Europe but
+such things as groundsel and chickweed.</p>
+
+<p>Matty at first succeeded far better with her flowers. She had a taste
+for gardening, she said, and laid out her map very nicely. Whatever
+accorded with her inclination, Matty did quickly and well; but she
+worked from no regard to Duty, and whenever she felt a little tired, she
+threw down her spade, and went to amuse herself with touching her new
+tambourine, or blowing bubbles of Fancy with Folly. Yet, upon the whole,
+Matty's garden was fair and pleasant to behold.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly, who was lame, and had little strength for hard work, found
+gardening a serious task. It took her long to lay out the plots, long to
+plant the box hedges; and watering the cities, and keeping the ground
+clear of weeds seemed an endless business to Nelly. Yet cheerfully and
+bravely she worked, while, perched on a bush beside her, the beautiful
+bird Content poured forth enlivening lays. The harder she laboured, the
+louder sang he; and whenever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> she glanced up from her task, she saw the
+gleam of his silver wing reflecting the sunshine from heaven.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear little bird!" cried Nelly, "with what a song will you welcome
+my mother, who will soon return to us now. How she will stroke your soft
+feathers, and delight in your cheerful lay! Then, perhaps, thoughtful
+Duty and sweet Affection will come and remain as my guests, and fill my
+home with peace and with gladness when chill winter darkens around. Oh,
+how happily shall we all then gather around our blazing Christmas fire!"</p>
+
+<p>It seems strange that so kind and gentle a child as Nelly should ever
+have an enemy; but she was certainly an object of envy and dislike both
+to Miss Folly and Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"I hate that sober, sensible little minx, who is always thinking of
+Affection and Duty," said Miss Folly one day to Pride, as they were
+walking in a thicket together, just as the damp evening mist was
+beginning to fall.</p>
+
+<p>"I hate her heartily," muttered Pride between his clenched teeth; "for
+she not only shuts her own door against me, but tries with all the power
+that she has to weaken my influence with her brothers and sister. She
+has not succeeded, and she shall not; but I never forget a wrong, and
+I'd give anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> in the world to be able to spite and vex her."</p>
+
+<p>"It drives me wild to hear that bird of hers always singing so gaily!"
+cried Folly.</p>
+
+<p>"Could we not wring its neck?" exclaimed Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"We dare not so much as touch it without her leave," said Miss Folly,
+shaking her peacock plume with vexation; "and yet I'd rather make myself
+a head-dress of its feathers than of those of any other bird of the
+air."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll get hold of it, and kill it without mercy!" cried ugly Pride,
+grinding his teeth as he spoke; "but we must work by cunning, for we
+dare not use force, the child is under such powerful protection."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll coax Nelly to part with her bird," said Folly; and rolling her
+goggle eyes, she added, "you know that I'm a rare hand at coaxing."</p>
+
+<p>"There are few who can withstand you," answered the dark one; his words
+made Folly simper, she knew not how to blush. "And if," continued Pride,
+"you succeed, you will make Nelly mortally offend both Duty and
+Affection; and to break with friends such as they are, will make her
+miserable indeed."</p>
+
+<p>"She'll only need a good big bribe," said Folly. "I believe that Matty
+would part with the dearest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> friend that she has for the sake of a few
+bright ribbons, or a bunch of fine feathers to wear."</p>
+
+<p>"But Matty is not Nelly," observed Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Nelly is only a girl!" cried Folly, tossing her frizzled head, "and
+there never yet was a girl that could not be wheedled by Folly into
+doing the silliest thing in the world. If I persuaded Matty that Fashion
+required her to tattoo her nose all over, to dye her hair green, or
+blue, or mauve, or to walk on all fours like a cat,&mdash;don't you suppose
+that she would do it?"</p>
+
+<p>Pride only shrugged his shoulders in reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Haven't I coaxed Chinese ladies to torture their babies by squeezing
+their feet into shoes so small, that the half-lamed creatures could
+never, throughout life, walk except in a waddle? Have I not&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"You have done all sorts of wonderful things," said Pride; "no one
+doubts your power of persuading. Try now your arts upon Nelly, get her
+to give up her bird, and strangle Content as soon as you get it under
+your dainty fingers. If you shall be baffled, I will try next; 'twill be
+strange indeed if a simple child like Nelly be able to withstand us
+both."</p>
+
+<p>"No fear of that!" exclaimed Folly.</p>
+
+<p>So the two conspirators parted, equally resolved, by any possible means,
+to effect their object. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> not the first time that Folly and Pride
+had consulted together how to bring sorrow and shame into a young loving
+heart; not the first time that they had agreed to use their utmost
+efforts to destroy a bright and beautiful creature, and silence for ever
+in death the warbling voice of Content.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>
+<a name="xxii" id="xxii"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br />
+<small>THE COCKATOO, PARADE.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft2" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap22.jpg" width="100" height="143" alt="&ldquo;G" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">OOD morning to you, sweet Nelly, dear industrious Nelly!" was the
+greeting of Folly on the following morning, as she stood with a red
+cockatoo on her wrist, quite filling up Nelly's doorway with her iron
+hoop and her flounces.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly was busily engaged in screwing on the legs of a table made of
+facts from Natural History, which she had bought from General Knowledge.
+A very curious table it was: the facts were as numerous, and fitted
+together as closely, as the bits of wood in a Tunbridge-ware box; and
+the legs were carved all over with figures of birds and beasts. That
+table had cost many hours, and had been carried home bit by bit; it was
+one of the prettiest and handsomest pieces of furniture which appeared
+in the little cottage.</p>
+
+<p>"Good morning," replied Nelly very coldly, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> answer to the salutation;
+she had no good opinion of Miss Folly, and hoped that she did not intend
+to linger. Folly had, however, come with an object, and did not appear
+to notice the coldness of the child, indeed no one is slower than Folly
+in taking a hint to depart.</p>
+
+<p>"I see that you are as fond of creatures as I am," cried Miss Folly,
+turning her goggle eyes upon her parrot; "I have a fancy, I may say a
+passion, for them! I keep a regular 'happy family' at home&mdash;dogs, cats,
+mice, parrots, and pigeons, and a little pet alligator, the dearest duck
+of an alligator, that I've taught to eat out of my hand! You must really
+come and see them all one day."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, but I'm very busy," replied poor Nelly, who wished that her
+jabbering visitor would leave her in quiet to work.</p>
+
+<p>"But I've no bird like your Content; I really think that I must add it
+to my collection," said Folly; "it seems to me quite unique!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly had no notion what <em>unique</em> could mean, but she had a great notion
+that her Content should never be added to Miss Folly's "happy family."</p>
+
+<p>"Now I've just been thinking," continued the chatterer, "that it would
+be a nice plan&mdash;a most charming plan, for you and me to make a little
+exchange. You give me your bird Content, which I'll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> always cherish and
+coddle, and feed on sugar-plums and strawberry ice, in affectionate
+remembrance of you"&mdash;(O Folly! Folly! how little you care for
+truth!)&mdash;"and you shall have my magnificent cockatoo, Parade, that I've
+taught to speak myself; he's the finest creature in the world: you shall
+hear how clever he is!"</p>
+
+<p>Folly coaxed the bird on her wrist, called him by a dozen pretty names,
+smiled at him, nodded to him, whistled for him, and at length induced
+him to speak. The cockatoo bobbed his head up and down, shook his wings,
+puffed out his red feathers, and then in harsh, sharp tones repeated
+about a dozen times the sentence, "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I
+fine?"</p>
+
+<p>The bird Content, perched on the mantelpiece, seemed listening in wonder
+to a voice so unlike his own.</p>
+
+<p>"That is a clever cockatoo," said Nelly, with a smile; "but I would not
+exchange my Content for any other bird in the world."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, but Parade is a beauty&mdash;a real beauty!" cried Miss Folly; "Lady
+Fashion, my most particular friend, would give anything to possess him!
+I assure you that when I put him in my window, every passer-by stops to
+stare at the creature. Only just hear him again."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+And again Parade bobbed his head up and down, swelled himself out, and
+repeated, "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"</p>
+
+<p>"I protest," cried Folly, speaking faster than ever, "he'll sometimes
+keep repeating over that sentence from morning till night!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly was too polite to say it aloud, but she thought that one might get
+very weary of hearing "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"</p>
+
+<p>"I really do not wish to make any exchange," said the lame girl with
+mild decision; "Parade has very bright colours, it is true, but I love
+better the silver wings and soft note of my pretty Content."</p>
+
+<p>Even Folly could not but see that this her first effort had failed; but
+Folly is not easily discouraged. "If this stupid girl do not care for
+Parade," thought she, "I'll find something else that she cares for;" and
+putting the cockatoo down on the table, Folly drew a gay jewel-case from
+her pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you say to these?" she exclaimed, opening the case, and drawing
+from it a long string of what looked like pearls, with a sparkling clasp
+which seemed to be made of diamonds.</p>
+
+<p>"They are very pretty indeed!" said Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"And so becoming&mdash;so charmingly becoming! I assure you, my dear, if you
+would only let me dress up your hair, put it back <em>&agrave; l'Imperatrice</em>, and
+adorn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> it with these lovely pearls, there's not a creature that would
+know you again!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly laughed, and Folly thought that she had now found a vulnerable
+point; that, like the crow in the fable, the child could be caught by
+flattery.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't do justice to yourself, my dear; your dress is so common and
+plain that no one guesses how well you would look if you attended a
+little to style. If you wore such clothes as Matty now wears, and
+carried them off with an air, you may depend on't that people would take
+you for a very grand lady indeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"But why should I wish to be taken for what I am not?" asked Nelly
+simply.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear, what an absurd question! Does not every one wish to be taken
+for somebody grander than herself?" cried Folly, jabbering at railroad
+speed. "The child of the dogs' meat man wears a necklace and hoop; the
+farmer's daughter cuts out the squire's; the kitchen-maids on Sundays
+deck out as ladies; each one mimics some one above her, and wants to cut
+a dash in the world! If any one were content to appear really <em>what she
+is</em>, I should cut her society at once; I should let the whole world know
+that she had <em>nothing to do with Folly</em>!"</p>
+
+<p>Sharing the excitement of his mistress, "Ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+cried Parade.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
+"Now, my dear, I'll tell you what I'll do," continued Folly, lowering
+her voice to a confidential tone; "you shall give me your bird Content,
+and, as I told you before, I shall feed him and foster him with the same
+care as I do my own pet alligator. In return I will not only present you
+with this charming string of pearls, but will show you how to wear them
+in a manner the most bewitching."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think that pearls would suit a plain little girl like me!"</p>
+
+<p>"Plain! if ever I heard such a thing. You've a countenance quite out of
+the common! You've the prettiest nose&mdash;the sweetest little nose; and as
+for your smile!&mdash;" Folly threw up her hands, and cast up her eyes, to
+denote admiration too great to be expressed by mere words.</p>
+
+<p>Poor little Nelly was rather taken aback by praises to which she had not
+been accustomed. She certainly placed little confidence in anything said
+by her visitor; yet flattery has some sweetness in it, even from the
+lips of Folly. Let no little girl who reads my story despise poor Nelly
+for smiling and blushing, unless she be quite certain that she never
+herself has done the same on a similar occasion. But Nelly, though
+amused, was not caught even by the bait of the pearls and the praises.
+She remembered many a word of sensible advice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> given by her faithful
+friend Duty, and drawing a little back from Folly, who in her eager
+confidential manner had pressed up quite close to the child, she said in
+a modest tone, "Whatever our looks may be, a simple and sober dress,
+such as suits our age and station, is what Duty always recommends."</p>
+
+<p>"Duty&mdash;the old horror!" exclaimed Folly, who could not endure the very
+name; "I don't wonder that you're formal and quiet, if you tie yourself
+down to her laws. No, no, my pretty Nell, you must break away at once
+from such a dull, tiresome guide; don't talk to me of Duty again! I'll
+take you under my charge; I'll show you all my delights; I'll even&mdash;"
+here Folly again lowered her voice to a confidential tone, and leant
+forward her frizzled head as she whispered, "I'll even manage to
+introduce you to my most particular friend, Lady Fashion!"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing on earth would make me give up Duty!" exclaimed Nelly warmly,
+for she could bear no word spoken against her friend. "I will never
+forget her, nor part with her gift; and I don't want, indeed I don't, to
+be introduced to Lady Fashion!"</p>
+
+<p>Miss Folly started back in indignation and horror. "Not want to be
+introduced to Lady Fashion! the girl must be out of her senses! Not one
+moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> longer shall Folly condescend to stay near one who has the
+effrontery to own that she does not want to be introduced to Lady
+Fashion!" and, snatching up her cockatoo, Parade, Miss Folly rushed out
+of the cottage as fast as her mass of frippery would let her.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly looked after her with a wondering smile, and Content, perched on
+the shoulder of his young mistress, burst forth into the merriest of
+songs.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Folly did not stop in her running till she arrived, out of breath,
+at the spot where Pride was awaiting her return.</p>
+
+<p>"What success?" asked the dark one, though he saw at a glance that Folly
+had been baffled and defeated.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll never go near her again!" gasped forth Folly; "I'll never put my
+foot across her threshold! She has disappointed me, rejected me,
+insulted me; she does not care for my cockatoo, Parade, nor wish to be
+introduced to my most particular friend, Lady Fashion!" and Folly almost
+cried with spite and vexation.</p>
+
+<p>"She will not escape me so easily," said Pride; "my arts are deeper than
+yours. I have resolved that her bird shall die, and die it shall, before
+to-morrow, let her guard it as well as she may."</p>
+
+<p>"She always keeps Content beside her," observed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> Folly, "and you know
+that neither of us are able to take it away by force."</p>
+
+<p>"Not by force," said Pride gloomily, "but by fraud. I know that I cannot
+with my own hands wring the neck of Content; but I'll do more, I'll make
+Nelly kill him herself!"</p>
+
+<p>"How can you do that?" exclaimed wondering Folly.</p>
+
+<p>Pride glanced round to see that no one else was listening before he
+replied, in a voice sunk to a horrible whisper, "I've a poisoned cage,
+called Ambition, very fair and fine to the eye. Let Content be but once
+placed in that, and he will swell, and swell, till he burst, like one of
+your own bubbles, Miss Folly."</p>
+
+<p>Folly looked charmed at the clever idea. "But how to get the bird into
+the cage?" said she.</p>
+
+<p>"Leave that to me," answered Pride; "I know how to manage these matters.
+There is many a one who would scorn to listen to the offers of Folly,
+who cannot turn a deaf ear to Pride. You have power over a weak mind
+like Matty's, and can turn and mould her at your will; but it needs a
+more subtle spirit, a more artful lure, to overcome a girl who has been
+brought up under the guidance of Duty."</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+<a name="xxiii" id="xxiii"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.<br />
+<small>THE CAGE OF AMBITION.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap23.jpg" width="100" height="151" alt="&ldquo;W" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">ELL furnished, yet simply furnished&mdash;all good, plain, solid&mdash;that is
+what I like and approve!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly looked up on hearing these words, and her glance became one of
+surprise when she saw by whom they had been uttered. Pride was standing
+with folded arms not at the door but at the window; his dark, haughty
+expression was gone, and he looked mildly down at the child.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not fear me, Nelly," he said, "I shall make no attempt to enter. I
+know that you have been set against me by those who have little
+acquaintance with me. I blame them not, they act for the best; and I
+honour you for following the counsels of such friends as Duty and
+Affection."</p>
+
+<p>"Really," thought Nelly as she listened, "Pride is not so bad as I took
+him to be."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+"Perhaps," continued the cunning deceiver, "were my character better
+known, even virtuous Duty herself would find me no foe, but a friend.
+Mr. Learning I often have served, though he will not acknowledge my
+services. I have spurred on his cleverest pupil to efforts which,
+without me, he would never have made."</p>
+
+<p>"But have you not brought Dick into some trouble?" suggested Nelly,
+glancing timidly up at Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"Such troubles as generous natures encounter, the dangers that await the
+daring&mdash;dangers much to be preferred to the inglorious safety of the
+sluggard. To yourself, Nelly, I appeal, for you are a girl of rare
+sense; your brave perseverance in labour, your wise use of the bridge of
+Patience, your attention to the call of Duty, show that you possess a
+judgment far beyond what might be expected at your age."</p>
+
+<p>"Pride is not half so ugly as I used to fancy that he was," thought
+Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"To you I appeal," continued Pride. "Had I possessed the same influence
+over Lubin as that which I have exercised over his brother, would not
+the result have been for good? Would not Lubin's cottage have been
+better furnished, his hours more nobly employed; would he not have
+scorned to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> throw away so much money on sweetmeats; would not honest
+Pride have kept him from the meanness of giving up everything for
+Amusement?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I believe so," answered Nelly, and she was only speaking the
+truth; she might have added, however, that no efforts are really noble,
+no acts really worthy of praise, that are owing, not to a regard for
+Duty, but to the influence of selfish Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"I could not forbear calling here," continued the deceiver, who felt
+that his artful words were beginning to make an impression, "to
+congratulate you, as I do with all my heart, upon your late conduct, so
+noble and wise."</p>
+
+<p>"When&mdash;where?" asked the wondering Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"I speak of your triumph over Miss Folly&mdash;over that weak, silly,
+frivolous creature who has, unhappily, so much power over the minds of
+ignorant girls. Wise were you, Nelly, most wise, not to exchange your
+beautiful Content for false pearls or prating Parade. You have a soul
+above froth and frippery, you despise both flattery and Folly, no one
+will catch you blowing bubbles of Fancy to furnish a most empty
+dwelling!"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly began to understand how it was that Dick had found Pride such a
+pleasant companion.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," continued the deceiver, leaning through the open window, on the
+sill of which he rested his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> arms, "you scorn that poor wretched Parade,
+that screams 'Ain't I fine?' to each passer-by, as if seeking to attract
+vulgar notice. Independent of others, you can stand by yourself; you
+have won Content, you prize it, you deserve it; but has it never struck
+your mind, Nelly, how difficult it may prove for you to <em>keep</em> it?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Nelly, caressing her bird; "I shall never give my
+favourite away."</p>
+
+<p>"But your favourite may take wing and depart. Do you expect Content to
+remain in this small cottage, with all the free air to soar in?"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly looked uneasy and anxious, and pressed her bird closer to her
+heart.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the nature of birds to mount aloft. Trust me, Nelly, Content will
+not linger long here while he has unrestrained use of his wings."</p>
+
+<p>"I could not bear to lose him!" cried Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"To save you that pain," said Pride, watching closely her face as he
+spoke, "see what I have brought for you here!" and he raised and placed
+on the sill of the window the gilded cage of Ambition.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, what a splendid, magnificent cage!" cried poor simple Nelly,
+suspecting no evil; "and did you really intend it for me?"</p>
+
+<p>"See how ready I am to forgive and forget," said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> Pride, with a wicked,
+mocking smile, as he saw the guileless child lay her hand on the
+poisoned gift; "you have spoken against me, tried to drive me away&mdash;nay,
+at this very moment, I believe, you would not suffer me to enter your
+door&mdash;and yet I bring you this cage that you may never lose your
+Content; that you may see it grow greater and greater, and never fly
+from your home!"</p>
+
+<p>"You are very good," began Nelly, and stopped short; she was startled at
+the sound of her own words.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I am <em>very good</em>, am I?" laughed Pride, as he turned away from the
+window, and then began to stalk down the hill, muttering to himself as
+he walked, "Ay, she will think me very good, doubtless, when she
+sees&mdash;as she will see before morning&mdash;her beautiful, her cherished
+Content gasping and swelling in the agonies of death!" and as in thought
+he enjoyed his barbarous triumph, how hideous grew the dark features of
+Pride.</p>
+
+<p>But the wicked one was blowing the trumpet of victory before the battle
+had been won! Nelly, indeed, looked with admiration and pleasure upon
+the glittering cage, and was about to place her favourite within it,
+when a thought arrested her hand. "My mother has warned us very often to
+have nothing to do with Pride; Duty has told me again and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> again that
+nowhere upon earth could I find a more dangerous companion than he.
+Ought I to accept this gift? is it suitable, is it right, to take a
+present from one whom I dare not invite to enter my cottage? Oh, surely
+I have done wrong in listening with such pleasure to his flattering
+words! What should I do now; what would Duty counsel me to do? I will
+return to him his beautiful cage, and keep nothing, however charming,
+that ever belonged to Pride!"</p>
+
+<p>Catching up the tempting gift, Nelly hastened out of her cottage and saw
+Pride descending the hill.</p>
+
+<p>"Pride! Pride!" she called out as loudly as she could. The dark one
+pretended not to hear, and only quickened his steps.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, how shall I ever overtake him," thought lame Nelly; and again she
+called, but in vain, while she followed as fast as she could.</p>
+
+<p>"Had I not better keep and use the cage, since it is so hard to return
+it?" thought Nelly. Inclination bade her go back, and imprison Content
+within the glittering bars; but the recollection of Duty was strong, and
+exerting her utmost efforts, the child succeeded in overtaking Pride
+when he had almost reached brook Bother.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, take this back," gasped the panting Nelly;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> "it is fine and
+tempting, I own, but Duty would not allow me to keep it."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't mean to insult me by returning my gift?" exclaimed Pride, in
+a tone of fierce disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>"I must do what is right," said Nelly, though frightened by his
+threatening scowl; "take back your cage of Ambition, I dare give it no
+place in my home!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then&mdash;there, let it go!" thundered Pride; and snatching up the poisoned
+cage, he sent it whirling round and round through the air till it fell
+splashing into brook Bother! "I only wish that I could send you after
+it!" he exclaimed, and gnashing his teeth with disappointment and fury,
+Pride rushed away from the spot.</p>
+
+<p>Little Nelly returned up the hill at a much slower pace than that at
+which she had descended it. Ere she had gone half-way a bright silver
+wing gleamed through the air, and Content alighted on her shoulder.
+Perched there, the sweet bird poured forth so loud and joyous a lay that
+one might fancy that he knew the danger from which he had so narrowly
+escaped, and was aware of the fact which so many, by bitter experience,
+have learned, that Content must be poisoned and perish if placed in the
+gilded cage of Ambition.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>
+<a name="xxiv" id="xxiv"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.<br />
+<small>A VISIT TO MR. CHEMISTRY.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap24.jpg" width="100" height="143" alt="W" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">ITH her bird still warbling on her shoulder, Nelly bent her steps to
+the cottage of her sister. Matty had cared little for her society of
+late, but Duty and Affection had both taught Nelly to keep up all family
+ties. She was going to tell Matty of her little adventure, but Nelly
+found her too full of her own troubles to care about anything else.</p>
+
+<p>"Such a provoking thing has happened!" exclaimed Matty, who was seated
+on a very flimsy chair, which she had purchased from Mr. Fiction. It
+gave such a loud crack as she leant back upon it, that Nelly expected to
+see it come to pieces beneath the weight of her sister.</p>
+
+<p>"O Matty, I wish that you would buy better furniture from General
+Knowledge," cried Nelly; "I do believe that in a few weeks those
+wretched chairs will be fit for nothing but firewood!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>
+"I did buy a pair of screens from General Knowledge," cried Matty; "I
+brought them home several weeks ago, as you perhaps may remember."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I recollect," replied Nelly; "they were handsome and valuable
+screens. One was made of Botany <em>facts</em>, all carved over with leaves and
+flowers; the other of Biography <em>facts</em>, covered with likenesses of
+great men. They were really a beautiful pair, but I don't see them now,"
+added Nelly, with an inquiring glance round the room.</p>
+
+<p>"They're lost to me and my heirs for ever!" cried Matty, again tossing
+herself backwards on her chair, which again gave an ominous creaking.</p>
+
+<p>"How could they be lost?" exclaimed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Stolen&mdash;stolen by the robber Forgetfulness," answered Matty; "a regular
+burglar he is! I neglected to lock my door at night&mdash;I never dreamed of
+any danger&mdash;and in came the robber and carried away my pair of beautiful
+screens."</p>
+
+<p>"How very vexatious," exclaimed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed; where's the use of spending hours upon hours in
+furnishing, and labouring to carry heavy things over brook Bother and up
+the steep hill of Puzzle, if Forgetfulness sneak in at last and carry
+the best goods away."</p>
+
+<p>"What use, indeed," echoed Nelly; "the sad warnings of the misfortunes
+which have happened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> to you and poor Lubin from Forgetfulness stealing
+your facts, and Procrastination robbing him of his hours, must make each
+of us more careful in guarding our treasures from such thieves."</p>
+
+<p>"If Forgetfulness had only taken one of those worthless chairs instead,"
+sighed Matty; "to think of losing the best facts, and keeping the
+useless fictions."</p>
+
+<p>"How now&mdash;what's the matter?" cried the cheerful voice of Dick, as he
+entered Matty's cottage with a brisk lively step; "you look as doleful
+as Miss Folly did just now when I met her with her red cockatoo on her
+wrist, appearing so disconsolate and sad that I thought her most
+particular friend, Lady Fashion, must have died of late hours or
+tight-lacing!"</p>
+
+<p>"Miss Folly disconsolate and sad!" exclaimed Matty; "ah, perhaps she had
+heard that my poor little cottage had been robbed."</p>
+
+<p>"That was not the cause of her melancholy," said Dick; "I daresay, were
+the truth to be known, that Miss Folly herself had something to do with
+the business; for many a day has she been seen in company with
+Forgetfulness the burglar."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm certain that Folly is perfectly innocent," cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I don't mean to accuse the fair lady; I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> only mention what I have
+heard; you and she may settle the affair between you. But as regards her
+present vexation, that, Nelly, all lies at your door. It seems that you
+despised her cockatoo Parade, and would not part with Content in
+exchange for it. But I've set all matters right; I've taken a fancy to
+the creature, I've promised to buy it from Folly, and instead of prating
+for ever, '<em>Ain't I fine?</em>' I'll teach it to cry, '<em>Ain't I clever?</em>'"</p>
+
+<p>"And then you'll give it to me!" exclaimed Matty. "There's nothing that
+I adore like Parade; often and often I've wished to have it. I'm quite
+astonished that Nelly should prefer that dull, spiritless creature,
+Content."</p>
+
+<p>"I've done more yet to put Folly into good humour," said Dick, who,
+though he heartily despised his sister's companion, yet liked to amuse
+himself sometimes with her airs; "I've invited her to come this evening
+and see my grand display of fireworks."</p>
+
+<p>"Fireworks! oh, that will be charming!" exclaimed Matty, clapping her
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>"And I've desired her to bring Pride with her; nothing goes off well
+without him."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly, who had a disagreeable recollection of her late interview with
+Pride, looked very grave on hearing of the invitation given to him by
+her brother.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>
+"Where did you get the fireworks?" asked Matty, who, in her pleasure at
+the idea of seeing something new, had quite forgotten her loss.</p>
+
+<p>"Where but from Mr. Chemistry? I knew that it was all nonsense in old
+Learning to say that his goods were not yet for me. Pride and I were
+laughing half the evening at the sage's old-fashioned notions. I suppose
+that he thinks that no one can see the world till forced to look at it
+through spectacles, like himself. 'You need an introduction, indeed!'
+cried Pride; 'just step up boldly like a man. Mr. Chemistry, with his
+gases, his retorts, his acids, and his alkalies, will be glad enough to
+see the colour of your money without making uncivil observations.' Said
+I, 'Mr. Pride, your advice is good, and I'll act upon it directly.' So
+off starts I, brave as a lion; plank Patience still lay across brook
+Bother, but I kicked it right into the stream."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, why did you do so?" exclaimed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Patience may do well enough for you," replied Dick, "but you see a chap
+like me doesn't want it. Well, to go on with my story. I found Mr.
+Chemistry hard at work beside an electric machine, and I stopped some
+moments to watch the crackling sparks drawn from the whirling glass
+wheel. At last the old fellow looked up, and saw me with my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> purse in my
+hand. 'You're a young student,' says he. 'An old head on young
+shoulders,' says I, looking as solemn and wise as Mr. Learning himself
+could do. 'You'll need to undergo a short examination,' says he, 'upon
+the first principles of my science.' Those words rather took me aback,
+for I had not counted upon that. 'What's a simple body?' says he,
+turning over to the first page of a book that was near him. 'A simple
+body,' says I; 'why, that is my sister Matty, for she's hand and glove
+with Miss Folly.'"</p>
+
+<p>"O Dick, how could you speak so?" cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"I set the old fellow laughing, and then, of course, I got everything my
+own way. I told him that I did not want science but fireworks, and that
+I knew that he had them in lots. I wished something that would go
+hissing, and fizzing, and whizzing, and astonish and dazzle beholders.
+To make a long story short, I carried off all that I wanted; and I
+invite you both this evening to see my grand firework display."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be delightful&mdash;quite charming," cried Matty; "and my darling
+Miss Folly to be there!"</p>
+
+<p>"Miss Folly and Pride too," said Dick; "but what makes our Nelly so
+solemn and grave?" he added, clapping the lame girl on the shoulder.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>
+"O Dick, I should like much&mdash;very much&mdash;to see your fireworks, but I
+cannot&mdash;indeed, I cannot&mdash;go to meet Folly and Pride."</p>
+
+<p>"What nonsense!" exclaimed Dick, impatiently; "if they're good enough
+company for us, they're surely good enough company for you."</p>
+
+<p>"Both my dear mother and Duty have warned me against such companions; I
+may not go where they go."</p>
+
+<p>"Stay at home then&mdash;no one wants you!" exclaimed Dick, who, puffed up as
+he was by self-confidence, could not endure the slightest opposition.
+"Set yourself up for a model child&mdash;lame, plain, and stupid as you are."</p>
+
+<p>Poor Nelly's heart swelled as if it would burst at such undeserved
+rudeness from her brother. She returned, however, no angry word, but
+silently and quietly quitted the place. Her eyes were so much dimmed by
+tears, that she could scarcely see her way back to her own little
+cottage.</p>
+
+<p>"It was a shame in me to speak so to Nelly," exclaimed Dick, who
+repented of his unkind speech almost as soon as he had uttered it.</p>
+
+<p>"You had better tell her so," said Matty, who, though frivolous and
+careless, was not an ill-natured girl.</p>
+
+<p>Dick turned to follow Nelly, and would doubtless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> have made all things
+smooth with his sister, had he not met dark Pride at the door.</p>
+
+<p>Ah, dear reader, have you never been stopped by Pride when going to beg
+forgiveness of one to whom you knew that you had done a wrong, and
+especially when that injured party was younger and less clever than
+yourself?</p>
+
+<p>Dick would not <em>demean</em> himself, as he called it, in the presence of
+watchful Pride, by telling his little sister that he was sorry for
+having hurt her feelings. Pride came to talk about the fireworks, and,
+in eager conversation with him, thoughtless Dick soon forgot the wound
+which his overbearing temper had inflicted upon a gentle and loving
+heart.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>
+<a name="xxv" id="xxv"></a>CHAPTER XXV.<br />
+<small>A LESSON.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft2" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap25.jpg" width="100" height="180" alt="E" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">VENING was coming on. Poor Nelly sat sad and alone in the parlour of
+her little cottage. She had seen little of Dick since the morning; and
+when they had accidentally met, he had not uttered one word of regret
+for his unkindness. Indeed, his manner had been so careless, that it
+appeared that what had passed so lately between them had quite gone out
+of his mind. Nelly tried to forgive and forget, but her spirit was sad
+and low. Even Content seemed to droop his wing, and would scarcely give
+even a chirp.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly felt also&mdash;as what girl of her age would not feel!&mdash;being shutout
+from the merry little party that were going to enjoy the fireworks. The
+display, on account of the direction of the wind, was to be close in
+front of Matty's cottage, instead of that of Dick; and as this dwelling,
+as we know, adjoined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> Nelly's, the lame girl from her little window
+could have but an imperfect view, and would lose all the general effect.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps," thought poor Nelly, "I have been needlessly strict after all;
+I have been a little too particular in doing what I thought that duty
+might require. I have lost a great deal of pleasure, and I have offended
+my own dear brother. Everything has seemed gloomy since the
+morning&mdash;even my bird will not sing. Ah, how glad I am that my mother
+will soon return. I shall never doubt what I ought to do when I have her
+dear voice to guide me; and I am sure that when she is here, Content
+will warble from morning till night."</p>
+
+<p>"What, Nelly, here all alone?" said Lubin, putting his round,
+good-humoured face in at the door.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly only looked up and smiled, for at that moment she could not speak;
+and her smile was so sad, that Lubin came in and seated himself at her
+side.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, you have been crying, Nelly!" he said. "What is the matter with
+you, dear? Has Forgetfulness robbed you of your choicest facts, or
+Procrastination&mdash;the sly rogue!&mdash;stolen your hours, or have you dropped
+some nice little purchase of yours into the muddy waters of Bother?"</p>
+
+<p>Nelly shook her head in reply to each question.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> "I have vexed Dick,"
+she answered at last, "by refusing to join his party at the firework
+display, because he has invited Pride and Miss Folly."</p>
+
+<p>"I daresay that you did quite right," observed Lubin; "though it's
+rather hard upon you to have to give up the fireworks and fun. You'll
+hardly see anything from your window. Come to my cottage opposite; there
+you will have a good view of it all."</p>
+
+<p>"I would rather remain quietly here, dear Lubin; with many thanks to you
+for the offer. I have no heart for amusement this evening, and would not
+wish Dick to see me watching, as if by stealth, the fireworks which I
+would not go openly to view." As Nelly spoke, she could not prevent two
+large tears, which had been gathering beneath her lashes, from
+overflowing her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Lubin, lazy sluggard as he was, yet was a kind-hearted boy, and would do
+a good turn for any one, provided it gave him small trouble. "I'll stay
+with you, Nelly," he said, kissing the tear from her cheek; "it will be
+better for me, you know, to keep clear of Folly and Pride." Nelly
+squeezed his hand to express her thanks. "There is Miss Folly
+approaching already," continued Lubin. "One might know her coming were
+she a mile off, by the sound of her jabbering voice."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin rose and went to the window to look out.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> "Yes; there is Miss
+Folly&mdash;peacock plume, balloon dress, and all; and she has a red cockatoo
+on her wrist. Black-browed Pride is behind her. Matty and Dick are
+running to meet them."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly did not go to the window; but she heard the voices without, which
+sounded distinctly through the still evening air.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder if it will ever get dark enough for the lovely, delightful
+fireworks. I've been wishing all the afternoon that I could push on the
+sun double-quick to the west. It's always dark when one wants it to be
+light, and light when one wants it to be dark." My readers will scarcely
+need to be told that these words were spoken by Folly.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad that you've brought your cockatoo," said Dick; "you know that
+I'm going to buy him."</p>
+
+<p>"He's worth his weight in gold&mdash;he is; pretty creature!&mdash;just listen to
+him now!" And Nelly could hear the harsh, grating voice of Parade:
+"Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to teach him something else," observed Dick. "Just let me
+have him here for a few minutes. The fireworks are ready prepared, but
+we must wait till the twilight grows darker. In the meantime, I will
+amuse myself by giving Master Cockatoo a lesson in talking."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
+"You'll soon make him say what you like," observed Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't it a beautiful bird?" cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"They are gathering round the cockatoo, Nelly," said Lubin, who was
+still at the window. "Only Miss Folly, with her painted face and goggle
+eyes, is peeping at the preparations for the fireworks."</p>
+
+<p>The last faint tinge of red had faded from the sky. Deeper and deeper
+grew the gathering shades. Lubin could scarcely distinguish the features
+of the group that were amusing themselves with Parade.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, my good cockatoo," began Dick, standing in front of his
+red-feathered pupil, "you know 'variety is charming,' says the proverb.
+We may like to hear you say the same thing over nine hundred and
+ninety-nine times; but when a question is asked for the thousandth time,
+we begin to wish for a little variation. Suppose now, just for a change,
+you say, 'Ain't I clever? ain't I clever?'"</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't I fine?&mdash;ain't I fine?" screamed Parade.</p>
+
+<p>"Fine? Yes, we know that you are; dark as it is growing, we see that you
+are; it's a fact which no one will dispute. But just try now&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Dick had not time to conclude his sentence. Bang!&mdash;crash!&mdash;there was a
+loud deafening noise, as if a cannon had been suddenly fired at their
+ears. Nelly started in terror to her feet, and rushed to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> window to
+see what had happened&mdash;frightened by the shrieks and cries which
+succeeded the terrible explosion, that had smashed every pane of glass
+in the cottages! The whole air was full of thick smoke, through which
+Nelly beheld Miss Folly, with her flounces all on fire, rushing wildly
+into the dwelling of Dick, which was just opposite to that of Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"O Lubin! something terrible has happened. Plunge the table-cover into
+that pailful of water&mdash;let us fly to save&mdash;oh, help! help!"</p>
+
+<p>Back again through Dick's doorway rushed screaming Miss Folly, after
+having set fire to his curtains within. Happily she was met by Lubin and
+Nelly, who threw over her flaming, flaring dress the damp folds of the
+dripping table-cover. She struggled fiercely to get away from them, as
+though she thought that they meant to smother her; and it was with the
+utmost difficulty that the two succeeded in throwing Folly on the
+ground, and putting out the flames entirely, by rolling her round and
+round in the mire.</p>
+
+<p>Matty's screams of alarm mingled with those of Miss Folly; and not
+without cause, for the explosion had set fire to the thatch of her
+cottage; and through the windows of Dick's came a terrible fiery
+glow&mdash;his furniture was all in a blaze. The whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> scene around was as
+light as day in the fierce red glare of the burning.</p>
+
+<p>Happily assistance was near&mdash;very near. Duty and Affection had been
+ascending the hill to pay an evening visit to Nelly, when they had been
+startled by the noise of the explosion, the shrieks, and then the sight
+of the blazing thatch. Without a moment's delay they had shouted for
+assistance to a party of men who were going homewards at the close of a
+day's work. A cart full of empty barrels happened to be passing at the
+same time, and its contents were instantly seized upon for use. The
+labourers, incited and directed by the sisters, rushed down at once to
+the brook, thankful that water was so nigh. Happily there was no wind to
+fan the fierce conflagration, a heavy mist was beginning to rise, and
+strong and willing hands were at work to put out the fire. Duty and
+Affection were everywhere&mdash;encouraging the men, directing their efforts,
+nay, labouring themselves with an energy and courage which filled all
+beholders with surprise. Never could Nelly forget that night. The
+rushing to and fro&mdash;the crackling of the flames&mdash;the hissing of the
+water thrown upon them&mdash;the volumes of smoke that arose, the cries, the
+screams, the hallooing&mdash;then the shout of triumph when at length the
+fire was completely subdued.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
+Nelly's chief alarm was on account of her brother and sister. While the
+tumult yet raged around, she rushed, guided by Matty's screams, to a
+spot where she found the poor girl trembling in an agony of terror.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Matty, are you injured?" exclaimed Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know&mdash;I can't tell," sobbed Matty, who was much more frightened
+than hurt, though her hair, and even her eyebrows, had been singed by
+the explosion of the fireworks.</p>
+
+<p>"And Dick&mdash;poor Dick&mdash;is he safe?" cried Nelly, glancing anxiously
+around.</p>
+
+<p>"There he is&mdash;lying on the ground!" exclaimed Lubin, who had just
+discovered his brother stretched senseless upon the earth, having been
+struck on the head by a large piece of wood at the time of the
+explosion.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I hope and trust that he is not killed!" exclaimed Nelly, running
+to him, in bitter distress.</p>
+
+<p>"Not killed, only stunned&mdash;see, he is opening his eyes," said Lubin, who
+was now on his knees, supporting his brother in his arms. "If Matty
+would only assist us, we could carry him into your cottage, Nelly, out
+of this noise and confusion."</p>
+
+<p>Tenderly the three young Desleys raised their poor wounded brother, and
+carried him into the cottage. Affection soon followed, to attend to his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
+hurts and bind up his bleeding brow&mdash;for Affection is a nurse of great
+skill.</p>
+
+<p>The fire was out&mdash;the danger over; Duty rewarded the labourers, and the
+cottages were left to the children and their two faithful friends in
+need. Duty and Affection remained through all the dark hours of that
+trying night, soothing Matty, encouraging Lubin, cheering the heart of
+poor Nelly. Even when obliged to leave for awhile, the sisters paid
+repeated visits to the cottage, bearing with them everything needful.
+Nelly now found, indeed, what it was to have such friends as Duty and
+Affection.</p>
+
+<p>Dick's injury had brought on brain-fever. For three days and nights
+Nelly scarcely quitted her brother. All his unkindness was quite
+forgotten, and she would not have left her place at his side for ought
+that the world could give. Dick had been severely, though not
+dangerously, hurt. It would be some time, the doctor said, before he
+would be fit for any exertion. Books must be kept from his sight; he
+must not, for weeks to come, be allowed to visit the town of Education.
