had heard and seen all this, or else Master and Miss Bennet, I am sure, would not have behaved as they did. They thought Mrs. Howard was in the parlour, where they had left her.

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By this time every thing was ready for tea, and the cake set upon the table, with the strawberries and cream: 'And now, Betty,' said Mrs. Howard, 'you may call the children; and be sure, when tea is over, to bring the toys.' Master and Miss Bennet looked as demure when they came into tea as they had done at dinner; and a stranger would have thought them as well behaved children as Master and Miss Cartwright; but children who behave well in the sight of their parents, or in company, and rudely or impertinently in private, or among servants, or their play-fellows, cannot be called well bred.

"After the young people had had their tea and cake, and strawberries and cream, Betty came with the playthings, and placed them on the table before Mrs. Howard-You would perhaps like to know what these playthings were: First of all was the jointed doll, dressed as I before said, in a green satin slip, and a gauze bib and apron, and round cap, according to the fashion of those days: and there was the History of the Bible, with coloured cuts; then came a little chest of drawers for doll's clothes; a doll's wicker cradle; a bat and ball; a red morocco pocket-book; a needle-book; and the history of King Pepin, bound and gilt. These beautiful books and toys were placed on the table, before Mrs. Howard, and the little ones waited in silence to see what she would do with them. Mrs. Howard looked first at the playthings, and then at the children, and thus she spoke:

"My dear children, I sent for these pretty toys from the fair, in order to encourage you to be good: there is nothing that gives me greater pleasure than to see children polite and mannerly, endeavouring to please everybody, in honour preferring one another,' as God hath commanded us to do. Pride and ill manners, my dear children, are the sins of the devil; but humility, and a wish to please every one rather than ourselves, make us resemble the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who was so humble as even to wash his disciples' feet; and although he knew himself to be one with God, and equal with God, did not despise the poorest among men. Many VOL. II.-F

persons are polite and good mannered when in company with their betters, because, if they were not so, people would have nothing to say to them: but really wellbehaved persons are courteous and civil, not only when they are among their betters, but when they are with servants or with poor people; and for this reason, because they know that God's eye is always upon them, and that he will take account of their ill behaviour.'

"Then Mrs. Howard took the jointed doll, and the history of the Bible, and gave the one to Miss Polly Cartwright, and the other to Master Billy, saying, 'I give you these, my children, because you observed your good manners, not only to me, but to the poor old man who passed through the croft with his bundle of sticks; thus showing your fear of offending Him whose creature the poor old man is. To you, Master Bennet, and to you, Miss Polly, I shall not give any thing! because you showed, by your behaviour to the old man, that you had no fear of God, and that your good manners were all an outside garb, which you put on and off like your Sunday's clothes.' Then Mrs. Howard gave the rest of the toys among the lesser children, commending them for helping the old man to gather his sticks together; and thus she dismissed them to their own houses, all of them, except Master Jacky and Miss Polly, jumping and skipping for joy."

When Mrs. Goodriche had finished her story, Lucy said, "What a very pretty story that is! I think Master and Miss Cartwright deserved those pretty toys; they were nice children: but I did not know that having rude manners is so very great a fault as Mrs. Howard seemed to think, or that it is a thing that makes God so angry."

"If you will reflect a minute, my dear," said Mrs. Goodriche, "you will find that rude manners must be one sign of the badness of the heart: a person who has always a lowly opinion of himself, and proper love for his neighbour, will never be guilty of rudeness: it is only when we think ourselves better than others, or of more consequence than they are, that we venture to be rude. I have heard you say how rude Miss Augusta Noble was the last time you were at her house: now, why was she rude, but because she thought herself better than her company? This is pride, and a great sin it is. A real and true Christian, one in whom the

Spirit of God dwells, knows himself to be a poor and miserable sinner, and does not despise any one."

Mrs. Goodriche then gave Lucy a very pretty prayer, the purport of which was, to ask of God an humble spirit, which might lead us to honour all men above ourselves.

A Prayer for Christian Courtesy.

