LITTLE BEWILDERED HENRY. By The Author Of_Nothing At All_, &c. &c. [Illustration: FRONTISPIECE. _See Page 9_] The Extraordinary Adventures Of Poor Little Bewildered Henry, _Who was shut up in an old Abbey for Three Weeks_. A Story Founded On Fact. ByThe Author Of "Nothing At All, " Etc. 1850. The Adventures Of _Little Bewildered Henry_ [Illustration] "Oh, mamma! mamma! where is you, mamma?" sobbed little Henry, a sweetchild of three years old, as he stood in the lawn, opposite the door, with the wind blowing his pretty hair and clothes all about him: "Oh, mamma! mamma! where is you? I don't know where is you, my own mamma. " "What are you crying for?" said Bill Boldface, a naughty boy in thevillage, "eh, what are you crying for, you bold puppy? It's a goodscelping you want. Don't you know what a scelping is, my boy?----agood whipping. " "No, no! me don't want a whipping, me don't want a whipping; me wantmamma. Oh! where is you, my own mamma?" "Well, she's gone into the wood there; and, if you don't make hasteand run after her, a big pig that's there under the tree, all bloody, with long ears and cocked tail, will eat her. Run, my boy: that'sright: run, now, run. " Poor little Henry, much more alarmed for his mamma than for himself, flew into the wood with the hope of saving her; and having run a goodway without stopping, calling all the time for his dear mamma, hetripped against a tree and fell: but quickly recovering, he stood upand continued his race, till, quite exhausted, he sat down on thegrass, and there continued panting and crying bitterly. At last, heturned round; and what should he see, to his great joy, but hisfavourite dog Fidelle. "O, Fidelle! Fidelle!" said the baby, hugginghis little arms round the dog's neck, "O! where's mamma? and where'spapa? and where's nurse? Where, Fidelle? cannot you tell me where?"But having received no answer, he stood up, and again commenced hisjourney, and Fidelle ran on before; and it was astonishing what alength of way the baby walked, till, at last, he came to the foot of ahigh mountain. And now night came on, and the wind blew strong and cold; and littleHenry, quite bewildered, turned into a narrow path, shaded by oak, andelm, and sycamore trees, and the baby again tripped against the rootof one of them, and fell; and his little hand came against a stone, and he was much hurt, and his heart beat, and the tears streamed downone of the prettiest little faces that ever was seen, and the windblew his pretty hair off his forehead, and it would go to your veryheart to hear his little mournful cry, calling out for his mamma, hisown dear mamma. [Illustration: ] At length, the moon arose in great splendour, and little Henry saw ata distance an old abbey, all covered with ivy, and looking so dark anddismal, it would frighten any one from going in. But Henry's littleheart, occupied by the idea of his mamma, and with grief that he couldnot find her, felt no fear; but walking in, he saw a cell in thecorner that looked like a baby-house, and, with Fidelle by his side, he bent his little steps towards it, and seating himself on a stone, he leaned his pretty head against the old wall, and fell fast asleep. [Illustration:] Overcome with fatigue, the sweet baby slept soundly till morning; butwhen he awoke Fidelle was gone, and he felt very hungry. And he againset up his little cry, "Oh, mamma! mamma! where is you, mamma? Oh! Iwant my breakfast! I want my breakfast!" At length, he spied Fidellecantering in with something in her mouth, and having laid it byHenry's side, she darted out of the abbey. Henry took it up: it was alarge piece of white bread, which the faithful creature had met withsomewhere, and brought to her little favourite. [1] [Footnote 1: A fact. ] You may suppose how happy the poor child was to get it; and while hewas eating it, a grey owl marched from her nest in the wall, and beganpicking up the crumbs. This greatly amused little Henry; and, in a fewminutes after, there came a great set of sparrows, and arobin-redbreast, and two of them began to fight. And this made Henrylaugh; and, on the whole, they so occupied him all day, he was lessunhappy than the day before: and, when night came, he lay down nearthe nest of the owl and her young ones, and slept soundly. Next day, faithful Fidelle again appeared with a piece of boiled beefin her mouth, which having left at Henry's feet, she scampered off, and Henry ate heartily, and gave some to the owls. And when he couldforget his mamma, which indeed was not often, these birds used toamuse his little mind. But, towards evening, getting very thirsty, heagain began to cry, and to call for mamma; and God, who watches overlittle infants just the same as if they were grown men, put it intohis little heart to walk outside the abbey, where was a nice streamrunning through the grass: and the baby, recollecting he had seen aboy, the week before, lying on the ground drinking out of a streamnear papa's house, knelt down and took a hearty drink of the clearwater. [Illustration: ] And now, near a week passed over, Fidelle constantlybringing a supply of food, and the owls, and the sparrows, and therobin, sharing the welcome morsel, and affording Henry's little mindconstant amusement and occupation. At length, the little birds begannot to be afraid of Henry; and they would come and hop by his side, and pick up the crumbs, and almost eat from his hand. And one of thembuilt