+But his life had been happily spared; gradually his strength would
+return. Nelly did not like to tell the poor invalid that all the
+furniture of his cottage, which he had regarded with so much
+satisfaction, had been destroyed by the fire; nor that poor Matty's
+thatch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> had been burned, and her pretty white wall all blackened and
+scorched by the flame.</p>
+
+<p>Dear reader! should you ever be tempted to harbour Pride, on account of
+a well-furnished head or a beautiful face&mdash;oh, remember how soon the
+fairest features may be made unsightly, the most talented mind rendered
+feeble and weak, by a sudden accident or fever. The labours of years may
+be swept away&mdash;the highest powers rendered useless; and one whom all
+admire to-day, may be but an object of pity to-morrow.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+<a name="xxvi" id="xxvi"></a>CHAPTER XXVI.<br />
+<small>HEARING THE TRUTH.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap26.jpg" width="100" height="163" alt="I" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">T was not until Dick was able to sit up, propped by cushions, in an
+arm-chair, that Nelly could be persuaded by Lubin to make a little
+expedition with him to buy some things needful for their mother, whose
+arrival in two days was expected. Lubin liked to do nothing by himself;
+he would not have taken the trouble to cross brook Bother unless a
+sister had been at his side; and poor Matty had positively refused to
+go, as she disliked showing herself to strangers while her hair and
+eyebrows were so sadly disfigured by the fire.</p>
+
+<p>"Please, Matty," said Nelly, before she set out, "see that poor Dick
+wants nothing during my absence. Perhaps you would sit beside him. But,
+pray, say nothing to him that can possibly vex or excite him; you know
+that he is still very weak, and the fever might possibly return."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
+Matty agreed to play the nurse for an hour, and with a slow and
+lingering step she accordingly went to the cottage in which her brother
+was staying.</p>
+
+<p>It was sad to see the young, bright, active boy placed like an aged man
+in an arm-chair, his cheek, so lately glowing with health, almost as
+pale as the pillow upon which it was resting. Dick's eye was, however,
+still bright, and he had his old playfulness of manner, though his tone
+was more feeble than usual, as he exclaimed, on the entrance of his
+sister, "Why, Matty, you and I look for all the world as if we had been
+in the wars! I with this bandage across my brow, you with your hair
+cropped close, and your eyebrows all singed off; you can't think how
+funny you look!"</p>
+
+<p>Poor Matty hid her face with her hands, and was ready to burst into
+tears.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't take it to heart!" cried Dick; "hair will soon grow again,
+you know. I wonder that your friend Miss Folly has not helped you to an
+elegant wig."</p>
+
+<p>"She is no friend of mine!" exclaimed Matty, with vehemence. "Do you not
+know that it was Folly who caused the explosion? She thought, like an
+idiot as she is, that it would be fun to put a match to the fireworks
+when all our backs were turned, and make us start with surprise. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+her meddling that caused all this mischief and misery;" and again poor
+disfigured Matty hid her face in her hands.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I hope that you'll cut her from this day forth," observed Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"She has cut us," replied Matty, quickly. "Have you not heard how her
+flounces were all in a blaze, and how she rushed about as if mad, into a
+cottage and out again, till Nelly and Lubin knocked her down just in
+time to save her from being quite burned?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have heard nothing," said Dick, raising himself on his chair, with an
+expression of curiosity and interest; "you know that Nelly has been my
+nurse, and she would hardly speak a word for fear lest she should put me
+into a fever."</p>
+
+<p>Matty was eager to impart all her knowledge, quite regardless of Nelly's
+parting warning, and began to talk so fast that Dick could not help
+being reminded of poor Miss Folly.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you shall hear everything now. Folly was knocked down, or pulled
+down, as I said, and then rolled about in the mud, till you could hardly
+have distinguished her head from her feet, or her peacock's plume from a
+cow's tail. And very thankful and very much delighted she ought to have
+been, for, if she had been quite choked with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> mire, it would have been
+better than burning alive!"</p>
+
+<p>"A painful choice," observed Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"But she was <em>not</em> choked to death," continued Matty; "she was not hurt
+the least bit; and yet&mdash;would you believe it?&mdash;Miss Folly is in a most
+furious rage against those who saved her. She declares that she ought to
+have a lawsuit against Nelly and Lubin to recover the value of her
+clothes, and another to get them punished for knocking her into the mud;
+and she has promised a thousand times never to come near one of our
+family again."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope," said Dick, with a smile, "that for once Miss Folly may keep
+her promise. But what has become of her red cockatoo?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, there's another great grievance!" cried Matty. "The bird must have
+been frightened by the explosion; and no wonder, for a terrible sight it
+was, and a horrible noise it made. Parade has flown off, no one knows
+whither; and though papers and placards about him have been put up in
+every direction, offering no end of rewards to whoever will bring him
+back, the bird is not to be found. Folly says, that poor innocent I must
+have hidden him somewhere from view; but I am sure that I have not even
+a guess whither the gaudy creature has fled!"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>
+"Had you hidden him," observed Dick Desley, "Parade would soon have
+betrayed you by screaming out 'Ain't I fine?' And what has become of
+Pride?"</p>
+
+<p>"Some say," replied Matty, "that he got a great blow on the nose at the
+time of the explosion; others say that he was not at all injured by it.
+He certainly did not help Duty to put out the fire. All that I know of
+Pride is, that he came to our villas this morning, and walked straight
+up to yours, I suppose from its being the one which he had been most
+accustomed to visit. I saw him from my window, standing awhile with
+folded arms, gloomily surveying the place; he then shrugged his
+shoulders, said, 'What a wreck!' and instantly stalked away."</p>
+
+<p>"What did he mean by exclaiming 'What a wreck?'" asked Dick, with a look
+of surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"He meant your poor cottage, of course," replied Matty; "all its
+furniture burned and destroyed."</p>
+
+<p>"How&mdash;what?" exclaimed Dick in a startled tone; "the fire was not in my
+cottage at all; the explosion took place by yours."</p>
+
+<p>"I know that too well," sighed poor Matty; "but Folly rushed straight
+into your home, blazing away like a rocket, then rushed out again, but
+not before she had set your curtains on fire."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
+"Do you mean that all my furniture is burned!" exclaimed Dick, striking
+his fist with violence upon a table that was near him.</p>
+
+<p>"Burned to a cinder," replied Matty; "there's scarcely anything left but
+the grates."</p>
+
+<p>"The carpet&mdash;the splendid carpet destroyed too?" cried poor Dick,
+starting upright on his feet.</p>
+
+<p>"Great holes burned in every part, and all the dates as black as
+charcoal!"</p>
+
+<p>Dick sank back on his seat with a groan.</p>
+
+<p>"The beautifully papered walls," continued Matty, "not fit to be looked
+at now; the fine furniture-facts mere charred wood, or little heaps of
+gray ashes!"</p>
+
+<p>"And mother coming back the day after to-morrow!" exclaimed Dick, with a
+burst of anguish. "And doubtless Mr. Learning will come with her,
+bringing the crown of Success for which I have laboured so hard! I must
+go at once to the town," he cried wildly; "I must work, work hard till
+they appear!" And springing from his chair he made an effort to walk;
+but the limbs, once so active and strong, would no longer support his
+weight, and, overcome with vexation, Dick tottered back into his seat.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't do it," he cried; "I can't go! Oh, misery and disappointment!
+Leave me, Matty,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> leave me; remain no longer with a wretched boy who has
+lost everything that he valued!"</p>
+
+<p>Matty was frightened at the vehement storm of passion which her
+indiscretion had raised; and being quite unable to speak a word of
+comfort to her brother, she crept out of the cottage, feeling more
+unhappy than when she had entered it.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
+<a name="xxvii" id="xxvii"></a>CHAPTER XXVII.<br />
+<small>A BRAVE EFFORT.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap27.jpg" width="100" height="162" alt="&ldquo;O" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">H! why should this be&mdash;why should this be?" groaned Dick, as soon as
+he found himself alone; "why should I, the genius of the family,
+suddenly find myself reduced to the state of the veriest dunce? Why
+should one wretched accident take from me more than Matty lost by
+Forgetfulness, or Lubin by Procrastination? Why should I have a cottage
+so ruined and empty&mdash;I who had made its furniture my glory&mdash;I who had
+worked so hard and so well?"</p>
+
+<p>It is a wise thing for those in trouble to try and search for the reason
+of their trials. No sorrow is sent without a cause. Dick sat long with
+his brow leaning on his hand, thinking, and thinking, and seeking as
+well as his poor, languid mind would let him, to trace out his past
+career.</p>
+
+<p>Why had he worked so hard&mdash;why had he worked so well? Was it indeed for
+the sake of his mother,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> or from regard to Mr. Learning, or because he
+had been taught by Duty in all things to do his best? Dick looked round
+upon Nelly's little room; every article there reminded him of patient
+perseverance, of steady application, not because labour had been easy
+and pleasant, but because she had felt it to be <em>right</em>. Dick, who was a
+very intelligent boy, could not but see, now that reflection was forced
+upon him, that he had spent his hours and furnished his cottage only to
+please and enrich himself, to triumph over his brother and sisters, to
+gain the silver crown of Success, and to gratify evil Pride! Yes, Pride
+had urged him to every effort: Pride had made him resolve that no
+cottage should be as splendidly furnished as his own; Pride had dogged
+his steps, directed his labours, had introduced him to mischievous
+Folly, and, worst of all, had made him look down on his best friends and
+nearest relations, and insult his gentle little sister! Ah! this was the
+bitterest reflection of all!</p>
+
+<p>"How Pride used to make me laugh at the laziness of Lubin, the vanity of
+Matty, the lameness of my dear little Nelly, though that was no fault of
+her own. I remember now but too well that it was through him that I
+insulted the sister whose talents might be less than mine, but whose
+virtues should have been my example. It was Pride who made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> me ashamed
+to ask forgiveness, or express regret for words as unjust as they were
+unkind. Yes, this sore trial must have been sent to warn me that he who
+takes Pride as his bosom companion will sooner or later repent of having
+done so. What Pride can offer is but a sorry exchange for the peace, the
+harmony, the love which it seems his delight to destroy! Was it Pride
+who nursed me through my illness? Was it Pride who so gently bore with
+my wayward humours; who prepared the cooling draught for my fevered
+lips, and never seemed weary of watching beside me all through the long
+dreary night? O Nelly, not one word of reproach did I ever hear from
+your tongue; but my heart reproaches me the more for having mocked at
+your tender counsels, given way to impatient temper, and thrown away
+your love as a worthless thing at the bidding of haughty Pride!"</p>
+
+<p>"Did I not hear my own name?" said a voice at the door, and the beams of
+the setting sun threw a dark shadow across the threshold. The next
+moment Pride would have entered, but Dick waved him back with a gesture
+of command.</p>
+
+<p>"What&mdash;do you not know your old friend?" cried Pride.</p>
+
+<p>"I know my old tempter," said the boy, with emotion. "Pride, I have
+lately suffered much, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> I have not suffered in vain; I have lost
+much, but I have gained something also&mdash;a knowledge of myself, and of
+you! Here let us part, and for ever."</p>
+
+<p>"This is some delusion of a fevered brain!" cried Pride, beginning to
+look very angry.</p>
+
+<p>"No, my fever has passed away, and with it all my vain delusions. To
+think myself superior to all others was a delusion; to think that Pride
+would make me happy was a delusion: to think that a well-furnished head
+could make up for a haughty and selfish heart, that was the worst
+delusion of all!"</p>
+
+<p>Pride still lingered, unwilling to depart, or to give up one whom he had
+so long regarded as his slave; but the sound of footsteps was now heard,
+and Lubin and Nelly appeared at the door. The little girl cast an
+uneasy, frightened glance at Pride, who scowled darkly on her in return.
+But Duty and Affection, the beautiful sisters, were accompanying the
+children to their home, and Pride, bold as he was, shrank back abashed
+at their calm, majestic presence.</p>
+
+<p>Dick, though languid and weak, nerved himself now for a great and
+painful effort. He had never been accustomed to own himself wrong, and
+the thought of doing so, not privately but openly, in the presence of so
+many witnesses, brought the warm blood to his pallid cheek, and made his
+heart throb<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> with excitement. But he knew no better way of proving to
+Pride that his empire indeed was over; no better way of making amends to
+Nelly for past unkindness and scorn. Raising himself, therefore, and
+supporting his weak frame by grasping the table beside him, he uttered
+these words, in a clear and distinct, though somewhat tremulous
+tone:&mdash;"Nelly, before all, I ask your forgiveness for past unkind and
+foolish conduct, and thank you for the tender care which I have so
+little deserved; and I also ask Lubin's pardon"&mdash;here Dick turned
+towards his brother&mdash;"for having often provoked him by rude and mocking
+words."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly's only reply was running forward and throwing her arms around
+Dick; Lubin warmly grasped his hand; Pride, grinding his teeth with
+suppressed fury, glared for a moment at the three, then, turning round
+with something like a yell, rushed away from the spot. Let us hope that
+he never returned!</p>
+
+<p>"Well done, nobly done, brave boy!" exclaimed Duty, coming forward, the
+red rays of the setting sun streaming upon her glorious figure, and her
+face, which was bright with loveliness exceeding all mortal beauty. It
+was the first time that the wounded boy had ever received <em>her</em> praise;
+and how sweet fell its accents from her lips, those lips that falsehood
+never had stained!</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
+"We were coming to see you," said gentle Affection, "and met these our
+young friends on the way."</p>
+
+<p>"Coming to see me!" cried the invalid; "poor, helpless, ruined sufferer
+that I am!"</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said Affection, with a beaming smile, "speak not so gloomily of
+your state. I bring you the refreshing draught of Hope, to revive your
+spirits and restore your strength!"</p>
+
+<p>As Affection spoke she poured out from a phial into a glass a sparkling
+effervescing liquid. Dick took it eagerly from her hand, and as he drank
+it as if drinking in life, Affection continued thus to address
+him:&mdash;"You will soon recover from the effects of your accident, and be
+able with new vigour and energy to refurnish your own little cottage.
+You will easily make up for lost time; indeed, the loss which you have
+sustained is not so great as has been represented. Look with a hopeful
+eye on the future, with a thankful eye on the past; he cannot be very
+ignorant who is instructed by Duty, nor very poor who has at his command
+all the treasures of Affection!"</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
+<a name="xxviii" id="xxviii"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII.<br />
+<small>EXPECTATION.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap28.jpg" width="100" height="163" alt="V" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">ERY bright and beautiful was the day on which Dame Desley returned to
+her family. The sun rose in the morning in full glory, all surrounded
+with rosy clouds. The breath of the air was soft and sweet as that of
+balmy Spring, and Autumn could only be known by the splendid mantle of
+yellow, red, and brown, which she had thrown over the trees and bushes.
+Even brook Bother itself seemed to sparkle and dance in the sunbeams,
+and the white houses of Education reflected the cheerful light.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly rose early, her heart bounding with delight, and made everything
+ready in her cottage to welcome the mother whom she loved. As she was
+busily rubbing up some of her furniture-facts till they shone as
+brightly as mirrors, poor Lubin joined his sister, looking disconsolate
+and dull.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
+"Nelly," said he, rubbing his forehead, "I'm afraid that my cottage is
+not well furnished. I've no table, and scarcely a chair, my carpet is
+all in a muddle, and I'm afraid that my dear mother will be
+disappointed&mdash;even disgusted."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly did not know what to reply, so she only shook her head gravely.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think, Nelly, that I'd have time to rush off to Education this
+morning and bring back a table, bed, and a couple of chairs on my back?"</p>
+
+<p>Though Nelly was really sorry for her brother, she could hardly help
+smiling at the idea of fat little Lubin puffing, panting, and blowing,
+under such a formidable burden. "I fear that you have no time to-day,"
+she replied, "for even one journey to the town of Education. We expect
+our dear mother early, and we all, except poor Dick, who is not strong
+enough yet, are going to meet her on the road."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin rubbed his forehead harder than before. "Had it not been for that
+thief Procrastination!" he exclaimed,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"And Amusement Bazaar," suggested Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," exclaimed Lubin, half ready to cry, "what a stupid donkey I have
+been!"</p>
+
+<p>"I wish," said the pitying Nelly, "that we were allowed to help each
+other more. Not that I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> much furniture to spare, but how gladly
+would I give of that little!"</p>
+
+<p>"That's impossible," sighed poor Lubin; "and even if you could stuff my
+empty cottage with a dozen or so of your facts, that would not hide the
+horrible <span class="smcap">DUNCE</span> which Mr. Learning scrawled on my wall. To think of
+mother's seeing it! ugh! how dreadfully shocked she will be!" and Lubin
+gave his forehead an actual bang, as if to punish it for his own
+neglect.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Lubin dear," said Nelly in a soothing tone, "we may regret the
+mistakes of the past, but let them only make us more anxious to do more
+with our future hours. You will begin to work hard to-morrow, and carry
+away a good store from Arithmetic or General Knowledge."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe the first thing that I should do," observed the rueful boy,
+"is to master that ladder of Spelling."</p>
+
+<p>"True, you will never get on without that," said Nelly. "I daresay with
+patience and pains you will get a well-furnished house after all."</p>
+
+<p>Poor Lubin looked only half comforted; but hearing a slow, feeble step,
+he hastened with Nelly to support Dick, and lead him to his comfortable
+arm-chair.</p>
+
+<p>"So mother is coming to-day, and you are all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> going to meet her," said
+the pale boy, with a languid smile.</p>
+
+<p>"You will wait and welcome her here, dear brother," said Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Dick, with quiet sadness; "I will await her in my own poor
+cottage, it is there that she expects to see me. Will you kindly support
+me thither? I have just enough strength to cross the sward."</p>
+
+<p>"But&mdash;" began Lubin, and stopped short.</p>
+
+<p>"Why should you go there," said Nelly, "when you are so welcome to
+remain where you are? and&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I know what you are thinking," observed Dick; "you think that I will
+not be able to bear looking on the change and the ruin. But it is
+better, Nelly, that I should see all. I have needed the bitter lesson. I
+would rather go thither at once, and accustom myself to the sight before
+my dear mother arrives."</p>
+
+<p>As the boy was evidently in earnest, Lubin and Nelly made no further
+objections. Dick, supported by them on either side, soon crossed over to
+his cottage, and was placed in one of the chairs which had been brought
+out of his own little kitchen, that room having quite escaped the
+effects of the fire. Dick looked sadly but calmly around him.</p>
+
+<p>"See," said Nelly, "matters are not so bad after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> all. The curtains are
+gone, and some of the facts, but the grate, fire-irons, and fender are
+as good as ever, they only want a little rubbing up. A great part of the
+carpet is safe, and all your purchases from Grammar's Bazaar happened to
+be stowed in the kitchen, so you see that they have not suffered at all.
+When you get a little strength, dear Dick, you will soon make everything
+right; a few new purchases will render your cottage as beautiful as it
+was before the fire."</p>
+
+<p>Dick smiled, and pressed the hand of his sister.</p>
+
+<p>Matty now rushed in, all in a flutter. "I'm so glad that you have not
+started!" she exclaimed. "I could not have endured not to have been
+amongst the first to welcome my mother!"</p>
+
+<p>"Go then, go all," said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not like to leave you alone here," observed Nelly, lingering by
+the chair of her brother.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not be dull," replied Dick; "the bird Content is singing in
+your home, and I shall listen here to his strains. I should rather be
+alone for awhile; there is little chance now that my quiet will be
+disturbed either by Pride or Miss Folly."</p>
+
+<p>So Lubin and his sisters departed, Dick remaining behind, rather
+thoughtful than sad. He was a changed boy from what he had been at the
+time when he had bounded over the brook, bearing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> ladder of Spelling
+aloft; or when he had laughed at Lubin for his struggle with Alphabet,
+the strong little dwarf. Dick had become weak, so he could feel for
+weakness; an accident had swept away the best part of his wealth, so
+that he had a fellow-feeling for the poor. Dick had become more gentle,
+more humble, more kind; that which he had deemed a terrible misfortune,
+that which had laid him on a bed of sickness, had been in truth one of
+the happiest events of his life. He had gained much more than he had
+lost.</p>
+
+<p>Dick sat for some time in eager expectation of his mother's arrival,
+listening to every noise, and keeping his watchful eye on the road which
+he could see through the open door. At last there was a sound as of
+advancing steps and eager voices; weak as he still was, Dick sprang to
+his feet, and in another minute, to his great delight, he was clasped to
+the heart of his mother.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>
+<a name="xxix" id="xxix"></a>CHAPTER XXIX.<br />
+<small>EMPTY AND FURNISHED.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap29.jpg" width="100" height="186" alt="&ldquo;Y" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">OU find the poor cottage in a sad state," was Dick's melancholy
+observation, as his mother, after the first loving greeting, seated
+herself at his side, holding his thin hand in her own, and looking
+tenderly at his pale features.</p>
+
+<p>"O mother, if you had only seen it before the fire!" exclaimed Nelly;
+"it was beautiful&mdash;quite beautiful&mdash;so much better furnished than any of
+ours!"</p>
+
+<p>"It will be beautiful again," said Dame Desley, cheerfully; "my boy only
+wants a little more Time-money when his strength is perfectly restored.
+And I can see," she added, rising and opening the back-door, through
+which she could view the garden, "that great pains were once taken
+here."</p>
+
+<p>"I have not been able to attend to it since my illness," said Dick; "but
+as soon as I am able<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> to set to work again, I will try to get all into
+order."</p>
+
+<p>"I must now go and examine the other cottages," said Dame Desley; "I
+noticed as I came here that the wall of Matty's had been scorched, and
+that the new thatch which has been put on does not look quite so well as
+the old; but I hear that the inside has sustained no harm, and I shall
+now examine with pleasure the furniture bought by my child."</p>
+
+<p>As Dame Desley was proceeding to the next cottage, which, as we all
+know, was that of Lubin, whom should she meet but Mr. Learning, cane in
+hand, and spectacles on nose, with a white box under his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, what on earth brings him here just now!" exclaimed Lubin to Nelly,
+ready to stamp with vexation; "as if it were not bad enough to have
+mother examining my poor empty cottage, without having him to look on
+all the time through those horrid spectacles, that will magnify every
+defect. Just hear now how mother is thanking him for all that he has
+done for her children, and see what a sly meaning glance he is casting
+at me, looking through his glasses, as much as to say&mdash;'There's one
+stupid dunce of a fellow; I could never make anything of him.'"</p>
+
+<p>"You will do better in future," whispered Nelly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> as she went forward to
+shake hands with Mr. Learning, who benignantly smiled at his pupil.</p>
+
+<p>"We will go in here first," said Dame Desley; "Lubin, dear, come to my
+side."</p>
+
+<p>The poor boy would gladly have kept back, and had some thoughts of
+running away down the hill, so grievously was he ashamed that his mother
+and guardian should see what little use he had made of his hours. He
+dared not, however, disobey; so with Dame Desley on one side, and
+stately Mr. Learning on the other, feeling like a culprit between two
+constables, he entered his ill-furnished cottage.</p>
+
+<p>Dame Desley looked to the right hand, and then she looked to the left;
+and the longer she looked the longer grew her face, and the graver the
+expression which it wore. There was a terribly awkward silence. Nelly
+felt quite uncomfortable, and Lubin stood twisting the button on his
+jacket, and wishing himself up to the neck in brook Bother, or anywhere
+but at home. At last the mother spoke, but her accents were those of
+displeasure.</p>
+
+<p>"What can you have done, stupid boy, with all your minutes and hours?"</p>
+
+<p>"I gave some to my shopping&mdash;" whimpered Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" growled Mr. Learning.</p>
+
+<p>"Very few, I fear," said Dame Desley.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+"Procrastination picked my pocket of some, and&mdash;and&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I suspect that the frequenters of Amusement's Bazaar could tell us
+where the best part have gone," said Mr. Learning with freezing
+severity. "You have thrown away your minutes and your hours upon balls,
+ninepins, marbles, and lollypops."</p>
+
+<p>What could poor Lubin reply? He knew that the accusation was too true.
+His distress reached its height on his seeing that the eyes of his
+mother were resting on the big <span class="smcap">dunce</span>, which stared in black letters from
+the wall.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, that I could pummel Mr. Learning for writing it up there!" thought
+Lubin.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder that you do not blush to look at that!" exclaimed Dame Desley,
+in high displeasure. "This very day you must be off to Mr. Reading's,
+and get a respectable paper to cover that shameful wall."</p>
+
+<p>"And don't forget the ladder of Spelling," cried Mr. Learning; "there's
+nothing to be done without that."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly, who saw that Lubin's face was growing as red as the feathers of
+Parade, now timidly came forward to try and draw attention from the
+unhappy sluggard. "Dear mother, I hope that you remember that you have
+other cottages to see," she said, placing her hand in that of Dame
+Desley.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
+"And I hope that I shall find them very different indeed from this,"
+said the disappointed parent, as she crossed over the way to Matty's.</p>
+
+<p>The little owner ran on in front, with mingled feelings of hope and
+fear. She knew that her home was not empty; that the furniture looked
+very gay; but she could not help suspecting that her mother, and yet
+more the sage Mr. Learning, might think some of it tawdry and worthless.
+Flinging the door wide open to admit her guests, Matty ran in so
+hurriedly to put a piece of furniture straight, that her foot was caught
+in her unfastened carpet, and down she fell on her nose.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear child, I hope that you're not hurt," cried Dame Desley.</p>
+
+<p>Matty jumped up, rubbed her nose, and said that it was "nothing," though
+looking extremely annoyed at such a beginning to the survey.</p>
+
+<p>"What a hole you have torn in the carpet!" cried her mother. "Why, it is
+not fastened down with nails; you must be in danger of tripping every
+minute."</p>
+
+<p>"Such a carpet!" exclaimed Learning, with contempt, kicking it up with
+his heel.</p>
+
+<p>"And what a paper!" cried the mother; "as shabby as it is gaudy, and all
+with the damp showing through."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
+"But I have some things very pretty indeed," said Matty, in rather a
+petulant tone; for she could not bear that any fault should be found
+with her beautiful cottage. "I'm sure that the porcelain jars on the
+mantelpiece are fit for the palace of a princess; and just look at my
+gilded French mirror, and my elegant tambourine."</p>
+
+<p>Dame Desley appeared by no means as much delighted at these fine things
+as her daughter had expected; and Mr. Learning dryly observed, "I see
+that you have troubled Mr. Arithmetic, the ironmonger, as little as Mr.
+History, the carpet manufacturer; and however pretty your fancy articles
+may be, I must just venture to remark that a poker is more useful than
+porcelain, a mat than a gilded French mirror, and that, though a
+tambourine may be charming, it can't supply the place of a table."</p>
+
+<p>"Your furniture also looks so light and fragile," observed Dame Desley,
+"that I should be almost afraid to use it."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, it does exceedingly well," cried the mortified Matty, tossing
+herself down on a chair, to show that her mother was mistaken. She had
+chosen, however, an unfortunate way of displaying the strength of her
+furniture; the luckless chair gave way with a crash, and Matty came down
+with a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> thumping blow&mdash;not this time on her nose, but on the back of her
+head.</p>
+
+<p>More hurt than she had been by her former tumble, and yet more mortified
+than hurt, the poor child began to cry. Dame Desley and Nelly ran to
+raise her, while Mr. Learning, grave as he usually was, could hardly
+refrain from laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"She has quite a bump on her poor head!" cried Nelly. "Dear Matty! what
+can we do for her?"</p>
+
+<p>"Get me the pink salve from the mantelpiece," sobbed Matty. Her sister
+hurried to the place as fast as she could.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me see it first," said Dame Desley, examining the little china pot,
+which was labelled, "<span class="smcap">Flattery Salve</span>, <em>patronized by the nobility and
+gentry. Warranted to heal all manner of bruises and sores.</em>"</p>
+
+<p>"Where did you get this?" inquired the mother. Matty whimpered out that
+she had had it from Miss Folly.</p>
+
+<p>"Let Miss Folly keep her own trash to herself!" cried the indignant
+dame, flinging the little pot out of the window; "that is a most
+dangerous salve: its effect is often that of injuring the brain,
+weakening the senses&mdash;producing dizziness and delirium! Bring a little
+cold water, Nelly; that is a far better thing to apply to a bump on the
+head like this."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>
+"I am afraid," observed Mr. Learning, as the simple remedy was tried
+with effect, "that Matty, quick and ready a pupil as she is, will have
+almost as much to do as Lubin before her cottage is really well
+furnished. She had better at once commence the work of getting rid of
+the trash; and I should recommend her to make a famous large bonfire of
+it to celebrate her mother's return."</p>
+
+<p>Poor Matty, who had at first eyed with mingled curiosity and hope the
+white box under the arm of her guardian&mdash;believing that it must contain
+the silver crown of Success&mdash;felt her heart sink at these words; and
+with drooping head and melancholy mien, she went with her companions to
+the cottage adjoining.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>
+<a name="xxx" id="xxx"></a>CHAPTER XXX.<br />
+<small>FRUITS OF NEEDLEWORK.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap30.jpg" width="100" height="165" alt="&ldquo;N" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">OW this is what I should call neat&mdash;neat, and not gaudy," said Dame
+Desley, as she stood in the doorway of Nelly's home, and surveyed with a
+pleased eye the perfect order of the place. "The fire-irons bright,
+though small&mdash;the paper chosen with judgment&mdash;everything needful, though
+there is little to spare&mdash;each article in its proper place, and neat and
+good of its kind." Oh, how delightful to Nelly was the praise which she
+had fairly earned by self-denying labour!</p>
+
+<p>"Considering that Nelly is lame&mdash;that she has never been gifted either
+with quickness or strength, I have every reason," observed Mr. Learning,
+"to be satisfied with what she has done."</p>
+
+<p>"And what a beautiful bird; and how tame!" cried Dame Desley, as
+Content, recognizing a friend, hopped lightly down to her finger.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>
+"That was the gift of my dear friend, Duty," said Nelly.</p>
+
+<p>"A friend whom you cannot prize too much, or follow too closely,"
+observed her mother.</p>
+
+<p>"Here she comes herself!" cried Nelly in joyful surprise, "and sweet
+Affection behind her! They have doubtless come here to-day to welcome
+home my dear mother."</p>
+
+<p>The meeting was a very joyous one. Duty and Affection had for many years
+been the valued friends of Dame Desley.</p>
+
+<p>After the first words of greeting had passed between them, Affection
+inquired whether the dame had seen the gardens of her daughters, and
+looked at their needlework plants.</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet, but I am going to examine them," replied the mother.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us all come together!" said Duty.</p>
+
+<p>With a very low bow of respect, Mr. Learning offered his arm to the
+noble maiden; Affection rested one hand on Dame Desley's, and, smiling,
+held out the other to Nelly; Lubin and Matty followed behind&mdash;the boy
+somewhat sulky and sad, but the girl with reviving spirits. Matty was a
+little jealous of the praises which her sister had received; but she
+expected in the garden, if not in the cottage, to be found far superior
+to poor, lame Nelly.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
+The gardens of Nelly and Matty were divided from each other only by a
+box-hedge, which was scarcely three inches high. The party, though
+entering from Nelly's back-door, went immediately into the garden of her
+sister, as Dame Desley thought that it was right to attend first to that
+of the elder.</p>
+
+<p>Both gardens won a fair meed of praise. Matty, as has before been
+mentioned, happened to be fond of geographical flowers; and while the
+arrangement of the two gardens was equally neat and correct, Matty had
+certainly a larger number of countries and capitals to display.</p>
+
+<p>"I should not wonder," whispered Matty to Lubin, "if I were to win the
+silver crown of Success after all."</p>
+
+<p>Lubin's only answer was a sigh; for he knew that he had lost all chance
+of getting the prize.</p>
+
+<p>"And now for the needlework plants," said Dame Desley, approaching the
+garden-wall.</p>
+
+<p>Every one uttered an exclamation of pleasure on beholding Matty's
+beautiful creeper. Ripe fruits, with rosy down like that upon the peach,
+hung on its twining boughs, looking lovelier by contrast with its green
+and shining leaves. Matty plucked one, and offered it to her mother. The
+dame quickly removed the rind, and a delicate little bead-purse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> met her
+admiring gaze. It was of pink and gold, with tiny tassels to match.
+Matty pulled another fruit from the bough, and it offered to view a
+pretty bead-mat, with a pattern of flowers upon it.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that is a fine plant!" observed Mr. Learning, admiration in his
+spectacled eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Matty triumphantly squeezed Lubin's arm. "I think that I shall get the
+prize," she whispered. "I should have been sure of it if that stupid
+chair had not given me such an unfortunate tumble. How ugly Nelly's
+plant looks yonder, with its large, coarse, prickly stem; and it grows
+so close to the ground. I should be ashamed to have such a thing in my
+garden!"</p>
+
+<p>"Now for Nelly's needlework," said Affection.</p>
+
+<p>The whole party moved on to the spot, when they saw a plant&mdash;not
+beautiful, it must be owned, but with three fruits, as big as pumpkins,
+resting upon the ground, half covered with large green leaves.</p>
+
+<p>"Shall I pluck one?" said Nelly, modestly.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us see it," replied Mr. Learning.</p>
+
+<p>Nelly stooped, and broke from its stalk the smallest of the fruits. It
+was so ripe that the rind burst open in her hands, and out dropped a cap
+as white as snow, with a number of delicate frills all neatly hemmed and
+gathered. With a smile and a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> blush, Nelly presented her little offering
+to her mother, while a murmur of approbation sounded from all around.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, how useful this will be!" exclaimed Dame Desley; "this fruit is
+charming indeed!"</p>
+
+<p>"Let us see the others," said Duty, bending forward to gaze.</p>
+
+<p>Again Nelly stooped and raised the ripe fruit; again it burst open in
+her grasp. She pulled out an apron, very prettily made, with neat little
+pockets in front!</p>
+
+<p>"The very thing that I have been wanting!" cried the dame, putting it on
+with pleasure and pride.</p>
+
+<p>"There's more yet to be seen," said Mr. Learning.</p>
+
+<p>The third fruit was so very big, that but for the assistance of both
+Duty and Affection, Nelly would hardly have known how to manage. It was
+not quite so ripe as the others, and would not come readily from the
+thick stalk, and the rind did not burst open as those of the two first
+had done.</p>
+
+<p>"How can we see what is in it?" cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>"Something very good is in it, no doubt," said Affection; and Duty,
+pulling a pair of scissors out of her pocket, soon decided the question.
+A great hole was made in the rind, and all the party pressed round with
+curiosity to watch the little girl, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> now began slowly to draw out
+the gray contents of the fruit.</p>
+
+<p>"I say," exclaimed Lubin, "what's that long thing?&mdash;it looks for all the
+world like a sleeve."</p>
+
+<p>"The body is coming after," cried Matty.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, sure enough it was coming, body and skirt and all&mdash;a nice, new,
+warm dress, for Dame Desley to wear through the approaching winter.</p>
+
+<p>When the whole of the huge fruit was emptied, and the gown held up by
+Affection, there was a general clapping of hands, in admiration of the
+wonderful plant. Matty alone looked coldly upon it, and observed in a
+low tone to Lubin, that such a dress as that would certainly never be
+worn by Lady Fashion.</p>
+
+<p>"Nor made by her most particular friend," laughed Lubin, who had half
+forgotten his own troubles in Nelly's triumph. "Depend upon it that a
+sensible dress like that was never stitched by Miss Folly."</p>
+
+<p>"We may congratulate Nelly," said Duty, "upon the success of her
+Plain-work. I wish that every girl in the land had such a plant in her
+garden."</p>
+
+<p>"I think that none of us can doubt," observed Mr. Learning, taking the
+white box from under his arm, "which of our four young friends has made
+the best use of Time-money&mdash;which has best deserved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> the crown of
+Success." And opening the box, he took out a most elegant wreath of
+leaves worked in filigree silver, and made an attempt to place it on the
+head of the blushing Nelly. But the little girl modestly shrank back.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no!" cried Nelly; "it is not for me. It would not be right, it
+would not be fair, that poor Dick should lose what he had fairly earned,
+because Folly set his furniture on fire. Lubin can witness, Matty can
+witness, that his cottage was far better furnished than mine before the
+accident happened. Indeed the crown ought to be his. I could not bear to
+deprive him of it."</p>
+
+<p>Duty smiled kindly at the little pleader; Affection stooped down and
+gave her a kiss.</p>
+
+<p>"I must say," observed honest Lubin, in answer to Nelly's appeal, "that
+none of us cut such a dash as Dick did before that unlucky explosion."</p>
+
+<p>"Nelly," said Mr. Learning, with a most benevolent air, "the crown is
+yours&mdash;I give it to you. You may bear it to your brother, if you will."</p>
+
+<p>The lame girl waited for no further permission, but hurried off at the
+greatest speed which she could command, to carry to another the prize
+which she herself might have worn.</p>
+
+<p>"After all, I believe that Nelly <em>has</em> deserved all the praise and love
+which she has won," sighed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> disappointed Matty, her jealousy
+conquered by the example of generous self-denial which she saw in her
+younger sister.</p>
+
+<p>The party quickly followed the steps of Nelly Desley to the cottage of
+Dick&mdash;Lubin assisting his mother to carry the various gifts of his
+sisters. Affection quitted the rest for a few minutes in order to direct
+the movements of some attendants, who were spreading a table in the open
+air, in the space between the cottages. They were making preparations
+for a banquet, designed as a pleasant surprise for the Desleys upon
+their mother's return. The treat was given by Duty and Affection upon
+the joyful occasion, and especially intended to honour the wearer of the
+crown of Success.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
+<a name="xxxi" id="xxxi"></a>CHAPTER XXXI.<br />
+<small>THE CROWN OF SUCCESS.</small></h2>
+
+<div class="figleft3" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/chap31.jpg" width="100" height="173" alt="&ldquo;M" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="cap">INE, Nelly! no, it can never be mine!" exclaimed Dick, resisting with
+emotion the efforts of his sister to place the crown on his head.</p>
+
+<p>"It was to be for the one who had made the best use of his hours," said
+Nelly; "it is fairly yours, for none of our furniture could be compared
+to that which you brought from the town. It was not your fault that an
+accident destroyed what had cost you so many good hours, nor is it right
+that you should suffer a double loss from the fire."</p>
+
+<p>"There might have been reason in what you say," observed the pale
+invalid, "if the accident had indeed been owing to no error of my own.
+Nay, Nelly, you must not prevent me from telling the whole truth. It is
+best that I should speak, and that all these my friends should hear."
+Dame<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> Desley, her children, and her guests, were all standing around the
+boy. "If," continued Dick, "I had obeyed the voice of my mother&mdash;if I
+had turned my back upon Pride, and not attempted, at his bidding, things
+that I was not able to perform&mdash;if he had not introduced me to Folly,
+whom I encouraged, although I despised her&mdash;the explosion would never
+have taken place, I should have suffered no shame and loss. I am willing
+to bear the consequences of my own wilfulness and presumption. I should
+blush to wear the crown of Success, which I feel that I do not merit.
+Let me see it on your brow, dear Nelly; its proper place is there. Next
+to the pleasure of winning it myself, is that of knowing that it belongs
+to one who so richly deserves it."</p>
+
+<p>Nelly was no longer able to resist. <a name="the" id="the"></a>The sparkling crown was placed on
+her brow. Lubin congratulated her with frank kindness, and even Matty
+felt that she had no right to complain. The reflection, however, passed
+through the mind of the girl, "All this honour and pleasure might have
+been mine, had I never listened to Folly!"</p>
+
+<p>And now Mr. Learning came forward, and stood in the centre of the
+circle, leaning one hand on the arm-chair of Dick, while with the other
+he motioned for silence. It was clear, from his preparatory cough, that
+the sage was going to make a speech.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
+"My friends," he began, in his distinct, solemn tone, glancing benignly
+around, "we are all met together on a happy occasion. We see merit
+rewarded with success, and patient obedience to Duty achieving more than
+talent or genius. Before we proceed to the banquet to which our fair
+friends have invited us, let me mention before all my intentions in
+regard to the future year. When twelve months have run their course I
+will again return to this place, again look for a kindly welcome, again
+examine the cottages here. If I find that Dick has made up for the
+past&mdash;that Matty, giving up all connection with Folly, has furnished
+wisely and well&mdash;that Lubin, by steady perseverance, has made all forget
+that the word <span class="smcap">DUNCE</span> was ever inscribed on his wall&mdash;not only one, but
+all and each of my young friends shall receive a crown of Success."</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Lubin, who had just been forming a number of
+good resolutions. A smile of pleasure lit up the pale features of Dick;
+and Matty, in expectation, already felt the silver crown on her head.</p>
+
+<p>"And now," said graceful Duty, "let Mr. Learning conduct our Nelly to
+the feast prepared, as she is Queen of the day."</p>
+
+<p>Even Dick, as if gaining fresh strength from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> sight of the pleasant
+company around him, was able, leaning on his mother, to join the
+cheerful circle that on that beautiful autumnal day gathered around the
+board. Conversation flowed freely, nothing painful was recalled, no one
+whispered about Pride, no one mentioned Miss Folly. Brightly sparkled
+the beverage of Hope, foaming and bubbling in the glass; and every one
+who has tasted it knows what a delicious beverage it is. The stores of
+Amusement had been half emptied to furnish sweetmeats and cakes for the
+table; and Affection had provided a large quantity of the dried fruits
+of sweet Recollections. Merry were the smiles that were exchanged; merry
+the jests that were made; merriest of all the loud song of Content, as
+he warbled his lay of delight, fluttering round the head of her who wore
+the silver crown of Success.</p>
+
+<hr class="hr2" />
+
+<p>And I now would gather around me my readers, to make them a little
+address ere we part. I see them in my mind's eye&mdash;from the school-boy
+with jacket and cap, who has thought it a condescension to read such
+"childish stuff," to the little curly-headed urchin in tartan frock,
+who, when taking a drive with mamma, asks whether the little stream
+which he passes be not "the real brook Bother." There is the tall elder
+sister, who only reads aloud<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> "to amuse the children;" and the girl who
+"hates all lessons;" and the little laughing fairy who expects some day
+to see dwarf Alphabet standing at the door of a shop. It is not hard to
+make a speech when no one can see the speaker. So, without blushing, or
+coughing, or stammering, A. L. O. E. addresses her readers.</p>
+
+<p>Have not you, my friends, been reading in my story of persons and scenes
+with which you yourselves are familiar? Have you not each a nice little
+head to furnish, and Time-money to pay for your purchases? And do not
+all your best friends recommend you to go to the good town of Education?
