parents, perhaps this is the way by which God is leading me to think of all my naughtiness. And what if I who was so wicked am without the comforts of a home, neither had my blessed SAVIOUR a comfortable home, nor indeed any home at all. If my friends have deserted me, His friends also fled from Him in His hour of sorest need. But now He is gone to heaven, and will there prepare a home for me, a happy, glorious, eternal home, if I leave off all my proud ways, and high thoughts, and serve Him to the best of my power with a humble and a true heart."

"And did she do it?" inquired Willy, eagerly.

"From all I heard I am afraid, poor thing, her misfortunes, so far from mending her temper, only made her more unsociable and scornful-minded than ever. Nobody in the village cared to ask her inside their doors; and as she had never been brought to work in the fields, and was getting up in years, and had not money enough left to live upon, she thought of turning her fine booklearning-her novels, and plays, and poetry-to account, by setting up a school for boys and girls."

"I shouldn't like to have gone to her though," observed Willy. "You would not have been likely to, Willy, I hope; but all the villagers who had unruly boys and girls whom they did not know how to manage themselves, were glad enough to place them where they knew they would be kept in tight order. People did say that Un' Polly Polglare was shockingly cruel; that she ran the needles into the girls' fingers when their sewing did not please her. But I don't believe a word of this; for my part, I suspect it was the boys she spent all her spite upon, for the sake of Bill Jinks." "Did she run the needles into the boys' fingers?" inquired Willy, with a glance at his own small digits.

"Not that exactly, for the good reason that they had no needles; but she did what you, Willy, would, I dare say, think a great deal worse; for she made a strict law that not a boy in the school should be left out to enjoy his Saturday's half holiday till he had composed two or more rhymes. Now as these boys, like you, Willy, had never tried before, it is probable they made no great hands at this work; still, somehow or other, they made shift to produce something that sounded like rhyme."

"Was it like papa's, that he told us of that time, don't know, Aunt Mary? What was it?"

you

"Wavy and canary? Yes, I dare say they were much after that fashion; and as Un' Polly herself, it is likely, was no great judge, they all got off, by hook or by crook, to their play; all but poor Joe Dumble, who for the life of him could not think of a single rhyme. Saturday after Saturday was he shut up in a closet in which Un' Polly kept old shoes, and the birch, and the fool'scap, when they did not happen to be in immediate use; so that poor Joe for his part had scarcely room to turn himself about, and

could only count his fingers over and over again till he fell asleep. Whether or no all this counting gave him a taste for numbers, (the pun was beyond Willy,) there is no saying; but what I am going to tell you really happened. It was on a particularly fine Saturday afternoon, so bright, that something almost like a glimmer of light reached poor Joe through the keyhole of the closet door, and the wind blowing in that direction, shouts as of boys at high play came in gusts to his ears. Meanwhile the dame and her cats sat warming their noses round her small bit of fire in the room outside; for that is one thing I forgot to tell you, that Un' Polly Polglare, for all the dislike she bore her fellow mortals, was mighty fond of dumb creatures; and you may often observe that those who despise their own species, make a great show of their love to animals, as much as to say, 'How much better you are than mankind! So, as I was saying, while the damne and her cats sat purring and snoring in concert, out springs Joe from the dark closet with such a bounce as made them all look about them, and pronounced the lines I am going to repeat

“Ah, you may laugh, Willy, but I can tell you it was no laughing matter to Un' Polly. She never asked the boys after that for any more rhymes; and they say she was so humbled by the joke which was kept up in the village against her, that she became more gentle thenceforth in her dealings with the scholars, and more kind-spoken to the neighbours. But I think I know a better reason for it than that. When she was able to go to Church, she had sturdily refused to attend there, although (to use its own beautiful words) 'so lovingly called and invited' by her own Pastor-that was your dear grandpapa, Willy. But when she grew unfit, by reason of age and sickness, he used continually to visit the poor old soul, especially after she became a bed-lier; and I have heard him say that the bringing down that proud, strong heart of her's to the gentleness and thankfulness of a little child, always appeared to him one of God's most impressive miracles.”

Willy bore the "sermon part" of my story very patiently; but as soon as it was over he called back my attention to "single verse Joe," as we used to call him, (though I could never learn that he turned out a Dryden after all,) and nothing would serve but I must teach him these famous lines by heart, in order that he might go and relate the story to the other young ones; but he returned so often to have his memory freshened up, and took up so much of

my morning thereby, that I began at last to repent of having volunteered this facetious narration.

In further explanation of Uncle Charles' forthcoming verses, it should be said that, despite all Aunt Nelly's pleadings, our boys would sometimes join with the village children in playing mischievous pranks to poor old Un' Polly in the person of her cats; who, let me say, had the reputation of being as misanthropical and cross-grained as their mistress; but I can never believe that Charley, with his shy, tender feelings, could have joined in the persecution, albeit he seems to confess it in the following lines. We must set all that down to poetical licence, I suppose.

THE OLD MAID.

"Full well the cross old maiden dame I wot,
Sole tenant of yon solitary cot,

Which, from the rude intrusive gaze deep veil'd,
Lies shelter'd close, by double fence conceal'd.
She who had known the days, while yet a child,
When friends grew wondrous fast, for fortune smil'd.
But times had changed, and long had chilling want
Left her, untaught, to earn a pittance scant,

And doom'd her o'er her secret woes to brood
In cold, forlorn, unfriended maidenhood.

