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CHAPTER III.

The Arrival of little Henry Milner, and the dreadful Alarm which took place some days afterward.

It was five o'clock on a fine evening in autumn, and Mrs. Kitty, who knew when to expect her master, had lighted a good fire in the study, and set the tea-things in order, for she knew that her master always liked tea better than any thing else after a journey, when the carriage drove up to the door, containing the good old gentleman, with his little adopted son asleep on his knees.

Mrs. Kitty and Sally immediately hastened out to the door, and Thomas came running from a distant part of the garden at the sound of the carriage.

Thomas bowed his head as he opened the carriage; and Mr. Dalben, addressing Kitty, said, "Take this little man as gently as you can, and lay him on the sofa, if possible, without waking him."

"O the little darling! the little fair one!" said Mrs. Kitty; "so like his dear papa! a thousand blessings rest upon him!"-" Gently, gently, Kitty," said Mr. Dalben; "there, now you have him. Lay him on the sofa, where he can see me when he wakes; for my old face is the only one which the poor infant can now tolerate." So saying, the old gentleman accompanied his housekeeper into the parlour, followed by Thomas and Sally; which last made an errand into the parlour to have a further view of the little sleeper.

"Softly, softly," said Mr. Dalben; "there, that will do. And now how are you all? and how are the neighbours? All well; very good: the Lord be praised for all mercies !"

"Poor Mr. Milner, sir!" said Mrs. Kitty, as she put some water in the teapot: "I hope, sir, he went off happy, he went off trusting in his Saviour's merits.""Kitty," returned Mr. Dalben, "he is now at rest; we might almost wish we were with him."-"He was a sweet little boy," said Mrs. Kitty; " and that little darling there is the very picture of him." So saying, she

gave another kind look at the child, and walked out of the room.

In the mean time, Mr. Dalben poured out his tea, and took a piece of a white loaf to soak in milk for the child, looking at him from time to time, his tender and pious heart being filled with thankfulness for the blessed death of the father, and lifted up in prayer for the Divine assistance, in order that he might be enabled to fulfil his duty towards the son.

While employed in these meditations, little Henry Milner opened his eyes; his first motion was to cry, finding all around him strange and new; but, as he explored the whole apartment with his eager gaze, his eye at length rested on the face of his old friend; on which a lovely smile lighted up his whole face, and he extended both his little arms towards him.

Mr. Dalben instantly got up and took him on his knee, feeding him with his own hands, and speaking to him in a manner the most tender,-pointing out to him the cat, who was asleep upon the rug, and certain other objects in the room which he thought most suitable to his taste. After a while the little boy began again to feel the fatigue of his journey, and was, in consequence, conveyed to his bed in Mrs. Kitty's room.

The next morning he was brought down to breakfast with his kind old friend, whom he was taught to call uncle; after which he was allowed to play in the study, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Mrs. Kitty, who said that she feared Master Henry would prove very troublesome to her master, who was used to be so very quiet: "and then, sir," she said, "the little gentleman has no playthings to amuse himself withal."

"Well then, Kitty," said Mr. Dalben, "in default of these, send Thomas to the carpenter's shop, and bring from thence any little square or oblong bits of deal which may chance to be lying on the floor; and do you, Kitty, clear out one of those cupboards under the bookcases, in order that the empty cupboard may form a repository for these treasures." Mrs. Kitty marvelled, but said nothing in the parlour, though, when she went out into the kitchen to send Thomas to the carpenter, she ventured to remark, that she had never seen her master put himself so much out of the way before; "for you know, Thomas, he was always particular about the study carpet, and now he is going to have all

manner of rubbish brought in to litter the room: surely, Sally, if little master is to play upon the best carpet, he ought to have some genteeler toys than a parcel of bits of wood, which are good for nothing but to light the oven." In this manner Mrs. Kitty vented her indignation, till Thomas returned with the bits of deal, which she ordered Sally to carry into the parlour in her apron.

In the mean time Mr. Dalben had emptied one of the cupboards in question, carrying the books and papers which it had contained to his light closet; and Henry also made himself busy on the occasion, and was mightily pleased when Sally brought in the bits of deal, and Mr. Dalben made him understand that they were all to be his own, and that he was to have the cupboard to keep them in.

Mr. Dalben studied, as his custom was, till twelve o'clock, and Henry played during that time in the room; at twelve he walked out, and took the little boy with him they returned about two, and Henry dined with Mr. Dalben; being seated opposite to his uncle on a large arm-chair, on which the sofa-cushion had been placed, to form a seat of a convenient height for him.

