CHRISTIANITY, indeed!" said Mr. Edmonds, as he looked over his books, in the little back parlour behind the shop: "I am disgusted with such hypocrisy !

There was a dark frown upon the brow of the man of business as he spoke these Fords, and an irritability in his manner of tarring over the leaves before him, which poke of some bad debt troubling his mind, and robbing him of his good temper.

"What is the matter?" asked a cheerful little woman by the fire, at whose side basket of stockings told of a large family, and a consequent demand for stitchery. "Matter!" echoed the husband; you not know that Welsford owes me four pounds ten and sixpence ?"

do

Well, he will pay, I suppose?" "Not he! The goods were purchased more than a year ago, and I have not had a penny yet!

"What does he say when you see him ?" ked Mrs. Edmonds, who evidently loved to look at the bright side.

Say? he does not say much to me, I can tell you. I told him not to worry me Fa his excuses, but to bring his money; that he need not cross my door-step ain until he could do that."

"I am sorry for his wife," said the little ching-mender, presently: "she appears be a truly pious woman.' Pious "retorted her husband; " yes, is he 'tis that disgusts me. Regin, indeed! and he owes me four pounds sixpence. I thought the Bible said Ore no man anything. Christianity,

forsooth!"

Mr. Caleb Edmonds was a highly repectable grocer in the town of Marlby; in a man of substance, for business had pered with him. He was industrious obliging; rising early, working hard; thus from small beginnings he had to the possession of considerable Fath. But although an excellent man finess, Mr. Edmonds was a very ordiChristian. True, he had begun the

Mit but he did not press toward the mark. As for "the cares of this world, and the defulness of riches"! And, as it is

characteristic of a low standard of piety to be harsh and censorious in our judgment of our fellow-Christians, so Mr. Edmonds, when he heard of any defect in the character of professors around him, was always the first to exclaim, "Christianity, indeed!"

Is not this too common with us all? Do we not, even if we give no expression to our thoughts, doubt and hesitate much more than we should doubt and hesitate, regarding the reality of the religion of our Ready-to-halts" and " "Feeble-minds"? Do we not set up a standard of perfection for our fellows, which is too lofty, in our view, as a standard for ourselves? and are we not too ready to exclaim against the wanderings of others, even while we turn aside into forbidden paths?

Perhaps such thoughts as these had passed through the mind of Mrs. Edmonds as she sat over her work; for when she rose to leave her basket for some more active household duty, she bent over her husband for a moment, and said gently, "Caleb, I do not like to hear you say, 'Christianity, indeed!' as you did just now. Suppose your fellow-Christians were to judge of you as harshly as you of them! You often say it," she continued, hastily: (C you doubted John Watson's religion yesterday because he lent money to your rival, and Thornton's because he opposes you in business; and you shook your head

about Miss Milwood's piety because she argued with you against total abstinence! Judge not, that ye be not judged."

Long after his wife left him these words rang in Caleb's ears: Judge not!"

At last, as he sat in the twilight, between sleeping and waking-for business was very dull, and he could spare half an hour for rest-a vision stole upon him, and he passed, in imagination, rapidly through the scenes which follow.

At first he found himself in the front parlour of a house in a very quiet neighbourhood, and in the presence of three maiden ladies, whose names he knew very well. They had their feet upon the fender, and, their knitting laid aside, were evidently discussing the affairs of their neighbours.

"Such pride! " said the elder lady, whose name was Rayby: "what will come next, I wonder?"

"The most fashionable boarding-school in R, I assure you," said anotherMiss Phillip.

"Ah!" said Miss Rayby, "and I can remember the time-of course I was very young then, but still I can rememberwhen Caleb Edmonds swept out his own shop!"

"Dear me! and now he has the upstart impudence to send his girl to such a school as that!" exclaimed Miss Sophia Milwood, the spinster who had not yet spoken. "Oh, the pride of human nature!"

"And he a professor, too!"

"Professor!" said Miss Rayby; "religion does not teach a man such absurd pride as that!"

Miss Phillip shook her head, and began to lament the increase of false professors. "Well," thought Caleb, "I believed that in spending some of my cash upon the education of my children I could not go very far wrong; but I find I am misunderstood even here."

The next scene was the drawing-room of the very John Watson of whom Mrs. Edmonds had spoken. A lady was making tea behind a silver urn, and a gentleman, her husband, sat beside her.

"Poor Thornton!" said Mrs. Watsonfor it was she-" I trust he will succeed." "He shall, if, by God's blessing, I can compass it!"

"He is a very deserving young man," continued the lady: "the manner in which he bore the loss of all his property would win esteem, even if he had no other claim."

Mr. Watson did not reply: his mind had wandered to another branch of the subject. "That Caleb Edmonds," he said at length, "I am surprised at the ill-feeling he displays."

"Towards Thornton ?"

tr

"Yes; he is evidently annoyed at the opening of another shop so near his own; whereas, in the principal street of a town like this, he should have expected competition. Besides, he has made a little fortune, and has nothing to fear; yet he will not treat George Thornton with ordinary_civility."

"I thought he was a religious man," said Mrs. Watson.

"He pretends to be," replied her husband, "but I have not much faith in

a religion which brings forth so little fruit!"

the

Poor Caleb! his wife's words. Master's words-still sounded in his ears as they had never done before, meeting with a responsive echo in his heart.

