ing and to see sparkling in
the early sunshine the neat little silver coins, and the big copper
ones, laid out in a row on his table! Ted jumped out of bed, not quite
so early as he had intended, for he had been up rather later than usual
the night before, and by the time he had had his nice cold bath and was
dressed, he heard the prayer bell ring, and was only ready to take his
seat as usual on a little chair in a corner of the room not far from
where his dear old nurse and the other servants were placed. He liked
better to sit there, for it gave him somehow a little uncomfortable
feeling to see the servants quite by themselves, as it were, so
separated from the family, and he had got into the way of sitting
between the two sets of seats, and though little Narcissa from her
perch on her mother's knee would sometimes smile and nod and beckon to
him to come nearer, Ted always kept to his own place. This morning many
thoughts were dancing about his brain, and it was a little difficult for
him to listen with his usual attention, even though it was one of the
chapters he was very fond of, especially when his father read it in his
nice clear voice. It was that one about the boy Jesus, staying behind
His father and mother to talk with the learned doctors in the temple,
and though some part of it puzzled Ted rather, yet he liked to listen
and think about it. How frightened that father and mother must have
been! How was it that Jesus knew that it was right for Him to stay
behind--even though it was without His father's and mother's leave? For
other little boys it would have been wrong, but then,--oh yes, of
course, Jesus was not like other little boys. If only they, if only he,
Ted, could learn to be more like _Him_, the one perfect Christmas child!
And even the puzzling part of it grew clearer as this unconscious prayer
rose out of the innocent heart. For Ted's own father and mother, even
if they were frightened for a little, would not be _vexed_ if he did
something without their leave that was good and right. Only it was
difficult to tell, very difficult--on the whole Ted felt that he
understood what his mother told him about being obedient, better than he
used. That was what God had given little boys fathers and mothers for,
for they, when they were good and wise, could not but know best. When
they were _not_ good and wise, like the fathers and mothers of some of
the poor London street boys he had heard of--oh, how fearful tha