+Do not you know the muddy brook Bother? Have you not crossed it on the
+plank of Patience; or have you never&mdash;pray pardon the question&mdash;gone
+floundering right into the middle? I am pretty sure that you have paid
+toll to Alphabet, the stout little dwarf; that you have felt how
+troublesome and tedious it is to climb Multiplication staircase; that
+you have examined Reading's fine shop; glanced at Arithmetic's grates
+and fire-irons; and probably tumbled many a time from that awkward
+ladder of Spelling. Have I not amongst my young audience a clever Dick,
+a lazy Lubin, a silly Matty, and a lame little child like Nelly? Each
+reader must judge for himself which character most resembles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> his own,
+and let each kindly accept a suitable word of advice.</p>
+
+<p>Clever reader! beware of Pride. Don't let him lurk behind your
+door&mdash;don't let him lead you to cut either your fingers or your friends,
+by attempting things for which you are not fitted, or by looking down
+upon companions not gifted with powers like your own. Do not despise
+Patience, or think that you are too clever to need it. It is not the
+quickest or sharpest pupil that really spends Time to best purpose.
+Often has the haughty, self-willed genius been found to forfeit the
+crown of Success.</p>
+
+<p>Lazy reader! you who love play far better than work, and are tempted to
+vote Education, its tradesmen, its family of Ologies, and all, as the
+greatest bores in the world, beware of Procrastination&mdash;beware of the
+thief of Time&mdash;beware of putting off till to-morrow what ought to be
+done to-day. Can you bear to see that word <span class="smcap">dunce</span> so terribly distinct on
+your wall? Can you bear to throw away on nothing but Amusement those
+precious hours and minutes which, well employed, might gain for you the
+silver crown of Success?</p>
+
+<p>Silly reader!&mdash;but here I must pause, for it is probable that no little
+girl glancing over my pages will accept the title as her own. Yet, if
+she know<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> Miss Folly, delight in her gossiping prate, dress according to
+her fanciful taste, and value her poisonous salve, she must really
+excuse me for classing her with our poor, conceited young Matty. There
+are thousands and tens of thousands, I fear, of such silly girls in the
+world (some of them may <em>possibly</em> be amongst my readers), who would
+furnish their heads with bubbles, and neglect the good for the gay. To
+such I would utter a gentle warning. Folly can never lead you to real
+happiness or real usefulness in the world. She may promise you pleasures
+for a moment; but her pleasures either vanish into air, or leave pain
+and vexation behind. Then shut her out from your home; give her idle
+fancies no room. Let your dress be sober, neat, and quiet&mdash;suited to the
+station in which you are placed. Girls who deck themselves out to be
+admired remind us of the cockatoo Parade, puffing out its red feathers,
+and always repeating the cry, "Ain't I fine? ain't I fine?" Let your
+furniture be useful and solid; water well the plant of Plain-work. It is
+not the fanciful, frivolous miss who merits the crown of Success.</p>
+
+<p>But, perhaps, amongst my audience are several who may be described as
+lame, from the difficulty with which they make their way to the town of
+Education. They can hardly climb up hill Puzzle,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> and are often tempted
+to sit down in despair by the swollen waters of Bother! Courage, my dear
+young friends! Resolute perseverance will yet win the crown of Success.
+If you keep your eye upon Duty, and bravely follow where she would
+lead&mdash;if, guided by gentle Affection, you steadily pursue a right
+course&mdash;you will conquer difficulties at last, be useful, honoured, and
+beloved.</p>
+
+<p>But if you would further know <em>how</em> to find out Duty, and, having found
+her, how to get strength and courage to follow her precepts, remember,
+dear friends, what was the best gift that even Affection could offer.
+There is something better than human knowledge&mdash;something stronger than
+mortal efforts&mdash;something more precious than earthly Success! Oh, make
+it your own, for only when that is possessed will the bird Content fold
+its silver wings, and rest in your bosoms for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#con">Back to contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>The "Little Hazel" Series.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="center b">EIGHT VOLUMES BY THE AUTHOR OF "LITTLE HAZEL."</p>
+
+<p class="center b">Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 1s. 6d. each.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Little Frida;</strong> or, The King's Messenger. By the Author of "Little Hazel,
+the King's Messenger," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>The story of a little girl who was found by a woodcutter in the
+Black Forest in Germany, and was taken to his home and brought
+up there by his kind-hearted wife along with her own children.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Crown of Glory;</strong> or, "Faithful unto Death." A Scottish Story of
+Martyr Times. By the Author of "Little Hazel, the King's Messenger."</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale, founded on history, regarding the first medical
+missionary in Scotland.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Guiding Pillar.</strong> A Story for the Young. By the Author of "Under the
+Old Oaks; or, Won by Love."</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>An interesting tale for the young, illustrating the sure
+guidance of the pillar-cloud of Providence for all willing to
+follow in humble faith.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Little Hazel, the King's Messenger.</strong> By the Author of "Little Snowdrop
+and Her Golden Casket," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A story for the young, showing what a Christian child may do.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Little Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket.</strong> By the Author of "Little Hazel,
+the King's Messenger," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale for the young, illustrative of the preciousness of
+Scripture promises.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Royal Banner</strong>; or, Gold and Rubies. A Story for the Young. By the
+Author of "Little Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A well-written story of home and school life. Cannot fail to
+prove interesting.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>"Thy Kingdom Come."</strong> A Tale for Boys and Girls.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Under the Old Oaks;</strong> or, Won by Love. By the Author of "Little Hazel, the
+King's Messenger," etc.</p>
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<p class="center b">UNIFORM WITH "LITTLE HAZEL" SERIES.</p>
+
+<p><strong>Little Tora, the Swedish Schoolmistress;</strong> And Other Stories. By Mrs.
+<span class="smcap">Woods Baker</span>, Author of "The Swedish Twins," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Charming idyllic pictures of Swedish life."&mdash;<em>Scotsman.</em></p></div>
+
+<p><strong>A Helping Hand.</strong> By <span class="smcap">M. B. Synge</span>, Author of "A Child of the Mews," etc.</p>
+
+<p><strong>Archie's Chances.</strong> By the Author of "The Spanish Brothers," etc. With
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p><strong>Alive in the Jungle.</strong> A Story for the Young. By <span class="smcap">Eleanor Stredder</span>, Author
+of "Jack and His Ostrich," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A fascinating story of child-snatching by a wolf, of the life
+led by the child in the wolf's lair, and of the cunning device
+of a native hunter to effect the rescue of the child.</p></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>The A. L. O. E. Series.</h2>
+
+<p class="center b">Crown 8vo Volumes. Cloth extra, 4s. each; gilt edges, 5s. each.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Exiles in Babylon;</strong> or, Children of Light. With Thirty-four
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A lively tale, in which are skilfully introduced lectures on the
+history of Daniel.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Hebrew Heroes.</strong> A Tale founded on Jewish History. With Twenty-eight
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A story founded on that stirring period of Jewish history, the
+wars of Judas Maccab&aelig;us. The tale is beautifully and truthfully
+told, and presents a faithful picture of the period and the
+people.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Pictures of St. Peter in an English Home.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"A. L. O. E. invokes the aid of entertaining dialogue, and
+probably may have more readers than all the other writers on St.
+Peter put together.... The book is brilliantly
+written."&mdash;<em>Presbyterian Messenger.</em></p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Rescued from Egypt.</strong> With Twenty-eight Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>An interesting tale, toned and improved by illustrations from
+the history of Moses and the people of Israel.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Shepherd of Bethlehem.</strong> With Forty Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A charming tale, including cottage lectures on the history of
+David, which the incidents of the story illustrate.</p></div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<p class="center b">Price 2s. 6d. each; with gilt edges, 3s. each.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Beyond the Black Waters.</strong> A Tale.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A story illustrating the truth that "sorrow tracketh wrong," and
+that there can be no peace of conscience till sin has been
+confessed both to God and man, and forgiveness obtained. The
+scene is laid chiefly in Burma.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Blacksmith of Boniface Lane.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale having a historical basis. The incidents and characters
+are portrayed with all the freshness and picturesqueness common
+to A. L. O. E.'s works.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Claudia.</strong> A Tale.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale for the young. Difference between intellectual and
+spiritual life. Pride of intellect and self-confidence humbled,
+and true happiness gained at last along with true humility.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Cyril Ashley.</strong> A Tale.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>An English tale for young persons, illustrative of some of the
+practical lessons to be learned from the Scripture story of
+Jonah the prophet.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Driven into Exile.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"One of the best books we have ever received from our old friend
+A. L. O. E.... The pen-portraits in the book are deftly
+drawn."&mdash;<em>Christian Leader.</em></p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Forlorn Hope.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale, written in A. L. O. E.'s charming style, of the
+anti-slavery movement in America. Though an unhappy marriage and
+its consequences form the main topic of the book, the noble part
+played by W. L. Garrison in the emancipation of the negro is
+vividly sketched.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Giant-Killer</strong>; or, The Battle which All must Fight.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale for the young, illustrating "the battle which all must
+fight" with the Giants Sloth, Selfishness, Untruth, Hate, and
+Pride.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Harold's Bride.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>An interesting story, written in the author's characteristic
+style, and affording instructive glimpses of the hardships and
+dangers of missionary life in the rural districts of India.</p></div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<p class="center b">Crown 8vo Volumes. Cloth extra, 2s. 6d. each; gilt edges, 3s. each.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Haunted Room.</strong> A Tale.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>An interesting tale, intended to warn against nervous and
+superstitious fears and weakness, and show remedy of Christian
+courage and presence of mind.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Idols in the Heart.</strong> With Eight Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>The story of a young wife and stepmother. Idols in the
+family&mdash;pride, pleasure, self-will, and too blind
+affection&mdash;discovered and dethroned.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Iron Chain and the Golden.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A story founded on the struggle in England between the "regular"
+and the "secular" clergy during the reign of Henry the First.
+Interesting pictures are given of the life of the English people
+during the days of this early Norman king.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Lady of Provence</strong>; or, Humbled and Healed. A Tale of the First French
+Revolution.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A pious English girl made a blessing to her French mistress in
+the terrible scenes of the Revolution; illustrative of the
+Scripture story of Naaman, the Syrian general.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>On the Way;</strong> or, Places Passed by Pilgrims. With Twelve Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Pride and His Prisoners.</strong></p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Spanish Cavalier.</strong> With Eight Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Triumph Over Midian.</strong></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale for the young, illustrative of the Scripture history of
+Gideon.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Young Pilgrim.</strong> A Tale illustrating the "Pilgrim's Progress." With
+Twenty-seven Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A child's companion to the "Pilgrim's Progress." It is intended
+to bring the ideas of that wonderful allegory within the
+comprehension of the young mind.</p></div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<p class="center b">New Uniform Binding. Post 8vo Volumes. Price 2s. each.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The City of Nocross.</strong></p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Crown of Success;</strong> or, Four Heads to Furnish. With Eight
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Fairy Frisket;</strong> or, Peeps at Insect Life. With Upwards of Fifty
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Fairy Know-a-Bit;</strong> or, A Nutshell of Knowledge. With Upwards of Forty
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Holiday Chaplet of Stories.</strong> With Eight Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Precepts in Practice;</strong> or, Stories Illustrating the Proverbs. With
+Thirty-nine Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Silver Casket;</strong> or, The World and its Wiles. Illustrated.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Sunday Chaplet of Stories.</strong> With Eight Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>War and Peace.</strong> A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul in 1842. With Eight
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>A Wreath of Indian Stories.</strong></p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>Uniform with the "Little Hazel" Series.</h2>
+
+<p class="center b">Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 1s. 6d. each.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Academy Boys in Camp.</strong> By <span class="smcap">S. F. Spear</span>.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A capital story for boys. The characters and incidents are
+natural, and are sketched in a lively and attractive way.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>A Dog's Mission;</strong> or, The Story of the Old Avery House. And Other
+Stories. By <span class="smcap">Harriet Beecher Stowe</span>. With Illustrations.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Archie's Find.</strong> A Story of Australian Life. By <span class="smcap">Eleanor Stredder</span>, Author
+of "Jack and His Ostrich," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A pleasantly-written story of life in Australia. It tells how
+Archie accidentally discovered a gold-mine, and thus brought
+about important changes in more lives than one.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>At "The Hollies;"</strong> or, Staying with Auntie. By <span class="smcap">E. Tabor Stephenson</span>,
+Author of "When I was a Little Girl," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A tale for the young, full of instruction, and written in a
+picturesque style.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Aunt Bell</strong>, the Good Fairy of the Family. With the Story of Her
+Four-footed Black Guards. By <span class="smcap">Henley I. Arden</span>.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A capital book for the young. It shows the responsibility which
+attaches to the possession of great privileges, and the
+blessings of independence and leisure when used for the glory of
+God and the good of our neighbour.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Blind Brother;</strong> or, Lost in the Mine. A Story for the Young. By <span class="smcap">H.
+Greene</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Aunt Martha's Corner Cupboard.</strong> A Story for Little Boys and Girls. By M.
+and <span class="smcap">E. Kirby.</span> With numerous Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>Within the framework of a simple domestic story is comprised an
+account of the production of tea, coffee, sugar, etc.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Basket of Flowers.</strong> A Tale for the Young. With numerous
+Illustrations.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>The story of a pious German gardener and his daughter. Truth and
+honesty, after many trials, are rewarded at last.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>The Blind Girl;</strong> or, The Story of Little Vendla. By the Author of "The
+Swedish Twins," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A charming Swedish story, describing domestic life in a Swedish
+rural parsonage.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Breakers Ahead;</strong> or, Uncle Jack's Stories of Great Shipwrecks of Recent
+Times. By Mrs. <span class="smcap">Saxby</span>, Author of "Rock Bound," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A stirring narrative of the adventures and perils of a
+sea-faring life. Gives graphic accounts of the loss of the
+<em>Captain</em>, the <em>Cospatrick</em>, the <em>La Plata</em>, the <em>Strathmore</em>,
+etc.</p></div>
+
+<p class="hang"><strong>Black Gull Rock.</strong> A Story of the Cornish Wreckers. By <span class="smcap">Morice Gerard</span>,
+Author of "The Victoria Cross," etc.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>A book for girls. When a great ship is being lured to its fate
+on Black Gull Rock, some one suddenly fires the beacon on Beacon
+Hill, and the ship is saved. Who fired the beacon?</p></div>
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<p class="center b"><span class="smcap">T. Nelson and Sons</span>, London, Edinburgh, and New York.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CROWN OF SUCCESS***</p>
+<p>******* This file should be named 25516-h.txt or 25516-h.zip *******</p>
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+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/1/25516">http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/5/1/25516</a></p>
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Crown of Success, by Charlotte Maria
+Tucker
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Crown of Success
+
+
+Author: Charlotte Maria Tucker
+
+
+
+Release Date: May 18, 2008  [eBook #25516]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CROWN OF SUCCESS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Mark C. Orton, Linda McKeown, Jacqueline Jeremy, and
+the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+(https://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 25516-h.htm or 25516-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/1/25516/25516-h/25516-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/1/25516/25516-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS
+
+[Illustration: The sparkling crown was placed on her brow. _Page 213._]
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS
+
+by
+
+A. L. O. E.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Thomas Nelson and Sons
+London, Edinburgh, Dublin
+and New York
+
+
+
+
+_CONTENTS._
+
+         _I. The Dame's departure_,            7
+
+        _II. Mr. Learning at breakfast_,      12
+
+       _III. The Cottages of Head_,           16
+
+        _IV. Plain-work and Fancy-work_,      22
+
+         _V. Mr. Alphabet_,                   29
+
+        _VI. Mr. Reading's fine shop_,        35
+
+       _VII. The Ladder of Spelling_,         41
+
+      _VIII. Breaking down_,                  47
+
+        _IX. Mr. Learning's visit_,           55
+
+         _X. Dick's mishap_,                  63
+
+        _XI. Miss Folly_,                     69
+
+       _XII. A visit to Arithmetic_,          77
+
+      _XIII. The wonderful Boy_,              81
+
+       _XIV. The Thief of Time_,              90
+
+        _XV. Duty and Affection_,             95
+
+       _XVI. Grammar's Bazaar_,              102
+
+      _XVII. Pride and Folly_,               110
+
+     _XVIII. The Carpet of History_,         119
+
+       _XIX. Hammering in Dates_,            125
+
+        _XX. The pursued Bird_,              131
+
+       _XXI. Plans and Plots_,               136
+
+      _XXII. The Cockatoo, Parade_,          143
+
+     _XXIII. The Cage of Ambition_,          152
+
+      _XXIV. A visit to Mr. Chemistry_,      159
+
+       _XXV. A Lesson_,                      167
+
+      _XXVI. Hearing the Truth_,             177
+
+     _XXVII. A Brave Effort_,                185
+
+    _XXVIII. Expectation_,                   190
+
+      _XXIX. Empty and Furnished_,           196
+
+       _XXX. Fruits of Needlework_,          204
+
+      _XXXI. The Crown of Success_,          212
+
+
+
+
+_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS._
+
+    _The sparkling crown was placed on her brow_,     _Frontispiece_
+
+    _Nelly could hardly see the stepping-stones through
+    the thick leaves of the plant which she bore_,                27
+
+    _Miss folly went jabbering on: "Just try that bonnet
+    on your head,"_                                               73
+
+    _Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly paying their first visit
+    to Grammar's Bazaar_,                                        103
+
+
+
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS.
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE DAME'S DEPARTURE.
+
+
+A merry life had Dame Desley and her four children led in their rural
+home. The sound of their cheerful voices, the patter of their little
+feet, the laugh, the shout, and the song, had been heard from morning
+till night. I will not stop to tell of all the daisy-chains and
+cowslip-balls made by the children under the big elm-tree that grew on
+their mother's lawn; or how they gathered ripe blackberries in autumn;
+or in the glowing days of summer played about the hay-cocks, and buried
+one another in the hay. Their lives were thoughtless and gay, like those
+of the sparrows in the garden, or the merry little squirrels in the
+wood.
+
+But a time came at last when these careless days must end. Dame Desley
+had to take a long journey--she would be absent for many a month--and on
+the evening before her departure she called her four children around
+her.
+
+"My dear children," she said, "I must leave you; I must give you up for
+a while to the care of another. But I have chosen a guardian for you who
+is worthy of all your respect. Mr. Learning is coming to see you
+to-morrow, just an hour before I start; and I hope that he will find you
+all good and obedient children during my absence. Whatever he may bid
+you do, do for the love of me, and when you attend to Mr. Learning,
+think that you are pleasing your mother."
+
+When the four children were alone together, just before going to rest,
+they began eagerly to talk over what Dame Desley had told them.
+
+"I wonder whether I shall like this Mr. Learning," said Dick, a merry,
+intelligent boy, with bright eyes that were always twinkling with fun.
+None of his age could excel him in racing or running; he could climb a
+tree like a squirrel, and clear a haycock with a bound. He loved the
+free careless life which he had led in his mother's home, but still he
+wished for one more full of adventure and excitement.
+
+"I'm quite sure that I shall not like Mr. Learning," cried Matty; "for
+I have seen him two or three times, and I did not fancy his looks at
+all. He is as solemn and as grave as an owl; he wears spectacles, and
+has a very long nose, and his back is as stiff as a poker." Matty was a
+pretty little girl, with blue eyes, and golden curls hanging down her
+neck, but she had a conceited air, which spoiled her looks to my mind.
+
+"I wish that we could stay where we are, and go on as we always have
+done, without being plagued by Mr. Learning at all," cried Lubin, with a
+weary yawn. Such a fat little fellow as he was, just the shape of a
+roly-poly pudding, with cheeks as red as the apples that grew on the
+trees in the orchard.
+
+"But mother spoke kindly of him," said Nelly, a pale lame child who sat
+in the corner of the room, stringing buttercups and daisies; "if she
+likes him, should not we try to like him, and not set our hearts against
+what mother thinks for our good."
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Learning's company may be pleasant for a change!" cried
+Dick. "I hear that he gives lots of presents to his friends, and makes
+them both rich and great. It would be a stupid thing, after all, to
+spend all one's life in gathering wild-flowers, or kicking up one's
+heels in the hay. I mean to be famous one day, and they say there's no
+way of being so without the help of old Learning. There's Mr. Sharp
+that lives at the hall; his beautiful house and grounds, his carriages,
+horses and dogs, all came from Mr. Learning. I've heard of people who,
+when they were boys, were so poor that they hardly had bread to eat,
+whom Mr. Learning took under his care, and now they've lots of good
+things of every sort and kind. Sometimes they're asked to dine with the
+Lord Mayor of London, where they feast upon turtle and champagne--"
+
+Fat little Lubin opened wide both his eyes and mouth on hearing of this.
+
+"And sometimes," continued Dick, "they are actually invited to court,
+being high in the favour of the Queen."
+
+"I should like to go to court," said Matty, "and wear fine feathers and
+lace. But I wonder if Mr. Learning will think of doing such grand things
+for us."
+
+"We will see!" cried the merry Dick; "I'm resolved to get on in the
+world!" and he turned head over heels at once, as a beginning to his
+onward progress.
+
+"My children, it is time to go to rest," said the voice of Dame Desley
+at the door. "Remember to be up in good time in the morning, for my
+worthy friend Mr. Learning is to breakfast with me to-morrow."
+
+Off went the children to bed. Dick lay awake for some time, thinking
+over what was before him, and when his merry eyes closed at last in
+sleep, the subject haunted him still. He dreamed that he was climbing up
+a little hillock, made of nothing but books of all the colours of the
+rainbow--purple, and orange, and blue--and each book that he looked at
+had his name as its author in big gilt letters on the back. On the top
+of the hillock stood Mr. Learning, holding a finely-bound volume in one
+hand, while he held out the other to Dick to help him on in his
+climbing. Very proud and very joyful was the little boy in his dream as
+he clambered higher and higher, and thought what a famous figure he was
+going to make in the world! But what was his delight when Mr. Learning
+placed the well-bound book in his hand, and on opening it he found that
+all its leaves were made of five-pound notes!
+
+"Why, I shall be as rich as Croesus, and as famous as all the seven
+wise men of Greece put together!" cried Dick, cutting a caper at the top
+of his hillock in such a transport of joy, that he knocked over the
+whole pile of books, just as if it had been a house made of cards, and
+came down flat on his face with such a bang, that it startled him out of
+his dream.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MR. LEARNING AT BREAKFAST.
+
+
+Little Nelly, though weak and lame, was the first of the children to
+come down to the parlour in the morning to help her mother, Dame Desley,
+to lay the table for breakfast. The child felt a little frightened at
+the idea of the stranger guest, and doubted whether with all her best
+efforts she could ever please Mr. Learning.
+
+White were the round breakfast rolls--and whiter still the table-cloth
+on which they were laid; and merrily sang the kettle on the hob, as the
+white steam rose from its spout.
+
+"Why are there two tea-pots?" asked Matty, who had just come into the
+parlour, dressed out in the finest style, as a visitor was expected.
+
+"The larger one is for us, my dear," said her mother, as she went to the
+cupboard for tea; "and out of the little square-shaped one I shall help
+my friend Mr. Learning."
+
+Matty was so curious to know why Mr. Learning should have a whole
+tea-pot to himself, that she kept hanging about the table, touching the
+plates, jingling the cups and saucers, and not noticing Dick and Lubin,
+who had just come into the room.
+
+Dame Desley filled the large tea-pot, first putting in tea, and
+afterwards hot water, after the usual fashion; she then went again to
+the cupboard, and bringing out a dumpy stone bottle, to the amazement of
+Matty filled the little tea-pot with ink.
+
+"Now, my dear," she said, turning to Nelly, who stood behind ready to
+help her, "bring from my desk a quire of foolscap paper, put it on
+yonder plate, and place a good steel pen beside it. Mr. Learning has a
+very peculiar taste; instead of tea, toast and butter, he always
+breakfasts on paper and ink."
+
+"Paper and ink!" echoed all the children; "what a very funny fellow he
+must be."
+
+"No wonder he's thin!" cried Lubin, opening his round eyes very wide.
+
+"Hush! here he comes," said Dame Desley, going herself to open the door
+for her honoured guest.
+
+Mr. Learning entered with a solemn air; he was tall, thin, and grave. He
+had a forehead very broad and very high, and was bald at the top of his
+head. Thick bushy brows overhung his eyes, which looked calmly through
+the spectacles which rested on his nose, and a long beard descended from
+his chin.
+
+The children received their mother's guest each in a different way.
+Dick, who had made up his mind that Mr. Learning would procure for him
+fortune and fame, gave him such a long hearty shake that it seemed as if
+the boy meant to wring off his hand! Lubin, with a pouting air, held out
+his fat fist when desired by his mother to bid the gentleman
+"good-morning." Matty, hanging her head on one side with a very affected
+air, touched his fingers with the tips of her own. Poor Nelly, who was
+more shy and timid than the rest, dared not lift up her eyes as she
+obeyed her mother's command; but she was cheered when the formidable Mr.
+Learning said in a pleasant voice, "I hope that we shall all be very
+good friends when we understand each other better."
+
+Then all sat down to breakfast. None of the children--except Lubin, who
+always thought eating and drinking a very important affair--could attend
+much to their meal, they watched with such surprise and amusement the
+movements of Mr. Learning. Helping himself to his inky draught with a
+pen, which he used instead of a spoon, he then devoured sheet after
+sheet of foolscap paper with such evident relish, that Dick could hardly
+help bursting out into a laugh, and Matty was inclined to titter. Mr.
+Learning used a pen-wiper instead of a napkin, which saved Dame Desley's
+linen. He ate his breakfast with a thoughtful air, hardly speaking a
+single word. When the repast was ended, all arose from the table, and
+the dame, with a sigh, prepared to bid a long good-bye to her children.
+
+"I leave you under good care, my darlings," said she; "and I expect on
+my return to find you wiser, happier, and better from the instructions
+of Mr. Learning, who will show you the little homes provided for you,
+and teach you how to furnish them. Mind that you do all that he bids you
+do; work with cheerful good-will, you will then have reason all your
+lives to rejoice that you ever knew such a friend. And one more parting
+word, my children: beware all of the society of Pride; I know that he is
+lurking about in this neighbourhood, but keep him ever out of your
+homes."
+
+The children were sorry to part with their mother; lame Nelly was
+especially sorry. The tears rose into the little girl's eyes, but she
+hastily wiped them away, and tried to look cheerful and hopeful, that
+she might not sadden her mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE COTTAGES OF HEAD.
+
+
+"Come with me, my young friends," said Mr. Learning, as soon as Dame
+Desley had departed; "I will take you to the four little cottages that
+have been bought for you by your mother, and which you are, by my help,
+to furnish with all things needful."
+
+"A cottage all to myself--what fun!" exclaimed Dick, cutting a caper on
+the grass.
+
+Guided by Mr. Learning, the four children went on their way towards the
+villas of Head, four tiny dwellings that stood close together on the top
+of a hill, two looking to the east and two to the west. Nice little
+cottages they were, each with a small garden behind it. The two that
+fronted the west were thatched with golden-coloured straw, and the glass
+in the little windows was almost as blue as the sky. The two that looked
+to the east had darker thatch and brown glass windows. The first were
+for Matty and Nelly, the others for Lubin and Dick.
+
+"Mine is the prettiest, much the prettiest cottage!" exclaimed Matty,
+with a smile of delight; "it has the brightest thatch, and the whitest
+wall, and the most elegant shape besides!"
+
+"Mine is the biggest!" cried Dick with some pride.
+
+Now each of the cottages of Head had two little doors, the funniest that
+ever were seen; they were just of the form of ears, and Matty's and
+Nelly's were almost hidden by the golden thatch above them. The children
+went in and examined the inside of the dwellings one by one. Each had
+four little rooms--parlour, bedroom, kitchen, and spare room. But the
+walls were quite rough and bare; not a scrap of carpet covered the
+boards; there were chimneys, it is true, but no grates were to be seen
+in the empty fireplaces.
+
+"Well," cried Dick, as with his companions he returned to the space
+between the cottages, in which they had left Mr. Learning standing, "I
+should be mighty sorry to have to live in such an unfurnished house!"
+
+"If it remain unfurnished it will be your own fault," replied Mr.
+Learning, as he drew from his pocket four purses, yellow, red, and
+pink, and blue. "These are the magic purses of Time," he continued, "and
+most valuable gifts are they; each of you shall possess one. Every
+morning you will find in them a certain number of pieces of silver and
+copper money,--men name them hours and minutes. A few you will employ in
+paying for your lodging and food in that large dwelling hard by, called
+Needful House, in which you may remain for a while until your cottages
+are fit to be lived in. Some of your hours and minutes you must spend on
+every week-day in buying furniture for these little Heads in the town of
+Education."
+
+Dick caught eagerly at the yellow purse, and instantly began to count
+out the money. Every bright coin had the stamp of a pair of wings on one
+side, with the motto, "_Time flies fast_," and on the other side in
+raised letters the motto, "_Use me well_."
+
+Lubin and Matty took the red and pink purses with a careless air, as,
+like too many amongst us, they did not know their value. Lame Nelly very
+gratefully received the blue purse, with the hours and minutes in it.
+
+"And now," cried Dick, "where is this town of Education, for I'm in a
+desperate hurry to begin to furnish my Head?"
+
+Mr. Learning moved a few steps to the right, and pointed with his
+gold-headed cane to a spot where some smoke rising in the valley showed
+that a large town must be.
+
+"You can see it yonder through the trees," said the sage.
+
+"Oh, dear! it is a good way off!" said Lubin. "I hope that you don't
+expect us to travel there every day."
+
+"You must not only travel there," replied Mr. Learning, "but you must
+carry back the things which you purchase, without minding the trouble or
+fatigue. The way is very straight and direct. You must go down this
+hill, which is called Puzzle; it is not long, but tolerably steep: you
+must cross the brook Bother which flows at the bottom, and then the
+shady lane of Trouble will take you right to the town."
+
+"And what must we do when we get there?" asked Dick.
+
+"Your first care, of course, must be to paper your rooms; each one must
+do that for himself. The paper you will buy with your money from the
+decorators, Messrs. Reading and Writing; their house is the first that
+you will reach when you come to the end of the lane. Then you will
+doubtless look out for grates, and other needful articles of hardware;
+they may be had at reasonable prices from Mr. Arithmetic, the
+ironmonger. Mr. History, the carpet-manufacturer, has a large assortment
+to show; and General Knowledge, the carpenter, keeps a wonderful variety
+of beds, tables, and chairs, of every quality and size."
+
+"And our gardens, too, will want looking after," cried Dick.
+
+"Mr. Geography, the nurseryman, will help you to lay them out according
+to the newest design. You, my young friends," continued Mr. Learning,
+turning towards the two little girls, "who have garden walls with a
+western aspect, on which the fruit-trees of needlework can grow, must
+buy plants from Mrs. Sewing, whose white cottage you plainly can see,
+just at the other side of the brook, near where those weeping willows
+are dipping their branches in the stream."
+
+"We shall have lots to do with our money," sighed Lubin.
+
+"But quite enough of money for all that you require, if you only do not
+throw it away, nor let some quick-fingered thief like Procrastination
+steal away your treasure of Time," replied Mr. Learning with a smile.
+"Think of the pleasure which it will give your mother if she find each
+of you, on her return six months hence, comfortably settled in a
+well-furnished house of your own! If any additional motive for exertion
+be needed, know that when your mother comes back, I will present a
+beautiful silver crown of Success to whichever of you four shall have
+best employed your money in furnishing your garden and house."
+
+"That crown shall be mine!" thought Dick; "I'll win it and wear it too!"
+
+"I shall certainly never get a crown," said Nelly Desley half aloud; "it
+is quite enough for me if my mother be pleased with my cottage!" A fear
+was on the little girl's mind that she should manage her shopping very
+badly, and she hoped that the brook would be shallow, as she could see
+no bridge across it.
+
+"I shall take my time about this furnishing," said Lubin, as soon as Mr.
+Learning had taken his departure, promising to return some day to watch
+the progress of his charges. Lubin, though not lame like Nelly, was
+heavy and slow in his movements, and often was laughed at by Dick for
+his great dislike to trouble.
+
+"My cottage looks so pretty outside," said silly little Matty, shaking
+her fair locks, "that I almost think it would do without any furnishing
+at all."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+PLAIN-WORK AND FANCY-WORK.
+
+
+"I'll take the measure of my walls at once," cried Dick, "and see what
+quantity of paper I shall have to buy from Mr. Reading. Shall I look
+after yours too?" and he turned good-naturedly to his sisters.
+
+"Please do, dear Dick," replied Nelly.
+
+"I shall leave Master Lubin to measure his own; a lazy young urchin like
+him would not move a finger if he could help it; I would not give one of
+my minutes for his chance of winning the crown of Success!"
+
+"I shall do very well," grumbled Lubin, not much pleased at the cutting
+remark.
+
+"Matty, dear," said Nelly to her sister, "as we have something to buy
+that our brothers have not--and plants of needlework, mother says, are
+best when put in at the beginning of spring--had we not better set off
+at once and buy what Mr. Learning recommended? Mrs. Sewing does not
+live far off; we might carry up our needlework plants before our
+brothers are ready to start with us for the town of Education."
+
+"You are always in a hurry!" cried Matty.
+
+"It is because I am lame," replied Nelly meekly; "as I can never go
+fast, I am obliged to make up for my slowness by starting early."
+
+"Well, it's a fine bright morning, and it's rare fun to have a run down
+hill!" cried Matty, "so I am quite willing to go."
+
+Off she flew like a bird, her long ringlets streaming behind her, and
+her merry laugh was borne back by the wind to Nelly, who, at a much
+slower pace, walked carefully down the hill. As Matty, however, took to
+chasing a bright butterfly, which led her quite out of her way, Nelly
+was the first to reach the brook which flowed at the bottom of the hill.
+To her great comfort she found that there were stepping-stones across
+it, so that there was no need that she should wet her feet with the
+waters of Bother. Mrs. Sewing's house was also quite near, so that there
+was little trouble in reaching it.
+
+The good woman herself was outside her door, occupied in training a
+large plant of needlework over her porch.
+
+"Good-morning," said Nelly, who had slowly picked her way over the
+stepping-stones of the brook.
+
+"Good-morning," repeated Matty, who had rushed on, out of breath with
+her haste, that she might not be behind her sister.
+
+Mrs. Sewing was a prim little dame, dressed in a curious garment of
+patchwork, with a necklace of small round pin-cushions hanging almost as
+low as her waist. Instead of her own hair she wore a most singular wig,
+made entirely of skeins of cotton and wool, which hung a long way down
+her back.
+
+She received her young customers with a low formal courtesy, and said
+with a smile as she turned from the one to the other,--
+
+    "That girl is wise, and worth the knowing,
+     Who in life's spring-time comes to sewing."
+
+"Mrs. Sewing," said Matty, who could hardly refrain from laughing at the
+funny appearance of the prim old lady, "we've come to buy plants of
+needlework from you to train up our garden walls. We've plenty of money
+to buy them with,"--here she jingled her hours and minutes,--"so pray
+show us your stock directly, for we're in haste to begin our planting."
+
+With another courtesy Mrs. Sewing made reply,--
+
+    "I've Running-up and Felling-down,
+     And Hemming for a lady's gown;
+     I've Button-hole, and Herring-bone,
+     And Stitching, finest ever known;
+     I've Whipping that will cause no crying,
+     And Basting, never source of sighing;
+     For good Plain-work, there's no denying,
+     Is always worth a woman's trying."
+
+"I don't much admire these Plain-work plants," said Matty, with rather a
+discontented air; "their blossoms are so miserably small, the leaves are
+so big, and the stems are all set with thorns, just as sharp as needles.
+You have something yonder a thousand times prettier, with flowers of
+every hue, and in such lovely little pots!" and Matty pointed as she
+spoke to a row of plants of Fancy-work, that were at no great distance.
+
+Again Mrs. Sewing courtesied and replied,--
+
+    "I've Knitting, Netting, Crochet, Tatting,
+     I've Bead-work, German-work, and Plaiting,
+     I've Tent-stitch, Cross-stitch, Stitches various
+     To show off patterns multifarious;
+     Round Fancy-work each lady lingers,
+     So please your taste and ply your fingers."
+
+"There now!" exclaimed Matty, who, followed by Nelly, had eagerly run to
+the Fancy-work row; "was ever anything so pretty as this! Every blossom
+like bunches of beads that glitter so brightly in the sun! This, this is
+the plant for my money; and then it is so easy to be carried!"
+
+Nelly also looked with great admiration on the beautiful flower, and
+felt greatly inclined to choose one like it. She knew that she had not
+hours enough to purchase all that she might like, and it was quite
+natural in a little girl to wish for what was pretty and pleasant. But a
+thought crossed the lame child's mind, and laying her hand on Matty's
+arm, she whispered in her sister's ear: "Don't you remember, dear, how
+fond mother is of the fruits of Plain-work; we've heard her say many a
+time that no Fancy-work in the world is half so much to her liking. Now
+mother will come back to us again when the fruit will have had time to
+ripen; pretty blossoms are nice to look at; but the great thing, after
+all, is the fruit."
+
+"I'm not going to plague myself with that stupid Plain-work," cried
+Matty, shrugging her shoulders; "but it may do for _you_!" She said this
+in so scornful a tone that it brought the colour to Nelly's pale cheek.
+
+"Why should I mind?" thought the lame little girl; "I know that mother
+likes Plain-work best; she values things that are useful rather than
+those that are pretty; and oh, I'm so glad that she does so, or what
+would become of me!"
+
+So Matty purchased the pretty ornamented creeper, with its clusters of
+bright-coloured beads, and Nelly took a fine thriving plant of
+Plain-work, to train up her garden wall.
+
+Then both took leave of Mrs. Sewing, who, smiling and courtesying to the
+girls, bade them farewell in these words,--
+
+    "Pleasure and profit both attend ye,
+     Sewing ever shall befriend ye!"
+
+Matty's plant was in a small light pot, and she easily carried it across
+the brook; then turning, she looked back at her sister, who could hardly
+see the stepping-stones through the thick leaves of the plant which she
+bore. Nelly's pot was also very heavy, and before she could reach the
+shore, her lame foot slipped on a stone, and she fell splash into the
+waters of Bother.
+
+The stream was very shallow, so there was no danger of her being
+drowned, but the shock, the tumble, and the wetting were anything but
+agreeable. It was very unkind in Matty to stand, as she did, laughing at
+her poor lame sister, as she floundered in the brook of Bother, still
+grasping her pot of Plain-work.
+
+"Oh, dear, dear! how the thorn-needles are pricking my fingers!" gasped
+Nelly.
+
+"Then let go--throw the stupid Plain-work away," cried Matty.
+
+But Nelly had too brave a spirit for that. She knew that what was worth
+acquiring was worth bearing, and she would not be discouraged by a
+trifle. I wish that some of my little readers who sit pouting and
+fretting over a seam, crying over a broken needle, or a prick on a tiny
+finger, could have seen Nelly when, with repeated efforts, she scrambled
+out of the brook, with Plain-work safe in her grasp.
+
+The two girls now made their way up the hill of Puzzle, on their return
+to the cottages of Head. Matty, eager to plant her pretty creeper,
+greatly outstripped her sister, as she had done when they at first had
+set out. But with patient, uncomplaining labour, Nelly Desley plodded on
+her course, and before long both Plain-work and Fancy-work were safely
+transplanted into the ground by the wall at the back of the gardens.
+
+[Illustration: Nelly could hardly see the stepping-stones through the
+thick leaves of the plant which she bore. _Page 27._]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+MR. ALPHABET.
+
+
+"Now we're all ready to set off to Messrs. Reading and Writing," cried
+Dick, as the four children stood together on the slope of the hill; "I
+vote we have a race--one, two, three, off and away!" and dashing forward
+like a young stag, he rushed down the hill, distancing even Matty, and
+with the force of his own rapid descent cleared brook Bother at a bound.
+
+Nelly could not help clapping her hands.
