Tommy peeped through his eye-lashes, and saw his mother's eyes full of tears. This made him feel very unhappy. He had always thought that nobody suffered from his cowardice but himself; and he could not bear the idea of making his mother unhappy. When she heard him move in the bed, she said, "Now I must go and give him his medicine, and even that is a painful task for me. I am obliged both to scold and coax in order to make him take it." What was her surprise when, on offering him the dose, he swallowed it at one draught, without even making a wry face, and then flung his arms round his mother's neck, saying, "Dear Mamma, does that make you happy?" "Yes, my love, indeed it does," said she; "but how is it that you have all at once become so courageous?" "It is from hearing what you said just now to grandmamma," replied he. "I am so very sorry to have made you unhappy, that I do not think that I shall ever be a coward again. I can't be sure, but I hope so. I will try all I can." And Tommy kept his word. I do not mean to say that he never shrunk back, or that he did not suffer a great deal from fright; but the idea of his mother's unhappiness always kept up his courage, and after some time he got completely rid of this fault. THE LITTLE WASHERWOMAN. The time now came for Willy to return with his parents to London. He was very sorry to leave his dear Grandmamma, his nice little garden, and the good old gardener. He was very sorry, too, to part with Tommy, who since he began to get rid of his cowardice was a very pleasant companion; but there was no choice, so he tried to make the best of it. The railroad soon diverted his thoughts, and he began moving about from place to place, rather to the disturbance of the passengers. His mother desired him to sit still; but then he began to yawn. A lady in the carriage called him to her, and placing him on her knees, said, "Now, I dare say you love stories, don't you?" "Oh yes, very much," cried Willy, whose yawning suddenly ceased. "Well, then, as I see you are an obedient child, I will tell you one. But my stories are about little girls; for I lived as governess with little girls when I was younger than I am now, and I used to tell them stories about girls." "Oh, that don't signify," said Willy; "I like all stories, whether they are about girls or boys, or any thing else, and I shall be very glad if you will be so kind as to tell me one." Then the lady began in the following manner:--