heap," said Dick. "I'd like to buy one
at that price."

"You're a little goose, Johnny," said Grace. "He gave as much as five
hundred dollars."

"Grace doesn't know much more about the price of real estate than
Johnny," said Mr. Rockwell.

"Didn't the house cost as much as five hundred dollars?" asked Grace.

"As much as that certainly, my dear."

Just then, by an unguarded movement of Johnny's foot, the edifice of
blocks reared by Dick became a confused ruin.

"I've got tired of building houses," he announced, "Won't you tell me a
story, Dick?"

"I don't think I know any," said our hero.

"Here is a book of pictures," said his mother, bringing one from the
table. "Perhaps your new friend will show them to you."

Dick took the book, and felt very glad that he had learned to read.
Otherwise he might have been considerably embarrassed.

The children asked a great many questions of Dick about the pictures,
some of which he could not answer. Johnny, on being shown the picture of
a Turkish mosque, asked if that was the place where the turkeys went to
church.

"If there was any place for a goose to go to church, you'd go there,"
said his sister.

"I aint a goose any more than you are," said Johnny, indignantly; "am I,
Dick?"

Just then the servant came in to carry the children to bed, and,
considerably against their wishes, they were obliged to withdraw.

"Come again, Dick," said Johnny.

"Thank you," said Dick. "Good-night."

"Good-night," said the two children, and the door closed upon them.

"I think I'll be going," said Dick, who did not feel quite so much at
ease, now that his young friends had left him.

"Wait a few minutes," said Mrs. Rockwell.

She rang the bell, and a servant brought up some cake and apples, of
which Dick was invited to partake.

I need not detail the conversation; but Mrs. Rockwell, with the tact of
a genuine lady, managed to draw out Dick, and put him quite at his ease.

"How old are you, Richard?" she asked.

"Fifteen," said Dick; "goin' on sixteen."

"You are getting to be quite a young man,--old enough to wear a watch.
Have you one?"

"No," said Dick, not suspecting the motive that led to her question.

"Will you allow me the pleasure of supplying the deficiency?" said Mrs.
Rockwell.

As she spoke, she drew from a box at her side a very neat gold watch and
chain, and placed it in Dick's hands.

Our hero was so astonished at first that he could scarcely believe