She oft, alas! and many a creature too

Who shared her mite-a half-starved, hungry crew—
With many sore complaint escaped in vain

The plottings of a mischief-teeming brain.
But I have felt, and still shall feel the force,

When calm reflection comes, of keen remorse :
For what though man, perfidious man, could prove
Deaf to the claims of an undower'd love;

What though, when fortune fail'd, his heart ingrate
Could leave her to her lone, unpitied state;-
Unfeeling that I am! was it for me

To add an insult to an injury?

Poor stricken soul! heav'n be prais'd, at last
Malice is still, and all thy woes are past."

CHRIST'S CALL TO ONE OF HIS LITTLE ONES.

THERE is always something touching in the joyful sound of church bells pealing for service; and in the country especially, where all is still and peaceful their music falls pleasingly on the One afternoon in May, (it was the second Sunday in the month) the bells of S. Peter's Church in the little village of L.

ear.

were ringing merrily, to welcome the true worshippers of the Great Creator within its walls, there to pray for His blessings and to sing His praises. The sky was of that pure bright blue which is so often the characteristic of our May days in this fair land, and the little village, situated in one of our southern counties, enjoyed a beautiful range of view over the Surrey hills. Near the door of the Church stood the little stone Font, which had that afternoon been filled with pure water, for an infant was about to be admitted into CHRIST'S Holy Church, in the sight of the assembled congregation. And now from a shady lane came forth a little band, consisting of five persons, one of whom carried the little one who was soon to be made a child of GOD. At the churchyard gate the conversation ceased, and one by one the groups entered the sacred edifice. Here the marriage vows of George and Mary Pevith had been given, and this day they had brought their firstborn to dedicate him to their Maker. the end of the second lesson, the good Clergyman, followed by those to whom our reader has been already introduced, walked to the west end of the Church, and then the service of Holy Baptism began. Mary's heart beat quickly throughout, and earnestly did she pray that her " child might enjoy the Everlasting Benediction of the heavenly washing," he was about to receive, and " ever remain of the number of GOD's faithful and elect children." The minister turned to take the child, who was then baptized by the name of "Samuel." Again they knelt in prayer, and then Mary returned to her seat with her sleeping baby (now a child of GOD), to unite her prayers and praises with those of the congregation.

At

That night Mary gazed on her sleeping infant, and felt it was watched over by holy Angels, and she lifted her grateful heart in thankfulness to the bountiful Giver of all, ere she lay down to rest. Soon however she was disturbed by the cries of her infant, as if in pain. She rose and found him feverish and ill. After she had placed him again on the bed, a fit of convulsion came on, and then the pain seemed lessened. The baby smiled one heavenly smile, and then the little flower was called to blossom in a fairer land. For a few moments Mary's grief was agony; but she knelt by her child's death-bed, and earnestly sought strength from above. Long she remained in the same position; but think not she was alone. Though all was still in the chamber of death, One Eye was upon her, and as she watched the reflection of the pale light of the moon on the face of her infant, as it slept in death, the Holy Spirit of GoD was comforting her; even He, who JESUS promised should "abide with" GOD's faithful people "for ever.' She rose from her knees strengthened to pursue the sad task she had been

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called to perform: yet her's was now a chastened sorrow." After morning service on the following Sunday, the funeral-bell tolled rapidly to tell that a little one was to be committed to its parent clay. Again George and Mary came slowly down the lane, following one of those who had taken part in the baptismal service last Sunday, and who now bore a tiny coffin on his shoulder. The good minister met the little procession at the gate, and all followed him, first to the Church and then to the little grave. For a moment the heart of the childless mother sunk when she heard the hollow sound of the earth falling on what contained the form of her treasure; yet deem not, gentle reader, that she allowed such thoughts to overcome her. She clasped her hands in prayer, and bowed her heart in submission to her Father's Will When the service was over the parents stood for a moment by their infant's narrow bed, and when George took Mary's hand to lead her from it, she turned to him and said, "Dear George, this was our SAVIOUR'S call when last Sunday He spoke to us by His minister and said, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

A. L.

HOLY BAPTISM.

IN contemplating the sad schism in our Holy Church, it fills me with deep sorrow to observe how ignorant and indifferent men are in regard to the doctrine, which each Sunday they repeat with their lips, and which ought to be indelibly engraven in their hearts, namely," That they believe in one Baptism for the remission of sins." Parents in this Christian land would be inexpressibly shocked if their children could not repeat the Church Catechism; but how very few either of adults, or infants, understand and maintain the doctrine therein set forth, whereby we declare that "Baptism is a Sacrament necessary to salvation," whereof water is the outward sign, (being the element used by all nations, from the foundation of the world, for the lavation of the body,) and ordained as an emblem of that purification which we attain when we receive the HOLY GHOST, and put CHRIST upon us. For as there are two parts in a Sacrament, so the washing with water alone is no Sacrament, neither is grace, or the inward regeneration of the soul a Sacrament. There must of necessity be both, the outward and visible sign, "Water," and the inward and spiritual grace, "The HOLY GHOST." Our LORD says, " Except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." This is a plain assertion, not difficult to be understood, it is a compact between GOD and man. We show our faith in