"Just look, Willie," cried Norah. "Fred has got a bright, new sovereign. How beautiful it looks. Where did you get it, Fred? Did you find it?""No," said Fred, "I did not find it. It is not mine. Father lent it me. We are going to have a chat about gold tonight. We must take care of it, though.
"Now suppose we begin. You shall tell us what you can find out about gold, by looking at the sovereign, Norah.""Well," said his sister, "the first thing I can see is that gold is a yellow metal, with a very bright polish or lustre.""Yes," said Fred, "and we might say that it is the only yellow metal we have.""But," said Norah, "isn"t brass a yellow metal too?" "It is yellow, dear, but, if you remember, brass isnot a pure metal. It is a mixture of copper and zinc. "Then too," he added, "polished brass has a very high lustre, but just look at this brass candlestick. It was left out in the toolhouse and forgotten. See, itis covered with patches of green rust."
"Yes, but gold never rusts," said Willie. "It does not even tarnish. It remains quite unchanged by air or damp.