who served the dinner handed it through a small opening, he did not see who received it.

Well, one day the dog had waited till all the poor people were gone. Having himself got very little to eat, he reached up, took hold of the rope by his teeth, and rang the bell. A good dinner was at once handed out, and the dog ate it with great delight.*

This was done by the dog for several days; but the rogue was at length found out. It was thought, however, so clever for a dog, that he was allowed to take his regular turn at the dinner every day. And thus he went on for a long time, ringing the bell, and taking his meal with the other beggars!

QUESTIONS.--What is the dog in the picture doing? Why? What is that coming through the opening? For whom is it? How did the dog learn to do this? How long did he do it before he was found out? Why was he allowed to continue it? Where did this take place?

De-spair', utter want of hope.
Feign-ings, pretences.
Fer-vent, warm; burning.
Gaunt, thin; starved-looking.
Im-po-tent, powerless; useless.
Nestled, lay close, as in a nest.
Pang, a sting of sorrow.

Pit-e-ous-ly, with great pity, or sorrow.
Sub-dued', overcome; brought down.
Ten-der, loving.

The while, at the same time.
Thresh-old, the stone under the door
of a house.

Wring, twist, or force painfully.

A THOUSAND flocks were on the hills,
A thousand flocks and more,
Feeding in sunshine pleasantly:
They were the rich man's store.
There was the* while one little lamb
Beside a cottage door;

A little lamb that rested

With the children 'neath the tree;
That ate, meek creature, from their hands,
And nestled to their knee;

That had a place within their hearts-
One of the family.

But want, even as an armèd man,
Came down upon their shed :
The father laboured all day long
That his children might be fed ;
And, one by one, their household things
Were sold to buy them bread.

That father, with a downcast eye,
Upon his threshold* stood;
Gaunt* poverty each pleasant thought

Had in his heart subdued.*
"What is the creature's life to us?"
Said he; "'twill buy us food.

"Ay, though the children weep all day,
And with down-drooping head
Each does his small task mournfully,
The hungry must be fed;

And that which has a price to bring
Must
go to buy us bread."

It went. Oh, parting has a pang*
The hardest heart to wring;*
But the tender* soul of a little child
With fervent* love doth cling,
With love that hath no feignings* false,
Unto each gentle thing.

Therefore most sorrowful it was
Those children small to see;
Most sorrowful to hear them plead
For the lamb so piteously:*

"O mother dear, it loveth us!

And what besides have we?"

"Let's take him to the broad green hill,"
In his impotent* despair,*
Said one strong boy-"let's take him off,
The hills are wide and fair;

I know a little hiding-place,

And we shall keep him there."

Oh, vain !—They took the little lamb,
And straightway tied him down;
With a strong cord they tied him fast,
And o'er the common brown,
And o'er the hot and flinty roads,
They took him to the town.

The little children through that day,
And throughout all the morrow,
From everything about the house
A mournful thought did borrow;
The very bread they had to eat
Was food unto their sorrow.

MARY HOWITT.

QUESTIONS.-Why had the pet lamb to be sold? Who were very vexed? Why? What did they think of doing? Did they succeed? Why did the bread they got to eat make them sadder?

say you are and what you don't

one day; and the miller said, “John, some . . . . . .
a fool. Now tell me what you
know."

66

"Well," . .... John, “I know millers' hogs are fat!" Very well, John. Now tell me what you don't know." I don't know," said John, "whose corn. . . . . . . them."

SOME years ago, a ship bound* for China had on board, with other passengers, an officer, his wife, their only child-a little boy five years old, and a large Newfoundland* dog called Bobby.

Everybody in the ship liked Bobby, he was so good-tempered and frolicsome;* but the boy was the dog's constant playmate. He was a merry little fellow, and as fond of Bobby as Bobby was of him.

One evening while the little boy and the dog were romping together, the ship gave a roll, and splash went the child into the sea!

A cry was raised, "A hand" over! a hand over!" and the brave dog sprang over the side of the ship, clearing* it like a greyhound, and swam towards the stern.

The little boy's father, half frantic,* leaped with others into the jolly-boat;* but it was too dark to see far before them. All gave the child up for lost.

At last they heard a splash on the left side of the ship. "Pull on, quick!" cried the father. The boat was turned, the men pulled with all their might, and in a moment brave Bobby was alongside, holding up the child in his mouth! Joy! joy! joy!

The boat was rowed back to the ship; the half