THE DEADLY NIGHTSHADE.

Two lovely little children went, when summer was in prime,
Into a garden beautiful, beneath a southern clime;
A brother and a sister-twins, and each to each most dear;
Nor was the mother of these babes beset with any fear.
And brightly shone the summer sun upon that gentle pair,
Who pluck'd each gaudy flower that grew in rich profusion there;
Or chas'd the idle butterflies, those fair, defenceless things,
That round them tantalising danc'd upon their silken wings.
With the many flowers they pluck'd a mimic grove they made,
But wonder'd when they came again, they had so soon decay'd;
And grieving, each the other ask'd, why all the roses red,
Which freshly bloom'd an hour before, now drooping hung their head ?
"Twas in that season of the year when on the blooming earth
Each flower and plant, and shrub and tree, to all their fruits gave birth;
And 'mid them all, and most expos'd to catch the passing view,
With purple flowers and berries red, the Deadly Nightshade grew!
Up rose the little boy and ran upon the bush to gaze,
And then his sister follow'd quick, and both were in amaze,
For berries half so beautiful they ne'er before had seen,
So forth he rashly stretched his hand among the branches green.
"Oh, Edward! Edward! do not touch-remember mother said,
That poisonous fruit in clusters grew, though beautiful and red:
And that it had a tempting look, inviting to the eye,
But if a single one we eat, that we should surely die.".

"Oh, Charlotte! Charlotte! do you think that these can do us harm,
Or that such pretty fruit as this need cause us such alarm?
For surely if they poisonous are they bitter then must be,
So I will taste a single one, and we shall quickly see!"
Then forth he stretched his little hand, and he a berry pluck'd,
And to his lips he put the fruit, and in the poison suck'd,
And when he found the juice was good, he bade his sister eat;-
"For it is pleasant to the taste, so cooling and so sweet."
These children then the berries pull'd, and of them ate their fill,
Nor did they ever dream the while that they were doing ill:
""Tis not the fruit that mother meant," exultingly they cried,
And merry was their prattling laugh, to see their fingers dyed.
But suddenly the sister stopp'd-her rosy cheek grew pale:
"Oh, brother! brother! hold me up, for something doth me ail :--
I feel so weak, I cannot stand-the trees are dancing round,
Oh, Edward! Edward! clasp my hand, and place me on the ground."
He gently laid his sister down, and bitterly did cry,
And every means to ease her pain and calm her tears did try;
But soon he felt himself turn sick, and feeble, chill, and weak,-
And as he totter'd on the grass, he bruis'd his sister's cheek.
Exhausted though that infant was, upon his tender breast
He placed the little Charlotte's head, that she might softer rest;
The hapless creature did but think his sister only slept,
And when his eyesight dimmer grew, to her he closer crept.
The evening clos'd upon those babes, who slept away their breath,
And mourning o'er his cruel task, away went grieving Death;
And they who had the sacred trust, these cherubs dear to keep,
Beheld them where they quiet lay, but thought they were asleep.
When they the hapless sufferers raised from that last fond embrace,
A half-form'd smile was seen to dwell upon each paly face;
Alas! that such twin roses fair, which morning saw in bloom,
Should wither in the sunny land, ere came the twilight gloom.

THE STORY OF CHICKEN-LICKEN.

As Chicken-licken went one day to the wood, an acorn fell upon her poor bald pate, and she thought the sky had fallen. So she said she would go and tell the king that the sky had fallen.

So Chicken-licken turned back, and met Hen-len. "Well, Hen-len, where are you going?" And Hen-len said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." And Chicken-licken said, "Oh! Hen-len, don't go, for I was going, and the sky fell upon my poor bald pate, and I'm going to tell the king."

So Hen-len turned back with Chicken-licken, and met Cock-lock. "Oh! Cock-lock, where are you going?" And Cock-lock said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." The Hen-len said, "Oh! Cock-lock, don't go, for I was going, and I met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king."

So Cock-lock turned back and met Duck-luck. "Well, Duck-luck, where are you going?"" And Duck-luck said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Cock-lock said, "Oh! Duck-luck, don't go, for I was going, and I met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king."

