"THE QUIVER" BIBLE CLASS. old woman, as he did so, making the good clothes he took off into a bundle, which she deposited in a corner of the room with several others. Frank, therefore, found himself transformed into just such a ragamuffin as his companion, who said, "Come along, Jim-that's what I shall call you; we never asks no names here. Come along; we're going to build a grotto.". On going to the other end of the court, they were joined by two or three other low boys, and they all began to build a grotto with some oyster-shells that lay before one of the houses. For some time Frank felt diverted by this, and laughed at the annoyance of the passers-by, who were tormented by the persistence of the boys, till all at once there was a cry of "Police! police!" A gentleman had caught hold of Charley's hand in the act of drawing a silk handkerchief out of his (the gentleman's) pocket. Accustomed to such scrapes, Charley soon wriggled himself free, and scampered away, throwing the handkerchief down as he went; it fell at Frank's feet, who, quite astounded and bewildered, was stooping to pick it up and give it to the owner just as two policemen made their appearance. All the other boys having disappeared, they seized upon Frank as the thief, and, in spite of his protestations of innocence, dragged him off to the station, where, as it was now late, he was thrust into a cell with two men who had been taken up for begging in the streets. He passed a wretched night in the bare dismal cell along with the two tramps to whom, in his misery, he told his story. "You'd better to go home at once, and beg for pardon," said one of them; "if so be there's any truth in what you say.” "But how shall I get away from here ?" "That's more'n I can tell," replied the man. "Mayhaps, as you seem to be a young hand, they may send you to a 'formatory." Frank wept himself to sleep, and in the morning, after breakfasting on bread and skilly, he was taken before the magistrate, in whom, to his utter consternation, he recognised Mr. Wilkinson, his father's friend, the gentleman who had placed him at the school. Composed as was the public functionary in his duties, he could not restrain a start of surprise at seeing Frank Roberts, the son of an esteemed friend, before him in the wretched habiliments he then wore, and under a charge of pocket-picking "How is it," said he, sternly, here in this position ?" "that I see you With sobs and tears, Frank told his tale, protesting earnestly that he did not take the handkerchief. The policeman testified to having overheard him relate the same circumstances, verbatim, the evening before in the cell, and stated that he knew the house in the court as the resort of a set of thieves whom he 79 had been watching for some time. Armed with a warrant, he and a comrade went to it, and soon returned with Frank's clothes; and with the old woman and Charley in custody. The gentleman who had been robbed, identified the latter as the real culprit, and withdrew the charge against Frank. He was therefore discharged, and Mr. Wilkinson sent him, under the care of the policeman, back to school, where they found Dr. Marshall, the headmaster, in a state of great anxiety about him. Though terribly ashamed of his adventure, Frank was thankful to find that the consequences of his accident had not been so bad as he expected. The explosion having been heard by the porter, who was watering the flower-beds at the time, he contrived to extinguish the flames with his engine before they had caught anything but a pile of newspapers that lay upon the table. The terror and misery which Frank had undergone in so short a time had a salutary effect upon his mind; he was convinced of the great importance of character, and that it is not one of the least misfortunes to have acquired an ill name. "THE QUIVER" BIBLE CLASS. 39. One of the prophets has been mentioned by an old writer as being especially "the comforter of captives." Give his name. 40. What prophet may be called "the prophetical apostle of the Gentiles ?" 41. What relation was Zeruiah to David? 42. Where, in Scripture, do we find the earliest mention of the building of an altar? 43. Of what king of Israel is it recorded that, soon after his anointing, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among the prophets? 44. Samuel was called a seer, but his later successors were called prophets. How do we know this? 45. The stem of what plant was anciently used for measurement, and where in the Old and New Testaments do we find mention of this? OPEN-AIR preaching is not very seductive work. | of their daughters, to bring them up in the nurture Volunteers, however, are not wanting to carry it on and admonition of the Lord. with persevering zeal, and, what is just as essential to success, a fitness for their self-imposed and entirely honorary duty. The Open Air Mission organises this sphere of missionary effort, and, judging from the results given in the last report of the society, upon a most admirable system. We select the following entry from a hundred others, first because it is one of the briefest, and next because it is a very fair specimen of the rest: Tranmere Wakes (or Fair) Cheshire, May, 1869.-The people here were very drunken and disorderly. There was a great deal of fighting among them. Fifty policemen were required to keep them in order. Edward Usher sold 400 Bibles, Testaments, and portions, in spite of the uproar, and in the midst of it. He says he never was in a worse place in his life: 10,000 tracts were given away among the people." THE MODERN PASSOVER.