The Birth-day. 25

he is nothing but a bag of bones, and he suffers
very much.”

“Ts there anything he wants?” asked Mr.
Summers, kindly; “any nourishing things—
wine, or jelly, or anything of that sort ?”

“No, sir, thank you kindly,” said Mrs. Thomp-
son, drying her eyes, “he has everything he can
want. The parson and his lady are very kind,
and let him want for nothing; but he had a
wish just now for strawberries, so, as I had to
come to Hamley, I thought I would get him a
few; I’ve got threepence here on purpose.”

Katie waited to hear no more, but ran into a
greenerocer’s shop which was next to the toy
shop, and asked the price of a basket of straw-
berries.

“Sixpence and eightpence a basket, miss,”
answered the woman. “These are quite worth
twopence more,” she added, taking down a basket
of the finest, and showing them to the little girl.

And, indeed, they were; they looked so