rything towards that.

"Do you know what grannie has given you, Willie?" said his mother.

"Yes, mother--such a pretty brass medal!"

"Show it me, dear. Why, Willie! it's no brass medal, child;--it's a
sovereign!"

"No-o-o-o! Is it? O grannie!" he cried, and went dancing about the room,
as if he would actually fly with delight.

Willie had never seen a sovereign, for that part of the country was then
like Holland--you never saw gold money there. To get it for him, his
grandmother had had to send to the bank in the county town.

After this she would often give him sixpence or a shilling, and
sometimes even a half-crown when she asked him to do anything she
thought a little harder than usual; so that Willie had now plenty of
money with which to carry out his little plans. When remonstrated with
by her daughter for giving him so much, his grandmother would say--

"Look how the boy spends it!--always _doing_ something with it! He never
wastes it on sweets--not he!--My Willie's above that!"

The old lady generally spoke of him as if she were the chief if not the
sole proprietor of the boy.

"I'm sure I couldn't do better with it," she would add; "and that you'll
see when he comes to be a man. He'll be the making of you all."

"But, mother, you can't afford it."

"How do you know that? I can afford it very well. I've no house-rent to
pay; and I am certain it is the very best return I can make you for your
kindness. What I do for Willie will prove to have been done for us all."

Certainly Willie's grandmother showed herself a very wise old lady. The
wisest old ladies are always those with young souls looking out of their
eyes. And few things pleased Willie more than waiting upon her. He had
a passion for being useful, and as his grandmother needed his help more
than any one else, her presence in the house was an endless source of
pleasure to him.

But his father grew anxious. He did not like her giving Willie so much
money--not that he minded Willie having or spending the money, for he
believed that the spending would keep the having from hurting him; but
he feared lest through her gifts the purity of the boy's love for his
grandmother might be injured, and the service which at first had looked
only to her as its end might degenerate into a mere serving of her for
the sake of her shillings.

He had, therefore, a long talk with her about it. She was indignant at
the notion of the least danger of spoiling Willie,