Scripture respecting this glorious deliverance, which she detailed in her own sweet way and words, such as alone can belong to a pious child.

I heard her out without interrupting her, more from ill humour and distaste than from civility, though Mrs. Neale had strongly enforced the necessity of civility even between little sisters; and then I said, "But we must die first: I can't think any thing pleasant which can't come till we die."

"Oh Helen!" was her answer; and I can hardly now recall without a gush of tears the sweet and innocent arguments which followed that exclamation, and the enlightened though childlike manner in which she pointed out the uncertainty of this life, and the certainty of a better, as procured for us by our Saviour, with other motives for looking to Him, and building all our hopes upon Him. Nor can I repeat the affectionate entreaties which she used to me, to listen more to Mrs. Neale when she spoke to us of these things, nor the tenderness and delicacy with which she half reproached me for not giving even one hundredth part of the attention to the Bible which I did to any little storybook which was put into my hand. It is true that she did not use any words which might not have suited a child of ten years old, but the truth and wisdom of her principles were divinely inspired, though her language was prompted by her childish

nature.

I was angry at being thus addressed, and probably drew her on to say more by the sullen manner in which I answered her; and this argument, with others of the same description, only seemed to create uneasiness between us, without producing the smallest good in me. In other respects there was never any break in the harmony of our little circle in, or out of, the school-room; a happier trio probably never lived so many years together, though it is quite certain that this harmony could not have continued, unless some decided change had taken place within my breast before I had ceased to take delight in the simple pleasures of childhood, and began to look beyond them to the more deceitful pleasures of the world.

But this was not to be. Afflictions were rolling forwards as dark and heavy clouds over my path, when I was vainly looking forward to the time, as very near, when my brother Percy was

to come home from his travels on the continent, my sister Agnes to return to take her place at our father's table, and I was to be emancipated from regular lessons, and to be introduced into such society as our small neighbourhood would afford. I cannot now remember without pain, how impatient I was for this time, and for the changes which I anticipated would come with it. The grandmother of Percy and Agnes had lived at Geneva for some years back; she had died only a few months before I entered my sixteenth year, and Agnes was only waiting at Geneva till Percy should join her to return to us. Of course, I knew nothing of my sister, and had been left to imagine any thing I chose respecting her.

This was my state, and the state of our family, when two events plunged me into the deepest grief,-producing as strong an effect, perhaps, as grief can də on a mind not upheld by any principles of true religion. The first of these afflictions was a rapid decline, which carried off my beloved Lucilla within the course of three months; and the second, before we had recovered the first tremendous blow, the demise of Mrs. Neale, whose feeble and aged frame seemed at once to sink under the fatigue of her attentions to the child of her heart. In these calamities I saw nothing at the time, but what appeared to me an incomprehensible and, I might almost say, a cruel dispensation, against which my whole mind and feelings seemed to revolt. I had fought against instruction through all the years of my childhood and youth; and then it seemed as if the darkness my fleshly nature had desired, was inflicted upon me as the most dreadful punishment I could endure; and although the glory of hope, and the strongest consolations in death had supported the departed objects of my affection during the periods of their mortal agonies, yet as I was unable to comprehend any thing of the nature of that power and of those inspirations which take away all sting from death, I could meditate only upon the worm and the grave, and the present condition of those poor bodies so lately warm in life. The consequence was, that my constitution was giving way under the horrors of my mind, when my anxious father took a sudden resolution; and the neral obsequies of dear Mrs. Neale were scarcely over, when

ned me off with himself to join my brother and sister at

Geneva. It was in the neighbourhood of the Alps of Chamouny that we met with a venerable clergyman of the Church of England, who, like myself, was travelling for his health. He had known my mother's family well, and, in that distant place from home, the intimacy was joyfully renewed; but had we been in England, and able to choose our society, I think that my father would, on my account, have shunned all acquaintance with Mr. Thornton.

I soon found that it was a comfort to me to talk, even for hours, with our pious old friend, and that after conversing with him, I was for a time more easy and happy than I had been since the loss of Lucilla. My father, I remember, once noticed the circumstance to Mr. Thornton. "It is strange," he said, "that a young girl like Helen, is the better for talking with you for hours on subjects so deep and solemn, that, old as I am, I turn from them, and am willing to put off the examination of such matters to a more advanced age. She is more interested in such conversations, than viewing the finest sights of nature or art which we can shew to her. Her mind seems in so diseased a state that it can rest only on what is gloomy and incomprehensible in creation. For instance, if you take her to view some fine old Roman ruin, she turns away from the tesselated pavement, and is ready to weep to think of what is now the fate of those who formed it, and from thence she will speak of the depravity of the world, and of the all-holy, almighty God, who cannot endure sin."

