Very beautiful were the grape-clusters as they hung on the graceful
vine, and very tempting to the hand that was near enough to pluck
them.

Two little boys came on an errand to the lady who lived in the house
which the grape-vine shaded. It was reviving to come out of the city's
heat and dust, and enter that pleasant parlour, screened from the
fiercer rays of the summer's sun by its green curtain of leaves. The
hot pavement and the glaring walls of the city seemed far distant, for
the charm of the country was spread over that retired room. All city
sights were shut out, and peace and quiet reigned within.

The lady was sitting at her desk, writing, when the boys entered. She
spoke to them kindly, for they were objects of her kind care, although
they did not live with her. They handed her a note which required an
answer. She gave them permission to play in the yard, while she should
write it. They were very happy, for it was an unusual pleasure for
them. They examined the flowers which grew in the narrow bed by the
high, close fence, and then they began to look wistfully at the
rich bunches of grapes, which were within their reach. The lady had
not told them that they might gather any, and they felt that they
ought not to do so. But the tempter was near, and they listened to his
suggestions.

[Illustration: The lady was sitting at her desk writing, when the boys
entered.]

Looking towards the house to see if they were observed, they
cautiously went up to the vine, and each gathered a bunch of grapes.
They ate them secretly, that they might avoid detection; but although