+
+"I should have thought," observed fat Lubin, who had kept at her side,
+"that you, of all people in the world, would have hated this silly
+racing, and disliked to see any one go at so desperate a pace."
+
+"Why should I dislike it?" asked the lame child; "I would go at a great
+pace too, if I only were able."
+
+"But when you are lame, does it not vex you to be so distanced by
+others?"
+
+Nelly hesitated a little before she replied, "Sometimes, I own, it does
+vex me a little; but then I am comforted when I think that as long as I
+do my best I should be only glad that others can do better."
+
+Lubin and Nelly came up with their brother and sister at the cottage of
+Mrs. Sewing; for Dick, who was in a merry mood, had stopped there to
+help the old dame to transplant a fine slip of Fancy-work, and Matty was
+standing laughing beside him.
+
+"See how well he does it!" she cried.
+
+"I wonder that he is not ashamed to use his fingers like a girl!"
+exclaimed Lubin, who was himself remarkably clumsy.
+
+Mrs. Sewing turned round with a smile and a courtesy.
+
+    "Better the fingers thus employing
+     Than in fighting, fidgeting, or destroying,"
+
+observed she.
+
+Dick looked up and laughed. "I'll soon prove to you, my lad," he cried,
+"that hands that can ground a pretty slip of German work, are ready and
+fit for something harder," and he squared up towards Lubin with clenched
+fists, and such a merry look of defiance, that his brother was more
+than convinced by the sight, and trotted off along the lane of Trouble,
+at a much brisker pace than usual.
+
+"We'll go after the plump one," cried Dick, "or he'll arrive at Mr.
+Reading's before us."
+
+Along the lane they all went. The weather had been dry of late, and the
+road was not so muddy as usual. Indeed the walk was so agreeable that
+Dick remarked that "trouble is a pleasure." It was not long before the
+four young householders found themselves at the door of Messrs. Reading
+and Writing.
+
+Their shop was a very large and handsome one; indeed a finer and better
+was not to be seen in the whole town of Education, on the outskirts of
+which it stood. It was separated into two divisions, over the first and
+principal of which Mr. Reading himself presided. A great variety of
+papers for walls were displayed in the large glass windows, and when the
+children peeped in they saw a vast number more in the shop.
+
+"Well, here's a fine choice!" exclaimed Matty, in pleased surprise; "I
+think that one might spend half one's life in the shop of Mr. Reading,
+and always find out something pretty and new."
+
+"But where is Mr. Reading himself?" cried Lubin; "and how are we to get
+through this iron grating which shuts us out from the shop?"
+
+His last question was answered by the funniest little dwarf that ever
+was seen, who popped out from behind the counter, and with a large iron
+key in his hand came toddling up to the grating. He was just twenty-six
+inches high, and had a head almost as big as the rest of his body.
+
+"I say, little chap, will you let us in?" said Dick, rapping on the iron
+bars.
+
+"I'm not accustomed to be spoken to after that fashion," cried the dwarf
+angrily; "my name is not 'little chap,' but 'Mr. Alphabet,' though some
+dare to call me A B C. I ought to be treated with respect, for I am
+several thousand years old."
+
+"You've been wondrously slow then in your growth," laughed Lubin; "I
+think I could jump over your head."
+
+"It's easier said than done," grumbled Alphabet, casting up a glance of
+scorn at the boy, whose fat figure was not formed for jumping; "and I
+should advise you to have a care how you provoke me by any boasting or
+insolent language. I am both strong and bold, and I come of an ancient
+race. My father was an Egyptian, or a Phoenician, or--"
+
+"Never mind your father just now, my good fellow," cried Dick; "just
+turn your key in the lock, and let us into the shop of Mr. Reading."
+
+"You don't suppose that I'm going to let you pass without paying toll,"
+growled Alphabet; "I always expect a fee of some of the money of Time."
+
+"Let us in," cried Lubin, kicking the grating.
+
+"You may kick till you're tired," said the gruffy little dwarf; "no one
+gets to Mr. Reading without paying toll to Mr. Alphabet, his highly
+respectable porter."
+
+"Let's give him his fee and be done with it," cried Matty, hastily
+pulling out her purse.
+
+Seeing that there was no use in refusing, as Alphabet had the key of the
+gate, each of the children now produced some money, Dick giving less
+than the others. Alphabet took the bright hours with a merry grin, as he
+swung back the iron grating; but when Lubin was about to pass in, the
+dwarf planted himself in the way.
+
+"You said that you could jump over my head; just try."
+
+"I don't just think that I could," said Lubin, who was daunted by the
+manner of the dwarf.
+
+"Now, for your stupid boast," growled Alphabet, "I will not allow you to
+pass till you've paid twice as much as the others have done;" and as he
+spoke he half closed the grating in Lubin's face.
+
+"You can't keep me out now you've unlocked it," cried Lubin (who was,
+however, still on the outside, having been as usual behind-hand), and
+he tried to push the gate open.
+
+"Push away," said the dwarf with a grin.
+
+But poor Lubin soon found to his cost that Alphabet was strong as well
+as little, and quite able to hold his own against any amount of pushing.
+
+"Won't you help me?" cried Lubin to Dick; the fat boy was getting quite
+red with his efforts.
+
+"Oh, nonsense; fair play is a jewel!" exclaimed Dick; "you must fight it
+out for yourself. If you can't master little A B C, a precious poor
+creature you must be."
+
+"Pay double toll, or I'll never let you in!" shouted the passionate
+dwarf.
+
+There was no help for it; poor Lubin was obliged to pull out his money;
+and Alphabet, with a grin of triumph, at last allowed him to enter.
+
+"Is Mr. Reading at home?" asked Dick.
+
+"He is just within," said the dwarf; "if you'll look over the papers for
+a minute, I'll go and tell him that you are waiting."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+MR. READING'S FINE SHOP.
+
+
+"Well, Mr. Reading keeps a splendid assortment indeed!" exclaimed Dick,
+looking round the immense shop with delight. "There are such lots of
+fine papers here that the only difficulty will be which to choose!"
+
+"I know what I will choose!" cried Matty; "that paper all covered with
+pretty little fairies!"
+
+"It is but a poor paper; I cannot in conscience recommend it for wear,"
+said Mr. Reading, who at that instant made his appearance from an inner
+part of the shop.
+
+"Oh, but it is charming!" cried Matty; "I should care for no paper like
+that."
+
+"And I see what I like best!" exclaimed Dick; "there's the jolliest
+paper that ever was made; don't you see it, up in that corner?--sets of
+cannibals dancing round a fire!"
+
+"That's the Robinson Crusoe pattern," observed Mr. Reading, "a great
+favourite with young customers of mine."
+
+"That's the paper for my money!" cried Dick; "I never saw anything more
+to my mind!"
+
+Nelly and Lubin then chose their patterns, the former thinking what
+would please the taste of her mother, the latter what would cost least
+of his Time money; for the lazy rogue grudged every hour that he gave to
+reading.
+
+A difficulty came into Nelly's mind. "We are to paper our rooms
+ourselves," said she; "how can we do so, having nothing with which we
+can fasten the paper on firmly?"
+
+"I've the paste of Attention at your service," said Reading; "you will
+find nothing more certain to stick on a paper than that. You shall carry
+home a can of it to-day."
+
+"And there is another thing which we must remember," observed Lubin, who
+had a sensible and reflecting mind, though too lazy to make much use of
+it; "as our walls are higher of course than ourselves, we must have a
+ladder to lift us to the higher parts of them."
+
+"I can supply that want also," cried the ready Mr. Reading, who seemed
+to take pleasure in serving his young guests; "I've the magic ladder of
+Spelling, and I am willing to let it on hire."
+
+"Let's see this ladder," said Dick.
+
+At a word from his master, Alphabet, the stout little dwarf, withdrew
+into an inner part of the dwelling, and soon re-appeared, lugging with
+him a ladder which was three times as long as himself.
+
+"This is a very curious and ingenious ladder," remarked Mr. Reading,
+"and quite worthy of your closest observation. You see that on the
+_under_ part of each step is a sentence quite perfectly spelt; but this,
+of course, cannot be seen when the ladder is placed by a wall. On the
+upper part appears the same sentence, but with many a blunder in it to
+try your powers of recollection. You must study the ladder well before
+you attempt to mount it, and get the right spelling fixed in your mind,
+so as to make no mistakes. Then, before putting your foot upon any step,
+you must spell the sentence upon it; if you correct every blunder, the
+wood will be firm as a rock; but if you leave a single fault unnoticed,
+one little letter misplaced, the step will give way under your weight,
+and land you flat on the floor."
+
+"What a horrible ladder!" exclaimed Lubin; "it seems to have been
+expressly contrived to break the neck of every one who is so silly as to
+mount it."
+
+"It only needs care in the using," replied polite Mr. Reading, unable to
+suppress a quiet smile; while Alphabet, who thought it a _capital_ joke,
+burst into a loud laugh. "I confess that the ladder of Spelling has
+been the cause of many a tumble; but still it is an excellent
+ladder,--the trees of which it was made grew beside our own stream of
+Bother."
+
+"Any one might have guessed that!" muttered Lubin, rubbing his head with
+a disconsolate air, as if he already felt the bumps produced by the
+ladder of Spelling.
+
+"Let's see these funny sentences on the steps," said Dick, "that we are
+forced to spell so finely. Such a comical ladder as this will make the
+papering of our walls a very slow affair."
+
+As my readers may be curious to know whether they could have mounted the
+ladder without any step breaking beneath them, I will give them a few of
+the sentences to correct at their leisure. I write the faulty words in
+italics, though I hope that it is not needful to do so.
+
+    I _hav to ants, too unkels to_,
+    The kindest _wons_ I ever _new_.
+
+    _Except_ this _presint, nevew deer_,
+    I am _sow_ glad to _here your hear_.
+
+    _Gals sow shurts_, and boys _sew beens_,
+    Labour is _scene_ in various _seens_.
+
+    I _eat ate appels_ at a _fate_,
+    Then took my _leve_ and _warked_ home _strait_.
+
+    The winds they _blue_; the sky was _blew_;
+    Tom, as they dashed the _oshon threw_,
+    _Write overbored_ a _poney through_.
+
+    Our _sovrin rains_ in joy and _piece_;
+    The summer _reigns_ our crops _increese_;
+    The _weery_ horse from _rain_ release.
+
+"I tell you what I'll do," said Lubin, after thoughtfully surveying the
+ladder from the top to the bottom: "I'll get good-natured little Nelly
+to stand below while I'm climbing the steps, and she shall call out to
+me the right spelling, so that I shall be certain to make no blunder."
+
+Polite Mr. Reading shook his head. "Each must master the difficulty for
+himself," he replied; "not a single step would keep firm were there any
+attempt at such prompting."
+
+Poor Lubin heaved a sigh like a groan.
+
+"Who's afraid!" exclaimed Dick; "the greater the difficulty the greater
+the glory of mounting to the top of the ladder! Just roll up our papers,
+Mr. Reading, we'll carry them under our arms. The girls will take charge
+of the can of paste, and as for this remarkable ladder, Lubin and I will
+contrive to bear it between us."
+
+Thus loaded, the little party passed again through the iron grating.
+Dick walked first, with a confident air, holding one end of the ladder
+of Spelling, while Lubin, grumbling and sighing, supported the other
+end. Nelly followed with the can of Attention, for Matty was too much
+engaged in looking at and admiring her pretty fairy paper to think of
+her lame little sister. Mr. Reading, the most polite and agreeable of
+shopkeepers, bade them farewell with a bow; and little Alphabet shouted
+after Lubin, "When you can manage to get to the top of the ladder of
+Spelling without tumbling down on your nose, I'll give you free leave to
+come back and jump over my head if you like it!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE LADDER OF SPELLING.
+
+
+"What a jolly pleasant fellow old Reading is!" cried Dick, as they
+jogged along.
+
+"Well enough," replied Lubin, jerking his shoulder, "if he had not
+plagued us with this hateful ladder, and did not keep such a covetous,
+impudent little porter as that ugly old dwarf A B C."
+
+"I did not see much harm in the dwarf," laughed Dick; "the best fun I
+ever had in my life was seeing you pushing on one side of the gate, and
+the little chap pushing on the other. Alphabet was too hard for you,
+Lubin, my boy, though he is such a mite of a man."
+
+The observation made Lubin rather sulky, and he said nothing till,
+having passed through the lane of Trouble, the party stopped by the
+brook of Bother.
+
+"I'm afraid, Lubin," observed Dick, "that an awkward fellow like you may
+miss your footing if attempting to cross while carrying a weight on
+your shoulder. You go first, unburdened, and then I'll easily stretch
+out the end of the ladder for you to catch hold of."
+
+Lubin did not wait to be twice invited to put down his tiresome burden.
+He flung down his end of the ladder, went across the stepping-stones at
+once, and then, without so much as turning to look at his companion,
+began to walk fast up the hill.
+
+"Holloa! stop! where are you going?" shouted Dick.
+
+Lubin only quickened his pace.
+
+"The lazy rogue means to leave me to carry this ladder all by myself!"
+exclaimed Dick, in high indignation.
+
+"I wish that I could help you, dear Dick," said Nelly; "but I'm lame,
+and--"
+
+"And you've been carrying the can all the way, till your face is quite
+pale with fatigue. I wonder that that saucy puss Matty is not ashamed of
+treating you so."
+
+"I was so busy with my fairies that I forgot," began Matty.
+
+"Ah, well; take the can now and remember. And as for the ladder--"
+Without finishing his sentence, to the surprise of the girls, Dick
+suddenly turned round, and walked back several paces. His object soon
+became plain; he was giving himself room for a run. Once more he rushed
+forward with a bound, and, laden as he was with ladder and with paper,
+was over the brook in a moment.
+
+"There's a jump!" he exclaimed, his face flushed less with the effect,
+than with the pride which he felt in having accomplished such a feat;
+"depend on't, a boy who can leap like that won't soon be turned back in
+life's long race by any difficulty or trial. I only wish that Mr.
+Learning could have seen me take that jump."
+
+Nelly's admiration of her brother's remarkable powers was a little
+damped by a fear that arose in her mind when she saw how he gloried in
+them. Nelly was very fond of Dick, but she could not help thinking that
+she would rather have seen him conquer his pride than jump over
+half-a-dozen Bothers. Slowly and thoughtfully the little girl passed
+over the brook, and Matty, who was now carrying the can, brought up the
+rear of the party.
+
+"Dick," said Matty, when she had joined her brother, "I wonder that you
+did not lay the ladder of Spelling across the stream, and make a bridge
+of it at once."
+
+"I was too wary a bird for that," laughed Dick. "You know I've not yet
+mastered that awkward spelling, and if I'd put my foot upon a step, I
+should just have gone souse into Bother."
+
+"Oh, I quite forgot!" exclaimed Matty.
+
+"You seem to have a trick of forgetting," said her brother; "you forget
+that your can of Attention is full, and you swing it to and fro as you
+walk, so that you spill it at every step. You had better give it up
+again to Nelly."
+
+"How Lubin trots up the hill!" cried Matty. "I never thought that he
+could get on so fast."
+
+"He knows pretty well what he has to expect when I get up with him!"
+cried Dick, who was indignant at his brother's desertion; "I mean to
+give the fat rogue such a thrashing as he never had before in his life!"
+
+"Oh no, dear Dick!" exclaimed Nelly. "I am sure that you had better
+forgive and forget."
+
+"I don't see why I should," rejoined Dick.
+
+"There are a great many reasons," said Nelly, who never suffered an
+angry or revengeful feeling to rest in her heart; "we know that it is
+noble and right to forgive, and to do as we would be done by; and has
+not dear mother a thousand times told us to live in love and kindness
+together?"
+
+"But he played me such a shabby trick!" exclaimed Dick.
+
+"You must remember, dear brother, that Lubin is not so strong as you
+are, and cannot bear a weight with such ease."
+
+"No; you're right there!" cried Dick proudly, raising the ladder of
+Spelling with one hand above his head, to show the might of his arm.
+
+Nelly saw that her brother was getting into better humour, and ventured
+to say something more. "There is another reason why you should forgive
+Lubin. Poor Lubin has also, perhaps, something to forgive and forget."
+
+"I never ran off and left him in the lurch."
+
+"No," replied Nelly, in a very gentle tone; "but when he was in trouble
+with Alphabet, you burst out laughing instead of helping him. I don't
+think, dear Dick, that you know what pain you give by your way of joking
+and mocking at others who can't do as much as yourself."
+
+"Have I ever pained you, Nelly?"
+
+"Sometimes," replied the child.
+
+Dick was silent for a few minutes. He was recalling to mind times when
+he had ridiculed his gentle little sister for her lameness--the slow
+pace which she could not avoid. He felt ashamed of his ungenerous
+conduct, and willing to make some amends.
+
+"It was too bad in me to hurt _you_, Nelly, who never gave pain to any
+one; so, for your sake, this time I'll consent to forgive and forget."
+
+While this conversation went on, the brother and sisters had walked
+half-way up the hill, and, before many minutes had passed, they had all
+arrived at their group of cottages. Dick kept his word to Nelly, and
+took no further notice of the desertion of Lubin, than by saying, with a
+laugh, when first they met, "You went up the hill at such a pace, my
+fine fellow, that one might have thought that you fancied the terrible
+Alphabet following close at your heels."
+
+Lubin looked rather sulky, but was glad to be so easily let off; he was
+not aware that he owed Dick's forbearance to the kindly offices of
+peacemaker Nelly.
+
+As the day was now far advanced, the children resolved not to begin
+their papering work till the morrow. They went to the house Needful,
+where they were to have their board and lodging for a short time, till
+their cottages should be a little furnished. They were all rather tired
+with their day's exertions, and none but Dick felt disposed to take a
+stroll in the evening.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+BREAKING DOWN.
+
+
+The first care of Matty and Nelly in the morning, after they had taken
+their breakfast, was to water their needlework plants.
+
+"I can't think," said Matty to her sister, "how you could be so silly as
+to choose that ugly Plain-work,--I'm sure there's not a bit of beauty in
+it."
+
+"I wait for the fruit," said Nelly meekly.
+
+"It does not climb high like mine, to adorn the walls; it creeps heavily
+along the ground. It is such a mean-looking plant."
+
+"We shall not think it mean in the season of ripening," observed Nelly.
+
+"Ah, here comes Lubin!" cried Matty; "he was late for breakfast, as
+usual. Good-morning, my lazy brother. Do you know what has become of
+Dick?"
+
+"Not I," answered Lubin, with a yawn.
+
+"Perhaps he has been working at his cottage already," said Nelly, "and
+has been studying the ladder of Spelling. Just wait till I fetch the can
+of paste--we'll put Attention into several little pots, and all begin
+papering our walls together."
+
+Nelly soon brought the paste, which she had kept during the night at
+house Needful. As Lubin and his sisters went towards the group of
+cottages, they heard the cheerful voice of Dick calling to them from the
+inside of his own.
+
+"Come in here with you, and I'll show you something worth the seeing."
+
+"Why, Dick," exclaimed Matty, who was the first to enter, "you don't
+mean to say that you have papered half your parlour already!"
+
+"I don't say it, but you may see it," said Dick.
+
+"What wonderful progress you have made!"
+
+"I should say that I have," returned Dick, with a mighty self-satisfied
+air, as he looked around his parlour, already quite gay with the
+Robinson Crusoe pattern. "I've done more, too, than you can see," he
+added, striking his hand on the ladder of Spelling, which he had placed
+by the wall; "I've learned every sentence in this ladder as perfectly as
+any man can learn them, and can now climb to the very top with the
+greatest safety and ease."
+
+Matty and Lubin looked on their clever brother with eyes in which
+admiration seemed mixed with a little envy.
+
+"But how could you paper the room without paste?" exclaimed Nelly; "I
+had charge of the whole supply."
+
+"My dear simple sister," replied Dick, "you don't suppose that all the
+paste in the world is held in your can, or that no other kind is to be
+had. I took a stroll yesterday evening with my acquaintance, young
+Pride, and he told me of a first-rate paste called Emulation, showed me
+where to get it, and helped me to lay in a capital store. You've no
+notion how pleasantly it made me get on with my work. I believe I shall
+paper all my four rooms before you have finished a single one of yours."
+
+"Oh, let me have some of your paste!" cried Matty.
+
+"Have it and welcome," said Dick; "it's cheap, and there's plenty for
+all. I don't know what is making our little Nelly look so serious and
+grave."
+
+"Oh, Dick," said the child, in a hesitating tone, "did not dear mother
+warn us to have nothing to do with Pride?"
+
+"He's a jolly good fellow!" cried Dick.
+
+"But mother forbade us to keep company with him."
+
+"Really, Nelly," said Dick, rather sharply, "I'm old enough to choose my
+own friends."
+
+"But if Pride should prove to be not a friend but an enemy? Oh, dear
+brother, I should be afraid to use anything that Pride recommends."
+
+Dick burst into a laugh. "Use what you like, poor, patient, plodding
+little pussy; leave me to follow my own ways. You've not resolved, as I
+have, to win the crown of Success. You were never made to shine, unless
+it be like some little taper, giving its quiet light in a cottage; while
+I mean to dazzle the world some day, like the eruption of a splendid
+volcano."
+
+"A precious lot of mischief you may do," observed Lubin; "better be a
+sober taper in a cottage, that cheers and gives light to some one, than
+a blazing volcano, that makes a grand show indeed, but leaves ruins and
+ashes behind it."
+
+"Every one to his liking!" cried Dick, nimbly mounting the ladder, and
+spelling over the sentences so fast that his hearers could hardly follow
+him. Doubtless he meant to show off his talent, but, in his eagerness to
+be admired, he forgot--who can wonder that he did so?--the right
+spelling of one little word. Down he fell crack on the floor, the moment
+that he put his foot on the _poney_!
+
+Up jumped Dick in a second, not hurt indeed, but a good deal mortified,
+especially as Lubin laughed, and Matty began to titter.
+
+    "Here we go up, up, up,
+       Here we go down, down, down, oh!
+     That is clever Dick's way
+       Of winning the silver crown, oh!"
+
+cried Lubin, his fat sides shaking with mirth.
+
+"I would not stand that from him!" exclaimed a voice from without, and
+the shadow of Pride, a beetle-browed, black-haired, ill-favoured lad,
+now darkened the doorway of Dick.
+
+"I'll stand no impudence!" cried Dick in a passion, and, dashing with
+clenched fist up to Lubin, he knocked him down with a blow.
+
+"Give it him well!" shouted Pride.
+
+But Nelly rushed forward in haste, and threw herself between her two
+brothers. "Oh, don't, don't!" she cried in distress; "remember our
+mother, remember the love which we all should bear to one another! It
+was wrong in Lubin to laugh--but oh, please--please don't beat him any
+more."
+
+"I'll beat him in another way!" exclaimed Dick, who was, perhaps, a
+little ashamed of having struck his younger brother; "I'll beat him at
+climbing this ladder,--one fall shall never daunt me!" and once more he
+ascended the steps, spelling without a single blunder, till, on the very
+topmost round, he waved his hand in triumph.
+
+"I hope you're not hurt?" whispered Nelly to Lubin, who was slowly
+rising from the ground.
+
+The boy turned gloomily away.
+
+"You don't want her, do you, to cuddle and pet you as if you were a
+great big baby?" said Pride. "I wonder you don't go to your own cottage,
+and shut yourself up quietly there."
+
+"I'll go and have nothing more to do with any of them," muttered Lubin,
+pushing Nelly aside, and leaving the cottage of Dick in a mood by no
+means amiable.
+
+Nelly sighed; and as it appeared that she could at present be of no more
+use to her brothers, she quietly took her portion of Attention, and went
+to paper her own little room.
+
+I shall not tell of all her difficulties and troubles, nor how, when
+using the ladder of Spelling, she found it several times give way, and
+drop her down on the floor. The process of learning is a slow one, as
+every one is likely to know who has done enough of the papering work to
+be able to read this book;--and as for that troublesome ladder, A. L. O.
+E. will not venture to say that she has never had a tumble from it
+herself. I need only mention, as regards lame Nelly, that in the end,
+after days and weeks of patient labour, her house was very neatly
+papered indeed.
+
+Matty had far less trouble. The ladder of Spelling seemed made on
+purpose to suit her convenience; she mounted the steps with greater
+ease than even the active Dick could do. Her walls were soon covered
+with fairies; but, as Lubin observed, no one could think the cottage of
+Head well furnished with a paper so poor and thin,--you could almost see
+the bricks through it. Matty was, however, well pleased; and even, in
+the blindness of self-love, had some hopes of the silver crown. Pride
+flattered her skill and her quickness, and was always a welcome guest at
+her cottage as well as in Dick's. Neither the brother nor the sister yet
+knew the evils that might arise from their using the paste of Emulation.
+
+And how fared poor Lubin meantime? He worked slowly, by fits and starts,
+whenever the humour was on him, but it seemed to his brother and sisters
+as if his walls would never be papered. Nelly, after her own day's work,
+would carry the ladder to Lubin, but he constantly refused to use it.
+
+"What nonsense it is," he would angrily say, "to have words sounded in
+one way, and spelt in another. I wish that the fellow who made that
+ladder had been well ducked in the brook of Bother."
+
+"But as it _has_ been made, and we've no other," observed Nelly, "would
+it not be wise to make the best of it?"
+
+By her gentle persuasion Lubin more than once attempted to mount the
+first step, but it always gave way beneath him; he never could remember
+of the _to_, _too_, and _two_, which was the right one to use.
+
+At last, catching up the ladder in despair, Lubin flung it out of his
+door.
+
+"Let it go--I should like to break it to bits and make a bonfire of it!"
+he cried; "I can paper my rooms without it."
+
+"Oh, no; not the upper parts," suggested Nelly.
+
+"I don't care for the upper parts, I'll leave them as they are,"
+answered Lubin. "If the bricks and mortar are ugly, no one need look at
+them, say I."
+
+"But, Lubin," exclaimed Matty, who had just come in, "you will be quite
+ashamed of your house if it be furnished worse than a ploughboy's."
+
+"It will do very well," replied Lubin. "I hate this papering nonsense,
+and I wish that Mr. Learning had been far enough away, rather than come
+to plague us poor children with his tiresome Reading and Spelling!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MR. LEARNING'S VISIT.
+
+
+It must not be supposed that during the time which it took to paper the
+cottages, other things were neglected; that Plain-work and Fancy-work
+were not watered, or that frequent shopping expeditions were not made to
+the town of Education. My history is by no means a journal of each day's
+proceedings, but only an account of some incidents that seem most worthy
+of note.
+
+I wish that I could tell my young readers that Dick frankly owned
+himself sorry for having knocked down poor Lubin. Perhaps he would have
+done so, for he had a kind and generous disposition, but for the evil
+influence of Pride. This dark companion was almost always now at the
+elbow of Dick, filling him with notions of his own importance, making
+him look down upon every one who was not so sharp as himself. From
+cottage to cottage Pride moved, now putting in Lubin's mind gloomy,
+angry feelings towards his brother; now flattering the vanity of Matty,
+till she thought herself a perfect model of beauty and almost too good
+to keep company with her lame little sister Nelly. Pride did not fail
+also to try to put evil into Nelly's heart, but she never would let him
+converse with her; she remembered the words of her mother, and shunned
+the dark tempter who leads so many astray.
+
+"I wonder," said Pride one day to Matty as she was watering her
+Fancy-work plant,--"I wonder why a lovely young creature like you should
+not spend more of Time's money upon dress."
+
+Matty giggled and blushed, and said that she feared that there was not
+such a person as a good milliner to be found in all the town of
+Education.
+
+"Well," said Pride, "I think that I can help you to find one whom no one
+has ever excelled in this important line of business. There is a distant
+relation of my own, Miss Folly, who is wonderfully quick with her
+fingers, and makes all sorts of elegant things. Lady Fashion has her so
+often with her at her fine town-house, that it is clear that she regards
+Miss Folly almost in the light of a friend, and would not know how to
+get on without her. Folly is particularly anxious to employ her art in
+hiding any changes made by age. I have known an old lady dressed up by
+her with wig, rouge, and a low muslin dress, fastened up with bunches of
+roses, whom you really would have taken, at least at a distance, for
+some lovely young creature of twenty!"
+
+"Oh, could you not introduce me to Miss Folly!" exclaimed Matty; "if she
+could so beautify an ugly old lady, what would she do for a young girl
+like me!"
+
+"I will bring her here with the greatest pleasure," replied Pride; and
+glancing at Matty's dress, he added, "From the elegant style of your
+attire, I should have really imagined that you had long ago known Miss
+Folly."
+
+When Dick had almost finished his papering, and Matty was far advanced
+with hers, the children received one day a visit from Mr. Learning, who
+came to observe their progress. Nelly was so hard at work in her spare
+room, that she did not hear his step, and was a little startled when she
+felt a heavy hand laid on her shoulder.
+
+"Don't be afraid," said Mr. Learning kindly, "go quietly on with your
+work. 'Slow and sure' is your motto, I see; what you do is done neatly
+and nicely."
+
+Nelly looked up with a pleased smile. She had never expected to receive
+a word of praise from the tall stately gentleman in black, who lived
+upon paper and ink.
+
+Mr. Learning then proceeded to Matty's cottage. Matty, who happened to
+be twining flowers in her beautiful hair, started up, and, in a little
+confusion, greeted her guardian with a courtesy.
+
+He glanced round the cottage for awhile in silence. Matty thought that
+he must be admiring the quickness with which she had papered her walls;
+his first words disappointed her not a little.
+
+"You have made a great mistake in not choosing a better and stronger
+paper; labour is thrown away upon this. However quickly you may get over
+your work, no one will ever think a dwelling well-furnished whose walls
+are covered with nothing but fairies."
+
+"Stupid, solemn, cross-grained old critic as he is!" thought Matty; "I
+knew that he and I would never agree together. I paper my walls to
+please my own taste, and snap my fingers at Learning!"
+
+The grave guardian then stalked slowly across the little plot of ground
+which divided the boys' cottages from those of the girls. Though Dick's
+was just opposite to Matty's, Mr. Learning chose to cross over first to
+Lubin's.
+
+The boy, buried in a deep slumber, lay snoring upon the floor, quite
+unconscious that any one had entered. With great disgust Mr. Learning
+looked around on one of the most untidy rooms that his eyes had ever
+beheld. It was only papered to such a height as the arm of the fat boy
+could reach, and even the little that had been done had been finished in
+the very worst way. So small a quantity of the paste of Attention had
+been used, that the paper was already falling off; odd pieces were lying
+here and there, and the most careless observer must have seen that he
+was in the dwelling of a sluggard.
+
+Mr. Learning said nothing at all; he did not even waken the sleeping
+boy, though he felt a little inclined to give him a poke with his boot.
+The stately guardian took out from his pocket a piece of chalk, and
+wrote on the rough bricks above the paper, in letters half a foot high,
+the single word DUNCE, then turning round on his heel, he quitted the
+cottage of Lubin.
+
+It was perhaps intentionally that the sage had arranged to make his
+visit to Dick the last. Here there was much to satisfy and please his
+philosophic eye, and Mr. Learning's grave face relaxed into a smile as
+pleasant as if a whole dozen of copy-books had been spread out for
+dinner before him.
+
+"You're a clever fellow," said he; and Dick made a very low bow, pleased
+but not at all surprised by the compliment.
+
+"I should not wonder if, some day," pursued Mr. Learning, "I should be
+able to introduce you to my friends the Ologies."
+
+"Pray, who may they be?" asked Dick; "I never heard of them before."
+
+"They are of a remarkably superior family, that has been settled for a
+length of years in the higher part of the town of Education. There are a
+number of brothers, and they are all remarkable men. There's--
+
+"The Ology, who keeps a religious library;
+
+"Myth Ology, who deals in books describing the superstitions of heathen
+nations;
+
+"Ge Ology, whose collection of marbles, stones, various earths, and old
+fossils makes him famous;
+
+"Phren Ology, who professes to tell the characters of people by feeling
+the bumps on their heads;
+
+"Chron Ology, who manufactures nails that are known by the name of
+dates;
+
+"Conch Ology, who keeps a museum with a vast variety of shells;
+
+"Entom Ology, who has another filled with butterflies and other insects;
+
+"Ichthy Ology, whose taste leads him to make a collection of fish;
+
+"Zo Ology, who has a large garden with all kinds of creatures in it."
+
+"What a very large family it is!" exclaimed Dick, who had begun to
+think that these Ologies would never come to an end.
+
+"I have not mentioned all," replied Learning. "But all are intimate
+friends of mine, and I invite them all every year to a feast in my house
+in London."
+
+"I wonder what you give them to eat!" thought Dick, "and whether these
+Ologies have all your own taste for paper and ink!" He had a little awe
+for Mr. Learning, so did not utter the reflection aloud.
+
+"You shall know them all some day," continued the guardian; "they will
+help you to fortune and to fame!"
+
+"Why not know them at once?" cried Dick.
+
+Mr. Learning smiled again; but this time his smile was not so pleasant.
+"You are by far too young," he replied, "and have something else to
+think of at present. Your cottage is nearly papered, I see, but you have
+as yet not a single grate within it."
+
+"I'm going to the ironmonger's this very day," cried Dick; "there's no
+use in waiting for my brother and sisters, they are so slow at their
+work. I shall be hand and glove with all the Ologies before Lubin has
+covered his ugly bricks!"
+
+What was Mr. Learning looking at so attentively through his spectacles,
+as Dick uttered this sounding boast? He had caught a glimpse of Pride,
+who, upon his entrance, had hidden himself behind the open door, and who
+was there listening to the conversation between Dick and his guardian.
+
+"Let me give you one word of advice, my boy," said Mr. Learning, in a
+serious tone; "go to the town of Education as often as you will, and buy
+what you may, but never let Pride go with you. He is a safe companion
+for no one; and the better that you are acquainted with _me_, the less
+cause you will find to cherish _him_!" and with this quiet warning, Mr.
+Learning quitted the cottage.
+
+"Ah, Pride!" cried Dick, as the dark one sneaked out of his hiding-place
+behind the door; "you find that the saying is true, 'Listeners never
+hear good of themselves.'"
+
+Pride looked offended and annoyed.
+
+"Never mind, old friend," continued Dick; "I won't attend to a word that
+he said, for I find you as pleasant a companion as any that ever I knew.
+I'm just going off to the town to buy grates from Arithmetic the
+Ironmonger, and if you like to come with me, I can but say that you'll
+be heartily welcome."
+
+Pride needed no second invitation, and the two soon started together.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+DICK'S MISHAP.
+
+
+Messrs. Arithmetic and Mathematics were large manufacturers of ironware
+and machinery of every kind, of which they kept an immense assortment
+continually upon sale in a shop attached to the premises. They were said
+to be near connections as well as partners in business. Mr. Arithmetic
+had the name of a hard man, who looked sharply after every farthing,
+though not quite so hard perhaps as his partner Mr. Mathematics. And yet
+his workmen, who were all called _ciphers_, One, Two, Three, Four, Five,
+Six, Seven, Eight and Nine, never complained of their master. They said
+that they always received their just due, and as long as they kept in
+their own proper place, had never any reason to grumble.
+
+Mr. Mathematics was a great philosopher, and shut himself up a good
+deal, that he might have leisure to invent new and curious machines. He
+did not show himself to customers so often as Mr. Arithmetic, who was
+the soul of the business, keeping all the workmen in order, scarcely
+ever out of his shop, and ready to serve all the world.
+
+The Ironmongery establishment was on the top of a steep cliff that rose
+on the right side of the town of Education, just beyond Mr. Reading's
+large shop; and thither, on that fine summer's day, Dick and Pride
+wended their way.
+
+"We must go up here," observed Dick, as they reached a narrow staircase
+cut in the cliff, and known by the name of the Multiplication stairs. I
+should not wonder if my readers had run up it many a time; if so, I need
+not tell them that it consists of twelve flights of steps, with twelve
+steps in every flight; that the first and second are so easy that a baby
+might almost toddle up them; that the two next are rather more steep,
+while the fifth is easier again; that the seventh and eighth are perhaps
+the worst; while the tenth flight quite tempts one to run, it is so
+delightfully smooth!
+
+Dick was so active and vigorous a boy, that he mounted up to the top
+without even stopping to take breath. He had thence a fine view of the
+distant landscape; but what interested him most was to look down on the
+town which lay at his feet, and see the gilded names of the different
+Ologies shining on the fronts of their dwellings. There was Chemistry's
+beautiful shop too in view, with lovely-coloured glass jars in its
+windows; and Botany's vast garden not far off, bright with the hues of a
+thousand flowers. A fine place to look at, and a good place to dwell in,
+is this town of Education.
+
+An immense building was now before Dick, though rather dull and
+unattractive in appearance; the names of Messrs. Arithmetic and
+Mathematics were in large black letters over the door. Dick entered,
+followed by Pride, and viewed with astonishment the vast variety of iron
+utensils around him. He could scarcely stop to look at the simple
+grates, called sums, which were the things that he came for, his eye was
+attracted by so many articles more curious and more interesting. There
+were big rules of-three kettles, simple, inverse, and compound;
+reduction grinding-machines, and tables of weights of every species and
+size. There were innumerable instruments of various kinds that were
+known by the name of fractions; Dick did not exactly know their use, but
+they looked like instruments of torture. In an inner compartment of the
+place great machines were fizzing and whizzing, pistons rising and
+falling, wheels rolling and rumbling; that part belonged especially to
+Mr. Mathematics, and many of his partner's customers never entered that
+wing of the building.
+
+"What do you require here?" said Mr. Arithmetic, a man dressed in
+iron-gray clothes, with a face which looked dry and hard as one of his
+own kettles, above which was a shock of iron-gray hair, which gave him
+rather a formidable appearance.
+
+"I want to buy four little grates, to put in my house," said Dick,
+standing with his hand on his hip, and speaking in an easy tone, to show
+that he was not afraid of Mr. Arithmetic.
+
+"I understand: my four first sums--Addition, Multiplication, Division,
+and Subtraction;" and the learned ironmonger pointed to a pile of some
+hundreds of the articles required by Dick.
+
+"They are such simple, light little things," observed the boy, "that
+I'll carry off a couple with ease."
+
+"As far as mere weight goes," said Pride, "you might bear away all four
+at once; but they are rather awkward to hold, and, if I understood you
+aright, you are obliged to carry all your purchases yourself."
+
+"Ay," observed Mr. Arithmetic with a grim smile, "when the Prince of
+Wales himself came to shop in our town, he was obliged to be his own
+porter. Governesses and tutors may pack up the loads, but the pupils
+have the carrying after all."
+
+"I certainly could manage two grates at once," observed Dick.
+
+"I would advise you to be content with one at a time," said Arithmetic,
+"and come for the second to-morrow."
+
+"Pick me out four good ones, not too small," cried Dick, trying to speak
+with an air of command; "I'll walk in further with my comrade, and have
+a look at yonder machines."
+
+"Don't go too near those in work," said Mr. Arithmetic to Dick; "little
+boys may get into trouble if they meddle with things that they don't
+understand."
+
+"Perhaps I can understand rather more than he supposes," muttered Dick,
+walking with head erect, and nose in the air, and a sort of swaggering
+step, which he probably thought best suited for a genius.
+
+He passed on between rows of strange machines, whose use he could
+scarcely guess at; but he was ashamed to show any ignorance while Pride
+was close at his side. At last Dick stopped before a turning-lathe,
+which had been made by a man called Euclid, and watched with interest
+and surprise all the curious articles called problems, which a clever
+workman was every few minutes forming with the circular saw.
+
+"That does not look such hard work after all," said Dick; "the man has
+only to hold up the wood to that curious whirling machine, and it cuts
+it right into shape in a second. I think that I could do that myself."
+
+"I should not advise you to try," said the workman, as he stopped his
+lathe for a short time, to go and look for a piece of hard wood. Pride
+glanced meaningly at Dick, and the boy's foot was in a minute on the
+board whose motion turned the circular saw.
+
+"Give me that problem, I'll show you what I can do!" cried the eager
+Dick to his prompter; the next sound that he uttered was a yell, as the
+saw cut one of his fingers almost to the bone!
+
+The cry drew Mr. Arithmetic to the spot. "Is the hand off?" was his cold
+hard question.
+
+Poor Dick held up his bleeding finger.
+
+"You've got your lesson cheaply," said the iron-gray man; "you had
+better know your own powers a little better before you meddle with
+matters like this. Wrap up your finger in your handkerchief, take up
+your grate, and be gone."
+
+Much mortified by his morning's adventure, poor Dick in silence obeyed,
+not making an attempt to burden himself then with anything but a simple
+sum of Addition. It would have been well indeed for the boy if the
+experience of that day had cured him of his foolish presumption, and
+made him give up the company of Pride.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MISS FOLLY.
+
+
+"Oh, dear! how frightful this great big DUNCE looks upon my wall!" cried
+poor Lubin; "and how shall I ever get rid of it? It's always staring me
+in the face, and telling tales of me to every one that comes into the
+room! What shall I do with the ugly thing?"
+
+"Cover it over, dear Lubin," said Nelly, who felt for her brother's
+distress.
+
+"Does it not look hideous?" cried Lubin, looking round with a woe-begone
+face.
