One of his daughters had become a dressmaker, and another a music-teacher; and even when, at last, they were once more rich, they always felt glad that their father had made them accomplish themselves in useful pursuits, instead of leading lives of idleness and self-indulgence. UNCLE CHARLES. [Illustration: THE LITTLE CARPENTER.] LITTLE MISCHIEF. X. BESSIE'S mother had an aquarium. If you do not know what that is, I will tell you. The Latin word _aqua_ means water; and the name _aquarium_ has been given to a glass case holding water for fishes and for sea-plants. [Illustration] One day, when the pretty gold-fishes were not swimming about in a very lively manner, Bessie thought it must be because they were cold. "Poor things!" said she, "there is no fire in the room; and the water feels quite chilly. It must be sad to swim about in cold water all day. What can I do for them?" XI. Although there was no fire in the room, there was a jug of hot water on the hearth, which Susan had left there a few minutes before. "How fortunate!" thought Bessie. "Now I can give these poor little fishes a nice hot bath. They will like it, I know. What a kind little girl they will think me!" [Illustration] So she took the jug, mounted into the arm-chair, and poured the whole jugful of water on the fish. It made them very lively; and Bessie put down the jug, jumped off the chair, and got a stool to stand on to watch the little things through the glass. XII. Soon the little fishes grew still; and then, one by one, they rose to the surface, and turned over upon their backs. Bessie had never seen them do that before; and she began to feel a little frightened. She wished they would move their fins, and begin to swim again; but they did not: they lay quite still. [Illustration] At last she put in her hand, and drew one out of the water, so that she might look at it closer. Then she could no longer doubt what was the matter with it. The poor fish was quite dead,--cooked, in fact. Bessie burst out crying, and sobbed as if her heart would break. [Illustration] WALTER'S DOG. "MAMMA, why can't I have a collar for Fido, like that on Charley's dog?"--"You must wait until our ship comes in," said his mother, laughing. Walter believed that a ship was really coming, and set to thinking of the things that he hoped it would bring him. Then he called Fido, and told him how much he wished to give him a collar. If Fido had known how to speak, perhaps he would have said, "I don't care much about a collar: I get along just as well without it." But Fido could not speak English, though he barked smartly when Walter said, "Speak, sir."