-The feast, as now held in London, is an attractive scene. We see a Jewish family around their table on the eve of the Passover. Everything is clean; all looks cheerful. The table, covered with a white fine linen cloth, handsomely laid out, the lamp burning brightly. In the middle of the table you see a large dish with three unleavened cakes, one placed upon the other. The uppermost is called Cohen, the next Levite, and the nethermost Israelite, representing the three classes existing amongst the Jews. Next to the large dish there are three smaller ones, filled with bitter herbs and sweet sauces, which are to be eaten in commemo A great deal done and very little said about it, ration of the bitter labour their forefathers had which is the true test of merit after all. THERE are chickweed friends, who shut themselves in at the slightest sign of cloudy weather. *WE recently came upon the information that "In India, out of more than 150,000,000 inhabitants under direct British dominion, 110,000,000 are Hindoos, 25,000,000 Mussulmans (a much smaller proportion than was popularly supposed); while 12,000,000 belong to tribes who descend from the occupiers of India before the Aryan immigration took place. There are 4,000,000 Buddhists and a few Jews and Parsees. The Roman Catholics claim 640,000 native adherents; chiefly found in the extreme south, and descended from the ancient community known as the Christians of St. Thomas. The Protestant missionaries estimated the numbers attached to their persuasion at 213,000 in 1862; but the total is thought to have greatly augmented since the date of that estimate, chiefly by conversion among the aboriginal tribes in remote parts of India, and in Burmah. The Christians of European and mixed origin are estimated at about 240,000.” to perform in Egypt, but sweetened by the hope of deliverance. Before each member of the family is placed a cup of wine, the cup of blessing; and presently the head of the family takes the cup in his hands and says, "Blessed art Thou, O eternal God, King of the universe!" Then the whole company lay hold on the dish in which the unleavened cakes are, lift it up, and say with a loud voice, "Lo, this is as the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let those who are hungry enter and eat thereof, and all who are necessitous come and celebrate the Passover. At present we celebrate it here, but next year we hope to celebrate it in the land of Israel. This year we are servants here, but next year we hope to be free men in the land of Israel." They then rehearse the whole history connected with their delivery and exodus from Egypt, after which they take supper; then follow prayer, praises, and for the coming of the Messiah; sing the wellhymns. They pray for their national restoration, known hymn, "The mighty God shall build his temple speedily;" and they conclude this joyful evening with calling out in Hebrew, "Next year we shall be at Jerusalem." All this is very interesting; THERE is profound truth in the statement of our but the Lamb, the Paschal Lamb, is not seen here! poet laureate, that women differ, "Worst and best, Not even its type or its shadow remains with the Jew. as heaven and hell." It has been noticed by an But why do the Jews not sacrifice their Paschal eminent writer that the fiercest persecutions have Lamb? They say, "Alas! now our temple has been been the result of female influence. "The most destroyed on account of our sins, the sacrifices have atrocious of the Pagan persecutions was attributed ceased, we have no more a priest who can offer the to the mother of Galerius; and in Christian times sacrifice; receive, therefore, our prayer instead of the Spanish Inquisition was founded by Isabella the the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, and restore to us Catholic; the massacre of St. Bartholomew was our temple; then we will offer unto thee the Paschal chiefly due to Catherine de Medicis; and the most Lamb in its season, as thou hast commanded us by horrible English persecution to Mary Tudor." Seeing thy servant Moses." What an excellent opportunity how much evil a bad woman can effect, and knowing is here given to the missionary to bring before the that they are equally powerful on the other hand for Jew, Christ the true Paschal Lamb! How often good, how careful ought parents be about the training | have we done so, here and elsewhere ?-Dr. Ewald. This shows how little has yet been done in that vast field of missionary labour. The Lord of the vineyard will surely reap a far greater harvest of fruit in the years to come. IT CHAPTER XVI.-FALSE! T was just a week since Sir Frederic Morton's been very small, and the step rather convenient aunt had come to take up her abode at the Tower. She considered this an act of condescension on her part. Indeed, if her jointure had not VOL. V. as regarded her finances, I doubt if she would have consented to it. But her husband had left her scarce standing room, in the gay circle in which 217 she loved to flutter, and she had been glad to retire said she, sharply. "And my dear little Parisian with dignity. Lady Peters was a thoroughly made-up person. Few women more so, even in this superficial age. She looked about thirty, but her nearest friends knew that there never was a greater mistake than to suppose so. She was not handsome, but what nature had failed to do, art attempted to achieve. There was a vast amount of style about her. Her hair, abundant enough after the modern idea of abundance, was dressed in the height of the fashion. Her complexion was got up to perfection. Her pearly rows of teeth were white and even. Her figure was youthful. Her dress was in the best possible taste. She could talk on almost any subject. She was “ up” in the most refined usages of society; to use a homely and familiar expression, she was a host in herself. "What a goose the girl