So Duck-luck turned back and met Drake-lake. "Well, Drake-lake, where are you going?" And Drake-lake said, “I'm going to the wood for

some meat." Then Duck-luck said, "Oh! Drake-lake, don't go, for I was going, and I met Cock-lock, and Cock lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king." So Drake-lake turned back and met Goose-loose. Well, Goose-loce, where are you going?" And Goose-loose said, "I'm going to the wood f some meat." Then Drake-lake said, "Oh! Goose-loose, don't go, for I was going, and I met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king."

So Goose-loose turned back, and met Gander-lander. "Well, Ganderlander, where are you going?" And Gander-lander said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Goose-loose said, "Oh! Gander-lander, don't go, for I was going, and I met Drake lake, and Drake-lake met Duck-luck, and Duck luck met Cock lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king."

So Gander-lander turned back, and met Turkey-lurkey, “Well Turkeylurkey, where are you going?" And Turkey-lurkey said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Gander-lander said, "Oh! Turkey lurkey,

don't go, for I was going and I met Goose-loose, and Goose-loose met Drakelake, and Drake-lake met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chickenlicken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king.”

So Turkey-lurkey turned back, and walked with Gander-lander, Gooseloose, Drake-lake, Duck-luck, Cock-lock, Hen-len, and Chicken- licken. And as they were going along they met Fox-lox. And Fox-lox said, "Where are you going, my pretty maids-?" And they said, "Chicken-licken went to the wood, and the sky fell upon her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king."

And Fox-lox said, "Come along with me, and I will show you the way." But Fox-lox took them into the Fox's hole, and he and his young ones soon ate up poor Chicken-licken, Hen len, Cock lock, Duck-luck, Drake-lake, Goose-loose, Gander-lander, and Turkey-lurkey, and they never saw the king to tell him that the sky had fallen!

THE CAT AND THE MOUSE.

THE cat and the mouse

Played in the malt house.

The cat bit the mouse's tail off. "Pray, puss, give me my tail ?" "No." says the cat, "I'll not give you your tail till you go to the cow and fetch me some milk."

First she leapt, and then she ran,

Till she came to the cow, and thus began:

"Pray, cow, give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again?” “No," said the cow, "I will give you no milk till you go to the farmer and get me some hay."

First she leapt, and then she ran,

Till she came to the farmer, and thus began :-
:-

"Pray, farmer, give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again?" "No," says the farmer, "I'll give you no hay till you go to the

butcher and fetch me some meat."

First she leapt, and then she ran,

Till she came to the butcher, and thus began:

"Pray, butcher, give me some meat, that I may give farmer meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again?" "No," says the butcher, "I'll give you no meat till you go to the baker and fetch me some bread."

First she leapt, and then she ran,

Till she came to the baker, and thus began:

"Pray, baker, give me bread, that I may give butcher bread, that butcher may give me meat, that I may give farmer meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again ?"

"Yes," says the baker, "I'll give you some bread, But if you eat my meal I'll cut off your head." Then the baker gave mouse bread, and mouse gave butcher bread, and butcher gave mouse meat, and mouse gave farmer meat, and farmer gave mouse hay, and mouse gave cow hay, and cow gave mouse mik, and mouse gave cat milk, and cat gave mouse her own tail again.

My fairest child, I have no song to give you;
No lark could pipe to skies so dull and gray:
Yet, ere we part, one lesson I can leave you
For every day.

Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever,
Do noble things, not dream then, all day long;'
And so make life, death, and that vast forever,
One grand, sweet song.

ABON CASSIM'S OLD SLIPPERS. ABON CASSIM was an old merchant of Bagdad, renowned for his avarice. His coffers were filled with gold, but he took care never to take any out. He lived the life of a beggar; he had worn the same clothes time out of mind, if they could be called the same, for they had been patched so often that scarcely a bit of the original cloth remained. His turban had lost all shape, and was as full of spots and holes as the sky is full of stars. But as for his slippers, they had been so often patched and pieced that the cobblers laughed outright whenever the miser took them to be mended, for there was scarcely a place in which it was possible to put awl or nails; their extreme ugliness had become a proverb, and when anyone wished to describe anything particularly old, ugly, heavy, mean, or inconvenient, he would sum up by saying, "Like Abon Cassim's slippers." As this wretched miser had plenty of money he could take advantage of other men's necessities, and profit by them. One day a poor merchant, being in want of a sum of money, and anxious to sustain his credit, was glad to dispose of a quantity of rose-water to the miser for half its real value. Abon Cassim was so overjoyed with the good bargain he had made that he resolved for once to be extravagant; but he could not make up his mind how he should do it. First he thought he would give a dinner to his poor relations, but when he reckoned up how much it would cost he was frightened that it would ruin him. Then he thought he would treat himself to a cup of Mocha coffee. But what was the good of that? he had become so used to chicory that he liked it. As he could not decide how he should get rid of his money he went and consulted a neighbour, who, seeing how dirty the old miser was (for he thought soap an extravagance), advised him to go and take a bath.

