'It is not about the theft of a horse that I have come,' said Maurice. 'Tell me if there have been any jewels stolen lately.'

'Hush!' said the chief. "We have been making secret search for two days for some very costly jewels that were stolen from the shop of Grimm, the jeweller. How did you hear about them?'

I have heard nothing! but I have seen something,' said Maurice. 'Come with me, Mr Muller, and I will shew you what I have found.'

Maurice led him to the old gate, and there directed his attention to the stone which he had found loose.

'There, Mr Muller,' said he, you see that stone?’ 'Yes; what of it?'

'Don't you see anything odd about it?'

'I can't say I do.'

Maurice then shewed him that the stone was marked with red chalk, and that the mortar was fresh. He then loosened the stone, and shewed the hollow place behind it.

'Well, what of it?' said the chief.

In that hollow,' said Maurice, 'I found this box of jewels, which I think must be those which you tell me have been stolen.'

They are the same!' cried Mr Muller. 'My good boy, you have done us a great service-a very great service. Come with me at once to Mr Grimm's house.'

They went to Mr Grimm's; and that worthy jeweller was so much pleased with the boy's conduct, that he took him under his care.

A boy so honest and attentive did not find it hard to get a good situation, and he and his mother were soon above want.

1.

Do you know the little Wood-mouse,
That pretty little thing,

That sits among the forest leaves,
Beside the forest spring?

2.

Its fur is red as the red chestnut,
And it is small and slim;
It leads a life most innocent
Within the forest dim.

3.

'Tis a timid, gentle creature, And seldom comes in sight;

It has a long and wiry tail,

And eyes both black and bright.

4.

It makes its nest of soft, dry moss,
In a hole so deep and strong;
And there it sleeps secure and warm,
The dreary winter long.

5.

And though it keeps no calendar,

It knows when flowers are springing ;
And waketh to its summer life,
When nightingales are singing.

6.

Upon the boughs the squirrel sits,
The wood-mouse plays below;
And plenty of food it finds itself
Where the beech and chestnut grow.

7.

In the hedge-sparrow's nest he sits,
When its summer brood is fled,
And picks the berries from the bough
Of the hawthorn overhead.

8.

I saw a little wood-mouse once,

Like Oberon in his hall,

With the green, green moss beneath his feet, Sit under a mushroom tall.

9.

I saw him sit and his dinner eat,

All under the forest tree;

His dinner of chestnut ripe and red,
And he ate it heartily.

10.

I wish you could have seen him there;
It did my spirit good,

To see the small thing God had made
Thus eating in the wood.

MASTER SQUEAK (1).

squeak, chil'dren, shoul'der, laughed, screamed, se'ri-ous-ly, troub'le some, heav'i-ly, stopped.

Children, I want to tell you a story. It is all about a little fairy-man, who came and hopped on to my shoulder, dangling one tiny leg on one side of me, and one on the other, and who then began blowing in my ear.

Squeak! squeak! squeak!' he went, so sharply. And then-just as you do-I burst out laughing.

Well, when I laughed, I shook so, the fairy-man had to hold on tight by my hair, or he would have fallen off. He was a hard-working little fellow, though; and, as soon as I was straight enough, he began doing what he was sent to do again.

'Squeak! sque-ee-eak! sque-ee-ee-eaker!' he went, twice as loud as before. And this time I didn't laugh-as you

do-but I gave a loud cry.

'Don't!' I screamed out. 'Don't! You'll crack the drum of my ear! And what do you want with me at all?'

With which I put my hands up to catch hold of the little fellow, and to set him before me on the table, and look seriously in his face. But when I touched my right shoulder-where he was-he was gone! He had hopped And when I touched the left shoulder,

on to the left.

he was gone again.

'Oh, very well,

He had hopped on to the right. Mr Fairy-man!' I cried. You are going to play games, are you? Very well; I'll play with you. I daresay I shall beat you, if I try long enough. Come on.'

And I began; and he began. It was so droll. I went to the right and the left, to the right and the left, to the

right and the left, just as I felt the little tiresome Mr Fairy-man hopping; and though sometimes I caught hold just of his heel, and sometimes of the tip of the tail of his little wee coat, he always slipped away, and gave a loud 'squeak,' because he was so glad. O dear! I grew so tired. I was quite out of breath. But I went

on. I knew a song about 'Try again, try again, keep on trying;' and I thought I would do what the song told me. But, O dear! Mr Fairy-man was so troublesome. I do think he would have made an owl open her eyes in sunshine, if he had hopped into her ivy-bush, and had made up his mind to it. But at last he couldn't hop nearly so quickly. His tiny feet came down heavily upon me, and sprung up heavily. And then they stopped a little; and then they stopped a little longer; and then, before he could get off, I had him tight and safe in my hand, so that there was no hopping for him any more.

MASTER SQUEAK (2).

fin'gers, moustache', pret'ti est, i'vor-y, min'ute, an'gry, gra'cious, un der stand', sau'cy, en'gine, com pre-hend', lan'guage.

'Now, sir,' I said, looking at him, 'let me see what you are like.' And I did see; and I will tell you. He was about as tall as your two hands, if you stand them one on the top of the other, on the little fingers, with the thumb up. He was thin. He had little red curls, and little red whiskers, and a little red moustache. His eyes were brown. His teeth were the prettiest little teeth I ever saw. Such dear little mites of ivory, in such dear little even rows! And his wee white hands were even more pretty still. I thought of the new baby when I looked at them, and I kissed them. I couldn't