“In clothes, if you will be so good, uncle, for that poor boy who has the great black patch on his eye.”
“I always believed,” said Mr. Gresham, shaking hands with Ben, “that economy and generosity were the best friends, instead of being enemies, as some silly, extravagant people would have us think them. Choose the poor, blind boy’s coat, my dear nephew, and pay for it. There’s no occasion for my praising you about the matter. Your best reward is in your own mind, child; and you want no other, or I’m mistaken. Now, jump into the coach, boys, and let’s be off. We shall be late, I’m afraid,” continued he, as the coach drove on: “but I must let you stop, Ben, with your goods, at the poor boy’s door.”
When they came to the house, Mr. Gresham opened the coach door, and Ben jumped out with his parcel under his arm.
“Stay, stay! you must take me with you,” said his pleased uncle; “I like to see people made happy, as well as you do.”
“And so do I, too,” said Hal; “let me come with you. I almost wish my uniform was not gone to the tailor’s, so I do.” And when he saw the look of delight and gratitude with which the poor boy received the clothes which Ben gave him; and when he heard the mother and children thank him, he sighed, and said, “Well, I hope mamma will give me some more pocket money soon.”
Upon his return home, however, the sight of the famous bow and arrow, which Lady Diana Sweepstakes had sent him, recalled to his imagination all the joys of his green and white uniform; and he no longer wished that it had not been sent to the tailor’s.
“But I don’t understand, Cousin Hal,” said little Patty, “why you call this bow a famous bow. You say famous very often; and I don’t know exactly what it means; a famous uniform—famous doings. I remember you said there are to be famous doings, the first of September, upon the Downs. What does famous mean?”
“Oh, why, famous means—now, don’t you know what famous means? It means—it is a word that people say—it is the fashion to say it—it means—it means famous.” Patty laughed, and said, “This does not explain it to me.”
“No,” said Hal, “nor can it be explained: if you don’t understand it, that’s not my fault. Everybody but little children, I suppose, understands it; but there’s no explaining those sort of words, if you don’t take them at once. There’s to be famous doings upon the Downs, the first of September; that is grand, fine. In short, what does it signify talking any longer, Patty, about the matter? Give me my bow, for I must go out upon the Downs and practise.”
Ben accompanied him with the bow and the three arrows which his uncle had now given to him; and, every day, these two boys went out upon the Downs and practised shooting with indefatigable perseverance. Where equal pains are taken, success is usually found to be pretty nearly equal. Our two archers, by constant practice, became expert marksmen; and before the day of trial, they were so exactly matched in point of dexterity, that it was scarcely possible to decide which was superior.