As this was about the cheapest luxury he could obtain he approved of the advice, and followed it, and immediately proceeded to the public bath. While he was taking off his dirty rags one of his relations, who happened to be at the bath, remonstrated with him on his parsimonious ways, and made many remarks upon the ugly slippers, which, he told Abon Cassim, were the talk and jest of the city, and urged him to get a new pair.

"I will consider of it," said Abon Cassim, turning his back upon his relation, quite indignant. He then entered the bath.

Determined to get as much as he possibly could for his money he stayed in the bath a very long time, during which many persons came to bathe and went away. When, at length, he quitted the water to dress himself he saw a pair of new slippers lying near his ragged clothes. He at once concluded that his relation had placed them there as a delicate surprise for him, so he made no scruple of putting them on to his feet and walking off.

But these new slippers belonged to the Cadi, who had undressed near the spot where Abon Cassim had left his rags and old slippers, and who quitted the bath just as the miser had gone out. He was greatly astonished at missing his slippers, and finding no others in their place beside the horrid things belonging to Abon Cassim. "What!" said the Cadi, enraged, "does that miserable old miser dare to treat me thus? Steal my slippers! Quick, follow the wretch, and arrest him."

The guards rushed out into the street, and following Abon Cassim, arrested him just as he was entering his door, and carried him to prison.

When brought before the Cadi he protested that he had no intention of stealing the slippers, but the Cadi would not believe him; besides, he thought it too good an opportunity of making the old miser disgorge some of his wealth; so he inflicted a heavy fine upon him, and gave the money to the poor.

Abon Cassim went home in a state of despair. Placing the unlucky slippers on a table, and seating himself opposite to them with his hands folded across his breast, he bestowed the most violent reproaches upon the cause of his misfortune. At length, roused to extreme anger, he seized the slippers, and threw them out of the window into the river Tigris that flowed beneath.

to be fined, had now ascended from the river to destroy that which he had prized so much. In his despair he tore a handful of hair from his head, exclaiming, "Accursed that you are; I'll take good care that you do me no more mischief." He then dug a hole in his garden and buried the slippers in it.

the hole, went and told everybody he met that the miser had found But an envious, tattling neighbour, who saw Abon Cassim digging a treasure in his garden. At length the rumour reached the ears of the governor, who summoned Abon Cassim to his presence, and demanded an account of the treasure he had found, and threatened him with the bastindo if he did not give up one-half of it. Abon Cassim felt as though he would sink into the earth; he beat his breast, invoked the sacred name of the Prophet, and declared that he had dug up nothing, but only buried his slippers. But his avarice was so well-known that nobody believed his story. The governor was irritated, and said that Abon Cassim was trying to fool him.

Abon Cassim already felt in imagination the blows on his feet; he saw at once that it was useless to contend with the power and cupidity of the governor, so he consented to pay a very heavy fine, promising himself that he would take good care this time to put an end to his fatal slippers.

At sunset, hiding his slippers under his robe, he went out of the city into the suburbs, and when he satisfied himself that no person was watching his movements, he crept cautiously to the aqueduct, and dropped his slippers into it. He then withdrew as cautiously as he had come, rejoicing in his heart that the slippers would never trouble him more. For that night he slept in peace.

Next morning, the good women of Bagdad rose early to draw water, while it was yet cool, from the public fountains. But how great was their astonishment and dismay at perceiving no water flow! Instantly the city was in commotion, and, amid the clamour, the women's shrill voices rose above all others. The engineers were immediately summoned, and a complete examination of all the channels of the aqueduct took place to discover what foreign substance it was that choked the pipes, causing the country to be overflowed with the water that should have supplied the city. The cause, after infinite trouble and damage, was discovered to be the too-notorious slippers of the miser Abon Cassim.

