ere at the time, was never forgotten by Nelly.
After this no one was more eager than she to show kindness to Hitty, or
more pleased when the poor girl succeeded in learning to read.

In the afternoon most of the scholars repeated a hymn which they had
learned at home, or a few verses from the Bible. Nelly noticed that
Hitty never repeated any, and one day asked her the reason.

"I haven't any books," answered the child, "and then I couldn't make out
the hard words, you know."

Nelly looked thoughtful for a minute, and then jumped up and down in her
glee. "Ask your mother to let you come to aunty's to-night, or else come
early to school and stop there to-morrow," she cried, "and I will teach
you one of my pretty songs."

Two days later, when Miss Grant said, "Now we will hear the hymns or
verses," Hitty, with a timid air and a blushing face, took her stand on
the floor. She cast a glance at Nelly, whose whole countenance was
glowing with pleasure, and then repeated the following pretty hymn:--

"'Who was that, dear mamma, who ate
Her breakfast here this morn?
With tangled hair and ragged shoes,
And gown and apron torn?'

'They call her lazy Jane, my dear;
She begs her bread all day,
And gets a lodging in the barn,
At night, among the hay.

'For when she was a little girl,
She loved her play too well;
At school she would not mind her book,
Nor learn to read and spell.

'"Dear Jane," her mother oft would say,
"Pray learn to work and read;
Then you'll be able, when you're grown,
To earn your clothes and bread."'

But lazy Jenny did not care;
She'd neither knit nor sew;
To romp with naughty girls and boys
Was all that she would do.

So she grew up a very dunce;
And when her parents died,
She knew not how to teach a school,
Nor work, if she had tried.

And now, an idle vagabond,
She strolls about the streets;
And not a friend can Jenny find
In any one she meets.

And now, dear child, should you neglect
Your book or work again,
Or play, when you should be at school,
Remember Lazy Jane."

CHAPTER VI.

FRANKIE AND THE CRIPPL