+
+"It does look hideous indeed, and, if I were you, I would paper it over
+directly. No one could see it then."
+
+"It's too high for me to reach," sighed Lubin.
+
+"Yes, unless you were to use--" Nelly hesitated, for she knew Lubin's
+dislike to the ladder of Spelling.
+
+"I know what you mean," said Lubin gloomily; "but I won't use that
+ladder just now. Perhaps--there's no saying--perhaps some day I may
+learn to spell without stumbling, and get rid of that hateful word
+DUNCE."
+
+"No time like the present," suggested little Nelly, with a smile.
+
+"Not to-day, I say; I'm not in the humour; I've no fancy for a tumble on
+the floor."
+
+"Have you a fancy, then, to go with me to Mr. Arithmetic's, to get
+grates for our little fireplaces?"
+
+"That's where Dick cut his finger yesterday?"
+
+"Yes; poor Dick!" exclaimed Nelly; "but we won't go so near to the
+machines."
+
+"I'll keep at arms' length from all problems," cried Lubin. "Well, if
+you are going to the ironmonger's shop, we may just as well go together.
+Is Dick to be of the party?"
+
+"No," replied Nelly; "yesterday's mishap had made him rather dislike
+Arithmetic, though the accident did not happen in his part of the
+building. But I hope that Matty will come; I was just going to invite
+her."
+
+Casting one more vexed glance at the great DUNCE on his wall, Lubin
+sallied forth from his cottage with Nelly. As they crossed over the
+little green space to Matty's door, they heard such a jabber of voices
+within her cottage, that one might have thought that the little
+dwelling was full of chattering magpies.
+
+In the parlour appeared Matty on her knees, examining with eager praises
+the contents of a large box of millinery open before her; while, talking
+so fast that she could hardly be understood, a curious creature stood
+beside her, whose dress, manner, and appearance, amazed both Lubin and
+Nelly.
+
+The stranger was by nature very small and mean in appearance; but she
+had puffed out her dress with crinoline and hoops to a size so immense,
+that she half filled up Matty's little parlour, and it was hard to
+imagine how she had contrived to squeeze herself through the doorway.
+She had seven very full flounces, each of a different colour, adorned
+with flowers and beads. Her waist had been pulled in very tightly
+indeed, till it resembled that of a wasp; and a quantity of gaudy
+jewellery shone on her neck and arms. But the head-dress of Miss
+Folly--for this was she--was still more peculiar than her figure. An
+immense plume of peacock's feathers stuck upright in her frizzled red
+hair, which was all drawn back from her forehead, to show as much as
+possible of her face. Her great goggle eyes were rolling about with a
+perpetual motion to match that of her tongue; and her cheeks, rouged
+till they looked like peonies, were dotted over with black bits of
+plaster. I don't know, dear reader, whether Miss Folly be an
+acquaintance of yours; if so, I hope that you will excuse my saying
+that, notwithstanding her rouge and her jewels, I consider her a perfect
+fright.
+
+But here let us make no mistake. I know that there are certain persons
+who confuse between Miss Folly and Miss Fun, and fancy that these are
+names for one and the same person. I assure you that this is not the
+case; Folly and Fun are perfectly distinct. I own that laughing,
+singing, playful little Fun, is rather a pet of my own; she and I have
+had pleasant hours together; nay, I have actually consulted her when
+writing this very book. It is true that she needs to be kept in order,
+for her spirits get sometimes a little too wild; she must be forbidden
+to do any mischief, or give pain to any creature living. But when under
+good control, Fun is a bright and charming companion, especially to the
+young; and I delight in hearing her merry laugh, and in watching her
+sparkling eyes. But as for Folly, I cannot abide her; her mirth only
+makes me sad. Perhaps, before they lay down my book, my readers may more
+clearly distinguish what qualities make Miss Folly unlike that general
+favourite--Fun.
+
+[Illustration: Miss Folly went jabbering on: "Just try that bonnet on
+your head." _Page 73._]
+
+It was clear that Matty Desley was very well satisfied with her
+companion, and she turned over the wares with delight, as Miss Folly
+went jabbering on,--
+
+"There, now; that's something that I can quite recommend; it's decidedly
+_a la mode_, worn by all the duchesses, countesses, baronesses, and lady
+mayoresses, at all the balls, routs, conversaziones, and concerts given
+this season! And--yes, just try that bonnet on your head, and look at
+yourself in this glass"--(Folly always carries a glass)--"doesn't it show
+off the charming face?--doesn't it suit the pretty complexion?--doesn't
+it make you look quite bewitching, a lovely little fairy as you are?"
+
+"Matty!" cried Lubin, the moment Folly paused to take breath, "we're
+going to Arithmetic the ironmonger; will you come with us and buy a new
+grate?"
+
+    "Multiplication is a vexation,
+       Addition is as bad;
+     The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,
+       And Fractions make me mad!"
+
+cried Folly, rolling her goggle eyes, and thinking herself quite a wit.
+
+"Was it not at Arithmetic's factory that Dick hurt himself yesterday?"
+said Matty.
+
+"Hurt himself, did he?" interrupted Folly, who seemed resolved to take
+the largest share of the conversation. "Why did he not come to me for a
+salve? I've the best salve that ever was invented--Flattery salve,
+warranted to heal all manner of bruises and sores; yes, headaches, and
+heartaches, and all kinds of aches. It's patronized by all the heads of
+the nobility and gentry. I've tried it myself many a time, and always
+find it a perfect cure! When I've the high-strikes (I'm very subject to
+the high-strikes), I just rub a little on the tip of my ear, and it
+calms down my nerves like a charm. I wish you would try it!" she cried,
+turning to Lubin.
+
+"I'm not subject to high-strikes, and don't want Flattery salve," said
+the boy, in his blunt, simple manner; "all I want is to know whether
+you, Matty, will go with us to the town of Education."
+
+"I can't go to-day!" cried Matty, annoyed at being interrupted by her
+brother and sister; "I shall want every minute of Time's money to buy
+some of Miss Folly's pretty things!"
+
+"Leave Miss Folly, I should say," cried Lubin, who had no want of plain
+common-sense; "a pleasant, good-humoured smile makes a face look nicer
+than all that flummery there."
+
+"Dear Matty, the days go fast," said Nelly, "and you know that our
+mother expects to find our cottages well furnished on her return. I
+really think that we've no Time money to spare upon what can be of no
+possible use."
+
+"What would my Lady Fashion, my most particular friend, say if she
+could hear you?" exclaimed Folly, who had been struggling to get in a
+word, much talking being very characteristic of Folly; "she--Lady
+Fashion I mean--is always for the ornamental; the useful she leaves to
+the vulgar. As for your sister there" (Folly only condescended to speak
+to Matty), "she knows nothing, I see, of flounces, furbelows, fringes,
+and flowers; she'd put on a bonnet back part forward, or a shawl wrong
+side out; and she looks like a whipping-post, or a thread-paper, or
+a--"
+
+"Oh, stop that jabber, will you!" cried Lubin, putting his hands to his
+ears.
+
+"Come with us, Matty," entreated Nelly, "and buy something solid and
+useful. Summer will soon be over, and when cold weather comes, what
+should we do without grates?"
+
+"I can't come, and I won't come!" cried Matty pettishly; "don't you see
+that I'm exceedingly busy?"
+
+"Come away, Nelly," said Lubin; "leave her to her fine Miss Folly; let
+her furnish her head, if she likes it, with fairies, furbelows, and
+flounces!"
+
+Off went the brother and sister, but they had proceeded some way from
+the door before they got beyond reach of the sound of Miss Folly's
+chattering tongue.
+
+Down hill Puzzle, across brook Bother, along Trouble lane, fat little
+Lubin and Nelly went very sociably together.
+
+"I don't think that you're as lame as you were," said the boy.
+
+"The way seems shorter than it did," observed Nelly; "but one feels the
+hill most when coming back."
+
+As the children passed Mr. Reading's fine shop, little Alphabet peeped
+through the grating, to the no small annoyance of Lubin.
+
+"Ha, ha! my brave fellow!" cried the dwarf, "have you mounted the ladder
+of Spelling, and have you now come to jump over my head?"
+
+Lubin did not answer, but quickened his pace. He and his sister soon
+found themselves at the bottom of Multiplication stairs.
+
+"I wonder how we shall ever get up to the top?" thought lame Nelly, as,
+with rather a disconsolate air, she glanced up the twelve flights of
+steps.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A VISIT TO ARITHMETIC.
+
+
+"It's a dreadful pull up this staircase!" exclaimed Lubin, as panting
+and puffing he stopped half-way, his fat round face flushed with fatigue
+till it looked almost the colour of a cock's comb.
+
+"It is dreadfully tiring!" sighed Nelly, pausing a moment to take
+breath.
+
+"It is worse than the ladder of Spelling!" cried Lubin. "I vote that we
+go back at once."
+
+"Oh no, dear Lubin!" said his sister, immediately starting again on her
+weary ascent--"perseverance, you know, conquers difficulties;" and as
+she uttered the words, the lame girl stumbled at that step _seven times
+eight_.
+
+"You'll never succeed," observed Lubin.
+
+"I'll try again," said the patient Nelly; and slowly but steadily she
+mounted.
+
+Her example encouraged her brother to follow.
+
+"I say, Nelly," observed Lubin, "what a plague all this education
+furnishing is! What lucky dogs those savages are who live in caves that
+want no fittings, and who have never heard of Reading papers, or ladders
+of Spelling, or this horrible Multiplication!"
+
+Nelly could not help laughing.
+
+"The very same thought was passing through my head," said she; "but I
+tried to drive it away, for it seemed to be only fit for Miss Folly."
+
+"Perhaps a cave might not be so very pleasant," rejoined Lubin. "But I
+wish that some good-natured fairy could furnish these cottages of ours
+with a stroke of her wand, and save us all this terrible trouble."
+
+"It would not be so good for us, I daresay," said Nelly, stumbling again
+at _nine times six_.
+
+"And why not?" inquired her brother.
+
+"Why," replied Nelly, as she rubbed her bruised ankle, "I think that the
+trouble and pain serve to exercise our patience and perseverance, and to
+make us more fit to meet the trials which are sure to come when we are
+older. Besides," she added, still mounting as she spoke, "we take more
+pleasure in that which has cost us trouble than in that which we get
+with ease; and it is real enjoyment to feel that a difficulty has been
+overcome."
+
+"I'm sure that we can have no pleasure from this Multiplication stair."
+
+"Oh yes, when we get to the top!" cried Nelly, who had just reached the
+pleasant tenth flight, and now went along it hand in hand with her
+brother at a pace that was almost rapid.
+
+"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Lubin, not long after, as he stood panting on
+the topmost step.
+
+"Oh, what a charming view!" exclaimed Nelly. "I'm so glad that we
+persevered!"
+
+"It's a tremendous big place, this town of Education," said Lubin,
+looking down from his height. "I don't like the look of all those
+Ologies. I'm afraid that a great lot of things are required for a really
+well-furnished house."
+
+"We have only to think of our grates at present," said Nelly. "Please
+keep close beside me, Lubin; for I've heard that Mr. Arithmetic is a
+terribly hard man, and I'm rather afraid to face him."
+
+So again, hand in hand, the two children walked into the big shop
+together, and looked in wonder, as Dick had done, at the great heaps of
+goods within it.
+
+"We won't go near that machinery part," whispered Lubin. "One of these
+big thundering engines would crack my poor head like a nutshell."
+
+"What do you want?" asked the iron-gray man, coming from behind a great
+pile of coal-scuttles.
+
+Nelly squeezed Lubin's hand to make him speak first, for she was a shy
+little girl.
+
+"We each want four sum-grates, for four little fireplaces," said
+Lubin--"the very lightest that you can give us. I should like some no
+bigger than my shoe."
+
+"You're made of different metal from the young fellow whom we had here
+yesterday," said Arithmetic, looking down with some scorn at the fat
+little boy. "You'll never cut your fingers by meddling with problems, I
+guess."
+
+"You may answer for that," said Lubin.
+
+Mr. Arithmetic, without further delay, produced specimens of his four
+simplest kinds of sum grates, like those from which Dick had been
+supplied. Lubin and Nelly soon chose Addition as their first purchase
+from Arithmetic--a grate so small and so light that even the little girl
+supported the burden with tolerable ease.
+
+"You must come back to-morrow for something a little heavier," said Mr.
+Arithmetic. "Addition is simple enough; but Division needs a little
+greater effort of strength."
+
+"We've done grand things to-day," exclaimed Lubin; "it's time enough to
+think about to-morrow."
+
+"Oh, I will certainly come back then!" cried Nelly, not a little pleased
+at her present success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE WONDERFUL BOY.
+
+
+That evening Dick and his dark companion Pride sat in his cottage
+together. The boy looked out of spirits or out of temper. Perhaps his
+cut still pained him; perhaps the perpetual patter of the shower which
+was falling made him gloomy and dull, for a violent rain had come on,
+which continued during the whole of that night.
+
+"Who would have thought," said Pride, "that lazy Lubin and lame Nelly
+would have mounted so bravely to the top of Multiplication staircase,
+and have carried back, safely over Bother, such nice little grates of
+Addition? You must really look sharp, Dick Desley, or they'll furnish
+their cottages before you."
+
+"Before me!" exclaimed Dick, with a sneer. "I could do more with my
+little finger than Lubin with all his fat fist."
+
+"Certainly," observed Pride, "it would be an intolerable disgrace to a
+clever fellow like you if you let any one get before you. You are not
+one who would endure to see another winning from you the crown of
+Success."
+
+"I'll never see _that_," cried Dick, haughtily. "I should like to know
+who has a chance against me!"
+
+"No one has the smallest chance against you, if you only exert
+yourself," said Pride. "If I were you I would put forth my powers, and
+do something to astonish them all."
+
+"I will!" cried Dick, with decision. "I'll go to Arithmetic to-morrow,
+and bring back the three remaining sum-grates all at once. But what
+wretched weather we have this evening!" he exclaimed; "I'm afraid all
+the brightness of summer is going. And what's that on my wall--that dull
+stain as of damp, that seems creeping over my paper?"
+
+"It is merely caused by the rain. I should think nothing of it," said
+Pride.
+
+But Dick did think something of the stain. He saw that it marred the
+beauty of that upon which he had bestowed much diligent labour.
+
+"I'll cross over to Nelly's cottage," he said, "and see if the damp is
+staining hers also."
+
+Nelly was busy fixing in her grate. She looked upon her brother with a
+smile.
+
+"How kind to come and see me through the rain!"
+
+"I did not come to see you, but your paper. How is this?--there is not a
+damp spot upon it!"
+
+"Nor on Lubin's neither," remarked Nelly. "But I was with Matty just
+now, and the damp shows sadly on her fairies."
+
+"What on earth can make the difference?" cried Dick.
+
+"I do not know, unless--unless--" Nelly hesitated before she
+added--"unless it be that both Matty and you used the paste that Pride
+recommended."
+
+"That has nothing to do with it," said Dick, as he quitted the cottage
+in displeasure.
+
+But Nelly had been right in her guess. There will be an ugly stain upon
+any work which we only pursue with zeal because we want to _outdo_
+others in it.
+
+Dick did not make his appearance on the following morning at the
+breakfast-table. The children still took their meals at the house
+Needful till their cottages should be better prepared.
+
+"I am so glad that it has stopped raining," said Nelly, when she had
+finished her breakfast. "I have been wishing for the weather to clear,
+for I promised Mr. Arithmetic that I would go back for the grate of
+Division. Matty, dear, you will come with us to-day?"
+
+Matty had come down to breakfast in a dress almost as ridiculously fine
+as that worn by Miss Folly herself. She tossed her head, and replied,--
+
+"I've something better to do than to buy, or carry, or scrub wretched
+sum-grates of Arithmetic. I'm going out with Miss Folly, to be
+introduced to some of her friends."
+
+"But, Matty, the grates are quite necessary," urged Nelly. "We are soon
+to take up our quarters in our cottages, and sleep there as well as
+work. What shall we do when the cold weather comes if we've no means of
+having a fire?"
+
+"How shall we cook our dinners?" asked Lubin. "If there's one thing more
+useful in a house than anything else, I should say it is a grate in the
+kitchen."
+
+"Oh, Miss Folly tells me never to look forward to winter," cried Matty,
+"but just enjoy myself while I can. So I am not going to plague myself
+with either Addition or Division to-day. To look after such vulgar
+things is only a shopkeeper's business."
+
+"But what will mother say," persisted Nelly, "if she find your cottage
+unfurnished?"
+
+"Unfurnished, indeed!" cried Matty. "It will be far better furnished
+than yours. I mean to have French mirrors, and Italian paintings, and
+German glass and china. I shall get a tambourine also, and perhaps some
+day a guitar. Miss Folly tells me that Lady Fashion, her most particular
+friend, has all these; and though they make a fine show, they are not so
+dear as one would think."
+
+"They are all good and beautiful things, I daresay," began Nelly;
+"but--"
+
+"But grates must come before mirrors, and carpets before German china,"
+laughed Lubin. "We must buy what is needful first, and think of what is
+pretty afterwards."
+
+"That may be your way; but it is not my way, and it was never the way of
+Miss Folly," cried Matty, as she flaunted out of the house.
+
+"I wonder at Dick being so late," observed Nelly; "we ought to be off to
+the town."
+
+"He is not late, but early," said Lubin. "He had had his breakfast, and
+started for the town of Education, before I was out of my bed."
+
+"I wish that he had waited for us," cried Nelly; "it is so nice to go
+through our work all together. You and I had now better set off."
+
+"I'm going presently," replied Lubin. "I've just five minutes to spare;
+and I'm about to step round to Amusement's bazaar, hard by here, to get
+a few barley-sugar drops, to refresh me on my wearisome walk."
+
+"I think that you had better delay your visit to the bazaar until you
+have done your business with Mr. Arithmetic. Our mother's proverb, you
+know, is, 'Duty first, and pleasure afterwards.' The sky is dark, the
+weather uncertain; we may be stopped from going altogether if we do not
+start off at once."
+
+"I should like to be stopped altogether," said Lubin, with a smile. "I
+should not care if I never took another journey to the town of
+Education."
+
+"What! after all that you said to Matty about the necessity of grates?"
+
+"Ah, yes; they are needful enough, but they are not needed just at this
+moment. You may go on if you like it, I'll get my sugar-drops first. Set
+off now, I'll soon overtake you; I won't spend much time at
+Amusement's."
+
+Nelly sighed, but she saw that there was no use in further entreaty, so
+she set forth alone. The path down hill was slippery and wet from the
+rain that had fallen at night--a sister's kind word, or a brother's
+strong arm, would have been a real comfort now to the lame little girl.
+Often and often did Nelly turn and look behind her, to see if Lubin
+were not following after; but in vain she looked, not a sign appeared on
+the hill of the fat little sluggard.
+
+Nelly came to the stream of Bother. The brook was muddy and swollen, and
+went racing on faster than usual. The stepping-stones were scarcely seen
+above the brown waters that eddied around them.
+
+"Oh dear, oh dear; I wish that Lubin or Dick were with me!" cried poor
+Nelly, as she gave one more anxious glance behind her. "It is miserable
+to have to go alone across such a stream as this." She put her little
+foot upon the first stone, she fancied that it trembled beneath her
+weight--then on the next, she was almost in the water. It was nothing
+but a strong sense of duty that made the poor child go on. With
+trembling steps and dizzy brain she proceeded on her dangerous way, and
+great was her relief when she reached in safety the farther shore.
+
+"One difficulty is happily past, but how shall I enter the great town
+all alone? how shall I climb the wearisome stair? how shall I face cold
+stern Mr. Arithmetic, with no brother or sister to back me?" such were
+the reflections of Nelly as she made her way slowly along the muddy lane
+of Trouble. Some of my readers may have experienced what a dull and
+discouraging thing it is to do business all by one's self in the town of
+Education.
+
+One difficulty, however, Nelly found less great than she had expected it
+to be. It is a curious fact, but well known to all, that those who have
+once mounted Multiplication staircase never complain any more of its
+steepness. Nelly ascended it without a single stumble, till, when she
+had almost reached the top, she met her brother Dick coming down from
+Mr. Arithmetic's. What was her astonishment to see the strong boy laden
+with three grates fastened together, Division, Subtraction,
+Multiplication, placed one on the top of another!
+
+"O Dick, you can never carry all that at once!"
+
+"I do carry all at once, as you may see," replied Dick, with a smile of
+triumph; "I'd advise you to get out of my way, lest I knock you over the
+staircase."
+
+"Surely, surely you can't bear that great burden across the swollen
+brook, or up the steep hill."
+
+"Take no fears for me: I can't fail with the crown of Success in my
+view!" exclaimed Dick, bearing his three grates aloft, as some warrior
+might carry his banner.
+
+"If you would only wait a few minutes for me," began Nelly, but Dick at
+once cut her short.
+
+"I wait for nobody!" he cried, pushing past his lame little sister. "If
+you had been up this morning as early as I was, you might have enjoyed
+the pleasure of my company." And so saying, Dick and his iron grates
+went clattering down the staircase.
+
+Alone poor Nelly entered the shop, alone she took up her purchase, and
+alone she descended the twelve flights of steps, trembling under the
+weight of Division, which she had found a much more serious burden than
+little Addition had been.
+
+"How could Dick carry _three_ grates at a time," thought Nelly, "when
+one is almost more than I can support. But then I'm a poor, stupid,
+lame, little creature, and Dick--oh, Dick is a wonderful boy!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE THIEF OF TIME.
+
+
+When Lubin had said that he would not spend much Time money at Amusement
+bazaar, he had fully intended to keep his word. He meant to go steadily
+on his walk to Education, or, as we might call it, "do his lessons," so
+soon as he had had a little diversion. But let me advise all my dear
+young readers to put off their visits to Mrs. Amusement's till they have
+spent such hours as business requires in the town of Education. Let them
+count their money before they set out, spend a good portion of it wisely
+and well, and then, with light hearts and easy consciences, they may go
+to refresh and enjoy themselves at Mrs. Amusement's bazaar.
+
+Which of us does not know that bazaar? It lies on the further side of
+hill Puzzle, very near to the cottages of Head, and a beautiful large
+cherry-tree hangs its branches over the door. The house is not lofty,
+but low and wide, with a multitude of bright little windows. It is
+divided within into numerous stalls, each possessing separate
+attractions. There is one much frequented by boys, where bats and balls,
+bows and arrows, models of boats, and little brass guns are seen in
+great profusion. At another stall there are pretty dolls of every size
+and shape, wooden, wax, and gutta-percha; some made to open and shut
+their eyes, and some to utter a sound. There are few prettier sights
+than that of a number of rosy, good-humoured children, who have finished
+their lessons well, and are going, each with a bright hour or two in his
+hand, to the bazaar of Mrs. Amusement.
+
+The stall that most attracted fat Lubin was one at which sweetmeats were
+sold: raspberry, strawberry, pine-apple drops, bull's-eye, pink rock,
+and chocolate sticks, barley-sugar twisted into shapes more various than
+I can describe or remember. Lubin had taken his five minutes in his
+hand, and now spent them easily enough; but there were more, oh, many
+more things that he thought that he would like from the stall. He went
+humming on as he examined the sweetmeats a favourite proverb of his,
+"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." But the fat little dunce
+might have added, "All play and no work will make Lubin a duller."
+
+Full of interest in all that he saw, with his eyes greedily fixed on
+the stall, Lubin did not notice a lean, small figure, which, softly as a
+serpent on the grass, had stolen up to his side. This was no other than
+Procrastination, a pickpocket well known to the police, who had often
+been caught in the very act of robbing her Majesty's subjects of Time,
+had been tried and sent to prison, but on getting out had always
+returned to his bad occupation again. The poet Young long ago set up a
+placard to warn men to take care of their pockets, giving notice to all
+concerned that "_Procrastination is the thief of Time_;" but, in spite
+of this warning, there are few amongst us who must not own with regret
+that the stealthy hand of Procrastination has robbed us of many an hour.
+
+Have you never suffered from Procrastination, good reader? It is he who
+makes us _put off_ till to-morrow what ought to be done to-day. It is he
+who whispers, "It will be time enough," when a duty should be performed
+directly. If you are aware, at this very moment, while you sit with this
+book in your hand, that you ought to be busy with Arithmetic, or should
+write a letter to a friend, or do some little piece of business, start
+up without an instant's delay, shut this book with a clap; perhaps you
+may then catch between its leaves the sly fingers of thief
+Procrastination.
+
+Poor Lubin was not on his guard: he noticed not the form that crept
+after him as noiselessly as a shadow. Procrastination took the
+opportunity when the boy's attention was most engaged with the
+sweetmeats, to draw out Time's fairy purse, and rifle it of its precious
+contents. Silently then he replaced the purse emptied for that day, in
+hopes, perhaps, that when the morrow filled it with new hours and
+minutes, he might rob its possessor again of the treasure which he
+guarded so badly.
+
+"Well, now," exclaimed Lubin, "I can't stop much longer, for I promised
+Nelly to follow her quickly, and I know that I ought to be at Mr.
+Arithmetic's by this time. I'll just spend two or three minutes more on
+those sugar-plums shaped like marbles, and then away to my business and
+work like a man."
+
+So Lubin plunged his fat hand into his pocket, and drew forth his purse
+of Time. In went his fingers, fumbling about to pull out the minutes
+that he wanted, but he fumbled and felt in vain--not an hour was
+left--not a single little minute, to pay for what he required.
+
+"It's that rogue Procrastination who has robbed me!" exclaimed the
+indignant boy, as turning sharply round he caught a glimpse of a slim
+little figure sneaking round the corner of a counter.
+
+Lubin instantly gave chase. Fat as he was, it was wonderful to see how
+he dodged the pickpocket, first round this stall, then round that,
+shouting all the time, "Stop, thief! stop, thief!" as loudly as he could
+bawl. I need scarcely add that all the boy's efforts were useless. Who
+ever yet recovered lost Time? Out of breath and out of heart, poor Lubin
+stopped panting at last; Procrastination had had a fair start, and
+carried off his spoil in triumph.
+
+"There's no use in attempting to go to Education to-day, I've not a
+minute left," was Lubin's sorrowful reflection. "Oh, that I had started
+with my sister, had thought of my business before my play, what useful
+things I might then have bought with the hours which are now lost to me
+for ever!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+DUTY AND AFFECTION.
+
+
+In the meantime, poor Nelly had been wearily wending her way along the
+lane of Trouble, with her burdensome Division on her shoulder. She felt,
+as many a little student has felt, quite out of humour for work; her
+arms ached, and so did her head; the mud in the lane was so deep that
+she could scarcely keep on her shoes, and she sometimes sank in it
+almost up to her ankle.
+
+Thus in sorrowful plight the lame girl at last reached the brook of
+Bother. Its brown turbid waters looked rougher and deeper and dirtier
+than they ever had done before. The stepping-stones had almost
+disappeared!
+
+Nelly Desley heaved a long weary sigh as she looked before her, and
+rubbed her forehead very hard, as puzzled children are wont to do.
+
+"Oh, this tiresome Division, how shall I ever manage it! I never saw
+Bother so bad. _Nine's in fifty-nine_"--another violent rub; "I know
+what will be _in_, a poor little girl will be in brook Bother!--and
+_what's to be carried_? why this grate is to be carried, and a very
+_great_ vexation it is."
+
+Weary Nelly sat down, almost in despair, on a stone by the bank of the
+stream. What object attracted her eye, some yards lower down the current
+of the brook, round which the muddy waves were eddying and rolling?
+
+"Why--can it be?--yes, there are Dick's three grates all together,
+Division, Multiplication, and Subtraction!" Nelly started up in alarm:
+"Oh, what can have become of my brother?"
+
+A little reflection soon reassured Nelly. Dick, the most active of boys,
+and a famous swimmer besides, could not have come to much harm in a
+brook in which, though many have been ducked, no one has ever yet been
+quite drowned. It seemed clear that the boy had found the weight which,
+prompted by Pride, he had tried to carry, somewhat too much for his
+strength; and, being unable to carry it across the waters of Bother, had
+flung down his tiresome burden, which, by the force of its own weight,
+had stuck fast in the mud of the brook.
+
+"Well, if Dick has failed, I need not mind failing," cried Nelly. "I
+think that I'll do what he has done, and fling away this horrid
+Division,--oh, what a relief that would be! But still, would it not be
+foolish--would it not be wrong--to give way so to impatience? My dear
+mother bade me obey Mr. Learning for her sake, she wishes my cottage to
+be properly furnished; I must not be a sluggard or a coward. I must do
+my best to get over this Bother."
+
+"Well resolved--bravely resolved," said a voice on the other side of the
+brook; and from behind the clump of willows which drooped their long
+branches in the stream, Nelly saw two beautiful maidens come forth. They
+were like, and yet unlike, each other. Both were very fair to look on,
+both of noble height and graceful mien; but the one had an air of more
+stately dignity, such as might beseem a queen; and her large dark eyes
+looked graver and more thoughtful than those of her sister. The other
+had smiling soft blue eyes, beaming with tender love, and the sunlight
+fell on her golden hair till it seemed like a glory around her.
+
+These lovely maidens were no strangers to Nelly, almost from her infancy
+she had looked upon them as friends; many sweet counsels and good gifts
+had the lame little girl received from Duty and Affection.
+
+"Oh, Duty!" exclaimed Nelly, who was rejoiced to find herself no longer
+alone, "only show me how I can get across, and I will not mind labour or
+trouble."
+
+Duty retired for a few moments to her retreat behind the willows, and
+then returned, bearing on her shoulder a narrow plank. With the help of
+smiling Affection she placed this across the stream.
+
+"This plank, dear child," said calm, stately Duty, "was cut from the
+tree of Patience, and small as it seems, can well support your weight.
+Boldly venture upon it; the stream runs fast to-day, you are no longer
+able to ford it, but on the plank of Patience you safely can pass
+across."
+
+Giddy and tired as she felt, Nelly instantly obeyed the voice of Duty,
+and placed her foot on the plank. Duty leant forward, and held out her
+firm hand to aid her, and soon the trembling child and her wearisome
+burden were safe on the bank nearest to the cottages of Head.
+
+"Oh, I am so glad to be well over!" exclaimed Nelly, and with exceeding
+pleasure she looked up in the face of Duty, and smiled.
+
+"And now sit down and rest yourself, dear one," said Affection,
+spreading a thick mantle on the grass, that its dampness might not hurt
+the child.
+
+"May I?" asked Nelly timidly of Duty.
+
+The beauteous maiden bowed her head in assent. There was no sternness
+now in her look; Duty is no enemy to innocent enjoyment--rather should
+we say that there is no real enjoyment but that which is found by those
+who take Duty for their guide and their friend.
+
+"See, here is refreshment for you," said Affection, placing before the
+wearied child a rich cluster of delicious fruit. How sweet is such
+refreshment given by the hand of Affection, how doubly sweet after
+efforts made at the call of Duty!
+
+Never, perhaps, had Nelly Desley passed a happier hour than she did now
+on the bank of that stream which she had crossed with such trouble and
+fear. She now looked with pleasure at the waves as they rushed so
+rapidly by her.
+
+One thought only disturbed little Nelly. "Poor Dick! I wish that I knew
+of his safety," said she.
+
+"He is safe enough," replied Duty; "but there, as you may see, lie his
+three grates in the mud of the stream."
+
+"If he had only had the plank of Patience," exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"It was offered to him as well as to you," said Duty with a graver air;
+"and I thought at first that your brother would have gladly accepted my
+offer. But there came to this shore of the brook a dark, ill-favoured
+lad--"
+
+"It must have been Pride!" exclaimed Nelly, who knew too well her
+brother's companion.
+
+"This Pride," continued Duty, "began to taunt and to scoff. 'Holloa!' he
+shouted across the stream, 'will a genius like you stoop to be directed
+by a woman! Duty is for slaves, and Patience for donkeys. Kick aside
+that miserable plank, and clear the brook with a bound, as you've often
+cleared it before.'"
+
+"Dick is a wonderful boy for jumping," cried Nelly, who greatly admired
+her brother.
+
+"He jumped once too often," observed Duty; "this time he jumped not over
+but into the brook, and mighty was the splash which he made!"
+
+Even gentle Affection could scarcely help laughing at the recollection
+of the scene.
+
+"But he scrambled out!" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Yes; very muddy, and wet, and cross, leaving all his three grates
+behind him. I do not know whether Pride dried Dick's clothes, and wiped
+off the mud, they both ran off as fast as they could; I think that your
+brother was ashamed to be seen, after having so scornfully refused the
+aid of Affection and Duty."
+
+It was now time for Nelly to continue her walk and return to her own
+little cottage. Her beautiful friends accompanied her all the way up
+hill Puzzle, and made the steep way quite pleasant by their cheerful,
+wise conversation. Tiring as her lonely expedition to the town of
+Education had been, Nelly never in future times remembered without a
+feeling of enjoyment her little adventure by the brook where she had met
+with Duty and Affection.
+
+Dick with some trouble recovered his grates from the stream. But he
+never looked at them with pleasure, for they served to remind him of the
+day when, prompted by foolish Pride, he had overtasked his powers, and,
+spurning the plank of Patience, had gone floundering into brook Bother!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+GRAMMAR'S BAZAAR.
+
+
+I cannot undertake to describe all the expeditions to Education, nor the
+various purchases made by the children; but I will here mention the
+first visit made by the Desleys to Grammar's famous bazaar, a place much
+frequented by all those who dwell in the town.
+
+I need hardly tell my readers that Grammar's Bazaar lies in quite an
+opposite direction from Mrs. Amusement's, and that the two concerns have
+no connection whatever with each other. There are no sweetmeats sold in
+the former; the goods are all called _words_, and are arranged in
+perfect order on nine stalls, kept by nine sisters, well known by the
+name of Parts of Speech. These sisters live and work together in the
+greatest harmony and comfort, and are highly respected by all the
+inhabitants of the town of Education. Some indeed call them "slow" and
+"tiresome," and Miss Folly has been heard to declare that the very
+mention of them gives her the fidgets; but neither you nor I, dear
+reader, form our opinions by those of Miss Folly.
+
+It was on a fine morning in summer that Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly
+paid their first visit to Grammar's Bazaar. They entered it by a low
+porch, half choked up with parcels of words tied up in sentences ready
+to be sent to various customers.
+
+"A dull, dark place this is!" exclaimed Lubin; "I would not give
+Amusement's Bazaar for fifty like this."
+
+"Any chance of having one's pocket picked here?" said Dick, with a
+malicious wink at his brother.
+
+"Let's visit all the stalls one after another," cried Matty, "before we
+make any purchase; I like to see all that's to be seen. What a comical
+little body is standing behind the first counter; she is not as big as
+Alphabet, I should say."
+
+"She looks like his sister," observed Nelly; "but I suppose that she is
+one of the Parts of Speech." And she read the name "Article" fastened up
+at the back of the stall.
+
+"What may you sell here, my little lady?" asked Dick, in his easy,
+self-confident way; "I see only three hooks on your counter."
+
+Miss Article Part of Speech had to stand upon a stool that her head
+might peep over the top of her stall. "I'm but a little creature," said
+she, with a good-humoured smile; "_a_, _an_, and _the_ are all the words
+that I'm trusted to sell. If you want to see a larger assortment, pass
+on to my sister Noun; she has many thousands of words to show you,
+models of everything that can be seen, heard, or felt in the world."
+
+Surely enough a most prodigious collection appeared on the counter of
+Noun, a large portly maiden who presided over the stall next to that of
+Article. There were _cups_ and _saucers_, _pins_ and _needles_, _caps_
+and _bonnets_, models of _houses_, _churches_, _beasts_, _birds_, and
+_fishes_, by far too numerous to describe.
+
+"These are all _common_," observed Noun, seeing the eyes of Dick fixed
+admiringly upon the collection; "I have behind me some more curious
+things that have all names of their own," and she pointed to a row of
+small figures. "These are not _common_ but, _proper_," she continued;
+"you will notice here _Wellington_, _Napoleon_, _Nelson_, and our
+gracious sovereign _Victoria_."
+
+[Illustration: Dick, Lubin, Matty, and Nelly paying their first visit to
+Grammar's Bazaar. _Page 103._]
+
+"And oh, look here, at Miss Adjective's counter!" cried Matty; "she
+keeps such a lot of dolls' things to dress up the figures of Noun. A
+_pretty_, _nice_, _curious_ cape--"
+
+"An _absurd_, _ridiculous_, _preposterous_ cap," added Dick.
+
+"Observe," said Adjective with a courteous air, "that I arrange my words
+in three rows, one above another, which I call _degrees of
+comparison_--_positive_, _comparative_, _superlative_."
+
+"I see, I see," exclaimed Dick; "here's a bonnet, _frightful_--that's
+positive; another _more frightful_--that's comparative; and this with
+the superlative yellow tuft, I should call the _most frightful_ of all.
+So, Nelly's clever--that's positive--"
+
+"I don't think so," murmured Nelly.
+
+"Matty's cleverer--that's comparative."
+
+Matty laughed.
+
+"And I am superlatively clever--without doubt the _cleverest_ of all!"
+
+"In your own opinion," growled Lubin.
+
+Nelly wandered on to the next stall, which was kept by the maiden
+Pronoun. Though smaller in size, she was so much like her sister Noun as
+to be frequently taken for her. As it was a trouble to stout Noun to go
+far or move fast, she very often sent Pronoun upon various errands in
+her stead. Pronoun sold not many words; such as she had were mere
+pictures of such as were kept by her sister. _I_, _thou_, _he_, _she_,
+and _it_, and some others which we need not stop to enumerate.
+
+"Here's a famous big stall!" exclaimed Dick, stopping in front of
+Verb's, which was a very remarkable one, being covered with clock-work
+figures all in motion. One could see by them what it is to _plough_, to
+_sow_, to _reap_, to _work_, to _weep_, and to _dance_. The counter of
+Verb was almost as extensive as that of her sister Noun.
+
+"How do you make all these things move?" said Dick with some curiosity
+to Verb.
+
+"I _conjugate_ them; that is, wind them up," she replied, showing a
+small brass key.
+
+"Is it easy to conjugate them?" asked the boy.
+
+"Easy enough with the _regular_ words," replied Verb, "but a good many
+of mine are quite _irregular_ in their construction, and it is hard to
+conjugate them."
+
+"And if one conjugate them carelessly, I suppose," said Dick, "that
+there would be a great crack or whiz, and the whole affair would go to
+smash."
+
+"Oh, don't stop there asking such questions!" cried Lubin; "I'm heartily
+tired of this stupid bazaar--and if you go on so slowly, we shall never
+get to the end!"
+
+"I like to understand things," said Dick; "there's a great deal to
+attract one's attention in this curious counter of Verb."
+
+"Adverb, who keeps the next one," observed Nelly, "sells stands for her
+sister Verb's figures, to display them _nicely_, _prettily_, _safely_!"
+
+"_Badly_, _crookedly_, _awkwardly_!" cried Dick, who was in one of his
+funny moods. "I don't like the look of Adverb, I think that she's given
+to _lies_!"
+
+"The three sisters who have the last stall," whispered Matty to Dick,
+"seem all but poor little creatures!"
+
+"I should call them small, smaller, and smallest, like the three degrees
+of comparison," laughed Dick, "but I see their names at the backs of
+their counters,--Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection."
+
+"Pray, Miss Preposition, what are these?" asked Nelly, as she took up
+some small labels from that lady's stall, with _from_, _by_, _of_, and
+such names upon them.
+
+"They are to show in what _case_ Noun's words are to be packed," replied
+Preposition politely. "You may remark yonder boxes with _Nominative_,
+_Possessive_, and such names painted upon them; it is my business to
+label my sister's goods, that they may be packed according to rule."
+
+"It must be stupid work to deal in nothing but tickets!" exclaimed Dick;
+"if I were a Part of Speech, I'd be Noun rather than Preposition! And
+what has Conjunction to sell?"
+
+"Only little balls of string to tie bundles of words together, such as
+_and_, _either_, _or_; and scissors to divide the bundles, such as
+_neither_, _nor_, _notwithstanding_."
+
+"Oh, come here, come here!" cried Matty eagerly; "there's nothing
+amusing to look at on the counters of Conjunction or Preposition, but
+Interjection has something very funny! Look at these gutta-percha balls
+shaped like faces, some showing pleasure--some horror--some surprise;
+just give them a little squeeze, and hear how you make them squeak!"
+
+Lubin pressed one of the heads between his fat fingers, and _oh! ah!_
+squeaked the red lips.
+
+"I'll try one!" cried Dick, catching up another; "it's so like Matty's
+friend, Miss Folly, that I'm sure that she sat for her likeness!" He
+thumped it down on the counter, and out came a shrill "_lack-a-day!_"
+
+"I think," laughed Nelly, "that Interjection sells the funniest words of
+all!"
+
+"And the ones that we could best do without," said Dick scornfully,
+throwing down the _lack-a-day_ ball.
