wn errors better than any of us do, and liked much more
to feel himself very hardly used, and greatly to be pitied. Thereupon he
opened his lips to call to his mother, but that old thought about
patience returned on him; he had mercy on her regular breathing, though
it made him quite envious to hear it, and he said to himself that he
would let her alone, at least till the next time the clock struck. It
would be three o'clock next time. Oh dear, would the night never be
over? How often such a round of weary thoughts came again and again can
hardly be counted; but, at any rate, poor Alfred was exercising one act
of forbearance, and that was so much gain. At last he found, by the
increasing light shewing him the shapes of all the pictures, that he must
have had a short sleep which had made him miss the clock, and he felt a
good deal injured thereby.

However, Mrs. King was too good a nurse not to be awakened by his first
movement, and she came to him, gave him some cold tea, and settled his
pillow so as to make him more comfortable; and when he begged her to let
in a little more air, she went to open the window wider, and relieve the
closeness of the little room. She had learnt while living with Lady Jane
that night air is not so dangerous as some people fancy; and it was an
infinite relief to Alfred when the lattice was thrown back, and the cool
breeze came softly in, with the freshness of the dew, and the delicious
scent of the hay-field.

Mrs. King stood a moment to look out at the beautiful stillness of early
dawn, the trees and meads so gravely calmly quiet, and the silver dew
lying white over everything; the tanned hay-cocks rising up all over the
field, the morning star and waning moon glowing pale as light of morning
spread over the sky. Then a cock crew somewhere at a distance, and Mrs.
Shepherd's cock answered him more shrilly close by, and the swallows
began to twitter under the eaves.

'It _will_ be a fine day, to be sure!' she said. 'The farmer will get in
his hay!' and then she stood looking as if something had caught her
attention.

'What do you see, Mother?' asked Alfred.

'I was looking what that was under yon hay-cock,' said Mrs. King; 'and I
do believe it is some one sleeping there.'

'Ha!' cried Alfred. 'I dare say it is the boy that would not have Miss
Jane's sixpence.'

'I'm sure I hope he's after no harm,' said Mrs. King; 'I don't like to
have tramps about so near. I hope he means n