the watchful eagerness for her presence, the ready reception of medicines from her hand, the tender tokens of love by the pressure of her hand between his, indicated that he felt her dutiful services, and acknowledged them. She comforted her soul by hoping that he acknowledged, as the spring of all mercies, and sought a refuge in, Jesus the Saviour of sinners!

The lady paused a few minutes, and then proceeded I have watched this dear young woman with a solicitude and admiration not easy to describe, and beheld how the Lord glorified His grace by this instance of filial piety, through the power of that Spirit he in such a measure granted her. The whole of her conduct was founded on her love to the Lord, and a sense of the duty it became her as a child to endeavor for His sake to fulfil to her father and earnest have been the meltings of her soul for sufficient portions of His grace to carry her on from day to day with strength according to her need; and the Lord himself was sufficient for her.

Oh! how beautiful! exclaimed Louisa.

The lady seeing the young people much interested, and appearing to understand my intention to be chiefly their benefit, seemed willing to gratify us with another anecdote; and as our silence denoted our readiness to hear, and the fixed gaze of the young ones marked a great degree of expectation, she again addressed them with a countenance of peculiar sweetness,

There is a little girl who has imbibed much of

the spirit of Jesus, and has a constant thirst for religious instruction; she is of a rather peculiar turn of mind, and seems most to delight in being taught the practical evidences she can give of her love to the Lord. Her parents were kind and quiet people, but without the knowledge of God; they never attended any place of worship, never read the Bible, never spake of God, and perhaps never prayed to him. The child, of course, was in entire ignorance of the simplest precepts of religion; but the Lord opened her young heart to receive the Word. Whatever she learnt she seemed to try to practise, and her first attentions were directed to her parents. She used to take a little stool at night when they were finishing their labors of the day, and, seated beside them, endeavored to relate all she had learnt at school, and she generally concluded by saying, “Father, you ought to do so," or "I will try to do so." As she grew older, and began to discriminate more the faults of her parents, her lesson used to end in, “Father, you ought not to do so." Then she began to read well enough to take the Bible and read a chapter, and then say, "Father, how Jesus loved poor sinners." She then, when learning her proof texts ready to repeat them, used to say, "Now hear, father, if I can say them ;" and when she had said them, "Now, father, you can say them," and induce him to repeat them. She soon learnt to sing hymns, and her father, having a natural turn for music, was much delighted; he could play on the flute a little, and he used

sometimes to play light airs and song tunes, and she used to tempt him to change them for hymn tunes, and say she would sing with him if he would join in the praises of God. All this time, she was not only teaching but endeavoring to practise; and this little girl, from five to eight years old, so diligently pursued this course with her parents, that she seemed to make them her children, and to train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The consequence is, the blessing of God upon the family, and the parents and child walking one way; they acknowledging with grateful hearts, the blessing of such a child, and the child looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

The lady again paused, and finding we were not willing to interrupt her, continued,-I find almost invariably, when the children are simple and open in telling their parents what is proceeding in their own souls, and accompanying that confession with dutiful attention and an obedient spirit, that they win upon their parents at least to admire and approve them, and sometimes to follow them; though there are other instances where nothing can reconcile the parent to take any interest in their example. I have seen other children, who have been undutiful, headstrong, rebellious, so as to be the misery of their parents, become quite altered under the power of religion, and be the joy and comfort of home; and have had fathers and mothers come to tell me, with

tears of thankfulness, the blessing which they experience in their children's change of conduct. You, doubtless, sometimes meet with ingratitude, both from children and parents?

O yes, that is to be expected; but I take comfort in reflecting, that at least they have been taught, and the seed sown may be seen to spring up hereafter. Only this day, I was told by the mother of one child who had been five years under the instruction of the school, that she owed me nothing; that I never gave her anything; and that the child had never got anything by me yet. Poor people! I cannot help pitying their state, so blind to the great gain of early religious instruction! Sometimes I have seen these very children brought to a death-bed, when all the instructions have come back to their souls with power, and taught them to whom to go; so it is God himself that giveth the increase! But such parents are a melancholy hindrance to their children, when instead of seconding their instruction, they throw an unholy slight upon them; so that they fail to make application of the word of God, and desire not to do the will of God.

The writing lessons of the school-children seemed now over, and the movement made by them reminded us we should perhaps intrude by staying longer. We therefore rose to go; and with sincere thanks for the kindness shown, ventured to ask if we might occasionally renew our visit. Permission was given, and we rather unwillingly took our leave.

CHAPTER XVII.

As I was informed that many of my new friends were about to leave our neighborhood, the term of their visit being nearly concluded, I was desirous to render our next meeting as generally useful as I could; hoping to fix some principles in their minds which might serve as directing beacons for their way. They manifested their own desire by assembling sooner than usual, and I was happy to see Anna's father making one of the party.

He came up to me with a friendly air, and said, Mrs. Aston is so anxious to adopt your system of training up our child, that she absolutely refused to set me at liberty this evening; and as I find the subject of divisions in a family of such serious importance, I have felt it my duty to accompany her.

There was evidently a little feeling of pride, which induced him to assign a reason why he had again attended; but knowing the human heart, and its natural difficulties in overcoming those feelings, I did not appear to notice it, only saying that I hoped they would always endeavor to be of one mind in every object which related to our duty to God.

Mrs, Graham said, I am sorry we are obliged