O Lord God Almighty! thou who sentest thine only Son to take upon him the body of a man, and to live among the poorest and lowest among men, for my sake; hear the prayers of a child, in whom by nature there is no good. My friends often tell me that it is my duty to be civil and good mannered; and I know, also, that thou hast commanded us to be courteous one towards another; and yet I am so conceited, and full of myself, that I forget to practise good manners, and instead of striving to oblige my companions, and all such as come in my way, I think of nothing but pleasing and serving myself. O holy Father, I pray for the Holy Spirit: for what can I do without help from on high? I cannot even behave myself with common propriety in company. O Holy Spirit, come into my heart, and guide me and rule me in all I do, and in all I say. I do not dare to ask this in my own name, for I am altogether unworthy of the least favour; but I ask this in the name of him who died for me,-of that dear Saviour, who was so humble as to wash his disciples' feet, and who was so kind as to take little children in his arms, put his hands upon them, and bless them. In his dear name, therefore, I ask thee, O Holy Spirit, to be with me when next I go into company, and give me grace to behave myself there, and at all times, in a modest, decent, and courteous manner, such as becometh a child.

And now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, be all glory and honour, for ever and ever. Amen.

"Our Father," &c. &c.

HYMN XVI.

SHOULD bounteous Nature kindly pour
Her richest gifts on me,

Still, O my God! I should be poor

If void of love to thee.

1

Not shining wit, or manly sense,
Could make me truly good;
Nor zeal itself could recompense
The want of love to God.

Did I possess the gift of tongues,
And were denied thy grace,

My loudest words, my loftiest songs,
Would be but tinkling brass.

Though thou shouldst give me heavenly skill,
Each mystery to explain,
Had I no heart to do thy will

My knowledge would be vain.

Had I so strong a faith, my God,
As mountains to remove,
No faith would do me real good
That did not work my love.
What though, to gratify my pride
And make my heaven secure,
All my possessions I divide
Among the hungry poor;

What though my body I consign
To the devouring flame,
In hope the glorious deed will shine
In rolls of endless fame :

These splendid acts of vanity,
Though all the world applaud,
If destitute of charity

Can never please my God.

Oh! grant me, then, this one request,
And I'll be satisfied;

That love Divine may rule my breast,
And all my actions guide.

ON DEATH.

WHEN Mr. Fairchild came in from his walk, "Mrs. Goodriche," said he, "have you heard that old John Roberts the gardener died yesterday morning?"

"Indeed!" said Mrs. Goodriche, "I did not hear that his death had really taken place, though we have looked for it every day for this last month: he was quite worn out with old age."

"I have seen the old woman, Betty Roberts," said Mr. Fairchild: "she seems to be in a very happy state

of mind, and says she trusts that her poor man died in Christ. She would have me up stairs to see the corpse."

"If you please, Mrs. Goodriche," said Mrs. Fairchild, 66 we will walk over to the old gardener's house after dinner: I should like to see poor Mrs. Roberts before I go home."

"With all my heart," said Mrs. Goodriche.

"And may we go too?" said Lucy, looking at her

mamma.

"What does your papa say?" answered Mrs. Fairchild.

"I tell you beforehand, my dear children, that death is very terrible. A corpse is an awful sight."

"I know that, papa," said Lucy; "but we should like to go."

Mr. Fairchild. Well, my dears, you shall go; and you shall, if you please, see the corpse. You must see these things one time or other, and attend dying people : it is therefore better in early life to become acquainted with such things. And now," said he, " you, Lucy and Emily, come and take a turn with me on the grass-walk before dinner, and we will have a little discourse on the subject of death.

So saying, Mr. Fairchild put on his hat, and taking Emily in one hand and Lucy in the other, they walked out together in the garden; and thus they talked together.

Mr. Fairchild. Where is death first spoken of in the Bible?

Lucy. I think, papa, it is in the second chapter of Genesis: And the Lord said to Adam, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Mr. Fairchild. True, my dear. You learn from this, that before Adam sinned he was not subject to death: therefore death is the punishment of sin.

Emily. Yes, papa; there is a verse about that: 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Rom. v. 12.

Mr. Fairchild. As death is sent as a punishment for sin, my dear children, it cannot but be very terrible; and indeed it is very terrible: nothing can be more horrible than what we see of it; but we are unacquainted