Again arrested, imprisoned, heavily fined, and mulcted in damages for the mischief he had caused, poor Abon Cassim nearly lost his senses. When released from prison, he returned home with a heavy heart, and, ascending to the terrace on the roof of his house, he placed the obnoxious slippers before him, and thus addressed them, in accents of utter despair:

"To what end shall I now condemn you, bane of my unfortunate existence? If I cut you into a thousand pieces, each piece will prove an enemy and a misfortune to me. Only one thing is left for me to do. I will burn you to ashes." He took them in his hand, and was about proceeding to his kitchen, when, observing that they were sodden wet from their sojourn in the aqueduct, he concluded that that they must be dried before they would burn; so he placed them in the sun on the parapet wall of the front of his house, while he went to his dinner. As soon as his back was turned a hungry cat from the neighbouring house crept towards the slippers expecting to find a meal, and, while smelling them, knocked one over into the street, where, as ill luck would have it, a woman was at that moment passing.

"Murder!" cried the woman; "some villain has killed me." Immediately a crowd collected, crying out "Murder! where is the wretch ?"

Hearing the uproar, Abon Cassim put his head out of a window to see the cause of it. As soon as the crowd recognised him, their shrieks and groans became terrific. Holding up the slipper, and shaking it threateningly in his face, one of the crowd called upon the others to seize the wretch and hang him on the spot.

At this critical moment, some guards, who came to quell the tumult, arrived: Abon Cassim threw himself upon their protection, and requested them to take him at once before the Cadi. Throwing himself on his knees, he laid the fatal slippers at the magistrate's feet, crying:

Hearing the noise of breaking glass, Abon Cassim ran to learn the cause of it. To his great dismay he saw, swimming in a pool of rose-water, the fatal slippers, which, after having caused him

The Cadi could not repress a smile at hearing this strange prayer: he issued the proclamation, and contented himself this time with giving Abon Cassim a lecture upon the folly of not seeing when his lippers were worn out.

THE PET DONKEY.

A LITTLE GIRL'S STORY.

WY grandfather's garden was a very pattern of neatness. Not a weed, not a stray leaf could be found in it. From morning to night his principal employment consisted in weeding, and trimming, and sweeping this garden, till nothing remained to be weeded, trimmed, or swept.

A Dutch housewife would have died of envy at my grandfather's rivalry in trim neatness and order. His rows of scarlet runners were as regular as if they had been trained by a drill- sergeant: his green peas were as prim as though they had passed under the hands of the village-barber. His cabbages were washed clean with a great watering-pot every night and morning, when it did not happen to rain, and I never saw radishes look so red or lettuces so green as those which grew in my grandfather's garden.

He was very proud of his garden, and jealous too. If a poor little kitten but happened to stray into it, very soon would it have to run for its life, he frightened it so. I doubt very much if ever a caterpillar or a slug got a taste of his cabbages or lettuces, and I am quite sure no spider ever found an opportunity to spin its web in any corner of this neatest and trimmest of gardens.

In one corner of this garden, the farthest away from the house, my grandfather, one summer, built a pig-sty. This was a very grand affair. It was built of the brightest red bricks he could buy,

and no mortar ever made was whiter than that these bricks were laid in. The roof was slated just like a house, and there was a neat pretty fence all round it, which was painted pea-green; and there was a gate in the fence, to be fastened with a padlock when the pigsty had got a tenant. In one corner grandfather actually made a bath for piggy to wash herself in, for it was his opinion that pigs were no dirtier than other animals when they had an opportunity of keeping themselves clean.

PRICE ONE PENNY.

all the curious and wonderful things he had seen, and I was never tired of listening to him.

After he had finished one of his pretty stories he would sing me a song, sometimes a funny one that would make me laugh, sometimes one that would make me cry; but I did not mind that-I liked it. I am sorry I cannot remember all his songs now; but here is one I do remember :

"A wealthy young squire near Tamworth did dwell,
He courted a lady, and loved her full well;

And for to be mar-ri-ed it was his intent.

All her friends and relations they gave their consent." This song I liked very much. Another, a funny one, began, "Brave Benbow lost his legs, his legs,

By a chain-shot, chain-shot, shot.
Brave Benbow lost his legs, his legs,
And nothing more could be done."

But the funniest of all was this:

"There was a frog lived in a well,
Kemo, Kimo, Kemo,
Beside a mouse lived in a mill,
Kemo, Kimo, Karo.

