You will be sorry to hear that Jacky had a dreadful illness when he was nine years old. It was a disease that causes a great deal of pain and suffering. But Jack remembered that a soldier must be brave, and, as Christ's little soldier, he must be the bravest of the brave. So Jacky was very patient, and gave his nurse as little trouble as he could. His mother wrote to Mr. Wesley, who was in London at the time, and said, "Jack has borne his illness bravely, like a man, and like a little Christian, he has never uttered a word of complaint;" and the father, as he folded the letter and put it into his pocket, felt proud of his little son. [Illustration] CHAPTER III. Jacky at boarding school.--Bullying.--Hard lines.--A morning run.--A Christ-like schoolboy.--Charlie at Westminster.--Scotch Jamie.--"Bravo, Captain Charlie!" BY and by Jack grew to be a big boy of eleven, and all this time he had only been at the home-school. His parents thought he was now quite old enough to go to a proper boys' school, and through the kindness of a friend, he was sent to a big school in London called the Charterhouse. Here poor Jacky had a very unhappy time for two or three years. The big boys took a delight in bullying the little ones, especially the new-comers; and as Jack had never been from home before, their unkindness was hard to bear. Every meal-time each boy had to go to the cook's house for his allowance of food, and the big boys used to lay wait for the little ones as they came out, and snatch away their meat; so for a long time Jack had nothing but bread to eat at every meal. Those of my readers who know what boarding-school life is to-day, will think this a very funny way of getting your food; and so it was, but, you must remember, this was in 1714, one hundred and eighty years ago, and every thing then was very different to what it is now. Before Jack went to the Charterhouse, his father had said to him: "Jack, I should like you to run round the school garden every morning before breakfast, it will give you an appetite and help to make you grow up a strong man." And all the long years Jack was at school he never failed to obey his father's wish; and, when he grew up, he said this morning run had helped to make him the healthy, strong man he had always been. But, poor little fellow, it was very hard for him, when, feeling dreadfully hungry with the fresh air and exercise, the big boys ran off with his meat, and left him with only some bread for his breakfast.