place will be assigned to you when you get into more distinguished
society; so that everybody who passes by and sees you, will exclaim
in delight, 'Behold this exquisite--hm--!'"

"Oh dear, Aunt Judy," cried No. 6, "was the 'hum,' as you will call
it, so silly as to believe what he said?"

"How could the poor simple-minded thing be expected to resist such
elegant compliments, my dear No. 6?" answered Aunt Judy. "But then
came the difficulty. The 'SOMETHING' which lived in the field had no
more legs than the lob-worm himself, and, in fact, was incapable of
locomotion."

"Of course it was!" ejaculated No. 5.

"Order!" cried Aunt Judy, and proceeded:-

"So the--hm--hung down its graceful head in despair, but suddenly a
bright and loving thought struck it. It could not change its place
and rise in life itself, but its children might, and that would be
some consolation. It opened its heart on this point to the lob-worm,
and although the lob-worm had no heart to be touched, he had still a
tongue to talk.

"If the--hm--would send its children to the garden at the first
opportunity, he would be delighted, absolutely charmed, to introduce
them in the world. He would put them in the way of everything, and
see that they were properly attended to. There was nothing he
couldn't or wouldn't do.