With a strim, stram, paramara, and a bow-ring,

With a sing-song, ring-tail, barramo kimo paramaribo."

What the meaning of this was I never could learn; for, whenever I asked grandfather to tell me what it meant, he laughed and said, "wait a bit, my little maiden."

When the weather was too damp for me to be out in the garden, I would sit and work at the window of my little bedroom, where I could see grandfather digging, and listen to his songs. When he did not know I was listening, his songs were always slow and melancholy. I remember these lines:

"For sun and dew have a cunning way Of making the dullest thing look gay."

"All are not framed of the self-same clay,

And some must labour, or none could play." Grandfather's house stood in a village near Hanley, where the Potteries are. Like most other villages, it had its long straggling street, the houses standing far apart, with large gardens between. There were plenty of green lanes about, and there was a common, where the boys played cricket and the donkeys grazed, with a pond for the ducks and geese to swim in, and here also a fair was held once every year.

Our village had its notable and eccentric characters, too. It will not be necessary for me to mention more than one among them at present, and that one is Mister Samuel Shufflebottom-or Sammy, as grandfather used to call him.

Sammy was the village coal-merchant. He had a little wagon to carry his coals in, which was drawn by a strong donkey, and he had

fixed three bells on it in such a manner that the jolting of the wagon jangled them, so that people could always tell, by the noise they made, that Sammy's coal wagon was coming up the street.

I think I shall never forget the day when I first saw a little donkey-baby trotting through the street by the side of its mother, who was drawing the coal wagon. It seemed to me the prettiest and funniest little creature on four legs I had ever set my eyes upon. At that moment I would have given all my toys, doll, pussy, Tray and all, for that long-legged, long-eared donkey-baby.

Grandfather, too, admired that little donkey when Master Sammy showed it to him, and I think had I asked him to buy it for me he would have consented; but when I considered what a deal of money such a pretty creature would cost I held my tongue, and longed for the little pet in secret.

Many a time I saved a piece of my bread and butter at tea-time to take to the donkey-baby when I went for a walk in the evening, and how delighted I was when the little creature took the dainty morsel from my hand, and gobbled it up in an instant! My pet soon began to know me, and the moment it caught sight of my white pinafore it would jump up from its mother's side and run to meet me, and follow me about wherever I went, till Mister Shufflebottom was often obliged to catch it up in his arms and carry it back to its mother.

I was not at a loss for playfellows, however, for my dog Tray was as clever as a conjuror; he could do almost everything but speak; and I had the playfullest black and white kitten that was ever seen. But somehow or other the donkey-baby took my fancy, and I thought I would prefer it for a pet even to pussy or Tray.

One morning I was sitting at my little bedroom window, busily occupied in making my doll a new frock, and listening to grandfather, who was digging in his garden, and singing

"You may know it's the barber's by the pole, by the pole;
You may know it's the barber's by the pole."

All of a sudden I was startled by the sound of a trumpet and the beating of a big drum. Stretching my neck out to look into the street, I saw-oh, such a beautiful sight! There, riding on a piebald horse, was a man wearing a red velvet cloak, with a green velvet cap and a plume of feathers on his head; coat and hat were both trimmed with gold lace. He carried a large brazen trumpet, upon which he blew a Tantara, while his beautiful horse, all decked with ribbons of various colours, reared and pranced, and actually danced!

Behind the trumpeter there came a man carrying a big drum. He wore a parti-coloured coat, and a cocked hat with red and white feathers and there was a lot of other men in gay garments, one of whom, so very droll, I afterwards learned was the clown, or merryandrew, whose business it is to make people laugh.

As I looked upon this grand sight, I wondered and wondered what it all meant. Grandfather was working in the garden, and he, I was sure, could tell me all about it; so I called to him, "Grandpapa, dear, tell me who those wonderful people are, and where they come from."

I fully expected he would say they were some of the grand princes he had met with in his travels, that he had so often told me of, but he replied

"Oh, they are some of the show-folks from the fair, my little maiden."

At this news I danced and clapped my hands with delight. "Oh, the fair! the fair! Yes, I understand all about it now."

Here, then, was fair-day come at last, about which I had heard so much, and to which grandmamma and aunt had promised to take me if I were a very good girl, which I always was-at least, so grandfather said.