is!" said her ladyship, as she reclined in an easy chair by the fire, opposite her nephew. She had just finished breakfast. He had been out some hours with his agent, and was ready for his lunch. bonnet, and the get-up I have prepared with such care! Ah, well-I am not quite come to that yet. I shall pack up my things—” "He is one of our richest men, too, almost a millionaire," continued Sir Frederic, carelessly, and as if it were an after thought. "A millionaire! Why on earth did you not tell me that at first, instead of talking about his honesty? You are the most obtuse young man of my acquaintance, Frederic. Of course, that quite alters the case, quite !" "It would not weigh with me an atom, if the man were not a good man,” said Sir Frederic, firmly. "Ah! that's just like you," and she held up her hands. "You always were so different to the rest of How you contrived to get those notions is perfectly mysterious." us. "I could easily tell you, aunt." "Could you? I should really like to know out of curiosity." "From the Bible," and the young man spoke solemnly, and with feeling. Yet he was almost, not “I don't think so, aunt. I think it was the right quite, persuaded to be a Christian. His character thing to do." lacked one element-decision. "Nonsense about right!" said his aunt, sharply. She did not speak for a moment or two. Some"You have such absurd notions, Frederic. The thing restrained her. Then she said, as if to change right thing is what will forward our own interests the subjectthe most." She never cared to keep the mask on before her nephew. 66 I think you told me they talked of calling ?" They did, and I fancy here they are. Yes, the carriage is at the door," said Sir Frederic, rising He buried his face in the paper he was reading, and looking out. instead of making any reply. "Only that of course she will turn the child off, if the arrangement becomes inconvenient," continued her ladyship. "Dear me what Vandalism! at this hour, too, when one might be in bed." "You forget Mr. Easton is a millionaire." "No, I don't. I think-well, it is very shocking, and I a Morton, and a Peters, and with the best blood in the kingdom running in my veins. But I think I had better tolerate them." "I think you had, aunt." He spoke dryly, and opened the door for her to pass. Just for one moment there came a very unpleasant look into her face; a look so unwomanly, so unamiable, so thoroughly unchristian, that we are glad to turn away from it. It was gone directly. She entered the drawing-room beaming with smiles. It was part of her tactics to adapt herself to her society. "Adaptation is just everything," she would say to her nephew, "the mainspring of popularity." It was her policy, now, to be as neighbourly as possible. "I am so glad! it is so kind of you," she said, advancing to her visitors with the utmost cordiality. "This is really what I call neighbourly!" "We have taken the earliest opportunity of paying our respects to your ladyship,” replied Mr. Easton, with his usual stiff courtesy. "I hope you are pleased with the neighbourhood." "Oh, I am charmed with it! It is so peaceful IN DUTY BOUND. and retired about here. I love retirement," said she, with enthusiasm, and yet giving a quick glance towards where Adela sat, entertained by Sir Frederic. "Come, my dear Frederic, I want to talk to Miss Easton. I have so long desired to make her acquaintance;" and very gracefully, and, as it seemed, with perfect innocence, she dislodged him. Sir Frederic walked over to Mr. Easton. 33 he; "but I hate being mixed up with other people's affairs. And what do I know of the Ormonds ?" "Of course," Lady Peters was saying to Adela, at the other end of the room-" of course, I have heard of your act of generosity. How very good of you! It is just what I should have done myself." "Should you?" Adela's keen, sensible eye rather disconcerted her. "I am so fond of children. I dote on them. "And how goes on the Ormond business ?" asked Pray, is it a boy or a girl ?" Mr. Easton. "Well, not so very satisfactorily;" and he drew Sir Frederic into the bay window. “A girl.” "How old ?" place is very much neglected." "Does he?" There was distrust in the tone, and distrust in the the white handkerchief was raised to her eyes. heart. was such a trial." Sibley says the "She is nearly two years old.” "It Adela wondered what for. "He is so sensitive, my boy is-too much so almost to live. That is why I call him 'poor fellow.' Adela listened. The word "sensitive" struck her ear. "The truth is, he does not mix much with the world. He has always given himself up to literary pursuits. He is a musician and an artist. His pictures are beautiful!" "An artist!" said Adela, with interest. "Yes. He is coming here to sketch, soon. I want him to make some sketches about Bramley Hall, if your father would permit." "Oh, we should be very pleased!" And then she stopped. She had spoken with unusual warmth, and she checked herself. She was thinking of Margaret's husband. Mr. Easton smiled. "What terms did he make? How do you like her?" This is of the most consequence," said he. "No terms at all. Would you believe it? They deny the existence of a debt I had against their father." "Do they?" "Yes; and refuse a really fair offer I made them for the estate. They would have had a good sum left after paying this debt. I shall not make the offer again. I will not expose Sibley" "Excuse me. What a famous view you have from this window!" interrupted Mr. Easton, with the air of a man who is being pressed too far. "I call it quite a grand landscape." And having given the conversation this little turn, he contrived to keep it in a different groove. "I know Sibley is a rascal, and perhaps I ought to say so," thought |