"Oh yes, ma'am," and his face gleamed with a holy light, as looking heavenward he said, "I have got a trust, ma'am."

Like one transformed, I

How beautiful he seemed then! saw in him the image of our dear Saviour, as I answered, "Oh, you have a home, then, and a rest not far away. If you are Jesus' child nothing can really harm you; for with a great deal of love he is watching over you. Life here looks dark and full of trouble; but your best Friend suffered more even than you. He was lonely. He had no home, and enemies were all about him; but he is in a beautiful home now, and if you truly love him, he is preparing a mansion there for you too."

"Oh yes; there I shall be like any other, there I shall be like-Him."

66

The faith of this simple, humble Christian, whom the Saviour calls "one of the least of these my brethren," awakened emotion too deep for other words, and simply saying, Good-bye, my friend; I hope we shall meet one day beside our Saviour," I hastened to the silence of my room, to dwell upon the wondrous love of Him, "who seeth not as man seeth," but makes "His dwelling with the humble and contrite ones."

A few days, after I learned that this poor youth was suffering the taunts and jeers of rude boys, and that even well-dressed ladies and gentlemen stood upon the streetcorners, laughing at his awkward gait. Oh, how I wished they could have shared the secret which that bright morning revealed to me,-that he was one of Jesus' friends.

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me," are the words of Christ. Be careful then, boys, how you treat the unfortunate. The weakest and most miserable children have the tenderest care of the Great Father. Act towards the poor as you would to the Man of sorrows, were he beside you. Then when all his friends shall throw off the mask of

po

verty and human wretchedness, to be clothed upon with a Redeemer's righteousness, you may be welcomed as one of those, who, through kindness to some of them, shown on account of love to the dear Saviour, have entertained the Master himself, unawares.

His Mischief shall return upon his own Head.

'LL be even with him yet, the little up

start!" said Alfred Hardon to his brother Ethan, after having given him an account of what he considered altogether "too bad to be borne;" which was nothing more or less than that Willie Brown had gone above him at school in spelling that afternoon; a fact that had deeply wounded his pride.

66 What'll you do, Alf?"

"Haven't decided; but there are ways enough to square accounts," said Alfred, nodding his head in a determined

manner.

66

Well, look out that you don't get caught at your tricks. The teacher likes Willie, you know; he always minds the

rules."

"Trust me for that. I shall take care."

Alfred Hardon was a passionate, self-willed boy, and the well-deserved success of his class-mate had awakened evil feelings in his heart, and the bitter seed that had already been sown there immediately sprung up into hatred, and a resolution to be revenged. And such a threat as he had

uttered, he seldom failed to execute. Not many days after this conversation, the teacher came into school one morning with a grave countenance.

It was

evident from the faces of the children, too, that something unusual had occurred. As soon as the opening exercises were over, the teacher said: " Most of you have, no doubt, heard of the sad accident which has befallen Alfred Hardon. He was found late last night on the floor of Mr. Brown's barn, just beneath the beam to which William's swing is fastened, insensible, his right arm broken, and with other injuries, some of which are so serious, that, till this morning, his life was despaired of.

"You have probably heard that it was thought he fell while swinging, but his father called me in as I was passing the house this morning, and, with great sorrow, told me Alfred had confessed that he went to the barn yesterday afternoon, secretly, and for the wicked purpose of cutting one of the ropes of the swing in such a way that when William next used it he would be sure to fall; but, just as he reached the spot where the rope was fastened to the beam, he lost his hold and fell to the floor, after which he knew nothing until he became conscious in his bed at home."

A ́ suppressed murmur of astonishment and indignation ran around the school-room. The teacher continued,"Alfred has never forgotten his failure in the spellingclass, some days since, when Willie Brown went above him; he seemed to regard that as a personal injury. This was his intended revenge. He is now very humble and penitent, and wishes to see Willie, that he may ask his forgiveness. He says it had never entered his mind that possibly Willie might have his limbs broken, and even lose his life, in consequence of what he proposed doing, his only intention being 'to give him a good bruising;' and that he feels the great pain which he must now endure for many weeks, to be a merited punishment. I cannot but hope that as he lies there, day by day, upon a bed of suffering, his thoughts will be turned to matters which I fear he, as well as others of my dear scholars, has too long neglected.

It

is a sad lesson, but I trust it will prove profitable to you all."

That lesson will doubtless be remembered by those children. And little Willie, who has forgiven Alfred from his heart for his evil intentions, will always feel that God, in this instance, delivered him from evil.

"He

The incident reminds me of those Bible words about the wicked, which are being fulfilled almost every day. made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head.” (Ps. vii. 15, 16). It was so with Alfred. His mischief did, indeed, return upon himself.

I have also in mind a quaint verse, which, perhaps, your fathers have read, or heard repeated, if you have not. It was, no doubt, suggested by the words just given from the Bible, and refers to a wicked man who has evil designs against another, which God does not permit him to carry

out.

He digged a pit;

He digged it deep';

He digged it for his brother.

But for his sin,

He did fall in

The pit he digged for t❞ other.

Although this verse is quite different, in many respects, from the poetry with which you are usually favoured in the Hive, yet, if you remember it when tempted to do a revengeful act; and if you will remember, at the same time, that God sees, with holy and just displeasure, all such acts, and that he knows how to cause the wicked to be "caught in his own snare," it may help you against temptation,

Memoirs.

ANN SHAW, OF NEWTON MOOR, GLOSSOP CIRCUIT.