and mended, but it was a very great disgrace to be seen with dirty hands
and face, and unbrushed hair.

Charlie ran to the door, wondering very much what Mrs. Greenwell could
have called about. She spoke a few kind, pleasant words to him, and
asked to see his mother. Charlie ushered her into the best room, placed
a chair for her with great state, closed the door quietly, and then
hastened upstairs to find his mother, taking two stairs at a time,
missing one, and coming down on his hands and knees in a lump.

"Dear me, Charlie," said Mrs. Heedman, who had come in at the back door,
and was standing at the foot of the stairs looking on in amazement at
his extraordinary scrambling; "what ever are you doing? is it a mouse?"
remembering he had once chased a mouse upstairs with much the same sort
of noise.

"A mouse! no, mother," said Charlie, coming down very mildly. "I wanted
to tell you that Mrs. Greenwell is here, and waiting for you."

Mrs. Greenwell's errand was to ask if Charlie could be spared to attend
a Bible class at her house twice a week. As well as instruction in the
Bible and catechism, she intended to read instructive books to them on
different subjects: natural history, travels in foreign lands, English
history, the lives of good and noble men who had risen from the working
classes, and on many other subjects that would be interesting and give
them a taste for reading. Charlie was younger than most of the boys she
expected, but she knew he was more intelligent and thoughtful than the
generality of boys of his age, principally because he had such good home
training.

Mrs. Heedman very gladly agreed for him to attend regularly. As for
Charlie himself, his delight knew no bounds, especially when he heard
that they were all to have tea, and spend the evening at Mrs.
Greenwell's the next day. The moment she had left and the door was
closed, Charlie broke into a dance of triumph round the room that would
have done credit to a wild Indian, and kept it up so long that Jumper
became seriously concerned: he stood at a safe distance, barking, as if
asking for an explanation, or expostulating with his master; but Charlie
only snapped his fingers at him, and went on with his dance. Poor Jumper
thought it was an order to sit up, and sat up accordingly, but soon
finding his mistake out he dropped his fore-feet disconsolately. At
last, as if a bright thought had struck him, he made a sudden rush at
poor puss, who was sit