'Indeed,' said Edward, 'I think you wanted a little rest, after going through so many changes.' 'Soon after,' said the voice, 'I was bought by a tailor, and lay on the shelf of his shop, when one day you and your papa came in and asked to see some cloth to make you a coat. I was taken down and unfolded on the counter with several other pieces, and, if you remember, you chose me on account of my beautiful colour.' 'So I did,' said Edward; but you are not so bright a blue now as you were then.' Something the worse for wear,' replied the coat; but if you stain me and cover me with dust, that is your fault, not mine. But to conclude my story: the tailor took out his large scissors, which reminded me of the shears, and cut me into the shape of a coat. I was then sewed up by some journeymen, who sat cross-legged on a table; and, when I was finished, I was sent to you; and, ever since, I have covered the back of a little boy, instead of that of a sheep.' THE COAT AND BUTTONS-(continued). Edward was much pleased with the story of the coat. 'But these bright buttons,' said he, are not made of wool; have you nothing to say about them ? "They were perfect strangers to me till they were sewn on,' said the coat; I know nothing about them; they must speak for themselves.' Upon this, the whole row of buttons raised their sharp voices at once, which sounded like the jingling of so many little bells. This made such a confused noise, that Edward could not make out a word they said. He therefore commanded silence; and, laying hold of one of them with his finger and thumb, he said, 'Come, Mr. Button, let me hear the story from you, while all the rest remain quiet.' Pleased to be chosen thus, the face of the button that was spoken to, shone brighter than usual, and in a small, shrill, but distinct voice, he began thus: "We lay for a long time under ground, not bright and shining as you now see us, but mixed up with dirt and rubbish. How long we remained there it is impossible for me to say; for, as it was always dark, there was no telling day from night, nor any means of counting weeks and years.' 'But could not you hear the church clock strike ?' said Edward; 'that would have told you how time passed.' 'Oh, no,' replied the button; ' if we had had ears, we could not have heard, so deep were we buried in the bowels of the earth.' 'Oh dear! how dismal that must have been!' said Edward. 'Not for us, who neither thought nor felt,' replied the button. Well, after having lain there for ages perhaps, all at once there was an opening made in the ground, and men came down where we lay, and dug us up. They talked about a fine vein of copper. "I am glad we have reached it at last," said they; "it will repay us for all our labour." They then put us into a basket, and we were taken up above ground, and into daylight. The glare of light was so strong to us, who had been so long in utter darkness, that if we had had eyes, it would almost have blinded us. Well, after that, we were put into a fiery furnace.' 'I am sure you must have been glad then that you could not feel,' said Edward; and were you burnt to ashes ? ' 6 'Oh, no,' replied the button; copper is a metal, and metals will not burn; but we were melted; and, as the earth and rubbish which were mixed with us do not melt, we ran out through some holes that were made on purpose for us to escape from our dirty companions, who were not fit society for us. We were then shut up in moulds, where we were left to cool and become solid again. Men then came with hammers, and beat us till we became quite flat. Every time they struck us we cried out as loudly as we could, and our cries were heard at a great distance; but they went on all the same.' "What!' said Edward; had you voices to cry out?' 'No,' replied the button; but do you not know that if you strike against metal it rings or resounds? The sound of a bell is nothing but the metal tongue striking against the inside of the bell; and you know what a noise it makes.' Just then the dinner bell began ringing, and Edward cried out, 'That it does, indeed.' 'Well,' continued the button, after we had been hammered into flat sheets, we were sent to the turner's, who cut us into little bits, and then placed us, one after the other, into a strange kind of machine, called a lathe; he held us there while he turned a wheel with his foot so fast that it would have made one giddy.' 6 That is, if you had had a head to be giddy,' said Edward, laughing. "When I was taken out of the lathe, I was quite surprised to see what a pretty round shape I had; I wondered what was to be done to me next; for as there was nothing by which I could be sewn on to a coat, I did not think that I was to be made into a button, but that I was intended for a piece of money.' Yes; a round flat button is something like a sixpence,' said Edward; but then you were not made of silver.' 'True; and I soon found that I was to be a button; for they fastened a tail to me, and rubbed me for a great length of time till I became very bright. I was then stuck with the others on a sheet of thick white paper.' "Oh! I remember,' cried Edward; 'you were all stuck on the paper when the tailor showed you to papa and me, and you looked quite beautiful.' Edward then listened, expecting the button to go on with his story, but it was ended, and his voice was gone. THE MONTHS. JANUARY brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow. Thaws the frozen lake again. March brings breezes loud and shrill, Stirs the dancing daffodil. April brings the primrose sweet; August brings the sheaves of corn, |