han a glimmering rush-light. Here he was told he might do as
much mischief as he pleased. The iron bars kept him from getting out on
one side, and the door was padlocked on the other. In this dilemma he
marched round and round, crying, with his little candle, and saw stuck
on the walls the following lines:

'_Empty caves and commons wild
Best befit a thoughtless child,
A solid wall, an earthen floor,
Prison lights, a padlock'd door,
Where's no plaything which he may
Turn to harm by random play,
For in such sport too oft is found
A penny-toy will cost a pound.
Be wise and merry;--play, but think;
For danger stands on folly's brink._'

After having been kept in confinement nearly half an hour, Mr. Random
could no longer resist the pressing solicitations of his son's guests,
who declined partaking of the supper till Richard was returned to them.

Having learned the above lines by heart, he repeated them to his young
company, and, on his promising to remember their contents, he was
permitted to sit down to table.

The rest of the evening was spent in innocent cheerfulness, and for some
time after little Random played with more caution.

We must omit many of the less important neglects of young Random, such
as letting the toast fall in handling it, shooting his arrow through the
window, riding a long stick where it might throw persons down, leaving
things in the way at dark, etc., and proceed to relate a good-natured
fancy of his which tended, more than any of the preceding events, to
show him the folly of taking any step without first looking to what it
might lead.

In Mr. Random's garden was a fine tall pear tree, and that year a very
fine pear grew on the topmost twig. His mother and sister had several
times wished for the luscious fruit, but it seemed to bid defiance to
every attack that was not aided by a tall ladder. 'Oh!' thought Dicky,
'if I can get it down and present it to my mother, how pleased she will
be!' So, when he was alone, he picked out some large stones and threw at
it, but without any success. The next day he renewed his attack in the
evening, and to insure a better chance employed several large pieces of
brick and tile.

Now all these dangerous weapons went over into a poor man's garden,
where his son and some other boys were weeding it. One of them fell upon
the little fellow's leg, and cut it in so desperate a manner that he
cried out, quite terrifie