+
+The children did not leave the Grammar Bazaar empty-handed. I must just
+remark that Matty loaded herself most with words from the stall of
+Adjective, choosing most of them from the Superlative row; and that
+Lubin, notwithstanding the neat labels of Miss Preposition, never knew
+how to put one of the words which he got from Noun or Pronoun into its
+own proper case.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+PRIDE AND FOLLY.
+
+
+One day Mr. Learning, having finished a whole volume of travels for
+breakfast, made up his mind to pay a visit to his charges at the
+cottages of Head. He walked, as usual, at a rapid pace, with long
+strides, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left; his thoughts
+too busy with researches into the manners and peculiarities of distant
+lands, for him to notice how autumnal hues were already tinging the
+trees, or how summer roses were giving place to the convolvulus and the
+dahlia. Mr. Learning did not go empty-handed; he carried with him as
+presents to the young Desleys four small hammers of Memory, and four
+bags of brass nails called Dates.
+
+This time the first cottage which he entered was that of Dick, and he
+would doubtless have been pleased to see the numerous articles for
+ornament and use with which it already was furnished, had not the first
+object which met his eye been the ugly figure of Pride.
+
+Pride was engaged in making a list of all the furniture in Dick's
+dwelling, very much like an auctioneer's puff. Everything, according to
+him, was "first-rate," "of superior quality," or, "fit for the residence
+of any nobleman in the land." Pride sat with his back to the door, and
+therefore was not aware of the entrance of Learning, till the stately
+gentleman in spectacles tapped him on the shoulder with one of the
+hammers.
+
+Up jumped Pride in a moment. He had no time to hide himself, or to beat
+a retreat, so, being one of the most impudent fellows in the world, he
+resolved to brave out the matter with the solemn philosopher.
+
+"I did not expect to find you here again," said Mr. Learning in his
+stiffest and coldest manner.
+
+"Well, I'm surprised to hear that," replied saucy Pride, resting his
+hand on his hip, and trying to look quite at his ease; "as I go
+everywhere, and am welcomed by everybody, it's natural enough that I
+should chance to meet the most potent, grave, and reverend Mr.
+Learning."
+
+"Where is your master?" asked Learning shortly.
+
+"_My_ master, indeed!" echoed Pride; "Dick never yet mastered me. I
+should rather say that I am _his_ master!"
+
+"Where has he gone?" inquired Learning, without seeming to notice the
+insolent remark.
+
+"He has gone to History's shop, to purchase a carpet for his parlour. He
+is sure to select a pattern of the newest and most elegant design."
+
+"Then I leave these for him," said the grave philosopher; "a bag full of
+bright brass Dates, and a hammer of Memory to knock them well in."
+
+"If you had brought a sackful instead of a bagful," observed Pride, "it
+would not have been too much for Dick Desley; and as for the
+hammer--don't you know that he has a prodigiously fine Memory of his
+own?"
+
+Without condescending to reply, Mr. Learning put down his gifts, turned
+round, and, quitting the cottage which harboured so impudent a guest,
+went to the next one, which was Lubin's. The door, as usual, was wide
+open, and the place deserted and empty. Mr. Learning did not even cross
+the threshold, so disgusted was he at the unfurnished, untidy state of
+the sluggard's home.
+
+"I may as well leave these for him, but he'll never know how to use
+them," muttered Learning, throwing in the hammer and nails.
+
+He then crossed over to Matty's pretty cottage. Her door was also ajar,
+and grave Mr. Learning stopped at it for some moments in astonishment
+at the sight which presented itself to his view.
+
+Miss Folly, in her seven flounces, her beads and flowers, peacock's
+plume, rouge, ribbons, and all, was half reclining on the uncarpeted
+floor, engaged in blowing bubbles. As each rose from the bowl of her
+pipe, swelling and shining, and then mounting aloft, she watched it with
+a look of affected delight and admiration in her up-turned eyes. No
+contrast could be imagined greater than that between the stately
+gentleman clothed in black, with his broad intellectual brow, spectacled
+eyes, and grave, solemn manner; and light, fantastical, frivolous Miss
+Folly, clad in the most absurd of styles, but looking as though she
+thought herself the very pink of perfection.
+
+"Dear, who can that funny old fogie be!" exclaimed Folly, as she caught
+sight of grave Mr. Learning.
+
+"Who may _you_ be, and what are you doing?" asked Learning, with less
+politeness than he usually showed to ladies.
+
+"You don't mean to say that you've never heard of me!" cried Folly, her
+words bubbling out fast like water out of a bottle; "you must be Mr.
+Ignorance, if you don't know that I'm Mademoiselle Folly, the most
+particular friend of lovely Lady Fashion, and the inventress of
+tight-lacing, steel-hoops, hair-powder, masks, periwigs--"
+
+"Flattened heads, blackened teeth, nose-rings, lip-rings, and
+tattooing," added Mr. Learning, remembering the account of a tribe of
+savages which he had been reading that morning.
+
+"And as to what I am doing," continued Miss Folly, taking up her pipe,
+which she had laid down on the entrance of a stranger, "I'm very
+usefully employed: I'm furnishing the cottage of Miss Matty Desley."
+
+"Furnishing!" exclaimed Mr. Learning in surprise, as Miss Folly, with
+distended cheeks, commenced blowing another bubble.
+
+Folly was too busy at that moment to reply, even her tongue for a while
+was silent; but after she had succeeded in filling a big bubble, and had
+loosened it from the pipe with a gentle shake, she vouchsafed a little
+explanation.
+
+"Yes, I'm furnishing the cottage with fancies; their poetical name is
+day-dreams, cheap, elegant bubble-fancies."
+
+"You must take me for an idiot!" exclaimed Mr. Learning; "no one in his
+senses could ever dream of furnishing a house with bubbles!"
+
+Miss Folly was so intently gazing after the ascending bubble that she
+seemed to forget even the presence of the sage. As the airy globule
+ascended, she began pouring forth a stream of disconnected nonsense,
+seeming to speak merely for her own pleasure, as her words could
+certainly not be intended for the information of any listener.
+
+"A carriage and four--sleek bays with long tails; no, white horses
+with pretty pink rosettes, and harness all glittering with silver!
+Drive through London--up and down Hyde Park--taken for the
+Queen--bowing--smiling--ah me, the bubble has burst!"
+
+"This is some poor creature that has lost her wits!" thought the
+astonished Mr. Learning, scarcely knowing whether to regard Miss Folly
+with pity or with contempt. Already another bubble was swelling on the
+bowl of her pipe, and in a minute another bright ball was floating aloft
+in the air.
+
+"Exquisite beauty--great attractions--such a voice--such a manner--such
+a killing smile! An ode from the poet-laureate; bouquets, sent without
+end; roses in the middle of winter; a hundred and fifty scented pink
+notes on Valentine's day; the star of the season; the--lack-a-day! that
+lovely bubble has gone for ever!"
+
+"It's time that I should go too," said Mr. Learning; "I've heard enough
+of nonsense to last for a lifetime!"
+
+He was about to depart when Matty suddenly burst into the cottage, in
+her eager haste almost knocking down her astonished guardian with a roll
+of goods which she carried on her shoulder. The shock of the collision
+was great, but not so great as the shock to poor Matty at so suddenly
+coming upon Mr. Learning when she only expected to find Miss Folly. She
+dropped her burden with an exclamation of surprise, and then tried to
+stammer forth an apology, but knew not how to begin. Mr. Learning stood
+straight before her, more erect and stately than ever, sternly looking
+down through his steel spectacles at the confused and blushing girl.
+Miss Folly, however, was quite at her ease, and hastily pushing aside
+her basin and pipe, began instantly to unroll the large parcel which
+Matty had dropped in her fright.
+
+"Ah, I knew it would be so! You have chosen the sweetest pattern--the
+prettiest--most tasteful--most charming little carpet that ever a girl
+set eyes on!" and she began spreading out on the floor a fabric so thin,
+that it seemed as if made of rose-leaves.
+
+"Did you buy that trash from Mr. History?" said Mr. Learning sternly to
+Matty.
+
+"No--why--I own--Miss Folly recommended me rather to try Mr. Fiction,
+who lives close to Amusement's bazaar. It is a great matter, you know,
+not to have to cross over brook Bother, or carry a carpet up-hill. And
+Mr. Fiction has such a magnificent shop, and his wares are so very
+cheap."
+
+"Cheap and often worthless!" exclaimed the angry guardian, striking the
+carpet with his heel, and proving the truth of his words by tearing a
+great hole in the middle. "I brought a gift for you, Matilda Desley, but
+I have no intention of leaving it here now. My hammer of Memory, my
+bright brass Dates, are not required to fasten down such miserable trash
+as this! But," he muttered as he strode away, "it is at any rate all of
+a piece! a carpet framed by Fiction is just the thing for a cottage
+papered with fairies, furnished with fancies, and occupied by Miss
+Folly!"
+
+"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Folly, the moment that his back was turned, "I'm
+glad that the old owl has flown off--he looked ready to peck out my
+eyes!"
+
+I should like, with wise Mr. Learning, to bid farewell to Folly for
+ever. Perhaps my readers may wonder that I should have introduced them
+to a creature so very absurd. I should not have done so had I had no
+suspicion that Folly might intrude herself, without introduction, when
+they themselves are furnishing their own little cottages of Head. Has
+no little girl who now gazes on this page, ever sat for hours blowing
+bubbles of fancies with Folly, listening to worse--more ridiculous
+nonsense than that which shocked Mr. Learning? Has she not delighted to
+imagine herself great, rich, beautiful, and admired? has she not
+consulted Folly about her dress--spent her precious minutes and hours on
+a looking-glass--or a fanciful garment, or a worthless work of Fiction,
+when duties had to be performed, when valuable things were to be bought
+in the good town of Education?
+
+Ah, dear little laughing reader, have I, like grave Mr. Learning, caught
+some one in the very fact of harbouring Miss Folly? Turn her out--at
+once turn her out! She is a silly companion, an unsafe guide; she will
+never make you loved, respected, or happy. Though not quite so dark and
+dangerous as Pride, she is much more closely related to him than people
+would at first imagine; there is much of Pride in Folly--and oh, for
+poor, weak, ignorant beings like ourselves, is not Folly seen in all
+Pride!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+THE CARPET OF HISTORY.
+
+
+Mr. Learning now stood at the top of hill Puzzle, watching Dick, Lubin,
+and Nelly, returning laden with carpets from History's shop. Though the
+carpets, like the rooms, were but small, they were rather heavy burdens
+for children in wet and slippery weather.
+
+Learning smiled his own quiet smile, to see the different and
+characteristic movements of his young charges, the Desleys. Dick, the
+quick and energetic Dick, was half-way up hill Puzzle when his brother
+and sister were only beginning to ascend. His bright young face was
+flushed, but rather with pleasure than fatigue; he sped on with a light
+elastic tread, neither panting nor pausing, but bearing the carpet of
+History as though he felt not its weight. He moved all the more swiftly
+for seeing that his guardian's eye was upon him, and on reaching the
+crown of the hill, saluted Mr. Learning with a very self-satisfied air.
+
+"You make good progress," observed the sage, politely returning his
+salute.
+
+"Oh, I get over everything with a hop, skip, and jump," replied the
+laughing boy, forgetting his flounder in Bother, "and you'll soon have
+the pleasure of presenting me with the silver crown of Success. It's
+nearly time, I should think, for you to introduce me to all your learned
+friends the Ologies! But there's one gentleman in Education whom I fancy
+more than all--the glorious old fellow who keeps a shop filled with jars
+of different colours, retorts, electric-machines, and bottles of powders
+and gases; I've heard that he sells such fireworks as would set all the
+world in a blaze!"
+
+"You mean, of course, Mr. Chemistry," replied the sage; "he is my much
+valued friend; there is not a more pleasing companion to be found in the
+whole town of Education than he. But you are yet far too young, Master
+Dick, to make the acquaintance of so superior and intellectual a man.
+His goods are not yet for you, though in time you may make them your
+own. Attend at present to your carpets and your grates; furnish your
+cottage with facts from General Knowledge; a day perhaps may arrive when
+you will be ready for things more abstruse, and then I'll introduce you
+myself both to the Ologies and to Mr. Chemistry, which latter will, I
+have no doubt, display to you all his magazine of wonders."
+
+"Always putting off!" muttered Dick between his teeth; "always treating
+one like a mere child. I shall have long enough to wait if I wait for
+the introduction of slow Mr. Learning. I can do very well without it,
+and shall certainly try some day whether, by putting a bold face on the
+matter, I am not able to make my own way to the favour of Mr.
+Chemistry!"
+
+These last words were only overheard by Pride, for Dick had already
+entered his cottage. In a few minutes more the sound of his busy hammer
+told that he was already setting vigorously to work to nail down his
+History carpet.
+
+"How comparatively slowly the two other children make their way up the
+hill!" said Learning, who stood watching Lubin and Nelly. "Why, the boy
+has twice sat down to rest on his bundle; and now, surely my spectacles
+must be at fault, can he be rolling his carpet up the hill, instead of
+carrying it on his shoulder! In a fine miry state it will be by the time
+that he reaches his dwelling!"
+
+Surely enough the lazy boy was getting on with his History carpet in the
+laziest of ways, pushing instead of bearing, rolling it along as if it
+were a snowball, and seeming to be quite regardless of the fact that the
+path was covered with mud! Have none of my readers done the same, been
+content to get up a task in _any way_, however slothful and careless?
+
+"Are you not ashamed of that?" exclaimed Mr. Learning, pointing to the
+dirty roll of carpet, as Lubin gained the top of the hill.
+
+"Oh, sir, the mud will rub off when it is dry," said the boy with an air
+of unconcern; "the inner side, where the pattern is, cannot be soiled in
+the least."
+
+"Unroll it and see," said stern Mr. Learning.
+
+Lubin slowly obeyed, and had certainly little cause to be pleased with
+the condition of his new purchase. The pattern, which was full and rich,
+represented a hundred different scenes of interest. There was the wooden
+horse of old Troy; here appeared the gallant sons of Sparta defending
+the pass of Thermopylae; great men of Greece and of Rome, British
+monarchs and statesmen in varied costumes and different attitudes,
+adorned the History carpet. Adorned, did I say? rather once had adorned,
+for all was now a jumble of confusion! There was a great blot of mud
+just over the face of Julius Caesar, and not a single Roman emperor
+stood out clear and distinct. In silent indignation Mr. Learning turned
+away, leaving Lubin to do the best that he could with his poor soiled
+History carpet.
+
+Nelly Desley, weary, but cheerful, had just carried her burden home. She
+was unrolling it now in her simple but beautifully neat little parlour,
+and surveying with great delight the charming pattern upon it.
+
+"Of all the purchases that I have made, this pleases me most!" she
+cried. "What a wonderful variety of pictures, so amusing and
+interesting! Ah, there is good Queen Philippa on her knees, begging for
+the citizens of Calais; and there brave Joan of Arc leading on her
+soldiers to battle! And there, oh, there are the holy martyrs tied to
+the stake for the sake of the truth, looking so calmly and meekly
+upwards, as though they had no fear of dying! I can never pass a dull
+evening now with this wonderful carpet before me; it seems as though it
+would take a lifetime to know all its various scenes."
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Learning, who had entered her parlour unobserved, "that
+beautiful carpet will serve as a constant feast for the mind. Fiction
+may boast that his dyes are the brightest; this I utterly deny; no
+colours are so vivid or so lasting as those that have been fixed by
+Truth, and these should alone be employed in the carpets which History
+produces."
+
+Mr. Learning then graciously bestowed upon Nelly the gift of the hammer
+and nails, and quitted the cottages of Head well satisfied with at least
+one of his charges.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+HAMMERING IN DATES.
+
+
+Knock--knock--knock! "Oh, this wearisome hammering!" sighed poor Nelly,
+as stooping over her carpet till the blood swelled the veins of her
+forehead, she tried to fasten in, one by one, the date-nails which Mr.
+Learning had given. "I do not see why it is needful to knock in all
+these tiresome nails! Lubin has thrown his whole stock into a rubbish
+corner, I know, and says that he never means to prick his fingers again
+by thrusting them into such a bag!" knock--knock! "Stephen came to the
+throne in 1145, or 1154, I'm sure I don't know which--and, what's more,
+I don't care! Ah!" the last exclamation was a cry of pain, for the
+hammer in the girl's awkward hand had come down with some force on her
+fingers.
+
+"Well, Nelly, what is the matter?" asked Lubin, showing his jolly fat
+face at the door.
+
+"I'm tired to death of these dates!" replied Nelly, raising her flushed
+face at the question.
+
+"So was I with the very first of them; I never got beyond William the
+Conqueror; my carpet will stick on very well without nails, if no one
+takes to dancing a jig upon it! You are just wearing your spirits out,
+Nelly, and I'm sure that I wouldn't do that for any man, least of all
+for that sour Mr. Learning, who scribbled DUNCE on my wall!"
+
+"I think," said Nelly, "that my friend Duty would tell me to go
+hammering on with these dates."
+
+"Duty would keep one in tight order," laughed Lubin, "but I prefer
+following my own pleasure. I'm off to Amusement's bazaar, and I advise
+you to come with me now."
+
+"Oh, Lubin, not now; not till I have finished my work."
+
+"Then I'll go without you," said the boy, leaving poor Nelly to her
+troublesome task.
+
+Scarcely had Nelly begun her hammering again, when Matty popped in her
+pretty little face.
+
+"Why, Nelly, what's the use of tiring yourself like that! You will never
+manage to knock in all those nails!"
+
+"I am afraid that I will not," sighed poor Nelly.
+
+"Do as I do," continued Matty. "Miss Folly, kind creature, has supplied
+me with spangles, which are, all the world must own, just as pretty as
+any brass nails!"
+
+"Spangles!" repeated Nelly in surprise; "no one can fasten down a carpet
+with spangles!"
+
+"It's the _look_ of the thing that I care for," said Matty, who had
+evidently become a very apt pupil of Folly. "And now I'll tell you where
+I'm going, Nelly. I have long thought, you know, that a pretty
+tambourine would look wonderfully well in my parlour; and I think, if I
+could buy one cheap, that a French picture would give it a fashionable
+air. I am going on a purchasing expedition, dear Miss Folly being my
+guide."
+
+"Oh, Matty!" exclaimed Nelly, "you know that you have not yet bought
+half the things that you require from Mr. Arithmetic the ironmonger!"
+
+"I wish Mr. Arithmetic at Jericho!" cried Matty peevishly; "his goods
+are so heavy--so uninteresting; they make no show; I won't plague myself
+with such things!"
+
+"Matty, Matty, my beauty!" called the shrill voice of Folly from
+without.
+
+"I'm coming in a moment," cried Matty, as she hastened to join her
+companion.
+
+Sadly, but with quiet resolution, Nelly took up her hammer again. Not
+many minutes had passed before she received a visit from Dick.
+
+"How long are you going to keep on knocking in those dates?" exclaimed
+the boy; "I put in all mine long ago. You see," he added with a merry
+laugh, as he held up his hands, "I've _nails at my fingers' ends_!"
+
+Nelly, who did not quite understand the joke, and was too honest to
+pretend that she did so, bent down again over her work.
+
+"I can't think how you are so slow!" cried Dick. "I've heard you hammer,
+hammer, hammering for such a time, that I expected when I came in to
+find your carpet studded all over with dates, and you have not put in
+more than six!"
+
+"I am sorry that I am so slow and stupid," said Nelly, with a sigh; "it
+is not my fault but my misfortune."
+
+Dick felt a little repentant for his unkind and thoughtless words. "I
+must say, Nelly," he observed, "that slow as you are, your cottage is
+far better furnished than Matty's, though she is so active and bright.
+What a lot of trash she has stuffed into her rooms! And such a lovely
+cottage she has! If the inside only matched the outside, it would be
+charming indeed!"
+
+"Dear Matty would have furnished her house very nicely," said Nelly,
+"if Miss Folly had not come in the way."
+
+"Ah, yes! Folly is at the bottom of the mischief!" cried Dick. "How
+absurdly she has made Matty dress; what numbers of good hours has the
+silly girl spent in making herself look ridiculous!"
+
+"Oh, don't be hard on Matty!" cried her sister.
+
+"Would you believe it!" said Dick, "Miss Folly has persuaded her to get
+not only her carpet, but her chairs and tables also, from Mr. Fiction!
+They are as slight as if made of pasteboard, and won't stand a single
+week's wear! Now _my_ furniture is good and substantial, and was very
+reasonable in price besides."
+
+"Where did you get it?" asked Nelly.
+
+"Oh, you know, where Mr. Learning recommended us to go. I buy my
+furniture from the upholsterer, General Knowledge, whose shop adjoins
+Mr. Reading's."
+
+"The immense warehouse of _facts_," said Nelly.
+
+"You may well call it immense," cried Dick; "I believe that it would
+take one a lifetime to go thoroughly over the place. There are vaults
+below full of furniture facts; rooms beyond rooms stuffed with facts;
+mount the stairs, and you'll find story upon story all filled with
+valuable facts! I assure you, Nelly, that it is a very curious and
+interesting place to visit, and I never go to General Knowledge without
+carrying back something well worth the having. I'm just on my way to him
+now."
+
+"I should like to go with you," said Nelly; "I shall want beds, tables,
+and chairs; and as I can't carry much at once, I shall need to go very
+often to the warehouse."
+
+"Come then now, and be quick!" cried Dick, who was, as usual, impatient
+to start.
+
+"I think--indeed I am sure," replied Nelly, "that Duty would advise me
+first to finish the task which I have begun. If other furniture were
+brought in just now, I might find it harder to nail down my carpet."
+
+"Good-bye, dear drudge!" cried Dick; "I believe that it would be better
+for us all if we stuck to the counsels of Duty as steadily as you always
+do! But you see I'm a quick, sharp fellow, and don't like to be tied
+down by rules; I get what I will, when I will, and where I will; and
+depend on't, in the end I'll win the crown of Success, for no cottage of
+Head will be found so well-furnished as mine!"
+
+And with this somewhat conceited speech on his tongue, off darted our
+clever young Dick, ran down hill Puzzle at speed, and lightly sprang
+over brook Bother!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE PURSUED BIRD.
+
+
+"There is no doubt but that Dick will be the one to win the crown," was
+the silent reflection of Nelly; "I work from no hopes of getting _that_;
+but it will be quite reward enough for me if my dear mother be pleased
+with my cottage; and smiles from Duty and Affection would make any
+labour seem light."
+
+By dint of steady hammering Nelly at last managed to fix in a goodly
+number of dates. When she was satisfied that enough had been done, she
+rose from her knees, and relieved herself by a yawn.
+
+"I will go and see after my Plain-work," said she; "the fruit upon it is
+swelling quite big--I am glad that it will be perfectly ripe when my
+dear mother comes back. If she be satisfied with it, how little shall I
+grudge my past trouble--how joyful and happy I shall be!"
+
+Nelly uttered these words as she crossed her threshold, and felt the
+fresh, pleasant air playing upon her flushed cheek and her aching brow.
+
+At that moment her ear caught a whirring sound, as of wings, and looking
+upwards, she beheld a beautiful bird pursued by a hawk darting down
+towards her at the utmost speed that terror could lend it. Scarcely had
+she seen its danger, when the little fluttering fugitive had sought
+shelter in the bosom of the child.
+
+"Oh, poor little bird--poor little bird--the hawk shall not catch you!"
+cried Nelly, putting one hand over the trembling creature, and holding
+out the other to keep the fierce pursuer away.
+
+The hawk, which was of a species called "Tempers," not altogether
+unknown in Great Britain (my readers may, perhaps, have seen specimens),
+wheeled round and round in circles, as if unwilling to give up its prey.
+Nelly was quite afraid that it might attack her, and still pressing the
+poor frightened bird to her bosom, she hurried back into her cottage.
+
+"You are safe, pretty creature--quite safe. You need no longer tremble
+and flutter," said the little girl to the bird. It almost seemed as if
+the fugitive understood her; it spread its pinions, but not to fly away;
+lightly it hopped on to her hand, and rubbed its soft head against her
+shoulder.
+
+"I never saw such a beauty of a bird!" cried the delighted Nelly; "and
+it seems just as tame as it is pretty. What lovely white silvery wings,
+what soft eyes that gleam like rubies, the changing tints on its neck
+and breast are lovelier than anything I ever saw before!"
+
+Still perched on her hand, the bird opened his beak, and began to warble
+a song of gratitude far sweeter than any nightingale's lay. Little Nelly
+was enraptured at the sound.
+
+"Oh, how glad I am," she exclaimed, "that I did not leave my hammering
+before--that I did not go, as I much wished to go, either with Lubin or
+Dick. This lovely creature would then have been torn to pieces by the
+cruel hawk, and I should have seen nothing of it, except perhaps a few
+stained feathers at my door."
+
+"I hear the well-known warble of my bird Content!" cried a voice from
+without which Nelly at once recognized; and running to open the door as
+fast as her lameness would let her, she joyfully admitted her two
+friends, Affection and Duty.
+
+Content fluttered to the hand of his mistress, Duty.
+
+"Ah, truant!" cried the fair maiden, as she caressed her little
+favourite, "how could you wander from me--how could you ever fancy
+yourself safe apart from Duty? I saw the hawk wheeling in the air, and
+I trembled for my beautiful pet; but he has found here a refuge and
+protector. Nelly, I thank you for your kindness, and it is with pleasure
+that I reward it. You have saved the bird, and the bird shall be yours.
+Go, pretty warbler, go; and, warned by former danger, keep close to your
+new young mistress."
+
+Nelly uttered an exclamation of delight, as, obedient to the word,
+silver-winged Content flew again into her bosom, and nestled there like
+a child.
+
+"Oh, thanks, thanks!" she cried; "such a treasure as this will be a
+constant delight. I would rather have the bird Content, than even the
+crown of Success."
+
+"You must never part with it," said Duty earnestly, "whoever may tempt
+you to do so; my gift must never be sold or exchanged. Content is a
+wonderful bird; joy and happiness breathe in his note. Though I be not
+visibly present, such a mysterious tie connects Content with Duty, that
+when you have followed my rules, and acted as I would have you act, my
+bird will cheer and reward you with one of his sweetest songs."
+
+"I will never, never part with him of my own free will," said Nelly, as
+she fondled her bird.
+
+Affection now came forward. The reader may remark that the sisters
+seemed ever to keep close together, as though they scarcely could live
+apart. They were indeed tenderly attached, and felt a pleasure in each
+other's society which made them never willingly sundered. Duty felt that
+without Affection she would find every occupation a weary task; and
+Affection, who was a little given to extravagance, would often have got
+into trouble without the quiet counsels of Duty. Each looked fairer and
+brighter when seen in the company of her sister.
+
+Affection now placed before Nelly a Book, wrapped in a cover of gold.
+"To my sister's gift," she said, "I must add one yet more precious.
+However well the head may be furnished, if the _highest_ knowledge be
+wanting, all other things become worthless and vain. Treasure this Book,
+dear child; make it your counsellor and guide; you will not prize it
+less because Duty requires you to study it, and it may be pleasant to
+you to remember that you first received it from my hand as the best, the
+noblest gift which even Affection could offer."
+
+Youthful reader, do you know that Book, and do you dearly prize it? It
+is that volume which gives knowledge compared to which all the
+inventions of science, all the learning of man, all the wisdom of this
+world, is but as dust in the balance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+PLANS AND PLOTS.
+
+
+How happy was little Nelly now, with Content as her constant companion.
+He was with her when she went on expeditions to the town of Education,
+flying before her, then stopping to rest on some bush by the wayside to
+cheer her by his musical song. When she returned home laden with
+furniture, facts from the warehouse of General Knowledge, or some of
+Arithmetic's more heavy productions, the way seemed shorter, the burden
+more light when Content was fluttering near. When the four Desleys at
+last took up their abode in their four little homes, the presence of
+beautiful Content made Nelly's as bright as a palace.
+
+It is time that I should say something about the gardens which lay
+behind the cottages of Head, and which were to be cultivated by the
+children. These were very curiously laid out, according to the plans
+given by Geography, the celebrated gardener. Each garden represented a
+map. There were plots of green grass for the sea, dotted with daisies
+for tiny islands. There was rich dark mould for the land, and flowers or
+small bushes were planted wherever the capitals of countries should be.
+Dick, who was very ingenious, contrived to have some characteristic
+plant for most of those cities.
+
+"See," he exclaimed, "there is a rose-bush for London, a thistle for
+bonny Edinburgh, and a patch of green shamrock for Dublin. I'm getting a
+lily for Paris, as that is the capital of France; and as Holland is
+famous for tulips, Amsterdam a tulip shall be."
+
+"And what will you give Belgium?" inquired Matty.
+
+"Brussels sprouts, to be sure."
+
+Dick worked early and late at his garden, and it was by far the finest
+of the four; even in the season of autumn the difference was very
+marked. Lubin was so often sauntering off to Amusement's bazaar, and
+spending his hours at one of her counters, that Geography the gardener
+grew quite out of patience with him. Lubin quite forgot where to put in
+the tiny box hedges which marked the boundaries of various countries, so
+that France spread half over Germany, and swallowed up poor little
+Belgium altogether. "Italy," as Dick laughingly observed, "was shaped
+like a gouty shoe, instead of a long slender boot;" and so much grass
+overran the border, that Matty was certain that all Lubin's land would
+soon be drowned by the sea. London, Edinburgh, and Paris were dying for
+want of watering, and nothing seemed to flourish in Lubin's Europe but
+such things as groundsel and chickweed.
+
+Matty at first succeeded far better with her flowers. She had a taste
+for gardening, she said, and laid out her map very nicely. Whatever
+accorded with her inclination, Matty did quickly and well; but she
+worked from no regard to Duty, and whenever she felt a little tired, she
+threw down her spade, and went to amuse herself with touching her new
+tambourine, or blowing bubbles of Fancy with Folly. Yet, upon the whole,
+Matty's garden was fair and pleasant to behold.
+
+Nelly, who was lame, and had little strength for hard work, found
+gardening a serious task. It took her long to lay out the plots, long to
+plant the box hedges; and watering the cities, and keeping the ground
+clear of weeds seemed an endless business to Nelly. Yet cheerfully and
+bravely she worked, while, perched on a bush beside her, the beautiful
+bird Content poured forth enlivening lays. The harder she laboured, the
+louder sang he; and whenever she glanced up from her task, she saw the
+gleam of his silver wing reflecting the sunshine from heaven.
+
+"Oh, dear little bird!" cried Nelly, "with what a song will you welcome
+my mother, who will soon return to us now. How she will stroke your soft
+feathers, and delight in your cheerful lay! Then, perhaps, thoughtful
+Duty and sweet Affection will come and remain as my guests, and fill my
+home with peace and with gladness when chill winter darkens around. Oh,
+how happily shall we all then gather around our blazing Christmas fire!"
+
+It seems strange that so kind and gentle a child as Nelly should ever
+have an enemy; but she was certainly an object of envy and dislike both
+to Miss Folly and Pride.
+
+"I hate that sober, sensible little minx, who is always thinking of
+Affection and Duty," said Miss Folly one day to Pride, as they were
+walking in a thicket together, just as the damp evening mist was
+beginning to fall.
+
+"I hate her heartily," muttered Pride between his clenched teeth; "for
+she not only shuts her own door against me, but tries with all the power
+that she has to weaken my influence with her brothers and sister. She
+has not succeeded, and she shall not; but I never forget a wrong, and
+I'd give anything in the world to be able to spite and vex her."
+
+"It drives me wild to hear that bird of hers always singing so gaily!"
+cried Folly.
+
+"Could we not wring its neck?" exclaimed Pride.
+
+"We dare not so much as touch it without her leave," said Miss Folly,
+shaking her peacock plume with vexation; "and yet I'd rather make myself
+a head-dress of its feathers than of those of any other bird of the
+air."
+
+"We'll get hold of it, and kill it without mercy!" cried ugly Pride,
+grinding his teeth as he spoke; "but we must work by cunning, for we
+dare not use force, the child is under such powerful protection."
+
+"I'll coax Nelly to part with her bird," said Folly; and rolling her
+goggle eyes, she added, "you know that I'm a rare hand at coaxing."
+
+"There are few who can withstand you," answered the dark one; his words
+made Folly simper, she knew not how to blush. "And if," continued Pride,
+"you succeed, you will make Nelly mortally offend both Duty and
+Affection; and to break with friends such as they are, will make her
+miserable indeed."
+
+"She'll only need a good big bribe," said Folly. "I believe that Matty
+would part with the dearest friend that she has for the sake of a few
+bright ribbons, or a bunch of fine feathers to wear."
+
+"But Matty is not Nelly," observed Pride.
+
+"Oh, Nelly is only a girl!" cried Folly, tossing her frizzled head, "and
+there never yet was a girl that could not be wheedled by Folly into
+doing the silliest thing in the world. If I persuaded Matty that Fashion
+required her to tattoo her nose all over, to dye her hair green, or
+blue, or mauve, or to walk on all fours like a cat,--don't you suppose
+that she would do it?"
+
+Pride only shrugged his shoulders in reply.
+
+"Haven't I coaxed Chinese ladies to torture their babies by squeezing
+their feet into shoes so small, that the half-lamed creatures could
+never, throughout life, walk except in a waddle? Have I not--"
+
+"You have done all sorts of wonderful things," said Pride; "no one
+doubts your power of persuading. Try now your arts upon Nelly, get her
+to give up her bird, and strangle Content as soon as you get it under
+your dainty fingers. If you shall be baffled, I will try next; 'twill be
+strange indeed if a simple child like Nelly be able to withstand us
+both."
+
+"No fear of that!" exclaimed Folly.
+
+So the two conspirators parted, equally resolved, by any possible means,
+to effect their object. It was not the first time that Folly and Pride
+had consulted together how to bring sorrow and shame into a young loving
+heart; not the first time that they had agreed to use their utmost
+efforts to destroy a bright and beautiful creature, and silence for ever
+in death the warbling voice of Content.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE COCKATOO, PARADE.
+
+
+"Good morning to you, sweet Nelly, dear industrious Nelly!" was the
+greeting of Folly on the following morning, as she stood with a red
+cockatoo on her wrist, quite filling up Nelly's doorway with her iron
+hoop and her flounces.
+
+Nelly was busily engaged in screwing on the legs of a table made of
+facts from Natural History, which she had bought from General Knowledge.
+A very curious table it was: the facts were as numerous, and fitted
+together as closely, as the bits of wood in a Tunbridge-ware box; and
+the legs were carved all over with figures of birds and beasts. That
+table had cost many hours, and had been carried home bit by bit; it was
+one of the prettiest and handsomest pieces of furniture which appeared
+in the little cottage.
+
+"Good morning," replied Nelly very coldly, in answer to the salutation;
+she had no good opinion of Miss Folly, and hoped that she did not intend
+to linger. Folly had, however, come with an object, and did not appear
+to notice the coldness of the child, indeed no one is slower than Folly
+in taking a hint to depart.
+
+"I see that you are as fond of creatures as I am," cried Miss Folly,
+turning her goggle eyes upon her parrot; "I have a fancy, I may say a
+passion, for them! I keep a regular 'happy family' at home--dogs, cats,
+mice, parrots, and pigeons, and a little pet alligator, the dearest duck
+of an alligator, that I've taught to eat out of my hand! You must really
+come and see them all one day."
+
+"Thank you, but I'm very busy," replied poor Nelly, who wished that her
+jabbering visitor would leave her in quiet to work.
+
+"But I've no bird like your Content; I really think that I must add it
+to my collection," said Folly; "it seems to me quite unique!"
+
+Nelly had no notion what _unique_ could mean, but she had a great notion
+that her Content should never be added to Miss Folly's "happy family."
+
+"Now I've just been thinking," continued the chatterer, "that it would
+be a nice plan--a most charming plan, for you and me to make a little
+exchange. You give me your bird Content, which I'll always cherish and
+coddle, and feed on sugar-plums and strawberry ice, in affectionate
+remembrance of you"--(O Folly! Folly! how little you care for
+truth!)--"and you shall have my magnificent cockatoo, Parade, that I've
+taught to speak myself; he's the finest creature in the world: you shall
+hear how clever he is!"
+
+Folly coaxed the bird on her wrist, called him by a dozen pretty names,
+smiled at him, nodded to him, whistled for him, and at length induced
+him to speak. The cockatoo bobbed his head up and down, shook his wings,
+puffed out his red feathers, and then in harsh, sharp tones repeated
+about a dozen times the sentence, "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I
+fine?"
+
+The bird Content, perched on the mantelpiece, seemed listening in wonder
+to a voice so unlike his own.
+
+"That is a clever cockatoo," said Nelly, with a smile; "but I would not
+exchange my Content for any other bird in the world."
+
+"Ah, but Parade is a beauty--a real beauty!" cried Miss Folly; "Lady
+Fashion, my most particular friend, would give anything to possess him!
+I assure you that when I put him in my window, every passer-by stops to
+stare at the creature. Only just hear him again."
+
+And again Parade bobbed his head up and down, swelled himself out, and
+repeated, "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+
+"I protest," cried Folly, speaking faster than ever, "he'll sometimes
+keep repeating over that sentence from morning till night!"
+
+Nelly was too polite to say it aloud, but she thought that one might get
+very weary of hearing "Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+
+"I really do not wish to make any exchange," said the lame girl with
+mild decision; "Parade has very bright colours, it is true, but I love
+better the silver wings and soft note of my pretty Content."
+
+Even Folly could not but see that this her first effort had failed; but
+Folly is not easily discouraged. "If this stupid girl do not care for
+Parade," thought she, "I'll find something else that she cares for;" and
+putting the cockatoo down on the table, Folly drew a gay jewel-case from
+her pocket.
+
+"What do you say to these?" she exclaimed, opening the case, and drawing
+from it a long string of what looked like pearls, with a sparkling clasp
+which seemed to be made of diamonds.
+
+"They are very pretty indeed!" said Nelly.
+
+"And so becoming--so charmingly becoming! I assure you, my dear, if you
+would only let me dress up your hair, put it back _a l'Imperatrice_, and
+adorn it with these lovely pearls, there's not a creature that would
+know you again!"
+
+Nelly laughed, and Folly thought that she had now found a vulnerable
+point; that, like the crow in the fable, the child could be caught by
+flattery.
+
+"You don't do justice to yourself, my dear; your dress is so common and
+plain that no one guesses how well you would look if you attended a
+little to style. If you wore such clothes as Matty now wears, and
+carried them off with an air, you may depend on't that people would take
+you for a very grand lady indeed!"
+
+"But why should I wish to be taken for what I am not?" asked Nelly
+simply.
+
+"My dear, what an absurd question! Does not every one wish to be taken
+for somebody grander than herself?" cried Folly, jabbering at railroad
+speed. "The child of the dogs' meat man wears a necklace and hoop; the
+farmer's daughter cuts out the squire's; the kitchen-maids on Sundays
+deck out as ladies; each one mimics some one above her, and wants to cut
+a dash in the world! If any one were content to appear really _what she
+is_, I should cut her society at once; I should let the whole world know
+that she had _nothing to do with Folly_!"
+
+Sharing the excitement of his mistress, "Ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+cried Parade.
+
+"Now, my dear, I'll tell you what I'll do," continued Folly, lowering
+her voice to a confidential tone; "you shall give me your bird Content,
+and, as I told you before, I shall feed him and foster him with the same
+care as I do my own pet alligator. In return I will not only present you
+with this charming string of pearls, but will show you how to wear them
+in a manner the most bewitching."
+
+"I do not think that pearls would suit a plain little girl like me!"
+
+"Plain! if ever I heard such a thing. You've a countenance quite out of
+the common! You've the prettiest nose--the sweetest little nose; and as
+for your smile!--" Folly threw up her hands, and cast up her eyes, to
+denote admiration too great to be expressed by mere words.
+
+Poor little Nelly was rather taken aback by praises to which she had not
+been accustomed. She certainly placed little confidence in anything said
+by her visitor; yet flattery has some sweetness in it, even from the
+lips of Folly. Let no little girl who reads my story despise poor Nelly
+for smiling and blushing, unless she be quite certain that she never
+herself has done the same on a similar occasion. But Nelly, though
+amused, was not caught even by the bait of the pearls and the praises.
+She remembered many a word of sensible advice given by her faithful
+friend Duty, and drawing a little back from Folly, who in her eager
+confidential manner had pressed up quite close to the child, she said in
+a modest tone, "Whatever our looks may be, a simple and sober dress,
+such as suits our age and station, is what Duty always recommends."
+
+"Duty--the old horror!" exclaimed Folly, who could not endure the very
+name; "I don't wonder that you're formal and quiet, if you tie yourself
+down to her laws. No, no, my pretty Nell, you must break away at once
+from such a dull, tiresome guide; don't talk to me of Duty again! I'll
+take you under my charge; I'll show you all my delights; I'll even--"
+here Folly again lowered her voice to a confidential tone, and leant
+forward her frizzled head as she whispered, "I'll even manage to
+introduce you to my most particular friend, Lady Fashion!"
+
+"Nothing on earth would make me give up Duty!" exclaimed Nelly warmly,
+for she could bear no word spoken against her friend. "I will never
+forget her, nor part with her gift; and I don't want, indeed I don't, to
+be introduced to Lady Fashion!"