its nest close to him, and laid two eggs, and every eveningwould sing such a sweet song, that really the baby began to getreconciled, and used to feel like a little king among them all. And nowwe must leave our mighty _monarch_ for a while, and return to hisdisconsolate parents. [Illustration: ] The evening Bill Boldface had met him, and sent him so cruelly intothe wood, mamma was out walking, and on her return enquired for thebaby. "O, " said papa, "he is safe: I saw him in nurse's arms a few minutesago. " Mamma immediately went up to the nursery, and there heard that nursehad gone off to see her sister, who lived about two miles distant, "and, of course, " said the nursery-maid, "she has taken Master Henrywith her. " Impressed with this idea, mamma returned to tea; but when night came, she began to get very uneasy, for nurse did not return. "O, " saidpapa, "you know she often remains at her sister's; and though she hasdone very wrong in keeping the baby out, yet she is so fond andcareful of him, we need not be uneasy. " But what was their distractionwhen morning came?--nurse returned, but no baby! The whole country was searched, the ponds and lake were searched, every spot searched but the very place the baby was in. Advertisementswere put in all the papers, and the poor father and mother were nearsinking under the distraction of their mind. Unfeeling Bill Boldface, who could have set all to rights, had sailed off to America the verymorning after the sweet baby had disappeared. At length, one morning, the distracted father perceived Fidellejumping upon the table and seizing a large piece of bread, fly offwith it to the wood. The Lord instantly put it in his heart to followthe dog, who led him into the abbey; and there, surrounded by hislittle subjects the birds, fast asleep, (for he had just fallen asleepon his throne, ) lay the little _monarch_. His hand was placedunder his little head, and the leaves of the ivy and the yew were allscattered about him. "My child! my child!" said the poor father, darting forward, and snatching him in his arms; "'tis my Henry! mycherub! my darling! O gracious God! is it indeed my child?" [Illustration: ] The well-known voice aroused Henry, and flinging his little armsaround papa's neck, he begged to be taken instantly to mamma, saying, as his happy papa carried him out of the abbey, "Good-bye, littlebirds, good-bye: I'll come back to-morrow, and bring you some whitebread; but now I must go see mamma. Good-bye, little birds, good-bye. " Poor mamma, when she saw him, overcome by her feelings, fainted away. When she recovered, she threw herself on her knees in gratitude to Godfor thus so wonderfully preserving her little darling. And now, my children, pause for a moment, and reflect on the goodnessof God so powerfully displayed in this little story. You see how hedirected Fidelle to bring food for the support of this little baby;you see how wonderfully he was preserved, and how, at length, he wasrestored to his parents. Those parents were truly religious, and_therefore_ their prayers were heard--_For the eyes of the Lordare over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: butthe face of the Lord is against them that do evil_. (1 Pet. Iii. 12. ) O my children! love God, and make Christ your friend, and thenthey will watch over you as they did over little Henry; and, when youdie, they will take you up to live with themselves, and you shall besurrounded by the happy angels in heaven. Perhaps my little readers may like to hear something of poor Fidelle. Soon after her visits to the abbey, she had two little pups. One ofthem died, but the other Henry reared with the greatest tenderness;while its good old mother, beloved and even respected (which is notgenerally the case with dogs) by all the family, lived to an advancedage: and when she died, they buried her in the garden, under thespreading branches of an old sycamore tree. Little Henry, trained in the love and fear of God, grew up one of thebest of children. Every where he went, the blessing of God was withhim, for Christ was his friend: and when little Henry had committed afault, he would apply to his kind Saviour, who was then always readyto procure God's pardon for him. In the course of time, his mammataught him the following little poem. Thou Friend of my childhood, and Guide of my youth, Thou Father of mercies, and Fountain of truth;-- Protect and direct me wherever I stray, And bless little Henry each hour in the day. When up in the morning I rise from my bed, O, let thy kind angels be plac'd o'er my head; And when at my tasks, at my school, or my play, Still bless little Henry each hour in the day. When night spreads its shade o'er the waves of the deep, And Henry is sunk in the stillness of sleep, O, still let thy poor child be dear in thy sight, And bless little Henry each hour in the night. FINIS. BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR, _Poems Appropriate For A Sick Or AMelancholy Hour_. Price _6s_. In extraboards. _A Whisper To A Newly-MarriedPair, from a Widowed Wife_. Price_3s. 6d_. In extra boards. _Parnassian Geography; or, theLittle Ideal Wanderer_. Price _2s. 6d_. In extra boards. _The Flowers Of The Forest_. Price_2s. 6d_. In extra boards. _A Gift From The Mountains, Or, The Happy Sabbath_. Price _1s_. _A Walk To Weller's Wood_. Price_2d_. _Enquiries Into Natural CausesAnd Effects_. Price _2d_. _Nothing At All_. Price _1d_.