"
Poor Mrs. Newton clasped her thin hands, and looked up, and prayed
like the disciples, "Lord, increase our faith!"
"Eh!" said she, afterwards, "is it not strange that we can trust our
Lord and Saviour with the care of our souls for eternity, and we
cannot trust Him with that of our bodies for a day."
Well! this was poor Mrs. Newton's state on that day, when the
gentleman gave Fanny the half-sovereign instead of sixpence, for her
flowers.
When the little flower-girl came back from her race with her two
sixpences, she found the old vegetable-seller had got her three or
four pennies more, by merely showing her basket, and telling why it
was left at his stall; and so every one left a penny for the honest
child, and hoped the gentleman would reward her well. The old man at
the stall said it was very shabby of him only to give her sixpence;
but when she went home with three sixpences and told Mrs. Newton this
story, she kissed her little girl very fondly, but said the gentleman
was good to give her sixpence, for he had no right to give her
anything, she had only done her duty.
"But, grandmother," said Fanny, "when I saw that pretty half-
sovereign dropping down to his purse, I could not help wishing he
would give it to me.
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