"What must I do, then, Ma'am," asked Emma, humbly.

"You shall write an apology to your aunt, my love," replied Mrs. Colton, "and Mary shall take it to her into the parlour, and then she can answer as she likes. But now I have a little time, let me talk to you, my love, and when I go down, I will send Mary with a light, and then you can write to your aunt."

"O how kind you are to me," said Emma, again weeping, "for I have behaved very ill; and nobody knows how ill, because my heart has been filled with proud thoughts, and they have made me rude, and unkind, and naughty."

"Then you were pleased with yourself, because you thought you had done right," said Mrs. Colton, "and you never considered that there is not one good thing in the heart of man, and that even the very imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are evil before God."

"I do not quite understand you, Ma'am," said Emma. "Did I not do a good action when I gave Jane Thomas sixpence, for I should much rather have spent it in toys or books for myself."

"A man would call it a good action, my love," replied Mrs. Colton, "for so it would appear to him, and he can only judge by outward things; but to God, who looks into the heart, there is nothing good, for sinful thoughts and desires are so mixed up with our best actions, that if weighed in the balance of holiness and justice, they will always be found wanting."

Emma seemed surprised, but Mrs. Colton continued, "If we expect to hear of good actions, we must seek them in such a country as England, for as men judge, this country is more highly favoured than any other under the sun, and yet, my dear child, the very best men of this highly-favoured island, if they know their own hearts, will bitterly lament their utter vileness and depravity; for what does St. Paul himself say on this subject? The good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.' (Rom. vii. 19.) This same apostle tells us, my dear Emma, that in the inward man, he delighted in the law of God, though he felt another law in his members, which kept a constant war against this law of his mind, bringing him into captivity to the law of sin, which was in his members.' (Rom. vii. 23.) Thus

you may see, my love, that there are two natures in every redeemed child of God, which constantly war against each other, and will continue so to do, till death sets the mortal free. How, then, can you expect that sinful men can perform really good actions, though they may appear fair and beautiful in the eyes of their fellow-creatures ?"

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Alas," replied Emma, "I feel how wicked my heart is, and that I have no power over it."

"Remember, my child, that there is a Deliverer provided for you, and that there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, if in their minds they serve the Lord Jesus, even though through the weakness of the flesh they are sometimes led away by sin."

"But may not people behave very ill if they are told what you just said to me?" asked Emma; "might they not think they were at liberty to be as wicked as they liked ?"

"There are many bad people in the world, who may say they are children of God, and yet commit wicked actions, without sorrow," answered Mrs. Colton; "but these are not really children of God, because they do not

reverence that Saviour who died for them, and who has bid them to love and act by their neighbours as if they were themselves, as a sign that they are his followers and disciples. But we are getting far away from what we first talked about, my love, though what we have said will shew you that no man has any right to be puffed up with any good action he may fancy he has done; for even perfect charity is not puffed up, for then it would be hateful in the sight of God."

Just at this moment Mary knocked at the door, to say they were going to tea in the parlour, and Mrs. Colton was wanted down stairs.

The governess kissed her pupil affectionately, and Mary, having lighted her down stairs, returned to stay with Emma, while she wrote a letter to her aunt, to beg pardon for her fault.

CHAPTER VI.

Charity doth not behave itself unseemly.

THERE were very few words in Emma's note, but they were sincere, and most humbly she begged pardon, and hoped her aunt would look upon her as before. Mary, when she delivered it to Miss Fortescue, found the family seated round the tea-table, at which Mrs. Colton had been presiding, but they appeared very uncomfortable, and as if something was wrong.

Mr. Fortescue could not be happy while one of his little ones was in disgrace, and William was displeased at the absence of his favourite sister. Little Aly had gone to bed with a head-ache, the effect of the violent passion into which she had thrown herself in the morning; and Master Robert's bright