But there was one scholar who gave his penny with a throbbing heart, saying to himself, "For Thy sake, O loving Jesus, I give this penny, hoping that the poor heathen, whom Thou lovest, will believe in Thee and become Thy disciples." That was a golden penny, because it was the gift of love.
MY aunt Deborah was the owner of old Tom, who was in my opinion, and especially in that of his mistress, a very respectable right-minded cat. But like some human beings who get characters which they do not deserve, Tom was accused of always being where he should not be.
It arose from a circumstance which I am about to describe. One cold evening in winter, Polly, one of the maid-servants, had gone up to a large garret in which the dirty linen bags were kept for the washing-day. She had to look into one of them for a garment which had been put there before being duly mended. Her candle was a dip; it burned dim. She did not much like going up there at all. She drew open the mouth of the bag, when she afterwards declared—that—out there jumped a monster as big as a bull, and rushed head long downstairs.
A loud shriek was heard, and when the rest of the household hurried up as fast as the old butler Barnaby, who going first armed with a poker, would allow them. They found Polly stretched senseless on the ground. Barnaby's candle or his voice called her to her senses.
But all she would do was to cry out, "Oh, the bull! The bull! The bull! Where has he gone?"
As the hall doors were all locked, and as no bull was ever known to have jumped through a key-hole, and the only four-legged criminal found in the house was old Tom, and as cats are known now and then to get into dirty clothes-bags, there could be no doubt that it was he and not a bull who had frightened Polly.
Some time after this, Aunt Deborah had a nice dinner party. There were a number of guests—a fair young bride, and happy bridegroom among them. Aunt Deborah took one end of the table and Uncle Josiah the other. Scarcely were they seated, when the young bride began to look very uncomfortable.
"What is the matter, my dear madam," asked Uncle Josiah, gently.
"Oh, nothing, thank you. I am very well. Only the cat," said the bride.