to be let in, as their pussy cat often did?

10. She was sound asleep too, and had to be wakened by many hard taps
at the glass. First, Nelly felt fear at seeing a face looking in at
her.

11. But she soon knew who it was. "Oh Mercy," cried Nelly, "how long
you have been! What have you been at? And why did you come back this
way?"

12. "Get into bed again, there's a dear," said Mercy, "and I will tell
you all about it." Nelly kept awake to listen, as Mercy told her the
story.

13. And she could not help clapping her hands to think of how snug poor
old Brownie was now. Mercy knelt down to say her prayers before she got
into bed.

14. She felt very thankful that she had been able to do one kindness to
a creature like that ass which once stood in the stall beside the
"new-born King."

15. Next morning, as soon as the house was tidy, Mercy ran out to see
the donkey. More snow had fallen in the night, and had filled up all
her footmarks, so that she might have thought it all a dream.

16. But just as she reached the pigsty she heard a loud bray, which was
Brownie's way of saying "A Merry Christmas" to his friends.

17. "You did quite right, my child," said her father, when Mercy told
him of her work the last night. "I think that Smith does not treat him
well.

18. "And I will tell you what, children, I am going to-morrow to see
Mr. Smith and buy our Brownie back again. I cannot get on without him,
I find.

19. "Now that your mother is well again we shall do better, and last
week I put by the money for Brownie. So you need never say good-bye to
him again."

20. You may be sure that there was a happy Christmas at the cottage for
Peter and his wife, and for the children, as well as for poor Brownie.

21. "How very glad I am that I went out to him that night!" said Mercy
to her father. "It was not much to do, only it was Christmas Eve, and I
thought--"

22. "You thought what?" said her father.

"Only," she said, in a low voice, "I could not forget that Christ let
the ox and the ass be with Him in the stable. And I thought that He
would not be pleased if we left poor Brownie out in the cold."

* * * * *

_Write:_ Mercy was forced to get in at the window. She got up by the
vine tree. Her little sister let her in. Peter said he should buy the
donkey back.

Questions: 1. What trouble did Mercy find at her door? 2.
How did she get up to the window? 3. What was Nelly do