beds of spices, to feed in the garden, and to gather lilies. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits, camphire with spikenard. Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes with all the chief spices; a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

"Awake, O north wind: and come, thou south; blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out."

“Oh, mamma, that is very pretty, though I don't know all those flowers and trees."

"But you would like to be taken to God's garden at last, Nonie ?"

"Yes, indeed, mamma."

"Then watch for the green blade of little efforts, and ask God to send His grace that the good seed may grow."

"Mamma, is there a prayer in the Prayerbook about it?"

"Yes, dear; the Collect for Easter-day. Turn to it, and read it.”

Honora read from the Church-service which was bound up with her Bible:

66

Almighty God, who through thy only begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death

D

and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech Thee, that, as by Thy special grace preventing us, thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen."

6

"Do you know what thy special grace preventing us' means?'

"To prevent, in the days the Prayer-book was written, meant to go before, as in fact it does now in the sense of hindering. When you prevent Mary from doing mischief, you go before her doing it, do you not ?"

"Yes."

"Well, but in this collect, preventing does not mean 'going before to hinder,' but going before to help. The meaning is, as thy special grace coming first puts into our hearts good desires,' so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect."

"I understand, mamma. I will read the collect very often, and perhaps, in time, I shall be able to say it without the book."

Perhaps; now we must go in, for we are very late to-day, and the luncheon bell will ring fore you are ready."

READING FOURTH.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labour and to wait.-Longfellow.

HONORA DIGBY was, as we have seen, a very clever child. It had pleased God to give her great abilities. She could learn very quickly, and had a wonderful memory. Her mamma taught her entirely herself, and was very kind in giving her a great deal of time and attention; but Honora, it must be confessed, very often caused her to waste both. One of the little girl's greatest faults was inattention, or an idle way of setting about her lessons. She would hold her book in her hand a long time, but instead of really giving her thoughts to the task, her eyes would wander about the room, or she would be thinking of quite different matters; and the minutes would steal by, silently and fast, and all the morning would often be gone, without Honora's having finished learning her few French words or phrases; whilst, if she had chosen, she could have finished all her lessons in the same space of time. This fault

made her mamma resolve on letting her read next the parable of the talents. Therefore on Friday morning Honora found the Bible opened for her at the 25th chapter of St. Matthew, 14th verse.

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS.

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

"Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

"And likewise he that had received two, he, also, gained other two.

"But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

"And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying,

Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

"He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

"His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

"Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed;

"And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

"His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that