Sam did not always like Jack
putting his word in, and giving his opinion; he would put him down and
say: "Child, don't talk so much, when you're older you'll find that
nothing much is done in the world by arguing." His father used to stand
up for Jack, and would say: "There's one thing, our Jack will never do
anything without giving a good reason for doing it, I know."

You will be sorry to hear that Jacky had a dreadful illness when he was
nine years old. It was a disease that causes a great deal of pain and
suffering. But Jack remembered that a soldier must be brave, and, as
Christ's little soldier, he must be the bravest of the brave. So Jacky
was very patient, and gave his nurse as little trouble as he could. His
mother wrote to Mr. Wesley, who was in London at the time, and said,
"Jack has borne his illness bravely, like a man, and like a little
Christian, he has never uttered a word of complaint;" and the father, as
he folded the letter and put it into his pocket, felt proud of his
little son.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER III.

Jacky at boarding school.--Bullying.--Hard
lines.--A morning run.--A Christ-like
schoolboy.--Charlie at Westminster.--Scotch
Jamie.--"Bravo, Captain Charlie!"

BY and by Jack grew to be a big boy of eleven, and all this time he had
only been at the home-school. His parents thought he was now quite old
enough to go to a proper boys' school, and through the kindness of a
friend, he was sent to a big school in London called the Charterhouse.

Here poor Jacky had a very unhappy time for two or three years. The big
boys took a delight in bullying the little ones, especially the
new-comers; and as Jack had never been from home before, their
unkindness was hard to bear. Every meal-time each boy had to go to the
cook's house for his allowance of food, and the big boys used to lay
wait for the little ones as they came out, and snatch away their meat;
so for a long time Jack had nothing but bread to eat at every meal.

Those of my readers who know what boarding-school life is to-day, will
think this a very funny way of getting your food; and so it was, but,
you must remember, this was in 1714, one hundred and eighty years ago,
and every thing then was very different to what it is now.

Before Jack went to the Charterhouse, his father had said to him: "Jack,
I should like you to run round the school garden every morning before
breakfast, it