oes was very good, as, to be
sure, nobody was better, made her a present of a little skylark. She
thought the lark might be of use to her and her pupils, and tell them
when it was time to get up. "For he that is fond of his bed, and lies
till noon, lives but half his days, the rest being lost in sleep, which
is a kind of death."

Some time after this a poor lamb had lost its dam, and the farmer being
about to kill it, she bought it of him, and brought him home with her to
play with the children, and teach them when to go to bed; for it was a
rule with the wise men of that age (and a very good one, let me tell
you) to "Rise with the lark, and lie down with the lamb." This lamb she
called Will, and a pretty fellow he was.

No sooner was Tippy, the lark, and Will, the ba-lamb, brought into the
school, than that sensible rogue Ralph, the raven, composed the
following verse, which every good little boy and girl should get by
heart:--

"_Early to bed, and early to rise,
Is the way to be healthy, wealthy, and wise._"

Soon after this, a present was made to Mrs. Margery of a little dog,
whom she called Jumper. He was always in a good humour, and playing and
jumping about, and therefore he was called Jumper. The place assigned
for Jumper was that of keeping the door, so that he might have been
called the porter of a college, for he would let nobody go out nor any
one come in, without leave of his mistress.

Billy, the ba-lamb, was a cheerful fellow, and all the children were
fond of him; wherefore Mrs. Two-Shoes made it a rule that those who
behaved best should have Will home with them at night, to carry their
satchel on his back, and bring it in the morning. Mrs. Margery, as we
have frequently observed, was always doing good, and thought she could
never sufficiently gratify those who had done anything to serve her.
These generous sentiments naturally led her to consult the interest of
her neighbours; and as most of their lands were meadow, and they
depended much on their hay, which had been for many years greatly
damaged by the wet weather, she contrived an instrument to direct them
when to mow their grass with safety, and prevent their hay being
spoiled. They all came to her for advice, and by that means got in their
hay without damage, while most of that in the neighbouring village was
spoiled. This occasioned very great noise in the country, and so greatly
provoked were the people who resided in the other parishe