70 " Shoe-makers Pets. [CHAP. III. 
he was usually intoxicated. The customers would not re- 
turn, and the business consequently fell off. When drunk, 
Begg raved and swore; and after beating the boy in the 
shop, he would go up-stairs and beat his wife. 
Shoe-makers are usually very fond of pets, and especially 
of pet birds. Many of the craft have singing-birds about 
them, and some are known to be highly skilled and excel- 
lent bird-fanciers. But Begg had no notion of pets of any 
kind. He had no love whatever for the works of nature, 
and detested those who had. Edward had been born with 
the love of birds and living creatures, and Begg hated him 
accordingly. Begg used to rifle his pockets on entering 
the shop, to see that Edward had nothing of the kind about 
him. If he found any thing, he threw it into the street— 
his little boxes with butterflies, eggs, and suchlike. Many 
a blow did he give Edward on such occasions. He used 
to say that he would “stamp the fool out of him;’ but he 
‘tried in vain. ‘ 4 
One afternoon, when Edward had finished his work, and 
was waiting for the return of his master in order to go to 
dinner, he was sitting with a sparrow on his knee. It was 
a young sparrow which he had trained and taught to do a 
number of little tricks. It was his pet, and he loved it 
dearly. While he was putting the sparrow through its 
movements, the master entered. He was three parts drunk. 
On looking at the bird on Edward’s knee, he ddvanced, and 
struck Edward such a blow that it laid him flat on the floor. 
The bird had fluttered to the ground, and was trampled on. 
‘When Edward was about to rise, he saw that Begg was 
going to kick him. Raising up his arm to ward off the 
blow, Begg’s foot came in contact with it, and, losing his 
balance, he reeled, staggered against the wall, and fell back- 
ward. He gathered himself together and got up. If an- 
gry before, he was furious now. Edward, seeing that he was 
again about to resume his brutality, called out that he would 
shout for help, and that he wouldn’t be struck again with- 
