up Willy, and stood him on his shoulder, and ran quite fast all along the sands back to where mamma was sitting with the baby, and nurse at work. Nurse had put a great many stitches into Willy's frill since Willy went away. Papa said then to mamma, “We are very hungry, because we have been working very hard; mayn't we have something to eat, if you please?" And mamma said, "If Willy can walk a little way longer, he shall have his dinner without going home to get it." And papa said, "I will carry Willy all the way upon my shoulder, because he is tired, and I am not tired at all." And Willy said, "Dear papa, when I am big I will carry you too when you are tired, and I will carry you all the way." Then mamma got up and

put up her parasol, and she carried the baby with the green veil upon its face; and nurse came afterwards with a little basket in one hand, and a big basket in the other hand. Willy knew that she kept her work in the little basket, but he did not know at all what was in the big basket.

37

WILLY'S DINNER.

THEY walked a little way. But Willy thought it was a very long way, and was afraid papa would be so heavy before he put Willy down; and he said, "Papa, are you getting heavy?" But papa only kissed Willy's foot as it stood upon his shoulder. Willy thought, "Papa is very kind, like God. But papa is only like a little boy to God, nurse says. How great He must be, to be so much greater than papa!" And Willy felt so happy to remember God, that he blew a kiss up to the blue sky. At last mamma looked round, for she was walking on first with the baby; and she said, “Shut your eyes, Willy; I am making you a sur

prise." Willy was very fond of having a surprise; so he shut his eyes quite tight, and papa held him fast by his feet, that he might not tumble down. Presently mamma said, "Now Willy look." And Willy opened his eyes and saw a beautiful green field, with grass waving all over it, and quantities of gold and silver flowers, and here and there a red flower. Willy wanted to run after the red flowers directly, because there were not so many red ones as white and yellow; and when papa put him down off his shoulder, he set off and ran into the grass to get a red flower. But the grass was so long that he caught his feet in it, and Willy tumbled down all among the flowers. The flowers were too soft to hurt him, and so was the grass; but if

Willy had tumbled on the hard gravel, he would have tried not to cry, because he wished to grow up into a brave man, and brave men grow out of brave baby-boys, and papa had often said so to Willy. Nurse ran after Willy into the grass, and picked him up; and then she took the trouble to go all the way to the place where the red flower grew, and to gather it; and then she gave it to Willy, and he thought it the most beautiful flower in the field. He said, "Nurse, why are the other flowers so many, many, and such a little red ones?" "Such a few red ones, Willy say," said nurse, and Willy said it after her; and then nurse said, "Because the good cow eats the white and yellow flowers, and she wants a great many for her break