The freshness of the day, the singing of the birds, the beauty of the

waving grass, the deep green leaves, the wild flowers, and the

thousand exquisite scents and sounds that floated in the air - deep

joys to most of us, but most of all to those whose life is in a crowd or

who live solitarily in great cities as in the bucket of a human well -

sunk into their breasts and made them very glad. The child had

repeated her artless prayers once that morning, more earnestly

perhaps than she had ever done in all her life, but as she felt all this,

they rose to her lips again. The old man took off his hat - he had no

memory for the words - but he said amen, and that they were very

good.

There had been an old copy of the Pilgrim's Progress, with strange

plates, upon a shelf at home, over which she had often pored whole

evenings, wondering whether it was true in every word, and where

those distant countries with the curious names might be. As she

looked back upon the place they had left, one part of it came strongly

on her mind.

Dear grandfather,' she said, 'only that this place is prettier and a

great deal better than the real one, if that in the book is like it, I feel

as if we were both Christian, and laid down on this grass all the cares

and troubles we brought with us; never to take them up again.'

'No - never to return - never to return' - replied the old man, waving

his hand towards the city. 'Thou and I are free of it now, Nell. They

shall never lure us back.'

Are you tired?' said the child, 'are you sure you don't feel ill from this

long walk?'

I shall never feel ill again, now that we are once away,' was his reply.

Let us be stirring, Nell. We must be further away - a long, long way

further. We are too near to stop, and be at rest. Come!'

There was a pool of clear water in the field, in which the child laved

her hands and face, and cooled her feet before setting forth to walk

again. She would have the old man refresh himself in this way too,

and making him sit down upon the grass, cast the water on him with

her hands, and dried it with her simple dress.

I can do nothing for myself, my darling,' said the grandfather; 'I don't

know how it is, I could once, but the time's gone. Don't leave me, Nell;

say that thou'lt not leave me. I loved thee all the while, indeed I did. If

I lose thee too, my dear, I must die!'

He laid his head upon her shoulder and moaned piteously. The time

had been, and a very few days before, when the child could not have

The Old Curiosity Shop