it should be "farthings." She began by having a little bag, in which she deposited two or three; but by degrees it swelled out so much that it very soon had to be discarded for a larger one.

Where all the farthings came from I cannot tell you; and the more I think of it the more surprised I am, for I never now see one at all, except when I pay my yearly visit to London, when I have accidentally welcomed one of Lily's dear old friends wrapped up in a pretty little square envelope with one or two of its copper relatives, and addressed, "Your change with thanks."

Yes, times have changed indeed, and the shop-people are kinder to me in London, where I am hardly known, than are our own tradespeople in our boasted city of Norwich, who ought to know me better, but who never, never indulge me by reminding me of the fun which Lily and her brother Harry had all those years ago. But, poor things! how could they know about it? I must not blame them.

Now I do believe, in a very short time, that nearly every trades-person in the town-for there were no great number must have known of Lily's farthing bag, or how could everything that was bought come to a shilling and a farthing, or to a penny farthing? Anyway, no change was ever given back to Mrs. Osborne without a farthing in it; and aunts and cousins often brought a little bagful when they came to stay. One day two or three quite new ones came into Lily's possession. Oh, how lovely they were, quite like sovereigns, and who was to know the difference? And when Lily was going to drop them into her farthing bag, they looked so utterly out of place that she took them back, and said

to Harry, "Did you ever see anything so dirty as these farthings are in this bag? I think we ought not to keep them in such a state. I wonder mamma has never told us about them. What would she say if Sarah kept the copper candlesticks so dirty? I think we ought to clean them." "Oh yes," replied Harry, eagerly, "they are very dirty; shall we do them ?" as visions of sand and water, wood ashes and flannel, came in their most tempting form before his eyes.

Anne grumbled, but in the end gave in, and tied large pinafores on both the children, and soon they were hard at work scrubbing away at them, on their knees, for Anne had placed a tray containing all their requirements on the toy box beneath the nursery window, and another to put the polished farthings on. They managed to clean about a hundred of them, when they were told that they must prepare for dinner and put them all

away.

Once every month afterwards they were allowed to go on with their cleaning, and I believe that Anne slyly assisted them, for on counting them, after they had finished for the day, they were greatly surprised by finding many more done than they expected. When once all had been cleaned it was much easier to keep them bright.

Upon this 20th day of June, 1837, which had been farthing" scrubbing day," being rather tired after their fatiguing work, the children did not go out for their walk until nearly four o'clock, and were strolling leisurely along a public pathway, leading through grass field near the church, when their attention was attracted by extraordinary sounds which seemed to issue from the church bells; they were neither ringing nor

clashing nor tolling, as they did sometimes, but it seemed to be a sort of muffled sound, "as if the bells were tied up in a flannel bag," as Harry described it.

"What a curious noise they do make," said Anne; "it is enough to give any one the mopes. I like to hear them when they sound cheerful, like ringing for a wedding."

"So do I," exclaimed Harry, as he began to imitate the sound of " the merry bells" with his voice.

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'Perhaps some one is dead," suggested Lily. "No," replied Anne, "for they toll them then."

One or two people passed by, and Harry, who was always the spokesman, inquired of them the cause, but all were equally ignorant. At length they saw an old man hobbling along as fast as he could go, and when they reached him Harry said—

"Will you tell us, please, why the bells make such a crying noise ?"

"Hey?" said the old man; "I'm rather hard of hearing. Who do you say is crying?"

"Nobody," answered Lily, laughing; "but Harry wants to know why the bells make such a dismal noise."

"That's just what I wants to know myself, little miss, for I ain't one to sit still on the settle when I hears anything I doesn't underconstumble. No, that ain't John Wild; so I'm off to ax the clerk. But to the best of my belief the king is dead, or some of the royal family, for they don't muffle up the bells for any of the common sort of gentry, as I calls them."

"I hope the poor king is not dead," said Lily. "Did you know he was ill, Mr. Wild ?"

"Yes, miss, I hev heard talk of it; leastways that His Majesty was not well."