And then, my dear friend," replied the old clergyman, smiling, "you, I think, beg her not to speak about what is preying upon her mind; and you wonder that it frets her still; but seeing that it does so, you remove her from your Roman ruin, and shew her

other sights and other scenes. The aphis is in the bud of your rose, and tenderly as you may cherish it, the fair flower still languishes. Remove it away, and then the sunshine and the kindly dews may be of service to it, and it may revive again."

"I do not understand you, sir," replied my father, "how can I restore peace of mind to my child?"

6

By leading her to where only it can be found," said Mr. Thornton, solemnly-" to Him who says Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in

God, believe also in me.'-(John xiv. 27) See you not, sir, that Miss Greville is at present acquainted with but one person in the Holy Trinity, and this is but a partial acquaintance, for she knows him only as the Creator and Judge-not as the Father who sent his Son into our world to die, that man might be reconciled to him. It is by shewing her, from the Bible, the real character of God, that Miss Greville's mind is becoming more at ease. She no longer looks upon her Creator as an offended God; He is now being revealed to her mind in His threefold character, as a tender Father, who sorrowing for his children's depravity, has provided a means for their reconciliation with himself-a Saviour who sacrifices himself that mankind may be pardoned and glorified—and a gentle Teacher, Instructor, and Guardian, who is ever dealing with his creatures, and fitting them for those mansions of bliss which are ready prepared for them even now.

"Do you call these subjects gloomy, sir? What would a condemned felon say, if, whilst standing on the scaffold, he were told the King's Son had died for him; that the same King he had offended, would adopt him as his child, and would himself make him fit for the high place that was to be his? Surely he could not call such things gloomy, even though they had reference only to the few years we live here below?

"It is on what the King of kings has done for man, that Miss Greville and myself converse, and from the Bible, particularly from St. John the Disciple our Saviour loved-so well do we together read the promises contained therein, for those who are the adopted of our God."

My father was much struck with these words of Mr. Thornton, and they were so far blessed from above, that he asked to be allowed to be present when the pious clergyman and myself were reading the Bible together.

I have no time to enter into what passed at those happy meetings, but I can thankfully say they were a blessing to all of us, so that we left Chamouny under feelings widely different from those with which we had repaired thither. The Cimmerian darkness had passed away, and we were enabled to see, though through a glass, darkly, the King in his glory in that land which is very far off.

It was the evening before we parted from Mr. Thornton, on

which we had been reading the fifth chapter of Galatians, that he proposed to us, the young ones of the party, that we should make it our study to seek for the evidences of divine grace which may be found perhaps even more decidedly in lands where the acknowledged religion is other than Protestant. For instance, he added, "What say the twenty-second and twenty-third verses of the chapter we have just read, for they must be the golden clue to guide you on your way. Therein are enumerated the fruits of the Divine Spirit of our God. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance; and for these gifts and graces which are to be found amongst your fellow-creatures, must you, my dear children, set yourselves earnestly to search. It is true that you may find in a child of God one of these graces more prominent than another, but so intimately do they blend, the one with the other, that if any one is decidedly missing, then are all the rest so blighted that their beauty shines but through a thick cloud, and till the sun of righteousness has dispersed that vapour, a christian can scarcely rejoice in them.

"First then, my dear Helen," he continued, "sit in judgment on your own heart, and then seek out and try, by the sure test of Scripture, the heirs of salvation; for they may be found in all ranks, from the hovel even to the palace. The fold of the good Shepherd is above, though many sheep are still unfolded here. Many and many a favored lamb has been borne in tenderly in the good Shepherd's arms; others have had an earthly shepherd, sent and instructed by Him to guide the wandering steps of his flock, neither has the rod nor staff been wanted to force in those sheep who were unwilling to enter by gentler treatment. For what say the Scriptures of the number of the redeemed ones? And, lo! a great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. And the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Rev. vii. 9-17.)

(To be continued.)

M. M. S.