school-fellows submit to be punished wrongfully for my sake, as the poor footboy had often unhappily been. These things at first made me very angry indeed; though I now wonder at my folly herein. This is all I know of my life hitherto ; and I am truly sorry and ashamed that I have no better an account of myself to lay before you."

Thus ended Miss Lucy Sly; when Miss Jenny Peace said, "My dear friend, you have great cause to give thanks to Almighty God, who has produced in you the first blessed work of the Holy Spirit, in giving you a sense of the great wickedness of your past life. We are naturally dead in sin, and our consciences are so dull and hard, that we go on committing the most grievous offences, without being in the least sensible of them. But when the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit reach the heart, we then become sensible of our sins, our consciences are made tender and we are humbled both before God and our fellow-creatures. I doubt not, my dear Miss Lucy, that you are now sincerely grieved to think of your injustice towards the poor footboy, and that you are anxious, in some way or other, to make up for your evil treatment of him."

"Indeed," replied Miss Lucy, "I would do so if I could; and it would afford me pleasure if you could point out to me some proper method of making him reparation."

"The way, my dear," said Miss Jenny," is very plain you have nothing to do but, on writing next to your mamma, to confess your faults respecting

him."

her eyes: but, after a moment's hesitation, she said, "I will, Miss Jenny, with God's help, follow your advice; although, I own, it will put me to extraordinary pain. I thank God I see my duty, and I will pray for help to perform it."

Miss Jenny put her arms round Miss Lucy's neck, and kissed her tenderly, while they mingled their tears together. All the rest of the little party were much affected with this proof of true penitence; and they were still shedding tears of joy when the bell summoned them to supper: soon after which they retired to rest.

Tuesday,

The fifth Day.

OUR little company, as soon as the morning school-hours were over, hastened to their arbour, attentively expecting what Miss Jenny Peace would propose to them for their amusement till dinnertime; when Miss Jenny taking out of her pocket a little gilt book, said, if they pleased, she would read them another short story, which, if they had not met with before, she had no doubt would afford them pleasure.

They all eagerly asked the title of the story: to which Miss Jenny replied, "It is the history of the hard-hearted little girl."

The young ladies all assured Miss Jenny that they had never heard of the book before; upon which she immediately began to read.

The History of Miss Fanny; or, the hard-hearted little Girl.

In a small sea-port town, or rather village, in the north-west of England, there formerly lived a very respectable widow lady, named Hill, who having two daughters, endeavoured to bring them up in the fear of God, and in useful habits.

The eldest of these was married while young to

a gentleman of the name of King, and was so unfortunate as in a very few years to lose her husband and two sons. One little girl only remained to her, with whom she returned to her mother's house, devoting the remainder of her days to the service of her God, to her aged mother, and to this little daughter, who was still in a state of infancy on her father's removal. What time this excellent woman could spare from these her first duties, she consecrated to the poor: and thus happily employing her hours, she found that consolation, which the active performance of duty seldom fails to afford in affliction.

The name of Mrs. King's little daughter was Anna; and the discreet manner in which she was educated soon showed itself in her gentle and amiable deportment, as well as in the sweet expression of her countenance.

Mrs. Hill's second daughter was married a few years after her sister to the captain of a merchant vessel, whose family resided in the same village; a man of rough manners, and not altogether pleasing to the old lady: but as her daughter's mind was set upon the connexion, Mrs. Hill had not thought it right to control her inclinations any further than by expressing her disapprobation, and giving her reasons for so doing. And this indeed ought to have been sufficient to make the young lady hesitate, if not entirely to lay aside all thoughts of the marriage.

He pos

The captain's name was Saunders. sessed a handsome house in the village, not far from Mrs. Hill's neat little dwelling; and as he was frequently from home for months together, it might

have been a great comfort to Mrs. Saunders to be so near her mother and sister.

Mrs. Saunders had, like her sister, one little girl, who, being about the age of her cousin, would have been a very pleasant and proper companion for her, had they been educated upon the same plan. But whereas Anna was brought up, as we before said, in the most unexceptionable manner; little Fanny Saunders was seldom subjected to any control: in consequence of which, she became from day to day more selfish and more obstinate. For such is the depravity of our nature, that it is not sufficient to remove children from the view of actual evil; but they must be persuaded and compelled to do well by every inducement that can be held forth to them for that purpose.

We may suppose that Mrs. Hill, when she saw the difference between her two little grandchildren, did not spare expostulation with her younger daughter on the occasion; neither can we believe that Mrs. King, who was so very anxious to bring up her own child properly, could refrain from speaking freely to her sister upon the subject. But whatever arguments they might use, they produced no effect upon the conduct of Mrs. Saunders. She was too partial to her daughter to dwell much upon her faults, always speaking of her as of a mere baby, who would do better as she grew older. In vain the grandmother would say, "If you wish your child to behave well in youth, you must compel her to do so as an infant; and if you desire her to be a pious woman, you must endeavour to make her a pious child: that is, the