One day, however, as he was coming out of a bag of cherry-stones,
where he had been stealing as usual, the boy to whom it belonged
chanced to see him. "Ah, ah! my little Tommy," said the boy, "so I
have caught you stealing my cherry-stones at last, and you shall be
rewarded for your thievish tricks." On saying this, he drew the string
tight round his neck, and gave the bag such a hearty shake, that poor
little Tom's legs, thighs, and body were sadly bruised. He roared out
with pain, and begged to be let out, promising never to steal again.

A short time afterwards his mother was making a batter-pudding, and
Tom, being very anxious to see how it was made, climbed up to the edge
of the bowl; but his foot slipped, and he plumped over head and ears
into the batter, without his mother noticing him, who stirred him into
the pudding-bag, and put him in the pot to boil.

The batter filled Tom's mouth, and prevented him from crying; but, on
feeling the hot water, he kicked and struggled so much in the pot,
that his mother thought that the pudding was bewitched, and, pulling
it out of the pot, she threw it outside the door. A poor tinker, who
was passing by, lifted up the pudding, and, putting it into his
budget, he then walked off. As Tom had now got his mouth cleared of
the batter, he then began to cry aloud, which so frightened the tinker
that he flung down the pudding and ran away. The pudding being broke
to pieces by the fall, Tom crept out covered all over with the batter,
and walked home. His mother, who was very sorry to see her darling in
such a woeful state, put him into a teacup, and soon washed off the
batter; after which she kissed him, and laid him in bed.

Soon after the adventure of the pudding, Tom's mother went to milk her
cow in the meadow, and she took him along with her. As the wind was