her some present.

and I love her very much, we wished to take We were a long time in fixing what it should be, but at last we are determined to take something of our own making, which, perhaps, she might like as well as any thing bought."

That I am sure she would, my dear. But you seem a long way off the Rubicon."

"Ah! mamma," said the little girl, laughing, "you often tell me I should not wish for the end of a story when I am only at the beginning." "Very true," said her mother, "I will wait patiently."

"Well! mamma, we consulted for a long time, and at last we settled, that as Philip draws so very well❞—

"Not very well, my dear Anne," interrupted her mother, "but very tidily for a boy of his age."

"I do not think you have seen his last beautiful drawing, mamma," said Anne eagerly. "Indeed that is well done, Mr Evans said it was, and, as he is his master, he must be a good judge, if I am not. I will fetch it for you, mamma, for I am sure you will call that well done, and you know he is only eleven years old."

"You need not fetch it now, Anne; Philip will, I dare say, shew it to me by and by, or you may

have that pleasure another time: at present, go on with your story, which you seem to have forgotten in your hurry to praise Philip's drawing.”

"Where did I leave off? Oh! I remember. Well, we settled to make a small paper case or portfolio; I am to make it up, and bind it neatly with gold paper. Philip is to draw some pretty landscapes for the outside covers. This morning we bought a sheet of card-board, and Philip began to cut it out; just as he had cut off the first piece, I saw that he was making it smaller than the pattern. I shewed him his mistake, but he said it was too late to alter it, for he had passed the Rubicon. I asked him what he meant, and he talked of Julius Cæsar, and Pompey the Great; still I did not understand him, so he fetched the Roman History, and said I had better read the story; but it was very long, and the words were very difficult, and I was tired of trying to find out the Rubicon, and".

"And Philip was impatient, I suppose," said her mother. "Oh no, dear mamma, he was very good-natured and patient, but I suppose I was very stupid."

Perhaps not, my love," said Mrs. Stratton: "there is not any stupidity in a little girl not

entering into the meaning of books written for

grown-up people, and Philip's explanation might not be very clear ; there is a great difference between being able to understand a thing one's self and making another person understand it. As I am more used to teaching little girls than Philip, perhaps I may succeed better."

"I have passed the Rubicon' was the speech of a celebrated Roman General, when he had crossed that river, and was leading his army towards Rome. The Roman history abounds in expressions, applied, in the present day, to passing events, and understood by all persons who have studied ancient history. I do not, however, think Philip was quite correct in his manner of applying this celebrated saying; but of this you shall judge when I have related the anecdote which gave rise to it. Julius Cæsar"

Mamma, instead of beginning with Julius Cæsar, which was in the middle of the history, I should like it much better if you would tell me all the classical expressions, for so Philip. called that about the Rubicon, taken from the History of Rome."

"That I cannot promise to do, Anne: but I will, if you wish it, give you a slight sketch of the Roman History, which will enable you to understand many allusions in common use."

"That is just what I mean, mamma."

"Rome, my dear, which you often hear mentioned as having been such a beautiful city, and which is still so curious for the remains of splendid buildings, was at first only inhabited by a few shepherds, who, having chosen a leader, built themselves huts, and surrounded them by a mud wall. These huts in time grew into the large, powerful, and celebrated city of Roma, as it was then called, and these shepherds became warriors, whose descendants filled the whole world with their renown. It is said that a Trojan prince, named Eneas, saved himself, his father, and his little son, from the flames which destroyed the city of Troy, and with a small band of his countrymen settled in a city of Italy; this city was called Alba. One of the kings of Alba, named Amulius, usurped the whole kingdom, of which his brother Numitor should have had a share; confined that brother, and, seizing the children of Numitor's only daughter, placed them in a small cradle on the river Tiber, in hopes that they would be destroyed by the winds and waves. Contrary to his expectations, the cradle was blown on shore, and found by a shepherd named Faustulus. This man pitied the babes, who were twin boys, and

took them to his wife, who nursed them kindly. The old fables say these children were suckled by a she-wolf, which ancient authors tell us only alluded to the name of Faustulus's wife being Lupa, which is Latin for wolf, or to her disposition being wolf-like. However this may be, the boys grew up strong, active young men, and learned from Faustulus their own history. Collecting their friends, they took their grandfather out of prison, replaced him upon the throne of Alba, and determined to build a new city, at a little distance, for themselves and followers."

"The first part of your story was very like that of my favourite, Moses, mamma: he was put into a little cradle upon the river Nile. I hope these two princes proved as good as he did: that was the only way they could shew gratitude to God for preserving them in so wonderful a man

ner."

"I am afraid, Anne, you will find no resemblance in the characters of Moses and these two brothers, whatever you may find in their history. Do you recollect for what Moses is so remarkable?"

"Oh! yes, mamma, for his humility and his kindness towards the discontented Israelites." "I shall continue my story then," said her