"Well," continued his mother, "trees and plants of all kinds have many more uses than you can understand at your age, or than I can tell you, old as I am. But there is one thing you must remember, which is, that all plants were first created by God Almighty, and that all that He makes is useful and good." "But, Mamma," said Willy, thoughtfully, "I remember your telling me once never to touch the berries which grew on the laurel bush on the lawn, because they were poisonous; and nurse says there are a great many other plants that are poisonous. Why did God make them, Mamma, for, you know, poisons kill people?" "God made poisons to cure people," replied she: "do you remember last week when you suffered so much from the ear-ache?" "Oh, that I do, the pain was so bad. I think I shall never forget it. I could not sleep all night; and as soon as it was light, nurse went to fetch you, and you laid my aching ear on your shoulder, and then you poured three drops of something which looked like water into my drink, and it took the pain away, and I fell asleep. Was it those three drops that cured the pain?" "Yes, and it was those drops too which sent you to sleep." "Oh, if I had known that, I do think I should have drunk up the whole of the bottle; it was but a little one, you know." "Well, my dear, the drops I poured into your drink were poison; if I had given you six drops instead of three, they would have made you ill, and if you had swallowed all that was in the bottle, it would have killed you. So you see that poisons may kill as well as cure. God created plants which are poisonous to cure us when we are ill; they are then wholesome and good for us." "Then God is very good to have made these plants, though they are poisonous?" "Yes, my dear. Whatever God creates is for some good purpose, though we cannot always understand it. "There are a great many poisons of different sorts; most of them take away pain and send you to sleep, others cure particular diseases. Your grandmamma scarcely ever sleeps without taking morphine." "Yes, I know that," said Willy, "but I did not think, that morphine was a poison. I suppose that is why she keeps it locked up." "Yes, for fear that the children should hurt themselves with it. But, now, Willy, it is time for you to go to bed; and after all you have seen and done to-day, you must be tired, and will go to sleep without taking any poison." Willy kissed his papa and mamma, and was just going out of the room, when the waiter brought in a parcel directed to Master Willy. "That's me," exclaimed Willy: "what can it be?" "Let us open the parcel," said his mother, "and then we shall find out what it is." They untied the string, and unfolded the paper which covered the parcel, and what should there be within but a large piece of plumcake!