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violence and rudeness, rather than hazard the displeasure of the nurse, who petted and spoiled the "Young Master" in a shameful way; and as her mistress suffered so much from ill health, she was out of the way of seeing or hearing, except what the nurse chose to tell her; and one servant, who ventured to tell Master Hector he was a very naughty boy, because he threw a tumbler of water in her face, received warning a few days after, and was not permitted to speak to her mistress.

Children, who are prevented by the care and watchfulness of their parents from contracting bad habits, can never be sufficiently grateful to God for his goodness in having given them such sensible protectors. Mr. Howard was a great deal from home; he was a magistrate and a member of Parliament; and seldom saw Hector but when dressed, not only in his best clothes, but his best manners,-generally, when brought in after dinner, in a handsome velvet tunic, his fair hair curling abundantly over his shoulders, and then he was much admired by whatever company happened to be at the Place, and as he had no brothers or sisters, or even little cousins, to divide the caresses of the ladies and gentlemen who were assembled round the table, he grew at length to think that no one else in the world had a right to receive them, or partake of the dessert so thoughtlessly heaped upon his plate.

It chanced that a lady was dining one day at Howard Place, who possessed a very beautiful dog; Mrs. Howard had heard so much of the dog's beauty, that she had requested her to bring it with her, and the lady did so. It was remarkably small, having long silken hair; and its little limbs were so slender

and delicate, that it would run along the dining-table, in and out, amid the wine glasses, without upsetting anything or doing any injury whatever. This amused the company a great deal, and no one seemed more amused than Hector. He clapped his hands with delight, and kissed the long ears and tiny paws of the dog over and over again. The little animal had. run once round the table in this manner, and had got as far as where Hector sat, on its second round, when it suddenly made a pause at his plate, looking wistfully at a piece of cake he was eating with an eagerness that is exceedingly ill-bred as well as unhealthy. I dare say the little dog had been as much accustomed to consider everything it saw made for its own especial use, as the little boy. At all events, putting its paw into Hector's plate, it seized, and as quickly swallowed, the largest piece of his favourite cake. I really am ashamed to tell you how a boy could have shewn such selfish violence; no one present could avoid seeing that it must have been of long growth, to have acquired such strength. In an instant the face, which before had been so joyous and lovely to look upon, became frightful from selfish disappointment and revenge, and instead of laughing at the little dog's trick, and rejoicing that he was able to return pleasure, for the pleasure the animal's dexterity and beauty had afforded him, he dealt it a violent blow, which flung it against a claret decanter, that rolled off the table into a lady's lap, but which she was kind enough to say was of little consequence. The little dog was not only stunned by the blow, but its head was severely wounded in several places by the sharp edges of the decanter, and one eye was so injured, that it could not be opened for several days. Mrs. Howard was greatly shocked at her son's conduct;

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