would have given worlds to be acquainted with his
history. If only she had more money, enough to buy the book and the
mandarin too!

Then she began to wonder how the boys had spent theirs. No doubt they
had bought just what had taken their fancy, and she would be the only
one to go back empty-handed. It was a little hard. The only drop of
comfort in it was that she would be able to tell them what a real
sacrifice she had made. Yesterday she had seen David writing ten times
over in his copy-book, "_Virtue is its own reward_." If that meant
feeling good, better than other people, Pennie had no doubt she was
tasting the reward of virtue now, and it consoled her not a little for
the loss of "_Siegfried the Dragon Slayer_."

It was now nearly four o'clock, and Nurse was not sorry to turn towards
the entrance, where Andrew was to wait with the carriage, and where she
hoped to join the boys and Jane.

"They're there already," cried Nancy as they approached the turnstile,
bobbing her head from side to side to see through the crowd, "and oh!
what _has_ David got?"

Nurse groaned.

"Something he oughtn't to have, I make sure," she said.

"It's something alive!" exclaimed Nancy, giving a leap of delight as
they got nearer, "I can see it move. Whatever is it?"

David was standing as still as a sentinel with his back against the
gate-post and a look of triumph on his face, clutching firmly to his
breast a small jet-black kitten. It was mewing piteously, with some
reason--for in his determination not to let it go, he gripped it hard,
so that it was spread out flat and could hardly breathe. The children
gathered round him in an ecstasy.

"What a little black love!" exclaimed Nancy; "where did you get it?"

"I saved its life," was all David answered as Nurse packed them all into
the waggonette.

"I helped," said Ambrose.

It was not until they were fairly on their way and had shaken down into
something like composure, that the history of the kitten could be told.
It then appeared that David and Ambrose had heard feeble cries
proceeding from a retired corner behind a caravan. They had at once
left Jane, and gone to see what it was.

Finding two gypsy boys about to hang a black kitten, they had offered
them sixpence to let it go, at which they had only laughed. The price
had then risen to two shillings besides all the marbles Ambrose had in
his pocket, and this being paid David had seized the kitten, and here i