The Book of One Syllable | Page 8

told in that one look of his!
"My poor boy!" said Mr. Bright, "what you must have gone through, to
have made you make choice of such a life as this." As he spoke he saw
the hole in the side of the room through which Saib had come.

He found that it was a place made to keep things in that were out of use,
and it was so small that there was not room for Saib to lie down in. Mrs.
Bright did not know that there was such a place, and when it was shut,
the door was so like the rest of the side of the room, that no one could
have told there was a door there.
Saib had known of it, for he had seen a man put cords and ropes there,
at a time when the berths in that room were not in use. The place was
not quite dark--there were small holes on the deck of that part of the
ship, which let in light and air.
When Saib found that the looks of Mr. and Mrs. Bright were kind, hope
took the place of fear, and, by signs and such words as he could speak,
he made known his wish that they would let him stay where he had
been, till the ship came to shore.
Mr. and Mrs. Bright felt so much grief for the state the poor boy was in,
that they each had a strong wish to save him from all chance of more
pain, and they knew that the best way to do this would be to buy him
from Mr. Stone.
They made this wish known to Saib, and who could have seen the
gleam of joy shed on the face of Saib, when he knew what Mr. and Mrs.
Bright meant to do--who could have seen it, and not have felt joy too?
Mr. Stone, as has been said, was a hard man, and Mr. Bright had to fear
that he might be in such a rage at what Saib had done, that he would
not sell him.
Yet, though Mr. Stone was a hard man, he was a man who had so great
a wish to be a rich man, that he could not say no, when there was gain
in his way; and though he was at first in a great rage, the sum Mr.
Bright said he would give for Saib was so large a one, that Mr. Stone
did not say no.
What was the joy of poor Saib when told he should be free!--what was
the joy of poor Saib when he found how much thought and care Mr.
and Mrs. Bright had for him!

They took Saib with them to their own home, and had him taught all
things that could be of use to him in the new state in which he now
was.
Saib is now more than twelve years old; he has learnt to read, to write,
to speak the truth, to try to be calm when rude boys tease him, and to
feel grief when he has done wrong. To love his kind friends he has not
to learn--his heart bids him do that.
He feels all that Mrs. Bright has done for him--he hopes he may not
grieve her or Mr. Bright, but that he may be to them as a good
son.--Then they will not part with him; then they will be paid back for
all that they have done.
The thought of such a great and good deed must make them glad in this
world, and bring them joy in the next.

THE EARTH.
The world we live on is a large round ball, made of all kinds of rocks
and of earths; and on a great part of it there are seas and lakes. The
earth turns round each day, and goes round the sun once each year. In
the day, that part of the world where we live points to the sun, and
when the earth turns from the sun, it is night.
When the earth goes round the sun, the heat at one part of the year
comes from the sun more straight to that part where we live, and makes
the days hot and long, and the nights short, as in June; and when the
light and heat do not come to us so straight, there are cold and frost and
long nights.
In some parts of the world it is much more cold than where we live.
There are parts, too, where the sun is more hot at all times of the year
than we feel it. It is the heat of the sun that makes the winds. His heat
on the sea makes the clouds.
The clouds