THE ROYAL READERS 2: LESSON 64

* LESSON 64
WHAT MAGGIE'S PENNY DID

    "Please take my penny," said Maggie to old Dan the fisherman, who sat on a bench mending his nets. Her brother Andrew drew her back, whispering, "Maggie, he is not a beggar!"
    But Maggie gave no need. "Please take it," she said again. Old man smiled, and took it. "Thank you, little miss," he said, "it is kindly meant."
    After that, Maggie and Andrew went to different parts of the beach -- to gather shells, agreeing to meet in a while and see whose were the prettier. Maggie never thought how fast the hours were passing, till, being tired, she sat down on a rock beside a little pool full of lovely sea-weeds.
    Soon she was startled by a noise near her, and Dan's large dog Rover bounded down from a rock! He licked her hands and made a whining noise, and then began gently to pull her frock.
    "Rover wishes me to come away, I see," she said, patting him; and she rose from the rock and began to go home.
    Alas! That was not so easy as she had expected. Places she had gone down with ease she found very difficult -- to climb up; and as the tide had been coming in for some time, she found some of the stones wet and slippery.
    What could poor Maggie do? She sobbed and cried, but the waves made a much louder noise that she could make; and perhaps she would have been drowned but for good wise Rover.
    He sprang upon a boulder-stone and raised his loud, hoarse bark, until even the waves could not drown it.
    When Andrew was tired of gathering shells, he went to meet Maggie; but as she did not come, he thought that she had gone home. But when he reached home she was no there!
    In the meantime the fisherman had taken his nets to the top of the cliffs, and was laying them out in the sun, when he heard the loud barking of a dog.
    He felt sure that it was Rover, and Rover in distress; so, going to the edge of the cliffs, he looked over. There she saw it all -- Rover barking for help, and the little bewildered -- child standing beside him.
    "Bless her! It is the little one that was so kind-spoken to me this morning!" he cried; and he hurried to his son's cottage.
    "Quick, boys, quick!" he said; get to the boat, and row fast to the mussel bay: there is a poor child there just waiting to be drowned."
    The fisherman lost no time, and soon little Maggie and Rover were rowed safely to land! Old Dan was waiting there to lift her out, and give her into her mother's arms.
    "It was the penny that did it, ma'am!" he said afterwards to Mrs. Weston." I saw Rover looking at her when she put the penny so kind-like into my hand -- just as if he would have said, 'Rover will be your friend now, little girl.' And I am thinking he had been looking after her all the day, for he never came near me after that."
    Mrs. Weston would gladly have bought the dog, only Dan could not part with his favourite. Some years afterwards, Rover came to Maggie's home with a little note, in which was written: --
    "Will Maggie comfort Rover? --
    his master is dead."

QUESTIONS
What did Maggie do with her penny? What did her brother say? What did Dan say?
What did Maggie and Andrew then do? Where did Maggie sit down?
What startled her? What did the dog wish her to do?
Why could she not go home? What did she do? What did Rover do?
What did Andrew do? What did the fisherman hear? What did he see? What did he say?
Whom did the fetch? What happened next?
What did old Dan say? What did Mrs. Weston wish to do?
Whet message did Rover bring to Maggie?