who have been dragged away from their own country to be sold to the
planters: so you see Charles, that even so simple a thing as a lump of
sugar, is the cause of a vast deal of cruelty and injustice."

[Illustration: Man (Drawing).]




CHAP. III.


A VISIT TO THE THEATRE.

Charles had never seen a play; but his papa and mamma had always
promised him that when he was seven years old, they would take him to
Covent-Garden Theatre, and as that time had now nearly come, he did not
forget to remind them of their promise. His birth-day was the fifteenth
of January, which was lucky, because they always perform pantomimes in
the Christmas holidays, and he was very desirous of seeing harlequin and
columbine, and the clown, as he had heard a great deal about them from
his young friends in the square, who had been to see them. As the day
approached, Charles could think of nothing but the play, and said he
thought it would be the happiest day of his life; but his mamma told him
she hoped he would have much greater cause to be happy many days of his
life, than going to a theatre; however Charles did not think there could
be any greater cause for happiness, and his mamma said, it was as well
for him to think so: The night before his birth-day, he went to bed in
high spirits, saying he was sure he should not be able to sleep all
night; but that was a mistake, for he went to sleep almost directly; and