The apples were quite soft. "Yes, yes, yes; the dumpling is done," said
the old woman.

So she took the dumpling out of the pot, and untied the cloth, and
turned it into a yellow dish, and set it upon the table.

Then she went to the cupboard and got a plate, and then to the knife-box
and got a knife; then she took the fork from the mantelpiece, and drew
her arm-chair close up to the table, and sat down in it, and cut off a
piece of the dumpling, and put it on her plate.

It was very hot, and it smoked a great deal; so the old woman began to
blow it. She blew very hard. As she was blowing, her spectacles tumbled
off her nose, and fell into the dumpling.

"Oh, dear! oh, dear!--that's bad! that's bad!" said the old woman.

She took her spectacles out of her plate, and wiped them with the
corner of her apron, and said to herself, "I must get a new nose. My
nose is so little, that my spectacles will not stick on my nose."

So she put her spectacles into her pocket, and began to eat the
dumpling.

It was quite cool now. So the old woman ate it all up, and said it was
very good indeed.

THE BROTHERS.

One day Henry came bounding home from school, his face beaming with joy.
He was head of his class, and he held fast in his hand a fine silver
medal, which had been awarded to him for good behaviour.

"Oh!" said he to himself, as he ran along, "how happy this will make my
dear Mother. I know she will kiss me; perhaps she will kiss me five or
six times, and call me her dear, dear boy. Oh! how I love my Mother!"

He ran up the steps of the house where he lived as he said this, and
pulled the bell very hard, for he was in a great hurry. His Father
opened the door. "Hush! Henry," said he, "come in very softly, your
Mother is very ill."

"My Mother! Dear Father, what is the matter with her? May I go in to her
if I will step very softly?"

"No," said his Father, "you must not see her now; you must be very still
indeed. I see, my dear boy, that you have been rewarded for good conduct
in school; I am glad that I have so good a son. And now, Henry, I know
you love your Mother so much, that you will promise me to be very still,
and wait patiently until she is able to see you." As he said this, he
drew Henry close to him, and smoothed down his long curling hair, and
kissed his cheek.

Henry threw his arms around his Father's neck, and promised him; and
then, putting away his medal, he went softly, on tiptoe, up