CONVERSATION.-The most casual remark lives for ever in its effects. There is not a word which has not a moral history. And hence it is that every "idle word " which men utter assumes a character so important, that an inquest will be held on it at the general judgment.-HARRIS.

DAILY EFFORTS.-The person who would do great things well must practice daily on little ones! and he who would have the assistance of the Almighty in important acts, must be daily and hourly accustomed to consult His will in the minor affairs of life.-MRS. EMILY C. JUDSON.

TIME.

which it produces is another advantage of punctuality; a disorderly man is always in a hurry, he has no time to speak with you, because he is going elsewhere; and when he gets there, he is too late for his business, or he must hurry away to another before he can finish it. It was a wise maxim of the Duke of Newcastle,-"I do one thing at a time."

THE RUBY.-This precious stone depends upon its colour for its value. The ruby, sapphire, and oriental topaz are composed of identically the same materials; the red sapphire is a ruby, the blue ruby a sapphire, the yellow ruby a topaz. They are

'Tis a vessel under sail,
'Tis an eagle on its way,
Darting down upon its prey.
'Tis an arrow in its flight
Mocking the pursuing sight.
'Tis a short-lived fading flower;
'Tis a rainbow in a shower,
"Tis a momentary ray,
Smiling through a winter's day;
'Tis a torrent's rapid stream;
'Tis a shadow; 'tis a dream;
'Tis the closing watch of night,
Dying at the rising light;
'Tis a bubble, 'tis a sigh ;
Be prepared, O man, to die!"

PUNCTUALITY.--Punctuality is important because it subserves the peace and good temper of the family; the want of it not only infringes on necessary duty, but sometimes excludes this duty. Punctuality is important as it gains time it is like packing things in a box; a good packer will get in half as much more as a bad one. The calmness of mind

name. The ruby is the next hardest thing in nature after the diamond. The finest rubies are found in the kingdom of Ava, and in Siam; they are also found in Ceylon, and in many parts of Europe. The king of Burmah takes one of his titles from it, that of "Lord of the Rubies.' In Burmah they are a Royal monopoly, and none of any value are allowed by law to leave the kingdom. The finding of a fine ruby is made a state event, and a procession of grandees, with soldiers and elephants, are sent out to meet it. The colour varies from pale rose to deep red, but the tint that is most highly valued is that of the "pigeon's blood."

FAITH AND HAPPINESS.-I am quite sure that the acceptance of Christ, with a full reliance on Him, and the confident appropriation of His righteousness, is the transition step to a life of happy and prosperous obedience. -DR. CHALMERS.

OUTSIDE SARK AFTER ALL.

"BILLY SKIPPIN!" said James, "who can he be?"

"Uncle certainly has a strange name announced at last," observed Ellen.

"Yes," said Harry; "talk about out-of-the-way places-that is an out-of-the-way name, if you like. Billy Skippin! well, I never!"

On Uncle Harry's return he was very closely questioned as to this mysterious personage. The sum of all his replies was that William Skippin was a rather eccentric, or, as some would say, odd man, but very popular with the children and youth of his native village. He was a lighthearted, good-natured person, and well known to Uncle Harry in the

days of his boyhood. Moreover, he was well read, and could convey information in a very striking and interesting manner.

One very singular habit he had. He seemed as though he never could walk, but always went tripping and dancing along, as if he were upon wires. In fact, it was this habit partly which obtained for him the nickname of Billy Skippin, and by this name he always went,-people who did not wish to appear rude calling him Mr. Skippin.

Mr. Skippin often amused the little children indoors by imitating (which he could very exactly) the noises of turkeys, geese, cats, dogs, and monkeys; while he entertained the elder ones with stories and anecdotes which

he had read in his younger days, or by reciting his travels, which had been not a few.

