should be done. "Shall we go at once?" she repeated, looking
rather anxiously at the small figure beside her.

"Ses," said Ted, and rather to her surprise his tone was quite bright
and cheery. So they turned back and walked down the street till they
came to the corner near which was the grocer's shop.

Ted's mother had taken the parcel of the little boots from him and held
him by the hand, to give him courage as it were. But he marched on quite
steadily without the least flinching or dragging back, and when they
reached the shop it was he who went in first. He walked straight up to
the counter and held out the lump of soda to the shopman.

"Please, man," he said, "I didn't know I should pay money for this. I
didn't understand till muzzer told me, and so I've brought it back."

The grocer looked at him in surprise, but with a smile on his face, for
he was a kind man, with little boys and girls of his own. But before he
said anything, Ted's mother came forward to explain that it was almost
the first time her little boy had been in a shop; he had not before
understood what buying and selling meant, but now that she had explained
it to him, she thought it right for him himself to bring back the lump
of soda.

"And indeed it was his own wish to do so," she added.

The grocer thanked her. It was not of the least consequence to him of
course he said, but still he was a sensible man and he respected Ted's
mother for what she had done. And then, half afraid that her little
boy's self-control would not last much longer, she took him by the hand,
and bidding the shopman good-day they left the shop. As they came out
into the street again she looked down at Ted. To her surprise his little
face was quite bright and happy.

"He were a kind man," said Ted; "he wasn't vexed with Ted. He knew I
didn't understand."

"Yes, dear," said his mother, pleased to see the simple straightforward
way in which Ted had taken the lesson; "but _now_, Ted, you do understand,
and you would never again touch anything in a shop, would you?"

"Oh no, muzzer, in course not," said Ted, his face flushing a little.
"Ted would _never_ take nothing that wasn't his--_never_; thoo knows
that, muzzer?" he added anxiously.

"Yes, my dear little boy," and this time his mother _did_ stoop down and
kiss him in the street.

CHAPTER VII.

GETTING BIG.

"The children think they'll climb a tree."

It was a very happy little Ted that trotted upsta