three and twenty, and thus not of age, according to Spanish law.

In this difficulty the two friends appealed to the excellent Protestant pastor then at B, who, with his wife, kindly allowed them to take refuge in their house that night.

The affair caused some excitement in the town; and the pastor's wife felt anxious lest they should be unable to protect these interesting converts.

At last, after several wakeful hours, she aroused her husband, told him her fears, and urged him to go and inquire at the harbour if any vessel was soon to leave for a place where they might be in safety.

He found that a steamer, bound for Liverpool, had been detained there four days by stormy weather, and was to sail in two hours. There was just time for Tomasa and Dorotea to go on board; and leaving their luggage behind, which they had not dared to move from the house of Tomasa's relative, for fear of exciting suspicion, they embarked for England. They had not been at sea more than an hour when inquiries were made for the heretics. They were safer on the stormy waters than in the power of the priests.

The pastor had telegraphed to a friend in Liverpool of the departure of his protégées for that port; so that when they arrived there, without knowing where to look for help or friends, by the good providence of Him to whom they had committed their way, a warm welcome awaited them in the homes of two Christian people, where they enjoyed the means of grace, and grew in the knowledge of God and of His Word.

After some months, Tomasa left for London, whither Dorotea had preceded her, having obtained a situation.

It was interesting to see the two friends' enjoyment of the religious privileges they shared together; but Tomasa soon returned to France, leaving her companion till she should have come of age.

Dorotea gained the love of all she served, as well as of her fellow-servants. Filled with a strong missionary spirit,

she sought to lead souls to Jesus, and was in several instances successful. She spoke with great delight and thankfulness of the conversion of a fellow-countryman, who had received the word from her lips with joy.

Pastor Fliedner, of Madrid, had frequently conversed with Dorotea when he was visiting this country; and he looked forward to her return to Spain to labour for Christ, as she herself earnestly desired to do; and when the invitation came from him, she saw in it a call from her Lord.

Gladly she obeyed it, though it was sorrowful to part from her kind English friends, and joining some Spanish missionaries in Paris, she set forth with them for Madrid, visiting her mother on the way there. It was the first time she had seen her since her conversion, and she was uncertain how she would be received.

She had sent letters and gifts of money to her mother, and had received letters in reply; most of them lengthy arguments, entreaties, and abuse, written by a priest.

However, her mother and many other relatives met her at the railway station, who seemed overjoyed to have her among them again, and it was quite a festal occasion.

But the next morning, on returning from early mass, the mother's manner was changed. She asked Dorotea if the friends to whom she was going in Madrid were Protestants, and on her replying that they were so, and that her mother knew well she was a Protestant, her anger broke forth, and she heaped all manner of abuse on Dorotea, continuing to do so till her daughter took her departure for Madrid. Subsequent letters, however, have rather indicated a softening on the part of the mother, who is a warm-hearted, conscientious woman; and were she brought to know the truth she would be as zealous for it as she now is for the error which she mistakes for it.

Dorotea is now in Pastor Fliedner's house, making herself useful there and in the orphanage, and preparing to labour for Christ as the way may be opened for her.

We trust that her friend Tomasa will be led to join her soon.

St. Margaret's Lighthouse.

LEASE do not touch the glass; you see a finger-mark dims it."

We were visiting a lighthouse on the south

east coast, whose brilliant shining we had for many nights admired from the windows of our sea-side lodgings. One bright morning we made our way over the bold white cliffs to the point where it stood.

A little space of ground at the base of the lighthouse tower was carefully cultivated, and a neat cottage stood hard by; but it was a lonely settlement. The door of the tower was opened to us by a very intelligent-looking man, evidently a sailor, who at once consented to show us what there was to be seen within. He led us up a steep spiral stairway of iron, and we reached at length a chamber of glass, which formed the top storey of the tower and the outer case of the light. Between these walls of glass and a huge lantern-shaped inclosure in the midst was a wide passage, round which we walked, while our guide explained the lighthouse mechanism. But first we inquired the use of a large square brick building with tall chimneys, standing at about fifty yards distance.

"That is the engine-house, from which this lighthouse is worked," we were told. "In this, and only one other lighthouse on the English coast, electric light is burned." Then our showman described the process of kindling the electric flame. The material used by way of wick was a piece of carbon, in appearance like a black chalk pencil, which, when brought into contact with a current of electricity, conveyed from the adjacent engine-house, burned with a most dazzling white heat, consuming very quickly.

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Then is the lighthouse dark," we asked, "while you are replacing the wick ?"

"Oh no; there is a second wick-holding apparatus in reserve;" and this was shown to us. "There is not a

moment's interval between the extinguishing of the one

light and kindling of the other. And here," he added, “in case by any accident in the engine-house the electric current should fail, we are provided with means of burning oil in our lamp." And then we saw a gigantic glass chimney, and, on the same scale, all the other fittings of a moderator lamp; and above, a reservoir of oil connected with the lamp by brass pipes. "Whatever happens," said our conductor, "the light must be there. This is a very dangerous part of the coast. You may see at night two light-ships out at sea across there. They are anchored close to the Goodwin Sands; and it's only by keeping one particular course in relation to those floating lights and the light here that a ship is safe."

"It must cost a great deal," some one remarked, "to keep up a lighthouse."

"Yes; about a hundred-weight of coke an hour is used in the engine-house; and on winter nights the light burns twelve or thirteen hours."

And there crowded into my mind thoughts concerning the light of life, as it is meant to shine aloft in this dark world in the servants of Christ, "the true light." Those costly and complicated preparations for the sole end of kindling and keeping alive the little flame, because on its shining depended the escape of passing vessels from destruction-they spoke to me of the importance of clear bright shining before men of the Christian's heavenly light; and reminded me how, to kindle and feed that light, there needs the power and fulness of the Spirit of Christ within us. "I am the light of the world," He says, and therefore can say to those in union with Him, "Ye are the light of the world." 2 "Now are ye light in the Lord," writes the apostle : walk as children of light." "God hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 4

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"3

"Whatever happens," our guide had said,

"the St.

" 2

Margaret's light must be there ;" and I thought how surely God will provide that His faithful servants shall shine for the glory of His name, at all times, in all circumstances. "He that followeth Me," our Lord has promised, "shall have the light of life." 1 "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." "Having obtained help of God, I continue unto this day," says the apostle, whose light Christ-hating men had done their utmost to extinguish, "witnessing . . . . that Christ should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles; "3 of which Divine light the speaker himself was the earthly vessel. And as with the individual Christian, so with the true spiritual church of Christ. It shall shine before men through all the chances and changes of this world's stormy history. If for David's sake the promise stood of old, "David My servant shall have a light alway before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there ;""I have ordained a lamp for Mine anointed; "5 certain it is that, for the honour of David's greater Son, there shall never be wanting a chosen generation, a royal priesthood," to "show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.'

And even as the lighthouse men, keeping up the bright flame throughout the long night-watches, knew not what vessels they might be guiding past the deadly sandbank, so many a time the faithful Christian knows not here on earth the instances in which souls are helped to find "the path of life," and God is glorified, by means of the light wherewith He shines before men.

And now we turned to inspect the inner glass case of the light. It stood ten or twelve feet high from the floor, and was formed of layers of horizontal bars of glass, cut in the form of prisms, about two inches broad, and each adjusted at a slightly different angle. It was at this point of our survey that our conductor said, "Please do not touch the