wipe just that one!" said Billy. He reached up, caught
hold of the cup and was carefully bringing it down to his other hand,
when--"Crash!"--the cup lay on the floor in pieces.

Billy was very frightened. He looked out of the door to see if his mother
was coming. But she was still talking to the vegetable-man. Then he did
a strange thing. He pushed all the pieces of the broken cup under the
table and ran out the back door to his toys. But he did not play with
them. He sat down on a stone, chin in hand. The little tin-soldier
looked up at him as if to say, "Come on, Billy, let's march!" The little
horse-and-wagon stood ready to start, as if saying, "Come on Billy,
let's go travelling!" The little Teddy Bear, with his head on one side,
seemed to say, "Come on Billy, let's have a romp!"

[Illustration: "Crash!" the cup lay on the floor, in pieces.]

But Billy did not stir. He just sat there thinking. Suddenly, something
said right out loud, "Why what's the matter, Billy?"

Billy jumped. Looking around, he saw a grasshopper sitting on a blade
of grass.

[Illustration: "Why, what's the matter, Billy?"]

"What is the matter this morning, Billy?" the grasshopper asked.

"I'm afwaid--I'm afwaid I'm a bad boy," answered Billy.

"Why, how is that?" exclaimed the grasshopper.

"Well--I was going to wipe one of my mother's china cups this morning
and it hit the floor and bwoke!" confessed Billy.

"What did you do then?" said the grasshopper, putting his head on one
side.

Billy turned very red. He hated to tell the grasshopper what he had next
done.

"If you tell me, perhaps I can help you," said the grasshopper, by way
of encouragement.

"Well," said Billy, "I hid the pieces under the table and came out
here--to think!"

"Why do you not go and tell your mother all about it?" asked the
grasshopper.

"O," gasped Billy, "I could not do that! I'm afwaid!"

"Why should you be afraid," continued the grasshopper. "Doesn't your
mother love you?"

"O yes," cried Billy, "a million bushels!"

"And don't you love your mother?" said the grasshopper.

"O yes, a hundwed million bushels!" answered Billy.

"Then go and tell her you broke the cup! You will be happy if you do!"

"I can't," said Billy, "I just can't!"

"Mercy on us!" cried the grasshopper, jumping over to another blade of
grass. "I wouldn't be afraid! What kind of a man do you think you'll
grow up to be?"

"Well," said Billy, "perhaps I will tell her. Y