“No,” said Johnny, “I didn’t.”

“O what a story!” cried they all in a breath.

[Illustration]

“Let’s shake him for it,” said one.

“No, let us carry him to the king,” said another.

So they began to spin about him like so many spiders; for each one of them carried a long web, and when that gets wound around a boy or a girl, it is a very difficult thing to get rid of.

In a few minutes they had him all wound up—­hands and feet, nose and eyes, all tied up tight.  Then they took him among them, and flew away with him, miles and miles, over the hills, and up to a big cave in the mountain.  There he heard ever so many more voices, and it was noisier than ever.

“Where am I?” he said, as soon as he could speak.

“O you’re safe at home,” answered Wait-a-bit, for he seemed to be the spokesman; “and they have been expecting you for some time.”

“This isn’t my home,” said Johnny, feeling very miserable and beginning to cry.

“O yes, it is,” said a chorus of voices.  “This is just where such folks as you belong.  There are many of your fellows here, and you won’t be lonesome a bit.”

They had begun to unwind the web from his eyes now, so he opened them and looked about him.  O what a wretched place it was!

Against the sides of the cave, stood long rows of boys and girls, with very sorry faces, all of them saying over as fast as they could speak, “Going to, going to!” “Wait a bit, wait a bit!” “Pretty soon, pretty soon!” “In a minute, in a minute!” studying the names just as hard as if they were lessons.

There were Delays, and Tardys, and Put-offs, with ever so many more; and in a corner by themselves, and looking more unhappy than all the rest, were the poor little fellows whose names were “Too late.”

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Directions for Reading.—­Pupils should read loud enough for all the class to hear them.

The words forming a quotation should usually be spoken in a louder tone than the other words in the lesson, as—­

"Johnny," said his mamma, one day, "will you bring me an armful of wood?"

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Language Lesson.—­Divide into syllables, accent, and mark the sounds of the letters in the following words:  Carlo, armful, mountain, unwind.

What two words can be used for each of the following:  I’m, didn’t, let’s, you’re, isn’t, won’t?

What other words could be used instead of got (page 16, line 4)?[02]

Proper names should begin with capital letters:  as, Johnny, Carlo.

Give three other words used as proper names in this lesson.

[02] paragraph 4 of this lesson

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LESSON II.

de spair’, loss of hope.