hand. And he said to his own heart, 'I too shall be a painter, and paint the trees my mother loves, and the brooksides where Jean and Katie play.' But the realization of Willie's hopes seemed very far off indeed.

When the mother came home, all together told the story of the painter in the wood. 'And he is coming to see us,' said Katie and Jean in one breath.

Well, perhaps he may,' said the mother, pleased in her children's pleasure; 'he's been a kind gentleman, but you must not expect he will come out of his way to see little girls like you.'

'He's quite sure to come, mother,' said Katie and Jean speaking together again, ' he said he would.'

'Then we 'll give him our best welcome, wont we, Willie?"

And Willie looked up with a smile so bright, it went to his mother's heart. For she was a timid woman. Her sorrows had made her so always the shadow of fear darkling over her hopes. And what if another lamp were only lighted to go out in her poor boy's life.

That night the sun set, and the moon came out above the oaks, and the sleepy voices of the children said their evening hymn beside their mother's knee :

'Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh;
Shadows of the evening steal across the sky.
Now the darkness gathers, stars begin to peep;
Bird and beast and flower soon will be asleep.
Jesus, give the weary calm and sweet repose;
With thy tenderest blessing may our eyelids close.
Grant to little children visions bright of Thee;
Guard the sailors tossing on the deep blue sea.
Through the long night watches may thine angels
spread

Their white wings before us watching round our bed.'

But, when the young spirits were far in the soft land of dreams, the mother's low voice was pleading with a fervour deepened by the fear, and once and again she rose to look at her sleeping boy.

'Yet if the way be homeward,' said the mother, 'it is well; if the dear Lord take my beloved to the Father's house at eventide.'

The painter did come. It was in the warm afternoon, when the cottage was all in a glow in its moss and its ivy-wreaths.

107

153. What was the punishment for murder? Death.

154. Whose duty was it to seize the murderer? The nearest of kin.

155. If the murder was accidental, what place of safety was provided?

The six cities of Refuge.

156. What was the punishment for blasphemy? Death.

157. Who was put to death under this law?

Jesus Christ, because He said He was the Son of God.

158. How was the punishment of death inflicted? By stoning.

159. Was crucifixion a Jewish mode of punishment?

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2 Rally round the temp'rance standard;
In the war against the foe
Who will lead the glorious vanguard,
Who will strike the conquering blow?
Strike now, in and out of season,
Dash aside the poison bowl;
Save immortal man his reason,
Strike the fetters from his soul.

Paisley J AND R. PARLANE]

:

3 Rally round the temp'rance banner,
On the hill-tops let it wave;
Young and old, with loud hosanna,
Cheer the hearts ye toil to save.
Wives and childron, join your praises,
Fill the air with glad refrain;

As the daffodils and daisies
Breathe their perfume after rain.

[London: HOULSTON AND SONS.

ARCHIE'S AQUARIUM.

DON'T know how it is, and I don't know whether everybody will agree with me, but it always seems easier to begin, than to finish. My little friend

Archie found it so, for one morning he began with great zeal to build a castle on the sand; he dug the foundation deep-no sand castle should have a deeper foundation than Archie's-and he dug with a will. But while digging, his little spade struck against a stone-a big, heavy stone, which would take time and trouble to dislodge. How tiresome,' said he, 'Oh I needn't dig any further, I'm sure it's deep enough. I'll build the walls,' so saying he fills his small bucket with moist sand, pressed down and patted with his spade; the moulds so made he turns out till he has a row of little sand loaves, and eight of these loaves are to be the measure of the thickness of his walls. By the time the wall has risen to the height of his knees, he begins to think, 'I'm tired of building this wall, I'm making it too thick, four pailfuls will be enough.' So four of the last pailfuls are kicked away by Archie's impatient little foot, and alas, for the wall deprived of some of its support-down it comes, and away goes the rest of Archie's patience. No more castle-building for to-day. He throws himself beside the ruins in despair. Suddenly some idea comes into his head. His eye brightens. I'll do it,' says he.

'Mamma,' he cries, running up to his mother who is sitting reading not very far away. Mamma, may I make an Aquarium?' Make what, Archie?'

'An Aquarium, mamma-a case full of sea-water, where you can keep little fishes and dog-crabs and sea-anemones and-oheverything as long as you like. You know, mamına, like cousin Mabel's. And my little book about the sea-side tells how you to make one, and I know too-so do let me mamma, do say yes!'

