heard, and felt enough of it too. I remember once being distracted at church by the pattern of a new gown.

(E. Only once!)

R. My mother found it out by my not knowing where the epistle was taken from; and she reproved me, for she thought it a serious fault; but I remember her saying,

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My dear, the fault was not in your gown, but in your mind; and if there had been no new gown to distract you, there would have been something else."

E. Well, I hope I shall learn to be fresh and clean, like the spring-flowers, and innocent about it too.

A. And thankful to have clothes to wear. R. Yes; if we are always thankful for our blessings, we shall not dare to make a bad use of them. Now it is time for you to be going.

E. O Rachel, it was so nice. Mr. Croft came in, and he talked to us about to-morrow. It just seemed to answer what I had been asking you. Was that not pleasant?

R. Yes, dear, it was indeed. But what did he say to you?

E. He said, we should come early tomorrow morning, looking very clean, and nice, and happy, and bring our prettiest

flowers to deck the church; he liked to see the church look gay, and every body in it gay and happy; because it was a happy day. "And why do we call it such a happy day, my little boy?" he said to Willy Jones. "Do you think Easter is a happy day? Why is it happy?" And he said," Please, sir, we have new clothes."

R. I am sorry he said that; but you know, Ellen, he is a very little boy, and he did not recollect that we have new clothes at Easter because it is a happy day, and not to make it so. Did he ask you, Lucy?

L. Yes; and I answered that it was because our Lord was raised from the grave on Easter-day.

E. Well, then he said that we might think what joy the disciples felt, when their Lord was restored to them again; and that the holy Church throughout all the world, as it had imitated them in sorrowing for His death and sufferings, now imitated them in joy and praise. And he told us how the Christians of old used to express their gladness at the triumphant resurrection of their Lord, by saluting each other when they meet on Eastermorning with the joyful tidings-" Christ is risen;" and answering, "Christ is risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon." He told us we might learn those words, because it was a pleasant thing to think that we were

speaking in the very words the holy Christians throughout all the Church used from the very beginning. He said it helped us to feel that we were all one body, one family; and that when we heard those words at church in the first anthem, we should recollect how they were used in the church of old. It does seem to bring it home to one, that we are all one family; does not it, Cousin Rachel? to think that we are speaking in the very words that were made use of in the church of old, and at the very same time too. And I think it encourages us to try to think as they did, and do as they did.

R. I think so too. And if we try to imitate their holy lives, we may rejoice as they did at the thoughts of the resurrection of our Lord. Wicked people cannot really rejoice at it, because it can bring no gain to them, but only make their condemnation certain.

E. Well, Mr. Croft said that. He told us how God shewed to all the world, by raising up Christ from the dead, that He was His Son, and that all His words were true, and that He had accepted His death for our sins, and taken us again into His favour; and that He would save the holy and obedient, and condemn the wicked. He said that we might learn from seeing our Lord rise from the grave, how we should rise; for He had

conquered death for us, and opened the gates of life, that we might live again; and that those only would rise to happiness, who lived according to His holy laws, and tried to be like Him; and that the wicked and unbelieving would come forth to shame and everlasting contempt.

William. Will you come now, and tell me all about your visit to Lea Farm, Ellen? You promised that you would, and I have taken my basket into the arbour. make haste and come.

Pray

Ellen. Yes, Willy, here I am ready, ready to tell my story. Where am I to begin? W. Quite at the beginning. Tell me which way you went.

E. I will tell you first of all what Rachel said as we set off. You will like to hear that, and I do not think she would mind