I had never seen a fair, and perhaps my notion of such a place was very extravagant and absurd. To my mind it was a sort of paradise of pleasure. I know better now.

I knew, however, that it was a place to spend money in, and I had been saving up my pennies for a long time previous, and I promised to buy myself a lot of pretty things; and I expected aunt and grandmamma would make me some pretty presents, for they could not be stingy to their favourite little 'Livia.

I should, however, have preferred going to the fair in grandfather's company, for he, I was sure, would have thought nothing too good or too costly for his "little maiden." But then he was getting too old to go to such places, where he would be jostled and elbowed about: and he was very careful about his corns, and did not like to have them trodden upon.

dear, I shall want you to go to Aunt Maria's after breakfast, and take her a cake I have made for her. You can get back by dinnertime, and then we will take you to the fair in the afternoon." I was very much pleased at hearing this, and lost no time in putting on my bonnet and cloak in readiness for my journey. Aunt Maria lived at the next village, and to get to her house I must either cross the common where the fair was being held, or go through the back lanes, and across some fields, which was rather a long way about. But it was soon decided which way I must go, for before setting out on my journey, grandmamma strictly charged me not to go near the common; so there was no chance of my afternoon's pleasure being anticipated.

Then the cake was folded up in a snow-white napkin, and snugly deposited at the bottom of a pretty round basket, which Uncle Edward had brought home as a present from India; and I trudged off with it in a happy mood to Aunt Maria's cottage at Crown Bank. It was a beautiful summer's morning: the air was fragrant with the perfume of a bean-field in full blossom, through which I had to pass, where the bees were busy gathering honey. High over head the lark was singing his sweet morning song, and I joined the bird in his song, for I felt so happy.

In the adjoining field there was a boy with a clapper scaring away the birds, and he was singing too, and I stopped to listen to his song, the words of which, as near as I can remember, were :There was a shepherd's son,

He kept sheep on yonder hill;
He laid his pipe and his crook aside,
And then he slept his fill.

And blow the winds, [-ho!
Sing, blow the winds, I-ho!
Clear away the morning-dew,

And blow the winds, I ho!

I soon came to a long lane, on one side of which was the high wall to Lawyer Brown's garden grounds. It was covered in many places with large hand-bills, and as they were printed in very large letters, I put down my basket to enjoy a little rest, and take a reading lesson at the same time.

There were a great many big words and hard ones too, which I spelt through, but did not know the meaning of.

While I was thus occupied some of my school-fellows came along, and asked me if I was going to the fair.

"Going to aunt's, at Crown Bank," I replied.

They offered to help me to carry the basket, which, as the cake was rather heavy, I was glad to let them do, for the handle of the basket had cut my arm.

We jogged along very merrily until we reached a place in the road where we must part, for their way was along the path to the common, while mine was across the fields to aunt's.

They helped me with my basket and cake over the stile, and then went on their way. I stopped and looked wistfully after my young companions, envying them their pleasure a little, until reminded by a bee humming in my ears that I was loitering and neglecting my duty, and should not arrive at aunt's by dinner-time if I lingered in this way; so I took up my basket again and resumed ny journey.

But when I crossed the field, and had arrived at a great five-barred gate, I was puzzled to know how I should get out. I could easily have climbed up and got over myself, if nobody was looking, but I did not know how I should be able to get the basket and cake

over.

I waited for some time not knowing what to do, when presently a farmer's boy came along with his father's dinner. I asked him to help me over with the basket. He was very inquisitive, and wanted to look into my basket, which I would not allow him to do. When I told him it was a cake, he said, "Now you get over first, and then I will lift over your basket to you.”

I was half afraid to do this: first, the gate was a very high one, and there was a strong breeze of wind blowing; and, second, I did not know but what the boy would run away with my basket and cake, when he had got me on the other side; and I was greatly perplexed what to do.

But I had to make up my mind, so I timidly began climbing up the gate, and at last got safely over to the other side. Then the boy climbed up, handed me my basket, and jumped down beside me. You'll give us a bit for helping you, won't you?” he said. "I must not do that," I replied, "it is my aunt's cake, and besides, I have got no knife to cut it with."

"Drat it," said he; "I'm going to buy a knife at the fair to

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It is not likely I should let you cut my aunt's cake with it if you had," I replied; "I am very much obliged to you for helping me, and if I should see you as I come back I will give you something."