is his young conscience burdened already? This will indeed be a trial; but we must in that case redouble our diligence, and pray for that only help which faileth not."

LESSON VIII.

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

1. The next morning, after short and disturbed rest, the anxious mother rose early, and determined to lose no time in summoning her beloved boys to her chamber; but she previously sent for Alice, and asked her again how the children had behaved.

2. "Why, Ma'am," replied the maid, "the young children were as good as gold; and so indeed was Master Henry, except that he would eat more than he ought, and he has made himself ill, as I told him he would, for he has been very sick, and is only just up."

3. "And what of Edward ?"

4. "Why, Ma'am, I can't say much about his behaviour, because he ran away and left us, and we never heard any more of him till just before it was time to come home."

5. "Indeed!"

6. "And when I told him it was very wrong to go and leave us, he begged me not to tell you

of it, but he would tell you all himself when he got home."

7. 66 But, you know, I was too busy to talk to him then, Alice," said Mrs. Pemberton: "call both the boys here directly," she added, with a sick, disappointed, fearful feeling at her heart, which mothers can well understand.

8. When the boys appeared, she was so alarmed at the excessive paleness and ill looks of Henry, that she eagerly drew him towards her, and forgot for a while her anxiety concerning his brother.

9. "Oh, mamma!" cried he, almost crying, "I am so ill! and Alice does not pity me; for, she says, I deserved it for being such a pig as to over-eat myself!"

10. "Is Alice right? And were you such a pig?" replied his mother. "But, come, tell me all you did at the fair, and let me judge for myself."

11. "Well, but I must sit down; I feel so sadly;" said he, seating himself on the ottoman at his mother's feet. "Well, mamma, first, I bought two little toys for the children."

12. "That was kind; and what did they come to ?"

13. "Oh! only to sixpence."

14. "Well, then you had two shillings remaining to spend on yourself, and what pretty thing did you buy?"

15. "Nothing, mamma.'

16. "No! what, did you lay it all out in eating ?"

17. "Yes; but you know it was very hot weather, and I heard some ladies and gentlemen say, let us go in here, and get some ice; and you know I had never eaten any ice; so we all went in, and, as Alice said it was only sixpence, I called for a glass of ice.

18. "I liked it so much that I called for another glass and some cakes with it; and so, when I asked what I owed, I found, because it was fair day, it was eightpence a glass, and I had twentypence to pay; so then I had only fourpence remaining.'

19. "And what did you do with that."

20. "Oh! I then took a turn in the roundabout, and in the swing, like other boys, and it made me so sick! Alice told me it would, after the ice; but I wished to try; but I was so bad! dear me! it makes me ill to think of it, mamma; I must lie down! indeed I must!"

21. "And so you shall, poor mistaken child!" cried his mother, laying him down on her couch; "another time, I hope, you will be more willing to take good advice; you may remember your brother's question yesterday.

22. "I think you must now have learnt to understand its meaning to the utmost, and will admit it; your pleasures of yesterday were not true pleasures, as they do not please on recollection."

23. "Oh! I do indeed, mamma. Oh! I will never eat ice again! never! never!"

24. "Make no such rash resolutions, dear

child! you may eat ice again* with comfort and propriety; the fault was not in eating the ice; it was in the selfish excess in which you indulged; it is that want of self-government which you are to renounce; you will do wisely to resolve never to indulge in the sin of gluttony again; and you will do virtuously to pray to the Almighty to grant you power to avoid it in future.”

LESSON IX.

THE SAME SUBJECT CONCLUDED.

1. "And now, my child," said she, turning to Edward, whose countenance she could not well understand, "let me hear your history-confessions, I fear that I might call them."

2. "My dear boy," she continued, observing that his bosom heaved, and that he seemed reluctant to speak, "fear not to tell me all; you know I am not a severe judge; but I always punish the slightest withholding of the truth."

3. "Oh, dear mamma!" cried Edward, "I -shall be so glad to tell you all the truth! so very, ・very glad!"

4. "I rejoice to hear you say so, darling boy; but go on !"

5. "Well then, I changed my sixpence for three penny tarts, and was thinking whether I * agen'.

would have an ice, and give some of it to my sisters, when I asked the price of a glass, and finding it eightpence, I resolved to go without it and buy some little books for them instead of it.

6. "But just then a poor sickly-looking boy, without stockings, put his head into the shop, and I thought he looked so envious of the eating that was going on! So I gave him the threepence out of the sixpence, and, only think! he was so pleased, and thanked and blessed me so warmly, mammà, I could not have believed any one could have been so thankful for threepence.

7. "And so I thought how very poor and hungry he must be! and somehow I could not help following the little boy, and I saw him go into a baker's shop, and then he came out with a loaf in his hand, and then he set off running at full speed."

8." Well, what then, my love," said his mother, pressing him nearer to her, as he stood by her knee.

9. "Why then, I ran too, that I might not lose sight of him; and I saw him go into a poor mean cottage by the road side, just out of the South gate, and I stopped at the door, and heard the little boy say, 'Oh! see, mother, here is a loaf! a good young gentleman gave me threepence, and here is bread for us all! so we shall not starve to-day.'

10.

Indeed, mamma!" said Edward to his eager auditor, "I cannot help crying now, when I recollect the scream of joy which was given at