+
+Miss Folly started back in indignation and horror. "Not want to be
+introduced to Lady Fashion! the girl must be out of her senses! Not one
+moment longer shall Folly condescend to stay near one who has the
+effrontery to own that she does not want to be introduced to Lady
+Fashion!" and, snatching up her cockatoo, Parade, Miss Folly rushed out
+of the cottage as fast as her mass of frippery would let her.
+
+Nelly looked after her with a wondering smile, and Content, perched on
+the shoulder of his young mistress, burst forth into the merriest of
+songs.
+
+Miss Folly did not stop in her running till she arrived, out of breath,
+at the spot where Pride was awaiting her return.
+
+"What success?" asked the dark one, though he saw at a glance that Folly
+had been baffled and defeated.
+
+"I'll never go near her again!" gasped forth Folly; "I'll never put my
+foot across her threshold! She has disappointed me, rejected me,
+insulted me; she does not care for my cockatoo, Parade, nor wish to be
+introduced to my most particular friend, Lady Fashion!" and Folly almost
+cried with spite and vexation.
+
+"She will not escape me so easily," said Pride; "my arts are deeper than
+yours. I have resolved that her bird shall die, and die it shall, before
+to-morrow, let her guard it as well as she may."
+
+"She always keeps Content beside her," observed Folly, "and you know
+that neither of us are able to take it away by force."
+
+"Not by force," said Pride gloomily, "but by fraud. I know that I cannot
+with my own hands wring the neck of Content; but I'll do more, I'll make
+Nelly kill him herself!"
+
+"How can you do that?" exclaimed wondering Folly.
+
+Pride glanced round to see that no one else was listening before he
+replied, in a voice sunk to a horrible whisper, "I've a poisoned cage,
+called Ambition, very fair and fine to the eye. Let Content be but once
+placed in that, and he will swell, and swell, till he burst, like one of
+your own bubbles, Miss Folly."
+
+Folly looked charmed at the clever idea. "But how to get the bird into
+the cage?" said she.
+
+"Leave that to me," answered Pride; "I know how to manage these matters.
+There is many a one who would scorn to listen to the offers of Folly,
+who cannot turn a deaf ear to Pride. You have power over a weak mind
+like Matty's, and can turn and mould her at your will; but it needs a
+more subtle spirit, a more artful lure, to overcome a girl who has been
+brought up under the guidance of Duty."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+THE CAGE OF AMBITION.
+
+
+"Well furnished, yet simply furnished--all good, plain, solid--that is
+what I like and approve!"
+
+Nelly looked up on hearing these words, and her glance became one of
+surprise when she saw by whom they had been uttered. Pride was standing
+with folded arms not at the door but at the window; his dark, haughty
+expression was gone, and he looked mildly down at the child.
+
+"Do not fear me, Nelly," he said, "I shall make no attempt to enter. I
+know that you have been set against me by those who have little
+acquaintance with me. I blame them not, they act for the best; and I
+honour you for following the counsels of such friends as Duty and
+Affection."
+
+"Really," thought Nelly as she listened, "Pride is not so bad as I took
+him to be."
+
+"Perhaps," continued the cunning deceiver, "were my character better
+known, even virtuous Duty herself would find me no foe, but a friend.
+Mr. Learning I often have served, though he will not acknowledge my
+services. I have spurred on his cleverest pupil to efforts which,
+without me, he would never have made."
+
+"But have you not brought Dick into some trouble?" suggested Nelly,
+glancing timidly up at Pride.
+
+"Such troubles as generous natures encounter, the dangers that await the
+daring--dangers much to be preferred to the inglorious safety of the
+sluggard. To yourself, Nelly, I appeal, for you are a girl of rare
+sense; your brave perseverance in labour, your wise use of the bridge of
+Patience, your attention to the call of Duty, show that you possess a
+judgment far beyond what might be expected at your age."
+
+"Pride is not half so ugly as I used to fancy that he was," thought
+Nelly.
+
+"To you I appeal," continued Pride. "Had I possessed the same influence
+over Lubin as that which I have exercised over his brother, would not
+the result have been for good? Would not Lubin's cottage have been
+better furnished, his hours more nobly employed; would he not have
+scorned to throw away so much money on sweetmeats; would not honest
+Pride have kept him from the meanness of giving up everything for
+Amusement?"
+
+"Yes, I believe so," answered Nelly, and she was only speaking the
+truth; she might have added, however, that no efforts are really noble,
+no acts really worthy of praise, that are owing, not to a regard for
+Duty, but to the influence of selfish Pride.
+
+"I could not forbear calling here," continued the deceiver, who felt
+that his artful words were beginning to make an impression, "to
+congratulate you, as I do with all my heart, upon your late conduct, so
+noble and wise."
+
+"When--where?" asked the wondering Nelly.
+
+"I speak of your triumph over Miss Folly--over that weak, silly,
+frivolous creature who has, unhappily, so much power over the minds of
+ignorant girls. Wise were you, Nelly, most wise, not to exchange your
+beautiful Content for false pearls or prating Parade. You have a soul
+above froth and frippery, you despise both flattery and Folly, no one
+will catch you blowing bubbles of Fancy to furnish a most empty
+dwelling!"
+
+Nelly began to understand how it was that Dick had found Pride such a
+pleasant companion.
+
+"Yes," continued the deceiver, leaning through the open window, on the
+sill of which he rested his arms, "you scorn that poor wretched Parade,
+that screams 'Ain't I fine?' to each passer-by, as if seeking to attract
+vulgar notice. Independent of others, you can stand by yourself; you
+have won Content, you prize it, you deserve it; but has it never struck
+your mind, Nelly, how difficult it may prove for you to _keep_ it?"
+
+"No," replied Nelly, caressing her bird; "I shall never give my
+favourite away."
+
+"But your favourite may take wing and depart. Do you expect Content to
+remain in this small cottage, with all the free air to soar in?"
+
+Nelly looked uneasy and anxious, and pressed her bird closer to her
+heart.
+
+"It is the nature of birds to mount aloft. Trust me, Nelly, Content will
+not linger long here while he has unrestrained use of his wings."
+
+"I could not bear to lose him!" cried Nelly.
+
+"To save you that pain," said Pride, watching closely her face as he
+spoke, "see what I have brought for you here!" and he raised and placed
+on the sill of the window the gilded cage of Ambition.
+
+"Oh, what a splendid, magnificent cage!" cried poor simple Nelly,
+suspecting no evil; "and did you really intend it for me?"
+
+"See how ready I am to forgive and forget," said Pride, with a wicked,
+mocking smile, as he saw the guileless child lay her hand on the
+poisoned gift; "you have spoken against me, tried to drive me away--nay,
+at this very moment, I believe, you would not suffer me to enter your
+door--and yet I bring you this cage that you may never lose your
+Content; that you may see it grow greater and greater, and never fly
+from your home!"
+
+"You are very good," began Nelly, and stopped short; she was startled at
+the sound of her own words.
+
+"Yes, I am _very good_, am I?" laughed Pride, as he turned away from the
+window, and then began to stalk down the hill, muttering to himself as
+he walked, "Ay, she will think me very good, doubtless, when she
+sees--as she will see before morning--her beautiful, her cherished
+Content gasping and swelling in the agonies of death!" and as in thought
+he enjoyed his barbarous triumph, how hideous grew the dark features of
+Pride.
+
+But the wicked one was blowing the trumpet of victory before the battle
+had been won! Nelly, indeed, looked with admiration and pleasure upon
+the glittering cage, and was about to place her favourite within it,
+when a thought arrested her hand. "My mother has warned us very often to
+have nothing to do with Pride; Duty has told me again and again that
+nowhere upon earth could I find a more dangerous companion than he.
+Ought I to accept this gift? is it suitable, is it right, to take a
+present from one whom I dare not invite to enter my cottage? Oh, surely
+I have done wrong in listening with such pleasure to his flattering
+words! What should I do now; what would Duty counsel me to do? I will
+return to him his beautiful cage, and keep nothing, however charming,
+that ever belonged to Pride!"
+
+Catching up the tempting gift, Nelly hastened out of her cottage and saw
+Pride descending the hill.
+
+"Pride! Pride!" she called out as loudly as she could. The dark one
+pretended not to hear, and only quickened his steps.
+
+"Oh, how shall I ever overtake him," thought lame Nelly; and again she
+called, but in vain, while she followed as fast as she could.
+
+"Had I not better keep and use the cage, since it is so hard to return
+it?" thought Nelly. Inclination bade her go back, and imprison Content
+within the glittering bars; but the recollection of Duty was strong, and
+exerting her utmost efforts, the child succeeded in overtaking Pride
+when he had almost reached brook Bother.
+
+"Oh, take this back," gasped the panting Nelly; "it is fine and
+tempting, I own, but Duty would not allow me to keep it."
+
+"You don't mean to insult me by returning my gift?" exclaimed Pride, in
+a tone of fierce disappointment.
+
+"I must do what is right," said Nelly, though frightened by his
+threatening scowl; "take back your cage of Ambition, I dare give it no
+place in my home!"
+
+"Then--there, let it go!" thundered Pride; and snatching up the poisoned
+cage, he sent it whirling round and round through the air till it fell
+splashing into brook Bother! "I only wish that I could send you after
+it!" he exclaimed, and gnashing his teeth with disappointment and fury,
+Pride rushed away from the spot.
+
+Little Nelly returned up the hill at a much slower pace than that at
+which she had descended it. Ere she had gone half-way a bright silver
+wing gleamed through the air, and Content alighted on her shoulder.
+Perched there, the sweet bird poured forth so loud and joyous a lay that
+one might fancy that he knew the danger from which he had so narrowly
+escaped, and was aware of the fact which so many, by bitter experience,
+have learned, that Content must be poisoned and perish if placed in the
+gilded cage of Ambition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+A VISIT TO MR. CHEMISTRY.
+
+
+With her bird still warbling on her shoulder, Nelly bent her steps to
+the cottage of her sister. Matty had cared little for her society of
+late, but Duty and Affection had both taught Nelly to keep up all family
+ties. She was going to tell Matty of her little adventure, but Nelly
+found her too full of her own troubles to care about anything else.
+
+"Such a provoking thing has happened!" exclaimed Matty, who was seated
+on a very flimsy chair, which she had purchased from Mr. Fiction. It
+gave such a loud crack as she leant back upon it, that Nelly expected to
+see it come to pieces beneath the weight of her sister.
+
+"O Matty, I wish that you would buy better furniture from General
+Knowledge," cried Nelly; "I do believe that in a few weeks those
+wretched chairs will be fit for nothing but firewood!"
+
+"I did buy a pair of screens from General Knowledge," cried Matty; "I
+brought them home several weeks ago, as you perhaps may remember."
+
+"Yes, I recollect," replied Nelly; "they were handsome and valuable
+screens. One was made of Botany _facts_, all carved over with leaves and
+flowers; the other of Biography _facts_, covered with likenesses of
+great men. They were really a beautiful pair, but I don't see them now,"
+added Nelly, with an inquiring glance round the room.
+
+"They're lost to me and my heirs for ever!" cried Matty, again tossing
+herself backwards on her chair, which again gave an ominous creaking.
+
+"How could they be lost?" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Stolen--stolen by the robber Forgetfulness," answered Matty; "a regular
+burglar he is! I neglected to lock my door at night--I never dreamed of
+any danger--and in came the robber and carried away my pair of beautiful
+screens."
+
+"How very vexatious," exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Yes, indeed; where's the use of spending hours upon hours in
+furnishing, and labouring to carry heavy things over brook Bother and up
+the steep hill of Puzzle, if Forgetfulness sneak in at last and carry
+the best goods away."
+
+"What use, indeed," echoed Nelly; "the sad warnings of the misfortunes
+which have happened to you and poor Lubin from Forgetfulness stealing
+your facts, and Procrastination robbing him of his hours, must make each
+of us more careful in guarding our treasures from such thieves."
+
+"If Forgetfulness had only taken one of those worthless chairs instead,"
+sighed Matty; "to think of losing the best facts, and keeping the
+useless fictions."
+
+"How now--what's the matter?" cried the cheerful voice of Dick, as he
+entered Matty's cottage with a brisk lively step; "you look as doleful
+as Miss Folly did just now when I met her with her red cockatoo on her
+wrist, appearing so disconsolate and sad that I thought her most
+particular friend, Lady Fashion, must have died of late hours or
+tight-lacing!"
+
+"Miss Folly disconsolate and sad!" exclaimed Matty; "ah, perhaps she had
+heard that my poor little cottage had been robbed."
+
+"That was not the cause of her melancholy," said Dick; "I daresay, were
+the truth to be known, that Miss Folly herself had something to do with
+the business; for many a day has she been seen in company with
+Forgetfulness the burglar."
+
+"I'm certain that Folly is perfectly innocent," cried Matty.
+
+"Oh, I don't mean to accuse the fair lady; I only mention what I have
+heard; you and she may settle the affair between you. But as regards her
+present vexation, that, Nelly, all lies at your door. It seems that you
+despised her cockatoo Parade, and would not part with Content in
+exchange for it. But I've set all matters right; I've taken a fancy to
+the creature, I've promised to buy it from Folly, and instead of prating
+for ever, '_Ain't I fine?_' I'll teach it to cry, '_Ain't I clever?_'"
+
+"And then you'll give it to me!" exclaimed Matty. "There's nothing that
+I adore like Parade; often and often I've wished to have it. I'm quite
+astonished that Nelly should prefer that dull, spiritless creature,
+Content."
+
+"I've done more yet to put Folly into good humour," said Dick, who,
+though he heartily despised his sister's companion, yet liked to amuse
+himself sometimes with her airs; "I've invited her to come this evening
+and see my grand display of fireworks."
+
+"Fireworks! oh, that will be charming!" exclaimed Matty, clapping her
+hands.
+
+"And I've desired her to bring Pride with her; nothing goes off well
+without him."
+
+Nelly, who had a disagreeable recollection of her late interview with
+Pride, looked very grave on hearing of the invitation given to him by
+her brother.
+
+"Where did you get the fireworks?" asked Matty, who, in her pleasure at
+the idea of seeing something new, had quite forgotten her loss.
+
+"Where but from Mr. Chemistry? I knew that it was all nonsense in old
+Learning to say that his goods were not yet for me. Pride and I were
+laughing half the evening at the sage's old-fashioned notions. I suppose
+that he thinks that no one can see the world till forced to look at it
+through spectacles, like himself. 'You need an introduction, indeed!'
+cried Pride; 'just step up boldly like a man. Mr. Chemistry, with his
+gases, his retorts, his acids, and his alkalies, will be glad enough to
+see the colour of your money without making uncivil observations.' Said
+I, 'Mr. Pride, your advice is good, and I'll act upon it directly.' So
+off starts I, brave as a lion; plank Patience still lay across brook
+Bother, but I kicked it right into the stream."
+
+"Oh, why did you do so?" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"Patience may do well enough for you," replied Dick, "but you see a chap
+like me doesn't want it. Well, to go on with my story. I found Mr.
+Chemistry hard at work beside an electric machine, and I stopped some
+moments to watch the crackling sparks drawn from the whirling glass
+wheel. At last the old fellow looked up, and saw me with my purse in my
+hand. 'You're a young student,' says he. 'An old head on young
+shoulders,' says I, looking as solemn and wise as Mr. Learning himself
+could do. 'You'll need to undergo a short examination,' says he, 'upon
+the first principles of my science.' Those words rather took me aback,
+for I had not counted upon that. 'What's a simple body?' says he,
+turning over to the first page of a book that was near him. 'A simple
+body,' says I; 'why, that is my sister Matty, for she's hand and glove
+with Miss Folly.'"
+
+"O Dick, how could you speak so?" cried Matty.
+
+"I set the old fellow laughing, and then, of course, I got everything my
+own way. I told him that I did not want science but fireworks, and that
+I knew that he had them in lots. I wished something that would go
+hissing, and fizzing, and whizzing, and astonish and dazzle beholders.
+To make a long story short, I carried off all that I wanted; and I
+invite you both this evening to see my grand firework display."
+
+"It will be delightful--quite charming," cried Matty; "and my darling
+Miss Folly to be there!"
+
+"Miss Folly and Pride too," said Dick; "but what makes our Nelly so
+solemn and grave?" he added, clapping the lame girl on the shoulder.
+
+"O Dick, I should like much--very much--to see your fireworks, but I
+cannot--indeed, I cannot--go to meet Folly and Pride."
+
+"What nonsense!" exclaimed Dick, impatiently; "if they're good enough
+company for us, they're surely good enough company for you."
+
+"Both my dear mother and Duty have warned me against such companions; I
+may not go where they go."
+
+"Stay at home then--no one wants you!" exclaimed Dick, who, puffed up as
+he was by self-confidence, could not endure the slightest opposition.
+"Set yourself up for a model child--lame, plain, and stupid as you are."
+
+Poor Nelly's heart swelled as if it would burst at such undeserved
+rudeness from her brother. She returned, however, no angry word, but
+silently and quietly quitted the place. Her eyes were so much dimmed by
+tears, that she could scarcely see her way back to her own little
+cottage.
+
+"It was a shame in me to speak so to Nelly," exclaimed Dick, who
+repented of his unkind speech almost as soon as he had uttered it.
+
+"You had better tell her so," said Matty, who, though frivolous and
+careless, was not an ill-natured girl.
+
+Dick turned to follow Nelly, and would doubtless have made all things
+smooth with his sister, had he not met dark Pride at the door.
+
+Ah, dear reader, have you never been stopped by Pride when going to beg
+forgiveness of one to whom you knew that you had done a wrong, and
+especially when that injured party was younger and less clever than
+yourself?
+
+Dick would not _demean_ himself, as he called it, in the presence of
+watchful Pride, by telling his little sister that he was sorry for
+having hurt her feelings. Pride came to talk about the fireworks, and,
+in eager conversation with him, thoughtless Dick soon forgot the wound
+which his overbearing temper had inflicted upon a gentle and loving
+heart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+A LESSON.
+
+
+Evening was coming on. Poor Nelly sat sad and alone in the parlour of
+her little cottage. She had seen little of Dick since the morning; and
+when they had accidentally met, he had not uttered one word of regret
+for his unkindness. Indeed, his manner had been so careless, that it
+appeared that what had passed so lately between them had quite gone out
+of his mind. Nelly tried to forgive and forget, but her spirit was sad
+and low. Even Content seemed to droop his wing, and would scarcely give
+even a chirp.
+
+Nelly felt also--as what girl of her age would not feel!--being shutout
+from the merry little party that were going to enjoy the fireworks. The
+display, on account of the direction of the wind, was to be close in
+front of Matty's cottage, instead of that of Dick; and as this dwelling,
+as we know, adjoined Nelly's, the lame girl from her little window
+could have but an imperfect view, and would lose all the general effect.
+
+"Perhaps," thought poor Nelly, "I have been needlessly strict after all;
+I have been a little too particular in doing what I thought that duty
+might require. I have lost a great deal of pleasure, and I have offended
+my own dear brother. Everything has seemed gloomy since the
+morning--even my bird will not sing. Ah, how glad I am that my mother
+will soon return. I shall never doubt what I ought to do when I have her
+dear voice to guide me; and I am sure that when she is here, Content
+will warble from morning till night."
+
+"What, Nelly, here all alone?" said Lubin, putting his round,
+good-humoured face in at the door.
+
+Nelly only looked up and smiled, for at that moment she could not speak;
+and her smile was so sad, that Lubin came in and seated himself at her
+side.
+
+"Why, you have been crying, Nelly!" he said. "What is the matter with
+you, dear? Has Forgetfulness robbed you of your choicest facts, or
+Procrastination--the sly rogue!--stolen your hours, or have you dropped
+some nice little purchase of yours into the muddy waters of Bother?"
+
+Nelly shook her head in reply to each question. "I have vexed Dick,"
+she answered at last, "by refusing to join his party at the firework
+display, because he has invited Pride and Miss Folly."
+
+"I daresay that you did quite right," observed Lubin; "though it's
+rather hard upon you to have to give up the fireworks and fun. You'll
+hardly see anything from your window. Come to my cottage opposite; there
+you will have a good view of it all."
+
+"I would rather remain quietly here, dear Lubin; with many thanks to you
+for the offer. I have no heart for amusement this evening, and would not
+wish Dick to see me watching, as if by stealth, the fireworks which I
+would not go openly to view." As Nelly spoke, she could not prevent two
+large tears, which had been gathering beneath her lashes, from
+overflowing her eyes.
+
+Lubin, lazy sluggard as he was, yet was a kind-hearted boy, and would do
+a good turn for any one, provided it gave him small trouble. "I'll stay
+with you, Nelly," he said, kissing the tear from her cheek; "it will be
+better for me, you know, to keep clear of Folly and Pride." Nelly
+squeezed his hand to express her thanks. "There is Miss Folly
+approaching already," continued Lubin. "One might know her coming were
+she a mile off, by the sound of her jabbering voice."
+
+Lubin rose and went to the window to look out. "Yes; there is Miss
+Folly--peacock plume, balloon dress, and all; and she has a red cockatoo
+on her wrist. Black-browed Pride is behind her. Matty and Dick are
+running to meet them."
+
+Nelly did not go to the window; but she heard the voices without, which
+sounded distinctly through the still evening air.
+
+"I wonder if it will ever get dark enough for the lovely, delightful
+fireworks. I've been wishing all the afternoon that I could push on the
+sun double-quick to the west. It's always dark when one wants it to be
+light, and light when one wants it to be dark." My readers will scarcely
+need to be told that these words were spoken by Folly.
+
+"I'm glad that you've brought your cockatoo," said Dick; "you know that
+I'm going to buy him."
+
+"He's worth his weight in gold--he is; pretty creature!--just listen to
+him now!" And Nelly could hear the harsh, grating voice of Parade:
+"Pretty Poll! ain't I fine? ain't I fine?"
+
+"I'm going to teach him something else," observed Dick. "Just let me
+have him here for a few minutes. The fireworks are ready prepared, but
+we must wait till the twilight grows darker. In the meantime, I will
+amuse myself by giving Master Cockatoo a lesson in talking."
+
+"You'll soon make him say what you like," observed Pride.
+
+"Isn't it a beautiful bird?" cried Matty.
+
+"They are gathering round the cockatoo, Nelly," said Lubin, who was
+still at the window. "Only Miss Folly, with her painted face and goggle
+eyes, is peeping at the preparations for the fireworks."
+
+The last faint tinge of red had faded from the sky. Deeper and deeper
+grew the gathering shades. Lubin could scarcely distinguish the features
+of the group that were amusing themselves with Parade.
+
+"Now, my good cockatoo," began Dick, standing in front of his
+red-feathered pupil, "you know 'variety is charming,' says the proverb.
+We may like to hear you say the same thing over nine hundred and
+ninety-nine times; but when a question is asked for the thousandth time,
+we begin to wish for a little variation. Suppose now, just for a change,
+you say, 'Ain't I clever? ain't I clever?'"
+
+"Ain't I fine?--ain't I fine?" screamed Parade.
+
+"Fine? Yes, we know that you are; dark as it is growing, we see that you
+are; it's a fact which no one will dispute. But just try now--"
+
+Dick had not time to conclude his sentence. Bang!--crash!--there was a
+loud deafening noise, as if a cannon had been suddenly fired at their
+ears. Nelly started in terror to her feet, and rushed to the window to
+see what had happened--frightened by the shrieks and cries which
+succeeded the terrible explosion, that had smashed every pane of glass
+in the cottages! The whole air was full of thick smoke, through which
+Nelly beheld Miss Folly, with her flounces all on fire, rushing wildly
+into the dwelling of Dick, which was just opposite to that of Matty.
+
+"O Lubin! something terrible has happened. Plunge the table-cover into
+that pailful of water--let us fly to save--oh, help! help!"
+
+Back again through Dick's doorway rushed screaming Miss Folly, after
+having set fire to his curtains within. Happily she was met by Lubin and
+Nelly, who threw over her flaming, flaring dress the damp folds of the
+dripping table-cover. She struggled fiercely to get away from them, as
+though she thought that they meant to smother her; and it was with the
+utmost difficulty that the two succeeded in throwing Folly on the
+ground, and putting out the flames entirely, by rolling her round and
+round in the mire.
+
+Matty's screams of alarm mingled with those of Miss Folly; and not
+without cause, for the explosion had set fire to the thatch of her
+cottage; and through the windows of Dick's came a terrible fiery
+glow--his furniture was all in a blaze. The whole scene around was as
+light as day in the fierce red glare of the burning.
+
+Happily assistance was near--very near. Duty and Affection had been
+ascending the hill to pay an evening visit to Nelly, when they had been
+startled by the noise of the explosion, the shrieks, and then the sight
+of the blazing thatch. Without a moment's delay they had shouted for
+assistance to a party of men who were going homewards at the close of a
+day's work. A cart full of empty barrels happened to be passing at the
+same time, and its contents were instantly seized upon for use. The
+labourers, incited and directed by the sisters, rushed down at once to
+the brook, thankful that water was so nigh. Happily there was no wind to
+fan the fierce conflagration, a heavy mist was beginning to rise, and
+strong and willing hands were at work to put out the fire. Duty and
+Affection were everywhere--encouraging the men, directing their efforts,
+nay, labouring themselves with an energy and courage which filled all
+beholders with surprise. Never could Nelly forget that night. The
+rushing to and fro--the crackling of the flames--the hissing of the
+water thrown upon them--the volumes of smoke that arose, the cries, the
+screams, the hallooing--then the shout of triumph when at length the
+fire was completely subdued.
+
+Nelly's chief alarm was on account of her brother and sister. While the
+tumult yet raged around, she rushed, guided by Matty's screams, to a
+spot where she found the poor girl trembling in an agony of terror.
+
+"Oh, Matty, are you injured?" exclaimed Nelly.
+
+"I don't know--I can't tell," sobbed Matty, who was much more frightened
+than hurt, though her hair, and even her eyebrows, had been singed by
+the explosion of the fireworks.
+
+"And Dick--poor Dick--is he safe?" cried Nelly, glancing anxiously
+around.
+
+"There he is--lying on the ground!" exclaimed Lubin, who had just
+discovered his brother stretched senseless upon the earth, having been
+struck on the head by a large piece of wood at the time of the
+explosion.
+
+"Oh, I hope and trust that he is not killed!" exclaimed Nelly, running
+to him, in bitter distress.
+
+"Not killed, only stunned--see, he is opening his eyes," said Lubin, who
+was now on his knees, supporting his brother in his arms. "If Matty
+would only assist us, we could carry him into your cottage, Nelly, out
+of this noise and confusion."
+
+Tenderly the three young Desleys raised their poor wounded brother, and
+carried him into the cottage. Affection soon followed, to attend to his
+hurts and bind up his bleeding brow--for Affection is a nurse of great
+skill.
+
+The fire was out--the danger over; Duty rewarded the labourers, and the
+cottages were left to the children and their two faithful friends in
+need. Duty and Affection remained through all the dark hours of that
+trying night, soothing Matty, encouraging Lubin, cheering the heart of
+poor Nelly. Even when obliged to leave for awhile, the sisters paid
+repeated visits to the cottage, bearing with them everything needful.
+Nelly now found, indeed, what it was to have such friends as Duty and
+Affection.
+
+Dick's injury had brought on brain-fever. For three days and nights
+Nelly scarcely quitted her brother. All his unkindness was quite
+forgotten, and she would not have left her place at his side for ought
+that the world could give. Dick had been severely, though not
+dangerously, hurt. It would be some time, the doctor said, before he
+would be fit for any exertion. Books must be kept from his sight; he
+must not, for weeks to come, be allowed to visit the town of Education.
+But his life had been happily spared; gradually his strength would
+return. Nelly did not like to tell the poor invalid that all the
+furniture of his cottage, which he had regarded with so much
+satisfaction, had been destroyed by the fire; nor that poor Matty's
+thatch had been burned, and her pretty white wall all blackened and
+scorched by the flame.
+
+Dear reader! should you ever be tempted to harbour Pride, on account of
+a well-furnished head or a beautiful face--oh, remember how soon the
+fairest features may be made unsightly, the most talented mind rendered
+feeble and weak, by a sudden accident or fever. The labours of years may
+be swept away--the highest powers rendered useless; and one whom all
+admire to-day, may be but an object of pity to-morrow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+HEARING THE TRUTH.
+
+
+It was not until Dick was able to sit up, propped by cushions, in an
+arm-chair, that Nelly could be persuaded by Lubin to make a little
+expedition with him to buy some things needful for their mother, whose
+arrival in two days was expected. Lubin liked to do nothing by himself;
+he would not have taken the trouble to cross brook Bother unless a
+sister had been at his side; and poor Matty had positively refused to
+go, as she disliked showing herself to strangers while her hair and
+eyebrows were so sadly disfigured by the fire.
+
+"Please, Matty," said Nelly, before she set out, "see that poor Dick
+wants nothing during my absence. Perhaps you would sit beside him. But,
+pray, say nothing to him that can possibly vex or excite him; you know
+that he is still very weak, and the fever might possibly return."
+
+Matty agreed to play the nurse for an hour, and with a slow and
+lingering step she accordingly went to the cottage in which her brother
+was staying.
+
+It was sad to see the young, bright, active boy placed like an aged man
+in an arm-chair, his cheek, so lately glowing with health, almost as
+pale as the pillow upon which it was resting. Dick's eye was, however,
+still bright, and he had his old playfulness of manner, though his tone
+was more feeble than usual, as he exclaimed, on the entrance of his
+sister, "Why, Matty, you and I look for all the world as if we had been
+in the wars! I with this bandage across my brow, you with your hair
+cropped close, and your eyebrows all singed off; you can't think how
+funny you look!"
+
+Poor Matty hid her face with her hands, and was ready to burst into
+tears.
+
+"Oh, don't take it to heart!" cried Dick; "hair will soon grow again,
+you know. I wonder that your friend Miss Folly has not helped you to an
+elegant wig."
+
+"She is no friend of mine!" exclaimed Matty, with vehemence. "Do you not
+know that it was Folly who caused the explosion? She thought, like an
+idiot as she is, that it would be fun to put a match to the fireworks
+when all our backs were turned, and make us start with surprise. It was
+her meddling that caused all this mischief and misery;" and again poor
+disfigured Matty hid her face in her hands.
+
+"Then I hope that you'll cut her from this day forth," observed Dick.
+
+"She has cut us," replied Matty, quickly. "Have you not heard how her
+flounces were all in a blaze, and how she rushed about as if mad, into a
+cottage and out again, till Nelly and Lubin knocked her down just in
+time to save her from being quite burned?"
+
+"I have heard nothing," said Dick, raising himself on his chair, with an
+expression of curiosity and interest; "you know that Nelly has been my
+nurse, and she would hardly speak a word for fear lest she should put me
+into a fever."
+
+Matty was eager to impart all her knowledge, quite regardless of Nelly's
+parting warning, and began to talk so fast that Dick could not help
+being reminded of poor Miss Folly.
+
+"Well, you shall hear everything now. Folly was knocked down, or pulled
+down, as I said, and then rolled about in the mud, till you could hardly
+have distinguished her head from her feet, or her peacock's plume from a
+cow's tail. And very thankful and very much delighted she ought to have
+been, for, if she had been quite choked with mire, it would have been
+better than burning alive!"
+
+"A painful choice," observed Dick.
+
+"But she was _not_ choked to death," continued Matty; "she was not hurt
+the least bit; and yet--would you believe it?--Miss Folly is in a most
+furious rage against those who saved her. She declares that she ought to
+have a lawsuit against Nelly and Lubin to recover the value of her
+clothes, and another to get them punished for knocking her into the mud;
+and she has promised a thousand times never to come near one of our
+family again."
+
+"I hope," said Dick, with a smile, "that for once Miss Folly may keep
+her promise. But what has become of her red cockatoo?"
+
+"Ah, there's another great grievance!" cried Matty. "The bird must have
+been frightened by the explosion; and no wonder, for a terrible sight it
+was, and a horrible noise it made. Parade has flown off, no one knows
+whither; and though papers and placards about him have been put up in
+every direction, offering no end of rewards to whoever will bring him
+back, the bird is not to be found. Folly says, that poor innocent I must
+have hidden him somewhere from view; but I am sure that I have not even
+a guess whither the gaudy creature has fled!"
+
+"Had you hidden him," observed Dick Desley, "Parade would soon have
+betrayed you by screaming out 'Ain't I fine?' And what has become of
+Pride?"
+
+"Some say," replied Matty, "that he got a great blow on the nose at the
+time of the explosion; others say that he was not at all injured by it.
+He certainly did not help Duty to put out the fire. All that I know of
+Pride is, that he came to our villas this morning, and walked straight
+up to yours, I suppose from its being the one which he had been most
+accustomed to visit. I saw him from my window, standing awhile with
+folded arms, gloomily surveying the place; he then shrugged his
+shoulders, said, 'What a wreck!' and instantly stalked away."
+
+"What did he mean by exclaiming 'What a wreck?'" asked Dick, with a look
+of surprise.
+
+"He meant your poor cottage, of course," replied Matty; "all its
+furniture burned and destroyed."
+
+"How--what?" exclaimed Dick in a startled tone; "the fire was not in my
+cottage at all; the explosion took place by yours."
+
+"I know that too well," sighed poor Matty; "but Folly rushed straight
+into your home, blazing away like a rocket, then rushed out again, but
+not before she had set your curtains on fire."
+
+"Do you mean that all my furniture is burned!" exclaimed Dick, striking
+his fist with violence upon a table that was near him.
+
+"Burned to a cinder," replied Matty; "there's scarcely anything left but
+the grates."
+
+"The carpet--the splendid carpet destroyed too?" cried poor Dick,
+starting upright on his feet.
+
+"Great holes burned in every part, and all the dates as black as
+charcoal!"
+
+Dick sank back on his seat with a groan.
+
+"The beautifully papered walls," continued Matty, "not fit to be looked
+at now; the fine furniture-facts mere charred wood, or little heaps of
+gray ashes!"
+
+"And mother coming back the day after to-morrow!" exclaimed Dick, with a
+burst of anguish. "And doubtless Mr. Learning will come with her,
+bringing the crown of Success for which I have laboured so hard! I must
+go at once to the town," he cried wildly; "I must work, work hard till
+they appear!" And springing from his chair he made an effort to walk;
+but the limbs, once so active and strong, would no longer support his
+weight, and, overcome with vexation, Dick tottered back into his seat.
+
+"I can't do it," he cried; "I can't go! Oh, misery and disappointment!
+Leave me, Matty, leave me; remain no longer with a wretched boy who has
+lost everything that he valued!"
+
+Matty was frightened at the vehement storm of passion which her
+indiscretion had raised; and being quite unable to speak a word of
+comfort to her brother, she crept out of the cottage, feeling more
+unhappy than when she had entered it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+A BRAVE EFFORT.
+
+
+"Oh! why should this be--why should this be?" groaned Dick, as soon as
+he found himself alone; "why should I, the genius of the family,
+suddenly find myself reduced to the state of the veriest dunce? Why
+should one wretched accident take from me more than Matty lost by
+Forgetfulness, or Lubin by Procrastination? Why should I have a cottage
+so ruined and empty--I who had made its furniture my glory--I who had
+worked so hard and so well?"
+
+It is a wise thing for those in trouble to try and search for the reason
+of their trials. No sorrow is sent without a cause. Dick sat long with
+his brow leaning on his hand, thinking, and thinking, and seeking as
+well as his poor, languid mind would let him, to trace out his past
+career.
+
+Why had he worked so hard--why had he worked so well? Was it indeed for
+the sake of his mother, or from regard to Mr. Learning, or because he
+had been taught by Duty in all things to do his best? Dick looked round
+upon Nelly's little room; every article there reminded him of patient
+perseverance, of steady application, not because labour had been easy
+and pleasant, but because she had felt it to be _right_. Dick, who was a
+very intelligent boy, could not but see, now that reflection was forced
+upon him, that he had spent his hours and furnished his cottage only to
+please and enrich himself, to triumph over his brother and sisters, to
+gain the silver crown of Success, and to gratify evil Pride! Yes, Pride
+had urged him to every effort: Pride had made him resolve that no
+cottage should be as splendidly furnished as his own; Pride had dogged
+his steps, directed his labours, had introduced him to mischievous
+Folly, and, worst of all, had made him look down on his best friends and
+nearest relations, and insult his gentle little sister! Ah! this was the
+bitterest reflection of all!
+
+"How Pride used to make me laugh at the laziness of Lubin, the vanity of
+Matty, the lameness of my dear little Nelly, though that was no fault of
+her own. I remember now but too well that it was through him that I
+insulted the sister whose talents might be less than mine, but whose
+virtues should have been my example. It was Pride who made me ashamed
+to ask forgiveness, or express regret for words as unjust as they were
+unkind. Yes, this sore trial must have been sent to warn me that he who
+takes Pride as his bosom companion will sooner or later repent of having
+done so. What Pride can offer is but a sorry exchange for the peace, the
+harmony, the love which it seems his delight to destroy! Was it Pride
+who nursed me through my illness? Was it Pride who so gently bore with
+my wayward humours; who prepared the cooling draught for my fevered
+lips, and never seemed weary of watching beside me all through the long
+dreary night? O Nelly, not one word of reproach did I ever hear from
+your tongue; but my heart reproaches me the more for having mocked at
+your tender counsels, given way to impatient temper, and thrown away
+your love as a worthless thing at the bidding of haughty Pride!"
+
+"Did I not hear my own name?" said a voice at the door, and the beams of
+the setting sun threw a dark shadow across the threshold. The next
+moment Pride would have entered, but Dick waved him back with a gesture
+of command.
+
+"What--do you not know your old friend?" cried Pride.
+
+"I know my old tempter," said the boy, with emotion. "Pride, I have
+lately suffered much, but I have not suffered in vain; I have lost
+much, but I have gained something also--a knowledge of myself, and of
+you! Here let us part, and for ever."
+
+"This is some delusion of a fevered brain!" cried Pride, beginning to
+look very angry.
+
+"No, my fever has passed away, and with it all my vain delusions. To
+think myself superior to all others was a delusion; to think that Pride
+would make me happy was a delusion: to think that a well-furnished head
+could make up for a haughty and selfish heart, that was the worst
+delusion of all!"
+
+Pride still lingered, unwilling to depart, or to give up one whom he had
+so long regarded as his slave; but the sound of footsteps was now heard,
+and Lubin and Nelly appeared at the door. The little girl cast an
+uneasy, frightened glance at Pride, who scowled darkly on her in return.
+But Duty and Affection, the beautiful sisters, were accompanying the
+children to their home, and Pride, bold as he was, shrank back abashed
+at their calm, majestic presence.
+
+Dick, though languid and weak, nerved himself now for a great and
+painful effort. He had never been accustomed to own himself wrong, and
+the thought of doing so, not privately but openly, in the presence of so
+many witnesses, brought the warm blood to his pallid cheek, and made his
+heart throb with excitement. But he knew no better way of proving to
+Pride that his empire indeed was over; no better way of making amends to
+Nelly for past unkindness and scorn. Raising himself, therefore, and
+supporting his weak frame by grasping the table beside him, he uttered
+these words, in a clear and distinct, though somewhat tremulous
+tone:--"Nelly, before all, I ask your forgiveness for past unkind and
+foolish conduct, and thank you for the tender care which I have so
+little deserved; and I also ask Lubin's pardon"--here Dick turned
+towards his brother--"for having often provoked him by rude and mocking
+words."
+
+Nelly's only reply was running forward and throwing her arms around
+Dick; Lubin warmly grasped his hand; Pride, grinding his teeth with
+suppressed fury, glared for a moment at the three, then, turning round
+with something like a yell, rushed away from the spot. Let us hope that
+he never returned!
+
+"Well done, nobly done, brave boy!" exclaimed Duty, coming forward, the
+red rays of the setting sun streaming upon her glorious figure, and her
+face, which was bright with loveliness exceeding all mortal beauty. It
+was the first time that the wounded boy had ever received _her_ praise;
+and how sweet fell its accents from her lips, those lips that falsehood
+never had stained!
+
+"We were coming to see you," said gentle Affection, "and met these our
+young friends on the way."
+
+"Coming to see me!" cried the invalid; "poor, helpless, ruined sufferer
+that I am!"
+
+"Nay," said Affection, with a beaming smile, "speak not so gloomily of
+your state. I bring you the refreshing draught of Hope, to revive your
+spirits and restore your strength!"
+
+As Affection spoke she poured out from a phial into a glass a sparkling
+effervescing liquid. Dick took it eagerly from her hand, and as he drank
+it as if drinking in life, Affection continued thus to address
+him:--"You will soon recover from the effects of your accident, and be
+able with new vigour and energy to refurnish your own little cottage.
+You will easily make up for lost time; indeed, the loss which you have
+sustained is not so great as has been represented. Look with a hopeful
+eye on the future, with a thankful eye on the past; he cannot be very
+ignorant who is instructed by Duty, nor very poor who has at his command
+all the treasures of Affection!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+EXPECTATION.
