do now make the trial--won't
you?"

Mr. Burrell was a tender-hearted, yielding sort of an individual; and what
was more, his wife was fully aware of it; and like a young witch as she
was, she put on her sweetest looks, and begged so imploringly, that he was
almost conquered. But when she took up the baby, and made him put his
chubby arms round his father's neck, and say "pese pop-pop," he was
completely vanquished, and surrendered at discretion.

"I'll see what can be done," said he, at last.

"And will you do it afterwards?" she asked, archly.

"Yes, I will, dear, I assure you," he rejoined.

"Then I know it will be done," said she, confidently; "and none of us will
be the worse off for it, I am sure."

After leaving home, Mr. Burrell went immediately to the office of Mr.
Blatchford; and after having procured Charlie's portfolio, he started in
the direction of his own establishment. He did not by any means carry on so
extensive a business as Mr. Blatchford, and employed only two elderly men
as journeymen. After he had sat down to work, one of them remarked, "Tucker
has been here, and wants some rough cuts executed for a new book. I told
him I did not think you would engage to do them; that you had given up that
description of work."

"I think we lose a great deal, Cummings, by being obliged to give up those
jobs," rejoined Mr. Burrell.

"Why don't you take an apprentice then," he suggested; "it's just the kind
of work for them to learn upon."

"Well I've been thinking of that," replied he, rising and producing the
drawings from Charlie's portfolio. "Look here," said he, "what do you
think of these as the work of a lad of twelve or fourteen, who has never
had more than half a dozen lessons?"

"I should say they were remarkably well done," responded Cummings.
"Shouldn't you say so, Dalton?" The party addressed took the sketches, and
examined them thoroughly, and gave an approving opinion of their merits.

"Well," said Mr. Burrell, "the boy that executed those is in want of a
situation, and I should like to take him; but I thought I would consult you
both about it first. I met with him under very singular circumstances, and
I'll tell you all about it." And forthwith he repeated to them the
occurrences of the morning, dwelling upon the most affecting parts, and
concluding by putting the question to them direct, as to whether they had
any objections to his taking him.

"Why no, none in the world," readily ans