Address, Miss Goldingham, 19, Elvaston Queries. MANUAL FOR LENT. CONSTANCE T. would be much obliged if any reader of the Churchman's Companion would tell her of a Manual for keeping Lent, and by whom published, and at what price. VILLAGE LENDING LIBRARY. Will any readers of the Churchman's Companion kindly contribute books for our Village Lending Library? Gifts will be thankfully received by Sister Teresa, Convent, Claydon, Ipswich. A SAD CASE. SIR,-May I ask you to give me a corner in your valuable Magazine? I am doing my best to assist a poor girl, this month placed in an Industrial School, her sister, (a servant) who is earning £10 a year,) is responsible for the yearly sum of £4, a friend promising £2. Will some of your readers help? Besides this her sister has been compelled to supply her with new and suitable clothing. I will gladly send further particulars, and acknowledge the THE PELICAN AS A TYPE OF OUR SIR,-Can you, or any of your correspondents, give any information about the Pelican, and why it is used as a symbol for Church banners, &c., and also whether it is legendary or authentic that it feeds its young from the blood of its own body?—Yours, &c., A CANADIAN SUBSCRIBER, Montreal. CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR CHURCH SIR,-I shall feel grateful if you or any of the readers of the Churchman's Companion can inform me of any Catholic agency, through which I could obtain some post of usefulness, either as companion or to assist in household duties, and receive a salary equal to that now given to domestic servants. I am able to undertake the harmonium in Church. Hoping you will be able to give me the information I greatly desire,-Yours, &c., A READER OF THE "CHURCHMAN'S COMPANION." 66 Notices to Correspondents. E. M. You will find the explanation of the verse to which you refer in 'Hymns Ancient and Modern” in the fourth chapter of the Revelation of S. John the Divine, verses six to nine. M. K. Evening Communions are entirely wrong, and ought not to be attended by any consistent member of the Church. Sophie E. R. Your Bible apparently does not contain an Apocrypha—a want which we advise you to supply as soon as possible--you will then find that the text in question is the first verse of the third chapter of the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon. We regret that the pressure on our space this month has obliged us to postpone Mr. Caffin's acknowledgment of subscriptions, and several other letters. Accepted: "The Voices of Passion Sunday;" ;""The Noble Army of Mar tyrs;" "Vernal wreathed bright Eastertide." Declined with thanks: "Sister Catherine," (the author is requested to send an address.) BY AUSTIN CLARE, AUTHOR OF THE CARVED CARTOON." Ir was night, and Helen sat in her bedroom, wrapped in her warm flannel dressing-gown, with her feet thrust into a pair of soft fur slippers, writing in a little red book, very like the one we saw come out of her trunk five years ago. The house was very still, the only sounds being the scratching of Helen's pen, as it flew over the paper, the ceaseless ticking of the clock on the stairs, and the raving of the wind and waters outside. The latter sounds had gone on incessantly during the last few days, for the equinoctial gales were unusually prolonged and violent that year. Let us look over our heroine's shoulder, and see what she is writing in that private chronicle of hers, as we shall doubtless be able to gain some insight into her present state of mind, “Oct. 5th, 186— Such a piece of news I heard when I was last up at the Castle! He is expected-Ronald's rival, whose coming I have all this time been looking forward to with such dread-the heir of the Carlaverocks, and possibly-oh, how shall I write it !-of the Carrocks also; for I am afraid that poor Ronald, with all his exertions, will never gain money enough to redeem his inheritance, and then of course it will go to this Alexander Carlaverock, whose praises are for ever being dinned into my ears. Oh, how I detest the sound of his name! I am sure I shall hate him. Yes, were he every bit as noble and handsome as Lilias declares he is, I should do just the same, for does he not stand in Ronald's way? If it were not for him, I might perhaps forget about the deadly feud; for I can't help liking some of the Carlaverock girls very much, especially since I began to go up to the Castle, for lessons with them in languages, music, and drawing, from Miss Alloway. I quite enjoy those lessons, though Miss Alloway is very strict and prim; but then she is so clever, and knows so much, that one really feels to get on. Poor Jean! I am so sorry for her, I don't think any of them know how much she suffers, and she is so grateful if I help her with her lessons, or do anything for her. I really think she is getting fond of me, though she was so shy at first. Lilias is delightful, so bright and merry; and Isabel I admire very much, though I wish she were not quite so reserved, for I believe there is a great deal in her, and that she will come out 'strong,' as Ronald's expression is, one of these days. Rosamund I can't like, she is so dreadfully conceited and affected; and as for Sir George and Lady Carlaverock-the less said about them the better. She is such a goose to pretend to be ill, when she is as well as any one. It makes me quite angry to see her coddling herself