Mr. Dalben himself always lived plainly; but he took care to give of the simplest food at the table to the little boy. After dinner Mr. Dalben went out to see some poor neighbours; and as Henry was too young to accompany him, he was allowed during the interval to visit Mrs. Kitty on her side of the house.

Before tea Mr. Dalben and Henry met again; and while the tea-things were preparing, Mr. Dalben took Henry on his lap, and told him a story, and talked to him a little about his Creator. After tea, Henry was made to say his prayers, and he then went to bed. Thus his first day passed, and several of the following days, under the roof of his kind uncle: but when he had been about a week in Mr. Dalben's house, an accident happened, of which I am now about to give you an account.

One morning after breakfast, Mr. Dalben being busy writing letters, and Henry playing at his cupboard, the little boy, having spread all his treasure on the floor, and seeing his cupboard quite empty, took it into his head to try whether there was not room enough within for such a little body as himself; he accordingly probably

first put in his head, and then one foot, and then another, and finding abundance of room, he pulled the door nearly to, and stretching himself out along the floor, fell fast asleep. In the mean time a gentleman came to the door of the house on horseback, and asked to speak to Mr. Dalben; who, for a moment forgetting little Henry, walked out into the hall, and stood there some minutes talking to the stranger. When returning to his study he thought of the child, and not seeing him in any part of the room, he ran out hastily into the kitchen to ask the servants if they had seen Henry. They all answered that they had not. Whereupon Mr. Dalben, followed by the rest of the family, ran back into the parlour, but no little Henry Milner was to be seen, though they went into the closet and looked under the sofa. They were by this time much alarmed, and ran out of the parlour faster than they had come in; and when they got into the hall, one took one way, and one another. Thomas ran out into the garden, Mrs. Kitty hurried up stairs, Mr. Dalben descended into the cellar, and Sally ran into the kitchen and brewhouse, where she gave alarm to an old woman who was busy washing little Henry's frock; and while Sally examined every hole and corner in the offices within doors, the old woman ran to the pig-sty, into the barn, into the shoehole, and into the coal-hole, calling as loud as she could, "Master Henry! Master Henry! Dear little rogue, I hope no harm has come to him!"

While the family were in this confusion, one running one way and one another, everybody calling and nobody answering, and every one becoming more and more frightened every minute, little Henry was enjoy. ing a very delightful rest at the bottom of his cupboard; and I know not how long he might have lain there, perhaps till night, if the whole family, having searched in vain in every possible direction, had not returned again to the parlour; and there, while they were examining every odd corner, Sally opened the cupboard, and set up such a cry of joy, that Henry began to stir and rub his eyes, and was not a little surprised to see his uncle, Mrs. Kitty, Thomas, Sally, and the washerwoman, all gathered together round the door of his house, as he afterward called his cupboard.

"O you little rogue!" said Mrs. Kitty; "how you

have frightened us all! Who would have thought of your being in the cupboard?"

"Why, we might all have thought of it," said Mr. Dalben, "if we had thought at all, and not put ourselves into such a fright: however, I am very thankful that our alarm is thus removed. And now, my little man, come out of your hole: you will live, I feel assured, to thank your foolish friends for all the cares, whether wise or simple, which they have had on your account." So the little boy got up and came out; and having thanked every one, for what he could not tell, all departed to their own place, and thus terminated this dreadful alarm.

CHAPTER IV.

In this Chapter an Account is given of Henry's fifth Year, and of what he learned in that Year, with certain other curious Particulars.

SOON after little Henry Milner arrived at Mr. Dalben's his birthday happened, at which time he became completely four years of age.

At this period he could speak very plainly, and would walk and run as well and as far as most little boys of his age. Through the precautions of his kind uncle and Mrs. Kitty, he knew no naughty words and naughty tricks ; notwithstanding which, like all little children, who have not yet received new hearts, he was full of evil inclinations, which he showed in many ways. I shall point out presently these ways, in which he showed his evil tempers; but before I do this, I will explain to you what I mean by saying that all little children who have not received new hearts are full of evil inclinations. All little children who have been born in England, and have lived a few years in this Christian country, must have heard this solemn and important truth-that there is only one God, and that he is holy and just, and never does evil, but hates sin and loves goodness. This great and mighty God made all things; he created the sun and the stars, and all the worlds, to which the light of these

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