+
+
+Very bright and beautiful was the day on which Dame Desley returned to
+her family. The sun rose in the morning in full glory, all surrounded
+with rosy clouds. The breath of the air was soft and sweet as that of
+balmy Spring, and Autumn could only be known by the splendid mantle of
+yellow, red, and brown, which she had thrown over the trees and bushes.
+Even brook Bother itself seemed to sparkle and dance in the sunbeams,
+and the white houses of Education reflected the cheerful light.
+
+Nelly rose early, her heart bounding with delight, and made everything
+ready in her cottage to welcome the mother whom she loved. As she was
+busily rubbing up some of her furniture-facts till they shone as
+brightly as mirrors, poor Lubin joined his sister, looking disconsolate
+and dull.
+
+"Nelly," said he, rubbing his forehead, "I'm afraid that my cottage is
+not well furnished. I've no table, and scarcely a chair, my carpet is
+all in a muddle, and I'm afraid that my dear mother will be
+disappointed--even disgusted."
+
+Nelly did not know what to reply, so she only shook her head gravely.
+
+"Do you think, Nelly, that I'd have time to rush off to Education this
+morning and bring back a table, bed, and a couple of chairs on my back?"
+
+Though Nelly was really sorry for her brother, she could hardly help
+smiling at the idea of fat little Lubin puffing, panting, and blowing,
+under such a formidable burden. "I fear that you have no time to-day,"
+she replied, "for even one journey to the town of Education. We expect
+our dear mother early, and we all, except poor Dick, who is not strong
+enough yet, are going to meet her on the road."
+
+Lubin rubbed his forehead harder than before. "Had it not been for that
+thief Procrastination!" he exclaimed,--
+
+"And Amusement Bazaar," suggested Nelly.
+
+"Oh," exclaimed Lubin, half ready to cry, "what a stupid donkey I have
+been!"
+
+"I wish," said the pitying Nelly, "that we were allowed to help each
+other more. Not that I have much furniture to spare, but how gladly
+would I give of that little!"
+
+"That's impossible," sighed poor Lubin; "and even if you could stuff my
+empty cottage with a dozen or so of your facts, that would not hide the
+horrible DUNCE which Mr. Learning scrawled on my wall. To think of
+mother's seeing it! ugh! how dreadfully shocked she will be!" and Lubin
+gave his forehead an actual bang, as if to punish it for his own
+neglect.
+
+"Well, Lubin dear," said Nelly in a soothing tone, "we may regret the
+mistakes of the past, but let them only make us more anxious to do more
+with our future hours. You will begin to work hard to-morrow, and carry
+away a good store from Arithmetic or General Knowledge."
+
+"I believe the first thing that I should do," observed the rueful boy,
+"is to master that ladder of Spelling."
+
+"True, you will never get on without that," said Nelly. "I daresay with
+patience and pains you will get a well-furnished house after all."
+
+Poor Lubin looked only half comforted; but hearing a slow, feeble step,
+he hastened with Nelly to support Dick, and lead him to his comfortable
+arm-chair.
+
+"So mother is coming to-day, and you are all going to meet her," said
+the pale boy, with a languid smile.
+
+"You will wait and welcome her here, dear brother," said Nelly.
+
+"No," replied Dick, with quiet sadness; "I will await her in my own poor
+cottage, it is there that she expects to see me. Will you kindly support
+me thither? I have just enough strength to cross the sward."
+
+"But--" began Lubin, and stopped short.
+
+"Why should you go there," said Nelly, "when you are so welcome to
+remain where you are? and--"
+
+"I know what you are thinking," observed Dick; "you think that I will
+not be able to bear looking on the change and the ruin. But it is
+better, Nelly, that I should see all. I have needed the bitter lesson. I
+would rather go thither at once, and accustom myself to the sight before
+my dear mother arrives."
+
+As the boy was evidently in earnest, Lubin and Nelly made no further
+objections. Dick, supported by them on either side, soon crossed over to
+his cottage, and was placed in one of the chairs which had been brought
+out of his own little kitchen, that room having quite escaped the
+effects of the fire. Dick looked sadly but calmly around him.
+
+"See," said Nelly, "matters are not so bad after all. The curtains are
+gone, and some of the facts, but the grate, fire-irons, and fender are
+as good as ever, they only want a little rubbing up. A great part of the
+carpet is safe, and all your purchases from Grammar's Bazaar happened to
+be stowed in the kitchen, so you see that they have not suffered at all.
+When you get a little strength, dear Dick, you will soon make everything
+right; a few new purchases will render your cottage as beautiful as it
+was before the fire."
+
+Dick smiled, and pressed the hand of his sister.
+
+Matty now rushed in, all in a flutter. "I'm so glad that you have not
+started!" she exclaimed. "I could not have endured not to have been
+amongst the first to welcome my mother!"
+
+"Go then, go all," said Dick.
+
+"I do not like to leave you alone here," observed Nelly, lingering by
+the chair of her brother.
+
+"I shall not be dull," replied Dick; "the bird Content is singing in
+your home, and I shall listen here to his strains. I should rather be
+alone for awhile; there is little chance now that my quiet will be
+disturbed either by Pride or Miss Folly."
+
+So Lubin and his sisters departed, Dick remaining behind, rather
+thoughtful than sad. He was a changed boy from what he had been at the
+time when he had bounded over the brook, bearing the ladder of Spelling
+aloft; or when he had laughed at Lubin for his struggle with Alphabet,
+the strong little dwarf. Dick had become weak, so he could feel for
+weakness; an accident had swept away the best part of his wealth, so
+that he had a fellow-feeling for the poor. Dick had become more gentle,
+more humble, more kind; that which he had deemed a terrible misfortune,
+that which had laid him on a bed of sickness, had been in truth one of
+the happiest events of his life. He had gained much more than he had
+lost.
+
+Dick sat for some time in eager expectation of his mother's arrival,
+listening to every noise, and keeping his watchful eye on the road which
+he could see through the open door. At last there was a sound as of
+advancing steps and eager voices; weak as he still was, Dick sprang to
+his feet, and in another minute, to his great delight, he was clasped to
+the heart of his mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+EMPTY AND FURNISHED.
+
+
+"You find the poor cottage in a sad state," was Dick's melancholy
+observation, as his mother, after the first loving greeting, seated
+herself at his side, holding his thin hand in her own, and looking
+tenderly at his pale features.
+
+"O mother, if you had only seen it before the fire!" exclaimed Nelly;
+"it was beautiful--quite beautiful--so much better furnished than any of
+ours!"
+
+"It will be beautiful again," said Dame Desley, cheerfully; "my boy only
+wants a little more Time-money when his strength is perfectly restored.
+And I can see," she added, rising and opening the back-door, through
+which she could view the garden, "that great pains were once taken
+here."
+
+"I have not been able to attend to it since my illness," said Dick; "but
+as soon as I am able to set to work again, I will try to get all into
+order."
+
+"I must now go and examine the other cottages," said Dame Desley; "I
+noticed as I came here that the wall of Matty's had been scorched, and
+that the new thatch which has been put on does not look quite so well as
+the old; but I hear that the inside has sustained no harm, and I shall
+now examine with pleasure the furniture bought by my child."
+
+As Dame Desley was proceeding to the next cottage, which, as we all
+know, was that of Lubin, whom should she meet but Mr. Learning, cane in
+hand, and spectacles on nose, with a white box under his arm.
+
+"Oh, what on earth brings him here just now!" exclaimed Lubin to Nelly,
+ready to stamp with vexation; "as if it were not bad enough to have
+mother examining my poor empty cottage, without having him to look on
+all the time through those horrid spectacles, that will magnify every
+defect. Just hear now how mother is thanking him for all that he has
+done for her children, and see what a sly meaning glance he is casting
+at me, looking through his glasses, as much as to say--'There's one
+stupid dunce of a fellow; I could never make anything of him.'"
+
+"You will do better in future," whispered Nelly, as she went forward to
+shake hands with Mr. Learning, who benignantly smiled at his pupil.
+
+"We will go in here first," said Dame Desley; "Lubin, dear, come to my
+side."
+
+The poor boy would gladly have kept back, and had some thoughts of
+running away down the hill, so grievously was he ashamed that his mother
+and guardian should see what little use he had made of his hours. He
+dared not, however, disobey; so with Dame Desley on one side, and
+stately Mr. Learning on the other, feeling like a culprit between two
+constables, he entered his ill-furnished cottage.
+
+Dame Desley looked to the right hand, and then she looked to the left;
+and the longer she looked the longer grew her face, and the graver the
+expression which it wore. There was a terribly awkward silence. Nelly
+felt quite uncomfortable, and Lubin stood twisting the button on his
+jacket, and wishing himself up to the neck in brook Bother, or anywhere
+but at home. At last the mother spoke, but her accents were those of
+displeasure.
+
+"What can you have done, stupid boy, with all your minutes and hours?"
+
+"I gave some to my shopping--" whimpered Lubin.
+
+"Humph!" growled Mr. Learning.
+
+"Very few, I fear," said Dame Desley.
+
+"Procrastination picked my pocket of some, and--and--"
+
+"I suspect that the frequenters of Amusement's Bazaar could tell us
+where the best part have gone," said Mr. Learning with freezing
+severity. "You have thrown away your minutes and your hours upon balls,
+ninepins, marbles, and lollypops."
+
+What could poor Lubin reply? He knew that the accusation was too true.
+His distress reached its height on his seeing that the eyes of his
+mother were resting on the big DUNCE, which stared in black letters from
+the wall.
+
+"Oh, that I could pummel Mr. Learning for writing it up there!" thought
+Lubin.
+
+"I wonder that you do not blush to look at that!" exclaimed Dame Desley,
+in high displeasure. "This very day you must be off to Mr. Reading's,
+and get a respectable paper to cover that shameful wall."
+
+"And don't forget the ladder of Spelling," cried Mr. Learning; "there's
+nothing to be done without that."
+
+Nelly, who saw that Lubin's face was growing as red as the feathers of
+Parade, now timidly came forward to try and draw attention from the
+unhappy sluggard. "Dear mother, I hope that you remember that you have
+other cottages to see," she said, placing her hand in that of Dame
+Desley.
+
+"And I hope that I shall find them very different indeed from this,"
+said the disappointed parent, as she crossed over the way to Matty's.
+
+The little owner ran on in front, with mingled feelings of hope and
+fear. She knew that her home was not empty; that the furniture looked
+very gay; but she could not help suspecting that her mother, and yet
+more the sage Mr. Learning, might think some of it tawdry and worthless.
+Flinging the door wide open to admit her guests, Matty ran in so
+hurriedly to put a piece of furniture straight, that her foot was caught
+in her unfastened carpet, and down she fell on her nose.
+
+"My dear child, I hope that you're not hurt," cried Dame Desley.
+
+Matty jumped up, rubbed her nose, and said that it was "nothing," though
+looking extremely annoyed at such a beginning to the survey.
+
+"What a hole you have torn in the carpet!" cried her mother. "Why, it is
+not fastened down with nails; you must be in danger of tripping every
+minute."
+
+"Such a carpet!" exclaimed Learning, with contempt, kicking it up with
+his heel.
+
+"And what a paper!" cried the mother; "as shabby as it is gaudy, and all
+with the damp showing through."
+
+"But I have some things very pretty indeed," said Matty, in rather a
+petulant tone; for she could not bear that any fault should be found
+with her beautiful cottage. "I'm sure that the porcelain jars on the
+mantelpiece are fit for the palace of a princess; and just look at my
+gilded French mirror, and my elegant tambourine."
+
+Dame Desley appeared by no means as much delighted at these fine things
+as her daughter had expected; and Mr. Learning dryly observed, "I see
+that you have troubled Mr. Arithmetic, the ironmonger, as little as Mr.
+History, the carpet manufacturer; and however pretty your fancy articles
+may be, I must just venture to remark that a poker is more useful than
+porcelain, a mat than a gilded French mirror, and that, though a
+tambourine may be charming, it can't supply the place of a table."
+
+"Your furniture also looks so light and fragile," observed Dame Desley,
+"that I should be almost afraid to use it."
+
+"Oh, it does exceedingly well," cried the mortified Matty, tossing
+herself down on a chair, to show that her mother was mistaken. She had
+chosen, however, an unfortunate way of displaying the strength of her
+furniture; the luckless chair gave way with a crash, and Matty came down
+with a thumping blow--not this time on her nose, but on the back of her
+head.
+
+More hurt than she had been by her former tumble, and yet more mortified
+than hurt, the poor child began to cry. Dame Desley and Nelly ran to
+raise her, while Mr. Learning, grave as he usually was, could hardly
+refrain from laughing.
+
+"She has quite a bump on her poor head!" cried Nelly. "Dear Matty! what
+can we do for her?"
+
+"Get me the pink salve from the mantelpiece," sobbed Matty. Her sister
+hurried to the place as fast as she could.
+
+"Let me see it first," said Dame Desley, examining the little china pot,
+which was labelled, "FLATTERY SALVE, _patronized by the nobility and
+gentry. Warranted to heal all manner of bruises and sores._"
+
+"Where did you get this?" inquired the mother. Matty whimpered out that
+she had had it from Miss Folly.
+
+"Let Miss Folly keep her own trash to herself!" cried the indignant
+dame, flinging the little pot out of the window; "that is a most
+dangerous salve: its effect is often that of injuring the brain,
+weakening the senses--producing dizziness and delirium! Bring a little
+cold water, Nelly; that is a far better thing to apply to a bump on the
+head like this."
+
+"I am afraid," observed Mr. Learning, as the simple remedy was tried
+with effect, "that Matty, quick and ready a pupil as she is, will have
+almost as much to do as Lubin before her cottage is really well
+furnished. She had better at once commence the work of getting rid of
+the trash; and I should recommend her to make a famous large bonfire of
+it to celebrate her mother's return."
+
+Poor Matty, who had at first eyed with mingled curiosity and hope the
+white box under the arm of her guardian--believing that it must contain
+the silver crown of Success--felt her heart sink at these words; and
+with drooping head and melancholy mien, she went with her companions to
+the cottage adjoining.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+FRUITS OF NEEDLEWORK.
+
+
+"Now this is what I should call neat--neat, and not gaudy," said Dame
+Desley, as she stood in the doorway of Nelly's home, and surveyed with a
+pleased eye the perfect order of the place. "The fire-irons bright,
+though small--the paper chosen with judgment--everything needful, though
+there is little to spare--each article in its proper place, and neat and
+good of its kind." Oh, how delightful to Nelly was the praise which she
+had fairly earned by self-denying labour!
+
+"Considering that Nelly is lame--that she has never been gifted either
+with quickness or strength, I have every reason," observed Mr. Learning,
+"to be satisfied with what she has done."
+
+"And what a beautiful bird; and how tame!" cried Dame Desley, as
+Content, recognizing a friend, hopped lightly down to her finger.
+
+"That was the gift of my dear friend, Duty," said Nelly.
+
+"A friend whom you cannot prize too much, or follow too closely,"
+observed her mother.
+
+"Here she comes herself!" cried Nelly in joyful surprise, "and sweet
+Affection behind her! They have doubtless come here to-day to welcome
+home my dear mother."
+
+The meeting was a very joyous one. Duty and Affection had for many years
+been the valued friends of Dame Desley.
+
+After the first words of greeting had passed between them, Affection
+inquired whether the dame had seen the gardens of her daughters, and
+looked at their needlework plants.
+
+"Not yet, but I am going to examine them," replied the mother.
+
+"Let us all come together!" said Duty.
+
+With a very low bow of respect, Mr. Learning offered his arm to the
+noble maiden; Affection rested one hand on Dame Desley's, and, smiling,
+held out the other to Nelly; Lubin and Matty followed behind--the boy
+somewhat sulky and sad, but the girl with reviving spirits. Matty was a
+little jealous of the praises which her sister had received; but she
+expected in the garden, if not in the cottage, to be found far superior
+to poor, lame Nelly.
+
+The gardens of Nelly and Matty were divided from each other only by a
+box-hedge, which was scarcely three inches high. The party, though
+entering from Nelly's back-door, went immediately into the garden of her
+sister, as Dame Desley thought that it was right to attend first to that
+of the elder.
+
+Both gardens won a fair meed of praise. Matty, as has before been
+mentioned, happened to be fond of geographical flowers; and while the
+arrangement of the two gardens was equally neat and correct, Matty had
+certainly a larger number of countries and capitals to display.
+
+"I should not wonder," whispered Matty to Lubin, "if I were to win the
+silver crown of Success after all."
+
+Lubin's only answer was a sigh; for he knew that he had lost all chance
+of getting the prize.
+
+"And now for the needlework plants," said Dame Desley, approaching the
+garden-wall.
+
+Every one uttered an exclamation of pleasure on beholding Matty's
+beautiful creeper. Ripe fruits, with rosy down like that upon the peach,
+hung on its twining boughs, looking lovelier by contrast with its green
+and shining leaves. Matty plucked one, and offered it to her mother. The
+dame quickly removed the rind, and a delicate little bead-purse met her
+admiring gaze. It was of pink and gold, with tiny tassels to match.
+Matty pulled another fruit from the bough, and it offered to view a
+pretty bead-mat, with a pattern of flowers upon it.
+
+"Well, that is a fine plant!" observed Mr. Learning, admiration in his
+spectacled eyes.
+
+Matty triumphantly squeezed Lubin's arm. "I think that I shall get the
+prize," she whispered. "I should have been sure of it if that stupid
+chair had not given me such an unfortunate tumble. How ugly Nelly's
+plant looks yonder, with its large, coarse, prickly stem; and it grows
+so close to the ground. I should be ashamed to have such a thing in my
+garden!"
+
+"Now for Nelly's needlework," said Affection.
+
+The whole party moved on to the spot, when they saw a plant--not
+beautiful, it must be owned, but with three fruits, as big as pumpkins,
+resting upon the ground, half covered with large green leaves.
+
+"Shall I pluck one?" said Nelly, modestly.
+
+"Let us see it," replied Mr. Learning.
+
+Nelly stooped, and broke from its stalk the smallest of the fruits. It
+was so ripe that the rind burst open in her hands, and out dropped a cap
+as white as snow, with a number of delicate frills all neatly hemmed and
+gathered. With a smile and a blush, Nelly presented her little offering
+to her mother, while a murmur of approbation sounded from all around.
+
+"Ah, how useful this will be!" exclaimed Dame Desley; "this fruit is
+charming indeed!"
+
+"Let us see the others," said Duty, bending forward to gaze.
+
+Again Nelly stooped and raised the ripe fruit; again it burst open in
+her grasp. She pulled out an apron, very prettily made, with neat little
+pockets in front!
+
+"The very thing that I have been wanting!" cried the dame, putting it on
+with pleasure and pride.
+
+"There's more yet to be seen," said Mr. Learning.
+
+The third fruit was so very big, that but for the assistance of both
+Duty and Affection, Nelly would hardly have known how to manage. It was
+not quite so ripe as the others, and would not come readily from the
+thick stalk, and the rind did not burst open as those of the two first
+had done.
+
+"How can we see what is in it?" cried Matty.
+
+"Something very good is in it, no doubt," said Affection; and Duty,
+pulling a pair of scissors out of her pocket, soon decided the question.
+A great hole was made in the rind, and all the party pressed round with
+curiosity to watch the little girl, who now began slowly to draw out
+the gray contents of the fruit.
+
+"I say," exclaimed Lubin, "what's that long thing?--it looks for all the
+world like a sleeve."
+
+"The body is coming after," cried Matty.
+
+Yes, sure enough it was coming, body and skirt and all--a nice, new,
+warm dress, for Dame Desley to wear through the approaching winter.
+
+When the whole of the huge fruit was emptied, and the gown held up by
+Affection, there was a general clapping of hands, in admiration of the
+wonderful plant. Matty alone looked coldly upon it, and observed in a
+low tone to Lubin, that such a dress as that would certainly never be
+worn by Lady Fashion.
+
+"Nor made by her most particular friend," laughed Lubin, who had half
+forgotten his own troubles in Nelly's triumph. "Depend upon it that a
+sensible dress like that was never stitched by Miss Folly."
+
+"We may congratulate Nelly," said Duty, "upon the success of her
+Plain-work. I wish that every girl in the land had such a plant in her
+garden."
+
+"I think that none of us can doubt," observed Mr. Learning, taking the
+white box from under his arm, "which of our four young friends has made
+the best use of Time-money--which has best deserved the crown of
+Success." And opening the box, he took out a most elegant wreath of
+leaves worked in filigree silver, and made an attempt to place it on the
+head of the blushing Nelly. But the little girl modestly shrank back.
+
+"Oh, no!" cried Nelly; "it is not for me. It would not be right, it
+would not be fair, that poor Dick should lose what he had fairly earned,
+because Folly set his furniture on fire. Lubin can witness, Matty can
+witness, that his cottage was far better furnished than mine before the
+accident happened. Indeed the crown ought to be his. I could not bear to
+deprive him of it."
+
+Duty smiled kindly at the little pleader; Affection stooped down and
+gave her a kiss.
+
+"I must say," observed honest Lubin, in answer to Nelly's appeal, "that
+none of us cut such a dash as Dick did before that unlucky explosion."
+
+"Nelly," said Mr. Learning, with a most benevolent air, "the crown is
+yours--I give it to you. You may bear it to your brother, if you will."
+
+The lame girl waited for no further permission, but hurried off at the
+greatest speed which she could command, to carry to another the prize
+which she herself might have worn.
+
+"After all, I believe that Nelly _has_ deserved all the praise and love
+which she has won," sighed the disappointed Matty, her jealousy
+conquered by the example of generous self-denial which she saw in her
+younger sister.
+
+The party quickly followed the steps of Nelly Desley to the cottage of
+Dick--Lubin assisting his mother to carry the various gifts of his
+sisters. Affection quitted the rest for a few minutes in order to direct
+the movements of some attendants, who were spreading a table in the open
+air, in the space between the cottages. They were making preparations
+for a banquet, designed as a pleasant surprise for the Desleys upon
+their mother's return. The treat was given by Duty and Affection upon
+the joyful occasion, and especially intended to honour the wearer of the
+crown of Success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+THE CROWN OF SUCCESS.
+
+
+"Mine, Nelly! no, it can never be mine!" exclaimed Dick, resisting with
+emotion the efforts of his sister to place the crown on his head.
+
+"It was to be for the one who had made the best use of his hours," said
+Nelly; "it is fairly yours, for none of our furniture could be compared
+to that which you brought from the town. It was not your fault that an
+accident destroyed what had cost you so many good hours, nor is it right
+that you should suffer a double loss from the fire."
+
+"There might have been reason in what you say," observed the pale
+invalid, "if the accident had indeed been owing to no error of my own.
+Nay, Nelly, you must not prevent me from telling the whole truth. It is
+best that I should speak, and that all these my friends should hear."
+Dame Desley, her children, and her guests, were all standing around the
+boy. "If," continued Dick, "I had obeyed the voice of my mother--if I
+had turned my back upon Pride, and not attempted, at his bidding, things
+that I was not able to perform--if he had not introduced me to Folly,
+whom I encouraged, although I despised her--the explosion would never
+have taken place, I should have suffered no shame and loss. I am willing
+to bear the consequences of my own wilfulness and presumption. I should
+blush to wear the crown of Success, which I feel that I do not merit.
+Let me see it on your brow, dear Nelly; its proper place is there. Next
+to the pleasure of winning it myself, is that of knowing that it belongs
+to one who so richly deserves it."
+
+Nelly was no longer able to resist. The sparkling crown was placed on
+her brow. Lubin congratulated her with frank kindness, and even Matty
+felt that she had no right to complain. The reflection, however, passed
+through the mind of the girl, "All this honour and pleasure might have
+been mine, had I never listened to Folly!"
+
+And now Mr. Learning came forward, and stood in the centre of the
+circle, leaning one hand on the arm-chair of Dick, while with the other
+he motioned for silence. It was clear, from his preparatory cough, that
+the sage was going to make a speech.
+
+"My friends," he began, in his distinct, solemn tone, glancing benignly
+around, "we are all met together on a happy occasion. We see merit
+rewarded with success, and patient obedience to Duty achieving more than
+talent or genius. Before we proceed to the banquet to which our fair
+friends have invited us, let me mention before all my intentions in
+regard to the future year. When twelve months have run their course I
+will again return to this place, again look for a kindly welcome, again
+examine the cottages here. If I find that Dick has made up for the
+past--that Matty, giving up all connection with Folly, has furnished
+wisely and well--that Lubin, by steady perseverance, has made all forget
+that the word DUNCE was ever inscribed on his wall--not only one, but
+all and each of my young friends shall receive a crown of Success."
+
+"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Lubin, who had just been forming a number of
+good resolutions. A smile of pleasure lit up the pale features of Dick;
+and Matty, in expectation, already felt the silver crown on her head.
+
+"And now," said graceful Duty, "let Mr. Learning conduct our Nelly to
+the feast prepared, as she is Queen of the day."
+
+Even Dick, as if gaining fresh strength from the sight of the pleasant
+company around him, was able, leaning on his mother, to join the
+cheerful circle that on that beautiful autumnal day gathered around the
+board. Conversation flowed freely, nothing painful was recalled, no one
+whispered about Pride, no one mentioned Miss Folly. Brightly sparkled
+the beverage of Hope, foaming and bubbling in the glass; and every one
+who has tasted it knows what a delicious beverage it is. The stores of
+Amusement had been half emptied to furnish sweetmeats and cakes for the
+table; and Affection had provided a large quantity of the dried fruits
+of sweet Recollections. Merry were the smiles that were exchanged; merry
+the jests that were made; merriest of all the loud song of Content, as
+he warbled his lay of delight, fluttering round the head of her who wore
+the silver crown of Success.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And I now would gather around me my readers, to make them a little
+address ere we part. I see them in my mind's eye--from the school-boy
+with jacket and cap, who has thought it a condescension to read such
+"childish stuff," to the little curly-headed urchin in tartan frock,
+who, when taking a drive with mamma, asks whether the little stream
+which he passes be not "the real brook Bother." There is the tall elder
+sister, who only reads aloud "to amuse the children;" and the girl who
+"hates all lessons;" and the little laughing fairy who expects some day
+to see dwarf Alphabet standing at the door of a shop. It is not hard to
+make a speech when no one can see the speaker. So, without blushing, or
+coughing, or stammering, A. L. O. E. addresses her readers.
+
+Have not you, my friends, been reading in my story of persons and scenes
+with which you yourselves are familiar? Have you not each a nice little
+head to furnish, and Time-money to pay for your purchases? And do not
+all your best friends recommend you to go to the good town of Education?
+Do not you know the muddy brook Bother? Have you not crossed it on the
+plank of Patience; or have you never--pray pardon the question--gone
+floundering right into the middle? I am pretty sure that you have paid
+toll to Alphabet, the stout little dwarf; that you have felt how
+troublesome and tedious it is to climb Multiplication staircase; that
+you have examined Reading's fine shop; glanced at Arithmetic's grates
+and fire-irons; and probably tumbled many a time from that awkward
+ladder of Spelling. Have I not amongst my young audience a clever Dick,
+a lazy Lubin, a silly Matty, and a lame little child like Nelly? Each
+reader must judge for himself which character most resembles his own,
+and let each kindly accept a suitable word of advice.
+
+Clever reader! beware of Pride. Don't let him lurk behind your
+door--don't let him lead you to cut either your fingers or your friends,
+by attempting things for which you are not fitted, or by looking down
+upon companions not gifted with powers like your own. Do not despise
+Patience, or think that you are too clever to need it. It is not the
+quickest or sharpest pupil that really spends Time to best purpose.
+Often has the haughty, self-willed genius been found to forfeit the
+crown of Success.
+
+Lazy reader! you who love play far better than work, and are tempted to
+vote Education, its tradesmen, its family of Ologies, and all, as the
+greatest bores in the world, beware of Procrastination--beware of the
+thief of Time--beware of putting off till to-morrow what ought to be
+done to-day. Can you bear to see that word DUNCE so terribly distinct on
+your wall? Can you bear to throw away on nothing but Amusement those
+precious hours and minutes which, well employed, might gain for you the
+silver crown of Success?
+
+Silly reader!--but here I must pause, for it is probable that no little
+girl glancing over my pages will accept the title as her own. Yet, if
+she know Miss Folly, delight in her gossiping prate, dress according to
+her fanciful taste, and value her poisonous salve, she must really
+excuse me for classing her with our poor, conceited young Matty. There
+are thousands and tens of thousands, I fear, of such silly girls in the
+world (some of them may _possibly_ be amongst my readers), who would
+furnish their heads with bubbles, and neglect the good for the gay. To
+such I would utter a gentle warning. Folly can never lead you to real
+happiness or real usefulness in the world. She may promise you pleasures
+for a moment; but her pleasures either vanish into air, or leave pain
+and vexation behind. Then shut her out from your home; give her idle
+fancies no room. Let your dress be sober, neat, and quiet--suited to the
+station in which you are placed. Girls who deck themselves out to be
+admired remind us of the cockatoo Parade, puffing out its red feathers,
+and always repeating the cry, "Ain't I fine? ain't I fine?" Let your
+furniture be useful and solid; water well the plant of Plain-work. It is
+not the fanciful, frivolous miss who merits the crown of Success.
+
+But, perhaps, amongst my audience are several who may be described as
+lame, from the difficulty with which they make their way to the town of
+Education. They can hardly climb up hill Puzzle, and are often tempted
+to sit down in despair by the swollen waters of Bother! Courage, my dear
+young friends! Resolute perseverance will yet win the crown of Success.
+If you keep your eye upon Duty, and bravely follow where she would
+lead--if, guided by gentle Affection, you steadily pursue a right
+course--you will conquer difficulties at last, be useful, honoured, and
+beloved.
+
+But if you would further know _how_ to find out Duty, and, having found
+her, how to get strength and courage to follow her precepts, remember,
+dear friends, what was the best gift that even Affection could offer.
+There is something better than human knowledge--something stronger than
+mortal efforts--something more precious than earthly Success! Oh, make
+it your own, for only when that is possessed will the bird Content fold
+its silver wings, and rest in your bosoms for ever!
+
+
+
+
+The "Little Hazel" Series.
+
+EIGHT VOLUMES BY THE AUTHOR OF "LITTLE HAZEL."
+
+Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 1s. 6d. each.
+
+
+    Little Frida; or, The King's Messenger. By the Author of "Little
+    Hazel, the King's Messenger," etc.
+
+        The story of a little girl who was found by a woodcutter in the
+        Black Forest in Germany, and was taken to his home and brought
+        up there by his kind-hearted wife along with her own children.
+
+
+    The Crown of Glory; or, "Faithful unto Death." A Scottish Story
+    of Martyr Times. By the Author of "Little Hazel, the King's
+    Messenger."
+
+        A tale, founded on history, regarding the first medical
+        missionary in Scotland.
+
+
+    The Guiding Pillar. A Story for the Young. By the Author of
+    "Under the Old Oaks; or, Won by Love."
+
+        An interesting tale for the young, illustrating the sure
+        guidance of the pillar-cloud of Providence for all willing to
+        follow in humble faith.
+
+
+    Little Hazel, the King's Messenger. By the Author of "Little
+    Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket," etc.
+
+        A story for the young, showing what a Christian child may do.
+
+
+    Little Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket. By the Author of "Little
+    Hazel, the King's Messenger," etc.
+
+        A tale for the young, illustrative of the preciousness of
+        Scripture promises.
+
+
+    The Royal Banner; or, Gold and Rubies. A Story for the Young.
+    By the Author of "Little Snowdrop and Her Golden Casket," etc.
+
+        A well-written story of home and school life. Cannot fail to
+        prove interesting.
+
+
+    "Thy Kingdom Come." A Tale for Boys and Girls.
+
+
+    Under the Old Oaks; or, Won by Love. By the Author of "Little
+    Hazel, the King's Messenger," etc.
+
+
+UNIFORM WITH "LITTLE HAZEL" SERIES.
+
+
+    Little Tora, the Swedish Schoolmistress; And Other Stories.
+    By Mrs. WOODS BAKER, Author of "The Swedish Twins," etc.
+
+        "Charming idyllic pictures of Swedish life."--_Scotsman._
+
+
+    A Helping Hand. By M. B. SYNGE, Author of "A Child of the
+    Mews," etc.
+
+
+    Archie's Chances. By the Author of "The Spanish Brothers," etc.
+    With Illustrations.
+
+
+    Alive in the Jungle. A Story for the Young. By ELEANOR STREDDER,
+    Author of "Jack and His Ostrich," etc.
+
+        A fascinating story of child-snatching by a wolf, of the life
+        led by the child in the wolf's lair, and of the cunning device
+        of a native hunter to effect the rescue of the child.
+
+
+
+
+The A. L. O. E. Series.
+
+Crown 8vo Volumes. Cloth extra, 4s. each; gilt edges, 5s. each.
+
+
+    Exiles in Babylon; or, Children of Light. With Thirty-four
+    Illustrations.
+
+        A lively tale, in which are skilfully introduced lectures on
+        the history of Daniel.
+
+
+    Hebrew Heroes. A Tale founded on Jewish History. With
+    Twenty-eight Illustrations.
+
+        A story founded on that stirring period of Jewish history, the
+        wars of Judas Maccabaeus. The tale is beautifully and truthfully
+        told, and presents a faithful picture of the period and the
+        people.
+
+
+    Pictures of St. Peter in an English Home.
+
+        "A. L. O. E. invokes the aid of entertaining dialogue, and
+        probably may have more readers than all the other writers on
+        St. Peter put together.... The book is brilliantly written."
+        --_Presbyterian Messenger._
+
+
+    Rescued from Egypt. With Twenty-eight Illustrations.
+
+        An interesting tale, toned and improved by illustrations from
+        the history of Moses and the people of Israel.
+
+
+    The Shepherd of Bethlehem. With Forty Illustrations.
+
+        A charming tale, including cottage lectures on the history of
+        David, which the incidents of the story illustrate.
+
+
+Price 2s. 6d. each; with gilt edges, 3s. each.
+
+
+    Beyond the Black Waters. A Tale.
+
+        A story illustrating the truth that "sorrow tracketh wrong,"
+        and that there can be no peace of conscience till sin has been
+        confessed both to God and man, and forgiveness obtained. The
+        scene is laid chiefly in Burma.
+
+
+    The Blacksmith of Boniface Lane.
+
+        A tale having a historical basis. The incidents and characters
+        are portrayed with all the freshness and picturesqueness common
+        to A. L. O. E.'s works.
+
+
+    Claudia. A Tale.
+
+        A tale for the young. Difference between intellectual and
+        spiritual life. Pride of intellect and self-confidence humbled,
+        and true happiness gained at last along with true humility.
+
+
+    Cyril Ashley. A Tale.
+
+        An English tale for young persons, illustrative of some of the
+        practical lessons to be learned from the Scripture story of
+        Jonah the prophet.
+
+
+    Driven into Exile.
+
+        "One of the best books we have ever received from our old friend
+        A. L. O. E.... The pen-portraits in the book are deftly
+        drawn."--_Christian Leader._
+
+
+    The Forlorn Hope.
+
+        A tale, written in A. L. O. E.'s charming style, of the
+        anti-slavery movement in America. Though an unhappy marriage
+        and its consequences form the main topic of the book, the
+        noble part played by W. L. Garrison in the emancipation of
+        the negro is vividly sketched.
+
+
+    The Giant-Killer; or, The Battle which All must Fight.
+
+        A tale for the young, illustrating "the battle which all must
+        fight" with the Giants Sloth, Selfishness, Untruth, Hate, and
+        Pride.
+
+
+    Harold's Bride.
+
+        An interesting story, written in the author's characteristic
+        style, and affording instructive glimpses of the hardships and
+        dangers of missionary life in the rural districts of India.
+
+
+
+
+The A. L. O. E. Series.
+
+Crown 8vo Volumes. Cloth extra, 2s. 6d. each; gilt edges, 3s. each.
+
+
+    The Haunted Room. A Tale.
+
+        An interesting tale, intended to warn against nervous and
+        superstitious fears and weakness, and show remedy of Christian
+        courage and presence of mind.
+
+
+    Idols in the Heart. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+        The story of a young wife and stepmother. Idols in the
+        family--pride, pleasure, self-will, and too blind
+        affection--discovered and dethroned.
+
+
+    The Iron Chain and the Golden.
+
+        A story founded on the struggle in England between the "regular"
+        and the "secular" clergy during the reign of Henry the First.
+        Interesting pictures are given of the life of the English people
+        during the days of this early Norman king.
+
+
+    The Lady of Provence; or, Humbled and Healed. A Tale of the First
+    French Revolution.
+
+        A pious English girl made a blessing to her French mistress in
+        the terrible scenes of the Revolution; illustrative of the
+        Scripture story of Naaman, the Syrian general.
+
+
+    On the Way; or, Places Passed by Pilgrims. With Twelve
+    Illustrations.
+
+
+    Pride and His Prisoners.
+
+
+    The Spanish Cavalier. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+
+    The Triumph Over Midian.
+
+        A tale for the young, illustrative of the Scripture history of
+        Gideon.
+
+
+    The Young Pilgrim. A Tale illustrating the "Pilgrim's Progress."
+    With Twenty-seven Illustrations.
+
+        A child's companion to the "Pilgrim's Progress." It is intended
+        to bring the ideas of that wonderful allegory within the
+        comprehension of the young mind.
+
+
+New Uniform Binding. Post 8vo Volumes. Price 2s. each.
+
+
+    The City of Nocross.
+
+    The Crown of Success; or, Four Heads to Furnish. With Eight
+    Illustrations.
+
+    Fairy Frisket; or, Peeps at Insect Life. With Upwards of Fifty
+    Illustrations.
+
+    Fairy Know-a-Bit; or, A Nutshell of Knowledge. With Upwards of
+    Forty Illustrations.
+
+    The Holiday Chaplet of Stories. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+    Precepts in Practice; or, Stories Illustrating the Proverbs.
+    With Thirty-nine Illustrations.
+
+    The Silver Casket; or, The World and its Wiles. Illustrated.
+
+    The Sunday Chaplet of Stories. With Eight Illustrations.
+
+    War and Peace. A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul in 1842. With
+    Eight Illustrations.
+
+    A Wreath of Indian Stories.
+
+
+
+
+Uniform with the "Little Hazel" Series.
+
+Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 1s. 6d. each.
+
+
+    The Academy Boys in Camp. By S. F. SPEAR.
+
+        A capital story for boys. The characters and incidents are
+        natural, and are sketched in a lively and attractive way.
+
+
+    A Dog's Mission; or, The Story of the Old Avery House. And Other
+    Stories. By HARRIET BEECHER STOWE. With Illustrations.
+
+
+    Archie's Find. A Story of Australian Life. By ELEANOR STREDDER,
+    Author of "Jack and His Ostrich," etc.
+
+        A pleasantly-written story of life in Australia. It tells how
+        Archie accidentally discovered a gold-mine, and thus brought
+        about important changes in more lives than one.
+
+
+    At "The Hollies;" or, Staying with Auntie. By E. TABOR STEPHENSON,
+    Author of "When I was a Little Girl," etc.
+
+        A tale for the young, full of instruction, and written in a
+        picturesque style.
+
+
+    Aunt Bell, the Good Fairy of the Family. With the Story of Her
+    Four-footed Black Guards. By HENLEY I. ARDEN.
+
+        A capital book for the young. It shows the responsibility
+        which attaches to the possession of great privileges, and
+        the blessings of independence and leisure when used for the
+        glory of God and the good of our neighbour.
+
+
+    The Blind Brother; or, Lost in the Mine. A Story for the Young.
+    By H. GREENE.
+
+
+    Aunt Martha's Corner Cupboard. A Story for Little Boys and Girls.
+    By M. and E. KIRBY. With numerous Illustrations.
+
+        Within the framework of a simple domestic story is comprised an
+        account of the production of tea, coffee, sugar, etc.
+
+
+    The Basket of Flowers. A Tale for the Young. With numerous
+    Illustrations.
+
+        The story of a pious German gardener and his daughter. Truth and
+        honesty, after many trials, are rewarded at last.
+
+
+    The Blind Girl; or, The Story of Little Vendla. By the Author of
+    "The Swedish Twins," etc.
+
+        A charming Swedish story, describing domestic life in a Swedish
+        rural parsonage.
+
+
+    Breakers Ahead; or, Uncle Jack's Stories of Great Shipwrecks of
+    Recent Times. By Mrs. SAXBY, Author of "Rock Bound," etc.
+
+        A stirring narrative of the adventures and perils of a
+        sea-faring life. Gives graphic accounts of the loss of
+        the _Captain_, the _Cospatrick_, the _La Plata_, the
+        _Strathmore_, etc.
+
+
+    Black Gull Rock. A Story of the Cornish Wreckers. By MORICE
+    GERARD, Author of "The Victoria Cross," etc.
+
+        A book for girls. When a great ship is being lured to its fate
+        on Black Gull Rock, some one suddenly fires the beacon on Beacon
+        Hill, and the ship is saved. Who fired the beacon?
+
+
+T. NELSON AND SONS, London, Edinburgh, and New York.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CROWN OF SUCCESS***
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author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 02:17:36 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 02:17:36 -0700
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tree	b37c4a5b678e53e26c5b4392334963bfb97a8adb