The Stokesley Secret

lessons were far too much alike; and play-times, though varied enough

e poor pleasure of leaving his hat on the school-room floor because Elizabeth had told him of it. At about four o'clock it set in for rain,

of the subject, and in a provoking mood, twitched away his pinafore, crying, "Bother the pig!" and rushed up after the four who had preceded him, leaving s

n it's such fine weather it put

r this speech, little George trotted in, crying out, "

nnie with one voice, and they were at

there will be none left!" was David's cry; while George kept draggin

ose things," said Henry in explanation. "We have always dealt with him; and he is very deservi

ying soothingly, "Yes, yes, Georgie;-never mind Davie, we'll make up for i

ithout sending to th

d don't let him come," cried David quite passionately. "Nasty man! h

good-humouredly, "suppose we have n

said Bessie; "it make

don't like you, and I hate the Gibraltar man

our money; and perhaps the poor man has children

t the Gibraltar roc

avid answered, that when once the pig was bought, he would give all his money for

sent by Heaven to prove and strengthen their will and power of resisting self-indulgence. Before she had quite thought it out, the quick step

ollowing. "You know he had nothing of his own,

ng care of himself." Well he might say so, consider

Susan. "Here, Davie!" holding out to

aid David roughly. "You've s

ly twopence," said Sus

t say thank you,"

It was right and generous to abstain from sweets with this end in view; but it was wrong to be rude and unthankful to the sister who meant all so kindly, and wa

it is all pulled abou

exclaimed as Susan turned to him, "Yes, thank you, Sukey, I don't mind finger sauce," but not before John was stretching out a hand glazed with sugar

gh pigs on four legs are all very

n, seeing him about to begin to cry,

want barley-sugar," said Jo

it more," said S

ny yourself, Su

I didn't

ve," said Henry. "No, no, not you, Jack; I

ay to the nursery. Miss Fosbrook hated the teasing, but she thought it served John so rightly, that she would not save him from it

ng judge, David; but all the answer he got was a pull by the hair

ruffled locks, repeating, in his manful way,

out on the floor like a puppy dog, crying, "I'll tell you what, if you make

t Sam only stood laughing with his back to the shutter, and Christabel herself hurried to the rescue, to pick He

t have hurt him," a

him too," said the br

blame, yet in the long run even this rough discipline might be more useful to her dear little Davi

s of Nurse Freeman, who was administering to him a dose in consequence of his having been greatly indisposed all night. It must be confessed that Christabel was n

ailments brought on by over-eating; but even this was better than spending it, like the former one, in wilful misbehaviour; and John, who knew that Papa, Mamma, brothers, and sisters all alike detested and despised real greediness, had been heartily ashamed of himself, both for this and his for

have gone through it often enough to know what is the matter, and they have, or ought to have, more self-command. But children have yet to learn by experience that the outer things are not harder and more untoward, so much as that they themselves are out of sorts. This is poor comfort; and certainly it is dangerous to say to ourselves that being poorly is any excuse for letting ourselves be cross, or for not doing our best. If Mrs. Merrifield had thought so, what miserable lives her husband and children would have led! No, the way to use the certain fact t

ck looks she met from David. Sam had lost a farthing by the shower, and had likewise bought a queen's head, to write to his father. The rest, fourpence-three farthings, he paid over. Poor Johnnie! his last week's naughtiness had exceeded his power of paying fines, and a halfpenny was subtracted from this week's threepence;

to stay here the last week in July, and he gives us boys half-a-soverei

er did so but o

re quite little boys then. I'll tell you what, Sam, he'll give u

d Sam. "I ho

y n

thank you; I shall get o

o Miss Fosbrook. "To think that he had rather g

el; and the two boys fell on each other, buffeting one another, all in good

nel Carey be equally liberal? And to hear the boy, those two sovereigns would buy everything in the world, from the pig to a double-barrelled gun. David began to grow hurt, and to fear the Toby fund would be lost in this magnificence; b

etter thing than money given; and this caused Hal to cease to try to dazzle her, though he could not give up the