Again a change, and Mr. Edmonds found himself beside a sickly looking woman, who, leaning on her husband's arm, walked slowly towards the house of prayer. It was impossible to look without interest upon her pale and anxious face, a face which had once been beautiful, and equally impossible to disregard the careful tenderness with which her steps were guided by the strong man at her side. Their conversation, too, was worthy of remark: they were speaking of the consolations of the Gospel.

"Who knows?" exclaimed the invalid, "perhaps there may be words just suited to our case this morning; words for the poor!"

"Poor as regards this world only, Mary!

י!

Her eyes brightened as she looked up cheerfully. "Yes, yes; rich in treasure far more costly than earth's gold. God help us to look up, and to trust him for the 'meat that perisheth."'

They walked on for awhile, and then the wife said mournfully, "I sometimes fear that it is pride which makes me shrink from meeting Mr. Edmonds, but I do shrink from it. Oh, if we could but pay him!"

"We shall be able to do so soon, I hope," said Welsford: "it has been a hard struggle, Mary, starvation almost, but I think it is nearly over."

Ah, it was all for me! I am sure Mr. Edmonds would be patient, if he knew how much you spent in medicines for me, and how little work you have!"

"He is patient, after a fashion; and we have reason to be thankful for that: still he has said some crushing things to me; harsh things, which he may live to repent, things which have made me doubt his Christianity."

"Nay," said Mrs. Welsford gently; "I would not judge him: how many inconsistent things we do!"

"You are right. I may not lift my voice: alas, but little likeness to my Lord is found in me!"

Again the echoing voice thrilled through the soul of the listener; again he heard the

words," Judge not ;" and as he dwelt upon them the vision slowly faded, and he, Bunyan-like, awoke, "and behold it was a dream!" But the lesson of the dream was not quite lost upon him, for he awoke to a deeper spirit of Christian charity, a nobler self-denial, a holier humility, a nearer likeness to Jesus. He had been taught in that brief twilight musing one of the grand old lessons of the book of God.

The fireside morning worship was just ended, and Charles Welsford was about to go forth to his daily toil, when a gentle knock at the door spoke of a visitor. How great was the surprise of all when Caleb Edmonds entered!

"You are come, sir——”

"I am am come," said the grocer, interrupting him, "to express my hope that you are not under any concern about the little amount you owe me. Take your time, my good air; take your time.”

The poor man's eyes were filled with tears, as, grasping the outstretched hand, he tried to speak his thanks.

"My wife," said Mr. Edmonds, turning towards Mrs. Welsford, "put something into my hand, just as I left, for you, ma'am" and forth from his capacious pockets came tea, sugar, biscuits, from the good wife's ample store, till Mary's eyes too filled with grateful tears.

"And now," said the visitor kindly, "don't forsake the shop: get your little parcels there, and pay just when it suits you. By the way, if a sovereign would be of any service to you, I have one which will burn a hole in my pocket, as the saying goes, unless I give it to somebody." And before they could reply he had laid the coin upon the table and was gone. "Mary," said Mr. Welsford, thank God for this."

"let us

They knelt, and, as he breathed forth his heart's gratitude, his wife wept tears of joy, and even the voices of their little ones murmured the "Amen."

But Mr. Edmonds did not stop at this : it was to him Charles Welsford owed a situation which soon after placed him far above the reach of want; it was to him he owed a host of kindly deeds, which came like sunshine to his inmost soul.

We hasten on. Not alone in this regard was Caleb Edmonds changed; for, two days after his strange dream, he walked into his rival's shop, shook hands, invited him to drink tea at his house, spoke

pleasantly about their "opposition," and even hinted at his own retirement at some future day, when his new friend would have " a better chance"!

And from that time the charity which "suffereth long, and is kind;" "is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;' "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things," held an almost undisputed sway over the heart of Caleb Edmonds; and ever was the maxim of the Bible borne in mind, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

THE BLIND BOY.

IT was a blessed summer day:
The flowers bloomed, the air was mild,
The little birds poured forth their lay,
And everything in nature smiled.
In pleasant thoughts I wandered on
Beneath the deep wood's ample shade,
Till suddenly I came upon
Two children, who had thither strayed.
Just at an aged birch-tree's foo
A little boy and girl reclined:
His hand in hers she kindly put,
And then I saw the boy was blind.
The children knew not I was near-
A tree concealed me from their view;
But all they said I well could hear,
And I could see all they might do.
"Dear Mary," said the poor blind boy,
"The little bird sings very long :
Say, do you see him in his joy?
And is he pretty as his song?"
"Yes, Edward, yes," replied the maid,
"I see that bird on yonder tree:
The poor boy sighed, and gently said,
cr Sister, I wish that I could see.
"The flowers, you say, are very fair,
And bright green leaves are on the trees,
And pretty birds are singing there-
How beautiful for one who sees!
"Yet I the fragrant flowers can smell,
And I can feel the green leaf's shade;
And I can hear the notes that swell
From those dear birds that God has made.
"So, sister, God to me is kind,
Though sight, alas! he has not given:
But tell me, are there any blind
Among the children up in heaven?
"No, dearest Edward; there all see-
But why ask me a thing so odd ? "
"Oh, Mary, he's so good to me,
I thought I'd like to look at God!"