He nearly fainted with the pain,
When we had set him free again,
And it was hours before we heard
How the catastrophe occurred.

It seems Tom at first took a book from the shelf,
Intending to read it while left to himself,

But soon, as he sadly explained,

He shut it, to wander about, and to try
And peep through the Cabinet keyholes, and spy
And wonder at what it contained.

Fly and shun all temptations, the great and the small,
Don't stay to consider or weigh them at all;
'Tis the safest plan, always, depend,

For although your resolves may be ever so strong,
If once you give way and begin to do wrong,
You never can tell where you'll end.

Tom quickly determined to look, but not touch,-
Just looking, he thought, could not signify much;
So gently he opened a drawer:

But from looking to fingering soon he was led,
And ere many minutes had passed o'er his head,
He was handling all that he saw.

Of ores, shells, and fossils, and fair works of art,
And rarities gathered from many a part,

The Cabinet drawers were all full

Birds and butterflies spreading their bright gaudy wings, And many minute, fragile, delicate things,

Arranged on soft cushions of wool.

Tom went on disturbing each well-preserved treasure,
That really afforded him very small pleasure

With nobody there to explain;

And found out when once all the things were displaced, 'Twas a difficult, puzzling matter, in haste

To set them in order again.

He began to grow nervous, he listened with fear:
He thought he heard footsteps,-they seemed to draw near,—
He started, and turned to the sound:

He held at the moment a beautiful shell-
It slipp'd from his trembling fingers, and fell,

Broke, and scattered in fragments around!

Alas! all his mischief how, how could he hide?
To close up the drawer in a hurry he tried;

It stuck, and when sudden at last,

With shake, jerk, and push, it slid quickly away,
His two hands, as you have before heard me say,
Were caught and shut into it fast.

And truly Tommy was a sight,
A piteous sight to view,
As self-convicted there he stood,
And self-imprisoned too ;-

I almost fancy now I see

His look of helpless misery.

Tommy can't just now meddle with things any more,
For his hands are still bandaged up, swollen and sore;
And he says, if he ever can use them again,

:

That no one shall have any cause to complain:
"Twill be well if he keeps to his word, I am sure;
But habits long practised are stubborn to cure :
However, we'll wait till he's put to the test,
And meanwhile we'll hope, as we wish, for the best.

A BOY'S TRIP TO BELGIUM, HOLLAND,

AND UP THE RHINE.

ROTHER Alek,-that is, Alexander, much too long a name for a hero, and better "cut short," as we always do our "long winders," such as omnibus, cabriolets, and the like. Well, brother Alek and I having made a regular campaign against our "Governor,"

who is a drysalter, alderman, common council man, and a very good sort of man notwithstanding; and a good father too, who liked us boys to "know the ready" in everything, and who was too gouty to travel himself, although he had lots of money. "I should like to see foreign countries," said he, "especially as we can now go cheap and fast, but

I can't spare the time, and so I must be content to go by proxy, and send you two youngsters."

So we started off by the Great Eastern Railway, with a few things in our bags, down the line to Harwich. As we whirled along we were delighted at the scenery and the noble mansions we saw on the line; and of course, as we left home to look about us, we made special inquiries. We passed by many noble aristocratic dwellings, with woods, and I dare

say lots of partridges and a noble peasantry, a country's pride -I mean pheasantry. We thought them princely mansions. We had with us "The Official Guide to the Great Eastern Railway, by George Measom," and in it read all we wished to know concerning the country we passed through, and also the town of Harwich, from which we were to embark. The book was full of pretty pictures and maps, and was of course most interesting.