for the making a bit of kersey, which costs but a
few shillings, is more than many very charitable gentry can afford
to give--so they often give nothing at all, when they see the
mothers so little able to turn it to advantage. It is hoped they
will take this hint kindly, as it is meant for their good.

But to return to our two young shoemakers. They were both now
settled, at Mr. Williams's who, as he was known to be a good workman
had plenty of business--he had sometimes two or three journeymen,
but no apprentices but Jack and James.

Jack, who, with all his faults, was a keen, smart boy, took to learn
the trade quick enough, but the difficulty was to make him stick two
hours together to his work. At every noise he heard in the street
down went the work--the last one way, the upper leather another; the
sole dropped on the ground, and the thread dragged after him, all
the way up the street. If a blind fiddler, a ballad singer, a
mountebank, a dancing bear, or a drum were heard at a distance out
ran Jack, nothing could stop him, and not a stitch more could he be
prevailed on to do that day. Every duty, every promise was forgotten
for the present pleasure--he could not resist the smallest
temptation--he never stopped for a moment to consider whether a
thing was right or wrong, but whether he liked or disliked it. And
as his ill-judging mother took care to send him privately a good
supply of pocket-money, that deadly bane to all youthful virtue, he
had generally a few pence ready to spend, and to indulge in the
present diversion, whatever it was. And what was still worse even
than spending his money, he spent his time too, or rather his
master's time. Of this he was continually reminded by James, to whom
he always answered, "What have you to complain about? It is nothing
to you or any one else; I spend nobody's money but my own." "That
may be," replied the other, "but you can not say it is your own time
that you spend." He insisted upon it, that it was; but James fetched
down their indentures, and there showed him that he had solemnly
bound himself by that instrument, not to waste his master's
property. "Now," quoth James, "thy own time is a very valuable part
of thy master's property." To this he replied, "every one's time
was his own, and he should not sit moping all day over his last--for
his part, he thanked God he was no parish 'prentice."

James did not resent this piece of foolish impertinence, as some
silly lads