bits that she had
left. She made him a bed of a pile of old rags, at one end of the
loft.

Dick had no one now to show him how to be good, and he soon got to be
a bad boy. He told lies, and when no eye was on him, he took what was
not his. He did not know God saw him. He used a bad word now and
then, and did not work so well as once he did.

The man who took Dick to live with him was sad to see him such a bad
boy, and did not know what to do with him.

Dick had now no joy in life, for no bad boy can be gay and glad. But
he did not like to feel that he was made sad by his own bad ways. He
said it was the way he had to live that made him bad.

[Illustration]

PART III.

[Illustration]

Poor Dick had now no one to love him but a cat. One day, when he was
out at play, he saw some boys pelt a cat to kill her. He did not like
to have them kill the cat, so he ran to her, took her up in his arms,
and took her home. The girl let him keep the cat, for she kept off all
the rats and mice. She was a gray cat. She had fine soft fur, and a
long tail. When Dick had done his tea, he took puss on his knee to pat
her on the head, and talk to her, as if she knew all that he said to
her.

She then did rub her head on his arm, and purr, and lie down on his
knee and take a nap. She had her bed on his heap of rags.

Once when Dick had felt bad all day, he lay down on his bed. He said
to puss, "No one is kind to me but you, puss; no one has love for me.
I will run off. I will not stay."

Dick did not shut his eyes, but when it was yet dark, he got up, and
went out of his room, down to the door. He put his hand on the key and
gave it a turn. He felt the cold air on his face when he went out.
But he ran on fast, till he was so weak, he had to stop.

Just then a big bell near him rang out loud on the air to say that
day had come once more. It made Dick turn his eyes to see this bell,
and as it rang, he felt it say to him,

"Turn back, Dick!--Turn back, Dick!--Turn back, Dick!"

Dick did not move. He did not know what to do. His eyes were on the
bell as it rung out,

"Turn back, Dick!--Turn back, Dick! Turn back, Dick!"

It put him in mind of the time when his ma had laid her hand on his
head ere she went to God, and said, "O God, take care of my poor boy!"
It put him in mind what a bad boy he had been, and how he had made
his life a hard one by his ill ways. He made up his mind to go back.
But then he said, "If they f