, while the poor man was stooping with difficulty to pick it
up, this wicked little boy knocked the stick away, by which means the
beggar fell down upon his face; and then, snatching up the sixpence, the
boy ran away, laughing very heartily at the accident.

"This was the last trick this ungracious boy had it in his power to
play; for, seeing two men come up to the beggar, and enter into
discourse with him, he was afraid of being pursued, and therefore ran as
fast as he was able over several fields. At last he came into a lane
which led into a farmer's orchard, and as he was preparing to clamber
over the fence, a large dog seized him by the leg and held him fast. He
cried out in agony of terror, which brought the farmer out, who called
the dog off, but seized him very roughly, saying, 'So, sir, you are
caught at last, are you? You thought you might come day after day and
steal my apples without detection; but it seems you are mistaken, and
now you shall receive the punishment you have so long deserved.' The
farmer then began to chastise him very severely with a whip he had in
his hand, and the boy in vain protested he was innocent, and begged for
mercy. At last the farmer asked him who he was, and where he lived; but
when he heard his name he cried out, 'What! are you the little rascal
that frightened my sheep this morning, by which means several of them
are lost; and do you think to escape?' Saying this, he lashed him more
severely than before, in spite of all his cries and protestations. At
length, thinking he had punished him enough, he turned him out of the
orchard, bade him go home, and frighten sheep again if he liked the
consequences.

"The little boy slunk away, crying very bitterly (for he had been very
severely beaten), and now began to find that no one can long hurt others
with impunity; so he determined to go quietly home, and behave better
for the future.

"But his sufferings were not yet at an end; for as he jumped down from a
stile, he felt himself very roughly seized, and, looking up, found that
he was in the power of the lame beggar whom he had thrown upon his face.
It was in vain that he now cried, entreated, and begged pardon; the man,
who had been much hurt by his fall, thrashed him very severely with his
stick, before he would part with him. He now again went on, crying and
roaring with pain, but at least expected to escape without further
damage. But here he was mistaken; for as he was walking sl