h boy that he was. He might now have been a
man of fortune.'

"`Very foolish indeed,' replied I.

"`Yes; but he has harmed more than himself. His poor mother, who doted
upon him, as soon as she heard that he was lost, pined away by degrees,
and--'

"`You don't mean to say that she is dead?' interrupted I, seizing the
gentleman by the arm.

"`Yes,' replied he, looking at me with surprise; `she died last year of
a broken heart.'

"I fell back on the luggage behind me, and should have fallen off the
coach if the gentleman had not held me. He called to the coachman to
pull up the horses, and they took me down, and put me inside; and as the
coach rolled on, I cried as if my heart would break."

Ready appeared so much affected, that Mr Seagrave proposed that he
should leave off his history for the present.

"Thank you, sir, it will be better; for I feel my old eyes dim with
tears, even now. It's a dreadful thing in after-life to reflect upon,
that your foolish conduct has hastened the death of a most kind mother;
but so it was, William, and I give you the truth for your advantage."

CHAPTER FORTY.

A few mornings afterwards, Juno came in before breakfast with six eggs
in her apron, which she had found in the hen-house.

"Look, Missy Seagrave--fowls lay eggs--soon have plenty--plenty for
Master William--make him well again--and plenty for chickens by and by."

"You haven't taken them all out of the nests, Juno; have you?"

"No; leave one in each nest for hen to see."

"Well, then, we will keep them for William, and I hope, as you say, they
will make him strong again."

"I am getting quite strong now, mother," replied William; "I think it
would be better to leave the eggs for the hens to sit upon."

"No, no, William; your health is of more consequence than having early
chickens."

For a few days Mr Seagrave and Ready were employed at the garden
clearing away the weeds, which had begun to sprout up along with the
seeds which had been sown; during which time William recovered very
fast. The two first days, Juno brought in three or four eggs regularly;
but on the third day there were none to be found. On the fourth day the
hens appeared also not to have laid, much to the surprise of Mrs
Seagrave; as when hens commence laying eggs they usually continue. On
the fifth morning, when they sat down to breakfast, Master Tommy did not
make his appearance, and Mrs Seagrave asked where he was.

"I suspect, m