as she does, while poor Jean, who is really ill, is neglected, and obliged to rough it as she can. I just wish Sir George wouldn't try to patronise me; I hate it, he is horrid, and seems to think of nothing but his money, and his detestable Whig politics. What a long time it is since I have seen Ronald! never since the beginning of June, before the Carlaverocks came. I do hope he'll be able to spare us a week or two at Christmas, but he does work so hard! Kit Erskine is a very amusing boy, he is always saying and doing such out-of-the-way things; I wish though, that he thought a little more about truth; he seems to me to say just what comes into his head at the minute, without caring whether it be true or not, though it's 'just for fun,' according to him. I believe they expect Captain Carlaverock next week, (for he is a Captain, though so young,-only twenty-six, I think,—and is coming home on account of a slight wound, received while saving his Colonel's life, in a skirmish with the Fenians, or some such people.) But when he wrote, he did not know whether he would be able to sail so soon, or not. The later he arrives, the better for me. Oh, dear! there's twelve o'clock striking. What would grandmamma say, if she knew I were still up? She isn't quite so strict with me now, as she used to be, indeed I really think she likes me a little bit, but still Well, I really mustn't stay up a minute longer, so good-night to my diary." CHAPTER XI. THE HEIR OF THE CARLAVEROCKS. "Gallant, graceful, gentle, tall, Fairest, noblest, best of all, Was Walter of the Vogelweid." LONGFELLOW, The Golden Legend. THE next day had been fixed for a dinner-party at the Castle, to which Helen and her grandmother were invited. They had been asked to stay all night as well; but Mrs. Carrock, never having spent a night away from her own house for the last thirty years, could not make up her mind to do so now. Helen dressed herself with particular care that evening; for this was the first little bit of gaiety which had ever fallen in her way, and we must not judge her harshly, if she did spend an extra half-hour before the glass, arranging her hair, and putting the finishing touches to her toilet. And a pretty picture it was, that looked out at her, from the carved frame of the old looking-glass. The tall, shapely figure, in a dress of pale violet grenadine, made square, and revealing a white, wellformed throat, round which hung one of her mother's treasures, a beautiful amethyst cross, suspended from a string of seed-pearls. The dusky golden hair arranged in rich braids, from among which peeped a cluster of pure white roses, the last of the season, shading her sweet, speaking countenance, bright with the anticipation of the coming gaiety. She was just clasping the necklace, when Jessie entered the room, crying so that she could scarcely speak. "Oh, Miss Helen!" she sobbed," auntie's taken very bad, an' she's sent up Marian to ask you to go and see her, for they're afraid she won't last out the night. Madam says, she'll drive to the Cleugh Holme, afore she goes to the Cassel, and wait in the carriage, while you go up an' see my auntie. But she says you're to please and be quick, for the carriage is at the door." Helen ran down directly, completely sobered by this sad news, and joined her grandmother, who was already seated in the old chariot, arrayed in her best black velvet, with its point lace ruffles and chemisette, her best cap to match, and her old family diamonds. Very handsome the old lady looked, and very stern and stately too, as she turned to her granddaughter, with these words :"When will you learn punctuality, child? minutes to six, and I particularly told you to be five, precisely." Here it is twenty ready by half-past When the carriage arrived at the Cleugh Holme, Helen was shown into a little room off the kitchen, where she saw her mother's old nurse lying in an old oak closet-bed; she was much changed since Helen had last seen her, and our heroine almost started, to see the thin, ghastly white face, lying on the pillow, and to hear the laboured breathing, which so soon must cease for ever. Dame Esther held out her hand to Helen as she entered, and said with difficulty, "Thank ye, my bairn, for comin' sae soon. This is the last time I shall see ye on earth, the LORD has called me, an' I winna bide lang or I go." "I am sorry to see you so ill," replied Helen, "but I hope you'll get better, after all.” “Na, na, I winna get better here, not till I get to the better warld. But, my bairn, I wanted t'ask ye somethin'. Ye're a' richt noo wi' t' Carlav'rocks, ye an' Maister Ronald, are ye not? Ye bear them nae malice ?" Helen felt very much surprised at this question, and answered quickly, “What makes you ask that, nurse? when did I ever tell you anything to the contrary?” “Dinna try to deceive me, bairn; ye baith tell't me ye wad keep up t' quarrel wi''em; d'ye think I hae forgotten? na, na, I canna rest till I ken it's a' richt!" She said this with a feverish earnestness, which showed how it was fretting her. Helen felt rather frightened, but answered soothingly that she did not dislike the Carlaverocks as much as she had expected, and that she was even fond of some of the girls. “But the young Laird o' Carburn? he's comin' they say. Oh, bairn, bairn! dinna let Maister Ronald quarrel wi' him, an' dinna ye bear |