on. I know you said you could not spare money to get a cloak for
yourself, because you had spent all you could save in buying me a
jacket. My tree has never borne fruit till this year; and you always
said that when it did, I should do what I pleased with the money its
fruit would fetch. Now, there is nothing I should like to spend it on
better than in getting a cloak for you."

"Thank you, Ned," replied his grandmother; "it would indeed be a very
great comfort. I do not think I should have suffered so much from
rheumatism last winter, if I had had warmer clothing. If it was not for
your apricot-tree, I must have gone without a cloak this winter also;
for, what with our pig dying, and your having no work to do in the
spring, this has been but a bad year for us."

"The money Mr. Stockwell is going to give me," resumed Ned, "will be
enough all but sixpence; and I have a new sixpence, you know, in a
little box upstairs, that my aunt gave me last June, when I went to
spend the day with her; so when I carry him the fruit, I shall take that
in my pocket, and then when I come home in the evening I can bring the
cloak with me. O that will be a happy day!" continued Ned, getting up to
jump and clap his hands for joy.

"There is another thing I am very glad of," said he, sitting down again.
"Master is going to turn Tom Andrews away next week."

"You ought not to be glad of that, Ned. Tom is one of a large family;
and his father being very poor, it must be a great help to have one of
his children earning something."

"But he is ill-natured to me, and often plagues me very much. It was
only yesterday he broke the best hoe, by knocking stones about with it,
and then told master it was my doing. Besides, he is idle, and does not
mind what is said to him, and often gets into mischief."

"And do you think being turned away from Farmer Tomkyns's will help to
cure these faults?"

"No," answered Ned; "I do not suppose it will."

"On the contrary, is it not likely that he will grow more idle, and get
oftener into mischief, when he has no master to look after him, and
nothing to do all day long but play about the streets?"

"Why, yes, that is true. Still, it will serve him right to be turned
away. I have heard Mr. Harris, our rector, say that those who do wrong
ought to be punished."

"Pray, Ned," asked his grandmother, "can you tell me what is the use of
punishment?"

"The use of punishment!--" repeated Ned, thoughtfully. "Le