It was only recently that Uncle Harry had discovered the whereabouts of the friend of his childhood, and learned that he had travelled about in different parts. That summer he planned a trip to the isle of Sark, and determined to take Mr. Skippin with him; but to his surprise he found that this would not be the first visit Mr. Skippin had made to that island.

The occasion of Mr. Skippin's call on the evening we are referring to was that he might arrange with Uncle Harry to spend an evening with the young folks at Gates End.

"I have asked Mr. Skippin 'to spend the evening with us tomorrow," said Uncle Harry.

109

"But, then," said Uncle Harry, jocosely, "the young folks will ask you where is your home, for you told them when you first came in that you made yourself at home anywhere."

"I do, I do," was his reply; "but you know very well that there is only one place on earth after all that deserves the name of home, and that is my own house, where dwell my best friends, and those that love me dearest. To satisfy my young friends, however, I must tell them that I reside not a hundred miles from Lynn, and that I can eat dumplings and gravy with any of them."

"But uncle says you have been to the Channel Islands," said Harry, "and that he has just found out that you have visited the isle of

"True, true, my boy." "What sort of looking place is it?" asked Ellen.

"It has a great body, a little head, and a narrow neck."

"A queer place, I should say,” observed Harry.

"Not so queer, after all," said Mr. Skippin, "as you will see when I have told you a little more about it. The island is divided into three parts. Great Sark is the largest part of the island, and hence may well be called the body; and it is united to Little Sark by the Coupée Rock, called the Neck."

"Is it really a nice place, then ?" asked Harry.

ashore-it seemed to frown upon me, as much as to say, 'Don't you wish you may get in !?

“At a distance the island appears walled in with rocks. On the side nearest to Guernsey there is no way of getting in but by climbing up some steep stone steps cut in the rock, or being drawn up at least two hundred feet by a rope."

"That's just what I should like,' said Harry; "it would be good fun."

"Good fun for daring boys," said Mr. Skippin. "If I had been a chamois, or could have skipped from rock to rock like a goat, I should have felt thoroughly at home on these rocks; but as I am a nervous little man and go tripping and trembling all my days, I thought discretion the better part of valour, and sought an easier way of getting on to the island."

“I suppose you were on board a steamer," said Ellen.

"Yes, the Queen of the Isles; I sailed in her from Guernsey. We went round the island until we came to a tiny bay, where boatmen rowed out to meet us and take us on shore. They landed us on a slip of beach, near which was a tunnel cut in the rock, and a gate."

"What is the tunnel like?" asked Ellen.

"I can scarcely tell you, but more like the entrance to a beehive than anything else. When first I landed on the beach I did not seem to be any nearer getting in than I was on the other side of the island; I could not even see the tunnel: in fact, I thought the boatmen had played me a trick. There I stood with all kinds of queer fancies. I

looked up at the rocks of granite rising above me some hundreds of feet, shattered by the fury of the elements into all sorts of odd shapes. I looked and fancied till my fancies got the better of my judgment, and I imagined myself surrounded by a host of cruel monsters. But a boatman observing me said, 'Master, have you looked at the fountain?' I was so lost in thought that the sound of his voice made me jump. In fact," said Mr. Skippin, "I have jumped and skipped till some people have given me the name of Billy Skippin,-a name which I think very appropriate to my nervous condition, although not 'perhaps so complimentary or courteous as it might be. I would wish, however, to be called Skippin, but without the preface.

"Well, I looked at the fountain, and a beautiful fountain it was, of the coolest and clearest water, trickling down the rock, and falling into a sort of natural basin, from which the fishermen filled their casks."

"That was delightful," said Ellen.

"I think," said Uncle Harry, "I have heard that Sark was at one time a resort of pirates."

"In the fourteenth century it was a pirates' nést; that was before the tunnel was made. But I see the young people are beginning to feel as I did once when a neighbour was describing to my mother her garden, and the beautiful fruit growing there. I wanted to get inside, and see and judge for myself."

"Yes," said Harry, "I was beginning to wish that we were on the other side of the tunnel."