careless tone, like one who was
well content with the state of habitual idleness.

"No, Sir, nothing!" replied Ben, in a voice of lamentation.

"Come," said Mr. Gresham, "if you have nothing to do, lads, will you
unpack these two parcels for me?"

The two parcels were exactly alike, both of them well tied up with good
whipcord. Ben took his parcel to a table, and, after breaking off the
sealing wax, began carefully to examine the knot, and then to untie it.
Hal stood still exactly in the spot where the parcel was put into his
hands, and tried first at one corner, and then at another, to pull the
string off by force: "I wish these people wouldn't tie up their parcels
so tight, as if they were never to be undone," cried he, as he tugged at
the cord; and he pulled the knot closer instead of loosening it.

"Ben! why how did you get yours undone, man? What's in your parcel? I
wonder what is in mine! I wish I could get this string off--I must cut
it."

"Oh, no," said Ben, who now had undone the last knot of his parcel, and
who drew out the length of string with exultation, "don't cut it,
Hal--look what a nice cord this is, and yours is the same; it's a pity
to cut it; '_Waste not, want not!_' you know."

"Pooh!" said Hal, "what signifies a bit of pack-thread?"

"It is whipcord," said Ben.

"Well, whipcord! What signifies a bit of whipcord! You can get a bit of
whipcord twice as long as that for twopence; and who cares for twopence!
Not I, for one! So here it goes," cried Hal, drawing out his knife; and
he cut the cord, precipitately, in sundry places.

"Lads! Have you undone the parcels for me?" said Mr. Gresham, opening
the parlor door as he spoke.

"Yes, Sir," cried Hal; and he dragged off his half-cut, half-entangled
string--"here's the parcel."

"And here's my parcel, Uncle; and here's the string," said Ben.

"You may keep the string for your pains," said Mr. Gresham.

"Thank you, Sir," said Ben: "what an excellent whipcord it is!"

"And you, Hal," continued Mr. Gresham, "you may keep your string too, if
it will be of any use to you."

"It will be of no use to me, thank you, Sir," said Hal.

"No, I am afraid not, if this be it," said his uncle taking up the
jagged, knotted remains of Hal's cord.

A few days after this, Mr. Gresham gave to each of his nephews a new
top.

"But how's this?" said Hal; "these tops have no strings; what shall we
do for strings?"

"I have a string that will do very well