'Well, Archie, if I say yes, will you promise me not only to begin, but to finish this Aquarium, for, if I remember right, there are some twenty things at home begun |

by a certain little boy-begun and not finished. And, oh, Archie, those poor little white mice you

Oh, but mamma, that was when I was a very little boy; I know better now, and this is quite different. Do say yes— do-please mamma."

'Well, Archie, then it is yes. But are you sure you do know how to begin?'

'0, yes, mamma, I'm quite sure.' And without waiting to hear anything more, away he ran to the rocks and pools at low-water mark.

An hour or two has passed and here he comes, both hands laden with sea-treasures; in one hand his little bucket filled to the brim with living creatures, chiefly dog-crabs, and one large starfish, in the other his spade and a huge piece of bladder-wrack.

Well, Archie,' says his mamma, is this a beginning, a first instalment for your Aquarium?

A beginning, mamma! it is the whole of my Aquarium. I'm going to put it all into my big glass jar at home. See, they are all alive!

'Yes, Archie, I see,' said his mamma laughing, and I see too that if you are not careful, that nearest crab will nip your fingers.' Archie started and set down the bucket in a great hurry. But, surely, Archie,' she went on, you are not going to cram all those poor creatures pell-mell into a jar?'

'O, no, of course I'll fill it with seawater first, and I'll put in some sea-weed. Look here! and he waved the long brown wrack in triumph.

But, Archie, that weed won't do; it is too large and too coarse, and as for this starfish-if you left him long in your jar he would empty it-eat all the little fishes and even your dog-crabs; he is a most voracious creature.'

all too big for the large pools on the shore, so Archie, we will just take them back and put them where you found them. And then, if you still wish for an Aquarium, which means, Archie, a home-a watery home for these creatures, we must first make this home ready for them, before we tear them away from their own nice cool home under the weedy rocks. Come, Archie, don't you think so too?'

'G, yes, mamma, let us take them back directly.'

And the bucket was soon emptied, much sooner than it was filled; the starfish back in the pool, and the little green dog-crabs scuttling away over the sands on their eight funny little legs.

Now, mamma, said Archie, swinging the empty bucket, we can begin properly, can't we?'

'Not just yet, for I don't quite know how to set about it. I must learn; but, don't look so disconsolate, Archie, I have a little book at home which will tell us all we want to know. After dinner we will read this book and then we can begin.'

In the evening Archie and his mother are again among the rocks and pools at low tide. The large glass jar is there too, filled-not quite to the brim with nice clear sea-water.

"That will do, Archie, and now for our rocks and weed; not that large rock nor that coarse weed. See this delicate green fan-shaped weed fringing the pool; this is the right kind. Stop, don't tear it, take your little hammer and break off a small piece of the rock with it; that will do, now you see, we have rock, sea-weed and all.'

'Is that little piece enough, mamma?'

Yes, I think so-well-perhaps we may as well have this pretty purple piece and that bit of coralline; a piece of Irish moss, if we could find it, would set us up nicely. All these must now be placed at the bottom of the jar with clear sand and a few pebbles, and then, before adding the live stock, we must wait a day or two to give our weeds time to grow.'

111

'Wait, oh, mamma, can't we do it all to-day?' said Archie disconsolately.

'Well, I daresay, we might collect our live stock and keep them in a basin for a day or so. We'll begin with anemones. Do you know what to look for, Archie?'

'O, yes, mamma, pretty things like flowers, red, yellow and green; I know.' 'Look down the side of this rock; here are your flowers, but they are closed at present.'

Where, mamma, not those ugly little lumps of dull red jelly?'

'Yes,' Archie, these are anemones; we'll take about a dozen of them. Stop, stop, you will hurt the poor things if you tear them so roughly from the rock. See, I just slip my finger-nail under them, or take this little paper-knife,—that will do nicely. Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve dark red, olive green and tawny yellow. Yes, we have enough.'

Have we, mamma? is the Aquarium finished then?'

'Not yet, Archie, for I see by my book that if we had only these anemones, by themselves, the water would soon become foul; tiny animals, you would need a microscope to see, would breed and die, and that would make the jar a bad place for your friends to live in. So to keep the water clear, we shall want a scavengerturn up this stone, Archie, here he is—this little brown and white crab, with his flat claws neatly folded up and tucked into his shell. Put him into this wet sea-weed, and when he unfolds his claws, you'll soon see what nice little brushes and combs nature has provided him with to sweep the water clean of animalculæ. We shall just add a prawn and a shrimp or two, and then, Archie, your Aquarium will be complete.' How nice, then, mamma, it is really finished.'