ther a hundred pounds, before she was forty years old, and that hundred pounds she gave for building a small chapel in the village where she was born. How much this made me wish I had begun betimes! But could I not do more than I was doing? Might I not give more than a tithe? I thought this over, and concluded that I might if I pleased.

It was not long before I heard a sermon on the words, "What do ye more than OTHERS?" The preacher asked what we did more than the heathen, and told us about their grand idol-temples, such as that of "Diana of the Ephesians," which we read of in the book of Acts. He asked us what we did more than the Jews, telling us how willingly they worked for the tabernacle in the days of Moses, and how largely they gave to the temple in the time of David. Then he spoke of the word "MORE;" and reminded us how the early Christians did more than either heathens Jews, for they sold their lands, and possessions, and goods, for the gospel's sake, and in a time of famine the disciples gave, 66 every one according to his ability," for the relief of the brethren. And "what do YE more than others?" he asked, bidding us remember how much better off we were than the heathen and the Jew, and saying that if God had done more" for us than He had for them, we ought to do "more" for Christ's cause than they did for their religion.

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I had known already that I might give more than a tithe; but I had never till now felt any strong wish to do it. A little spark of gratitude was, however, rising up at the bottom of my heart. There are few souls so dead that there is no good feeling of any kind at work. This is one reason why we so often deceive ourselves as to what we are. We fix our gaze on the little glimmer of good, and close our eye to the mass of darkness which is all around it. But I must go back to what I was saying. God, I knew, had dealt very kindly with me; and I felt that I owed Him much. That day I could not help thinking how different my case was from the lot of such an one as myself among the ancient Israelites. I called to mind the passages which forbid " a foreigner or a hired servant" to eat of the passover. I knew there was nothing of the kind in the New Testament. I knew that, in Christ, there is "neither bond nor free," but that the ordinances of God's house are open to masters and servants alike; for even Onesimus the slave was 66 a brother beloved." I now felt inclined to give more largely to God's cause than I had ever done before. I resolved to double my subscriptions; to put half-crowns into the plate, where I had been used to put shillings, and shillings where I had been used to put sixpences, and a three-penny or fourpenny piece where I had been used to put in alfpence. I began to be "a cheerful giver;"

I no longer grudged what I gave to God's service. I learned to take delight in giving. I felt the truth of Christ's words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." But this new feeling brought with it a snare. I was now set upon doing things on a large scale; and I went to the extreme. I began to feed my pride, and forgot all about prudence. The consequence was, that I could no longer save so much as I had done. I must own, I certainly felt rather disappointed. I believe I had fancied that the more I gave, the more I should surely get. I did not see that I was now going beyond the limits of the promise, and that it is not honouring to God, when we are generous before we are just, or prodigal where we ought to be careful.

But I was not left to reap the full fruit of my folly, nor did God altogether cease to fill my purse. When 1842 began-the year Master Harry was born,-it looked up with a smile, just as the babe's sweet face did; and by the summer, I found I had managed to save three pounds out of my wages. Things seemed to be brightening again. Then in 1843 I had a wonderful help. I went down into the kitchen one evening, and there I found the cook looking over a newspaper, which some friend had sent her. "Oh, dear!" she said, "I wish my name was Nancy Yates." Nancy Yates?" I said: "why, that was my name before I was married." " Nancy Yates

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your name? why, then, look here!" I glanced at it, and read, "If this meets the eye NANCY YATES, who lived in service at in the years 1804 and 1805, she is requested to send her address to B. H., post-office, Ripon, Yorkshire, when she will hear of something to her advantage." It was for me, true enough. I sent off a letter by post. Two days after, I had an answer, telling me where to call, to receive the five pounds due to me as a "twelvemonth's wages unpaid." It was in a lady's hand, and I guessed it was my former mistress's writing. I called, gave their name, and re

ceived the five-pound note. That year I added eight pounds to Mrs. Bartlett's five.

The increase of my interest was another thing that helped me on; for now that I had £75 in the bank, this was beginning to bring me in near upon fifty shillings a year. In one way and another, my little sum had mounted up to something worth thinking about. Since I had begun to set apart my money for good objects, I had begun to receive "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." But yet I was not easy in my mind; for there was matter-one sad matter-about which I sometimes felt my conscience give me a secret sting, and which I must now go on to tell.

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CHAPTER X

THE MISTAKEN EXCUSE.

I HAVE already mentioned father's death. This took place in the autumn of 1839. What with his long illness, and mother's having had to wait on him instead of going out to work, there was not enough to pay the funeral; and she had to begin her lone life as a widow in debt. She struggled hard, and at last cleared off the whole. But when this was done, she found that she was getting old and weak. Few would employ her, when they could get stronger women to do the work quicker and better. It is true she had only herself to provide for, as my eldest sister was dead, and the rest were well placed out. If we had all clubbed together, we might have supported among us. It is not my wish to say evil of any who are gone, nor of who like myself have one foot treading close on the brink of the grave. So I only say, we did not do this. If I had been right-minded, I should have said, "The less others do, the more is left for me to undertake." But I had no such feeling. I was bent on giving and getting; and I regarded mother's claims as a hindrance.

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