d she had touched a theme in regard to which Mrs Bright was
always ready to respond.

"Ah! he _is_ a good boy, is Billy," she said, "an uncommonly good boy--
though he is not perfect by any means. And he's a little too fond of
fighting. But, after all, it's not for its own sake he likes it, dear
boy! It's only when there's a good reason for it that he takes to it.
Did I ever tell you about his kicking a boy bigger than himself into the
sea off the end of the pier?"

"No, you never told me that."

"Well, this is how it was. There's a small girl named Lilly Brass--a
sweet little tot of four years old or thereabouts, and Billy's very fond
of her. Lilly has a brother named Tommy, who's as full of mischief as
an egg is full of meat, and he has a trick of getting on the edge of the
pier, near where they live, and tryin' to walk on it and encouraging
Lilly to follow him. The boy had been often warned not to do it, but he
didn't mind, and my Billy grew very angry about it.

"`I don't care about little Brass himself mother,' said Billy to me one
day; `he may tumble in an' be drownded if he likes, but I'm afeared for
little Lilly, for she likes to do what he does.'

"So, one day Billy saw Tommy Brass at his old tricks, with Lilly looking
on, quite delighted, and what did my boy do, think ye? He went up to
Brass, who was bigger and older than himself, and gave him such a hearty
kick that it sent him right off into the sea. The poor boy could not
swim a stroke, and the water was deep, so my Billy, who can swim like a
fish, jumped in after him and helped to get him safe ashore. Tommy
Brass was none the worse; so, after wringing the water out of his
clothes, he went up to Billy and gave him a slap in the face. Billy is
not a boastful boy. He does not speak much when he's roused; but he
pulled off his coat and gave Brass such a thump on the nose that he
knocked him flat on the sand. Up he jumped, however, in a moment and
went at Billy furiously, but he had no chance. My boy was too active
for him. He jumped a' one side, struck out his leg, and let him tumble
over it, giving him a punch on the head as he went past that helped to
send his nose deeper into the sand. At last he beat him entirely, and
then, as he was puttin' on his jacket again, he said--`Tommy Brass, it
ain't so much on account o' that slap you gave me, that I've licked you,
but because you 'ticed Lilly into danger. And, you mark what I say:
every tim