14 History of Gutta-Percha Willie,

 

 

anyhow she grew cross; and because she was cross,
she grew unfair, and said to Willie—

“You think a great deal of yourself, Master
Willie! Pray what could those idle little hands
of yours do, if you were to try ?”

“T don’t know, for I haven’t tried,” answered
Willie.

“Tt’s a pity you shouldn't,” she rejoined, “if
you think they would turn out so very clever.”

She didn’t mean anything but crossness when
she said this—for which probably a severe rheu-
matic twinge which just then passed through her
shoulder was also partly to blame. But Willie took
her up quite seriously, and asked in a tone that
showed he wanted it accounted for—

“Why haven't I ever done anything, Mrs
Wilson ?”

“You ought to know that best yourself,” she
answered, still cross. “I suppose because you
don’t like work. Your good father and mother
work very hard, 1’m sure. It’s a shame of you to
be so idle,”

This was rather hard on a boy of seven, for
Willie was no more then. It made him look very
grave indeed, if not unhappy, for a little while, as
he sat turning over the thing in his mind.

“Ts it wrong to play about, Mrs Wilson?” he
asked, after a pause of considerable duration.

“No, indeed, my dear,” she answered ; for during