4 A LITTLE WIZARD.

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fy

“4 And its service?”
J Ay, and its service.”
“Who is the lad you have with you?”
ROE gq Simon Gridley asked keenly.

BS: ZO He is a Patten,” the butler answered
= reluctantly; “but he has neither house

nor land, nor more in the world than the

 

 

 

Fr gothes he stands up in.”

<The answer took both the man and the
: Soman by surprise. They stood gazing
\ascavith one accord at the boy, who, with
his lips trembling, changed feet and shifted
his eyes from one stern face to another.

“T have heard something of that,” the
elder Gridley said, with a stern smile.

“He comes of a bad brood.”

“ Nevertheless, you will not refuse him
shelter,” his brother answered. “ Heisa
child, and I have nowhere else to take
him.”

“Why take him at all?” the Puritan
snarled fiercely. ‘What have you to do