"You must not judge from outside appearance, Lionel," replied Lady R--: "the contents may be worth pounds. It is not prepossessing, I grant, in its superscription, but may, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wear a precious jewel in its head. That was a vulgar error of former days, Lionel, which Shakespeare has taken advantage of." "Yes, that chap painted with a pen at a fine rate," replied the boy, as Lady R--opened the letter and read it. "You may go, Lionel," said she, putting the letter down. "I just wanted to know, now that you've opened your toad, if you have found the jewel, or whether it's a vulgar error?" "It's a vulgar letter, at all events, Lionel," replied her ladyship, "and concerns you; it is from the shoemaker at Brighton, who requests me to pay him eighteen shillings for a pair of boots ordered by you, and not paid for." "Well, my lady, I do owe for the boots, true enough; but it's impossible for me always to recollect my own affairs, I am so busy with looking after yours." "Well, but now you are reminded of them, Lionel, you had better give me the money, and I will send it to him." At this moment Lady R--stooped from her chair to pick up her handkerchief. There were some sovereigns lying on the desk, and the lad, winking his eye at me, took one up, and, as Lady R--rose up, held it out to her in silence. "That's right, Lionel," said Lady R--; "I like honesty." "Yes, madame," replied the impudent rogue, very demurely; "like most people who tell their own stories, I was born of honest, but poor parents." "I believe your parents were honest; and now, Lionel, to reward you, I shall pay for your boots, and you may keep your sovereign." "Thank your ladyship," replied the lad. "I forgot to say that the cook is outside for orders." Lady R--rose, and went out of the room; and Mr Lionel, laughing at me, put the sovereign down with the others. "Now, I call that real honesty. You saw me borrow it, and now you see me pay it." "Yes; but suppose her ladyship had not given you the sovereign, how would it have been then?" said I. "I should have paid her very honestly," replied he. "If I wished to cheat her, or rob her, I might do so all day long. She leaves her money about everywhere, and never knows what she has; besides, if I wanted to steal, I should not do so with those bright eyes of yours looking at me all the time." "You are a very saucy boy," replied I, more amused than angry. "It's all from reading, and it's not my fault, for her ladyship makes me read, and I never yet read any book about old times in which the pages were not saucy; but I've no time to talk just now--my spoons are not clean yet," so saying he quitted the room.