s he could have spoken. After some
silence, Billy attempted to justify himself by saying, that it was a
droll sight to see sparrows hopping about without feathers, and he could
see no harm in it.

"Can you then," said the tutor to Billy, "take pleasure in seeing
innocent creatures suffer, and hear their cries without pity?" Billy
said he did not see how they could suffer from having a few feathers
pulled off. The tutor, to convince him of his error, pulled a few hairs
from his head, when he roared out loudly, that he hurt him. "What would
your pain be then," said the tutor, "were I thus to pluck all the hair
off your head? You are sensible of the pain you now feel, but you were
insensible of the torment to which you put those innocent creatures,
that never offended you. But that you, ladies, should join in such an
act of cruelty, very much surprises me!"

The ladies stood motionless, and then, without being able to say a word,
sat down, with their eyes swimming in tears; which their tutor
observing, he said no more to them. But Billy still persisted in his
opinion, that he did the birds no harm; on the contrary, he said, they
showed their pleasure by clapping their wings and chirping.

"They clapped their wings," said the tutor, "from the pain you put them
to; and what you call chirping, were cries and lamentations. Could those
birds have expressed themselves in your speech, you would have heard
them cry, 'Ah, father and mother! save us, for we have fallen into the
hands of cruel children, who have robbed us of all our feathers! We are
cold and in pain. Come, warm us and cure us, or we shall soon die!'"

The little ladies could no longer refrain from tears, and accused Billy
of leading them into this act of cruelty. Billy was himself become
sensible of his faults, and had already felt the smart of having a few
hairs plucked from his head; but the reproaches of his own heart were
now visible on his countenance. It appeared to the tutor, that there was
no need of carrying the punishment any further; for the error Billy had
committed did not arise from a natural love of cruelty, but merely from
want of thought and reflection. From this moment Billy, instead of
punishing and tormenting dumb creatures, always felt for their
distresses, and did what he could to relieve them.

[Illustration]

WILLIAM AND THOMAS;

_Or, the Contrast between Industry and Indolence._

[Illustration]

In a village, at no small di