ther could afford to
give him pocket-money like most boys had to spend. This cost him a
sigh, as he thought he might as well wish for a slice of the moon at
once as for pocket-money, and by the time he got home he was whistling
to himself again as happily as ever.

When he got in, his mother noticed his eager, animated looks.

'Why, what has happened to make you so merry?' she said, as he threw
up his cap in sheer exuberance of spirits.

'Nothing much, mother; only I have got an idea.'

'Keep it, then, lad--keep it,' said his brother, laughing.

'All right,' said Horace, thinking he should be under no temptation to
part with it, since his schoolfellows would not speak to him. 'It's a
good idea, I know, if I can only find out the way to carry it out,'
added Horace, at which his brother laughed, and his mother remarked
that a good many people had ideas, but the difficulty was to carry
them into effect, so that they were of practical use.

'Oh, it will want a good deal of thinking about, I know; but it has
made me quite decide not to be a carpenter.'

'I thought you had made up your mind about that long ago,' said Fred.

'Ah, but I was thinking the other day it would be a great deal easier
to be a carpenter, and earn money. I wasn't sure that I ought not to
do something to help mother soon.'

'No, my boy,' interrupted Mrs. Howard; 'it would not be your duty to
give up all opportunity of using the talents God has given you, when
the way has been made clear for you to receive the education that will
fit you to use them by-and-by. Fred always liked cutting wood and
making boats and stools, just as you are fond of making chemical
experiments, and watching what the result will be.'

'I wouldn't be anything but a carpenter; but I shall study mathematics
more, that I may do better at my trade by-and-by,' said Fred. 'Every
man to his trade, I suppose; but there's nothing like making things, I
think,' he added.

So the brothers agreed to differ; but it was a very happy evening to
Horace, and he thought he had overcome all his difficulties, and could
be very happy, in spite of the ban that his schoolfellows had placed
upon him. He learned his lessons that night without difficulty, and
the next morning began to recover his place in the class; but the hour
of recess tried him sorely.

A few of the boys who lived in the neighbourhood went home to dinner
from one to two o'clock, but many who came from a distance brought
l