MR. PENALTY AND HIS ROD. 167

‘Tis good to feel the rod—ho ! ho!
As little boys and girls may know
When they have naughty been.
For if they wilfully do wrong,
Their pleasure does not last them long
When I come on the scene.

“ At first their hearts are filled with glee,
Because they never think of me,
But just do what they will ;
_ But let the heedless ones beware,
For I am watching everywhere
To punish deeds of ill.

“So let them frolic as they may,
Too soon there comes a reckoning day,
And then good-bye to fun.
Let every one that hears take heed,
For he shall taste my rod with speed
Before the day is done.”

These queer words frightened Buttercup very much; the voice
in which they were sung, too, was so deep that it sounded like an
old drum. He opened the door timidly and peeped in.

“Tt’s good to feel the rod—ho! ho!” began the same voice
again; then it stopped, for the old man, who was sitting by a
large fire, suddenly caught sight of Buttercup, and came forward
at once to meet him.

“You have brought the rod, have you?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” replied the poor little boy. “I have come
from Mrs. Discipline, and she has sent you this.”

“Ha! ha! ho! ho! that’s the rod; you can lay it down
there on the table. You are cold—is it a bad night outside?”

“Jt is the worst night I have ever been out in,” replied
Buttercup. “It is quite the coldest night I have ever felt.”

“Hal ha! Well, so much the better for you. Those who
come to my house are bound to suffer. It is the path of suffering
which leads to me—the path of suffering and of——” the old man
stopped abruptly and looked hard into the face of the child.