the dog, but he didn't hurt me, and I knelt down to
pat him, and I suppose I was very tired, for I can't remember any more."

But he needed to say no more, for he was in his grandfather's arms. And
Thomas was close by, and brought some warm tea very quickly; and a
kind-looking old lady came, who said to Christopher she was his great
Aunt Susan, and that he must be undressed and have a warm bath, and go
to bed to get a sound sleep before they let him tell them anything else.

The very next evening Aunt Susan called Christopher into the library.
There was his very own Nellie sitting on grandfather's knee, and Hubert
standing by!

Dr. Thornley had given Hubert one day's holiday to go and see
Christopher. Later in the evening they were all three assembled in a
pleasant cosy room, looking over funny old picture-books, which kind
Aunt Susan turned out of her treasures.

"'All's well that ends well,'" said Hubert; "but you mustn't run away
from school when you're bigger, old boy. You're only forgiven because
you're a baby, you know."

And his grandfather said to him later on--

"My boy, in the battle-field no soldier worthy to bear the name of
'Englishman' ever turned his back on the enemy. What you had to bear was
hard; but you turned your back on your enemy when you ran away. And you
bear an ancient name, and you come of a noble race. We must do our Duty,
come what will."

And Christopher never forgot these words.

THE HOME OF THE BEADS.

Who would believe it?

You may well open your eyes, and shake your little heads incredulously,
but nevertheless it is a positive fact, that Venice, the fair Queen of
the Adriatic, sends forth every year no less than three thousand tons of
glass beads, for the adornment of your sisters big and little in all the
four quarters of the globe.

[Illustration: GONDOLA.]

The largest buyers of these pretty dainty toys are the Roman peasant
women. America follows closely in their footsteps, Great Britain's turn
comes next, then Germany puts in a modest claim, while the worst
customers of all are the Scandinavians, to whose deep, earnest,
thoughtful nature the glittering baubles appear mere useless trifles.
Among the Russian, Turkish, and Hungarian women, only the richest
classes indulge in these ornaments; they are scarcely ever seen among
the people, which may perhaps be explained by the fact that they would
not at all suit the various national costumes.

All those customer