touch, and with a long, weary sigh, Maggie opened her eyes. The next moment she closed them again; but they knew that her life was saved.

Meanwhile Mr. Graham had sent help to the frightened and bewildered inmates of the basement, and they had all been brought up from their wretched abode. The mother lay on the bed in the room of one of the women who had come down to Maggie's assistance, having been carried there by Mr. Graham, assisted by the landlord himself, who had been so much startled by that gentleman's threat of placing him under arrest, that he was more than willing to aid him in every possible way. The room was but a poor, mean place at the best, the whole house being rather a tumble-down affair; but the windows were whole, and a bright fire burned in the stove, and it seemed a sort of little heaven to the suffering mother and children.

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Amy," said Mary, as they sat close by the stove, enjoying to the full the delicious warmth, and busily engaged in eating huge slices of bread and butter, "I guess this is the first time we ever had a good big bit of bread and a warm fire the same day. Maggie told us God would send it by-and-by. And He did,- didn't He ?"

Yes," said Amy, with her mouth as full as it could hold. "Aint God good to little girls?"

When Maggie opened her eyes again, they met a look so sweet and tender, from a face bending over her, that she asked in a soft whisper,—

"Is it an angel?"

There was no answer given. The whisper was so low that it had not been heard; so Maggie spoke again "Is this heaven ?"

"No, dear. This is not heaven," said a voice as gentle as the face.

"Then is it only a beautiful lady?" asked Maggie, in the same low tone.

my

"It is only a lady; yes. What did you think it was, child?"

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I thought it was an angel. Has Jesus come?" Mrs. Graham, the lady who was watching her, thought that her mind was wandering, so she said kindly,

"Don't talk any more now, dear. Lie still and rest.” "But I want to know so bad," said Maggie. "Please tell me, did He come? I did all I could, and then I just waited for Him to do the rest. Margery said He would." "I don't quite know what you mean, my child."

"Why, Jesus gives us our daily bread, you know, and the children had no bread nor fire, and we were waiting for him did He send it ?"

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Yes, He sent it.

and your mother, too.

The children are fast asleep upstairs, They are all very comfortable.” "I knew He would send it some time," said Maggie, earnestly, "'cause He always does: but, oh, He was long coming to-night, and it was so dreadful cold! He was so long coming, that if it had been any one else I'd a'most thought He'd forgot all about His promise. But then, Jesus never does forget."

"Is this Mr. Hill's room?" asked Maggie, after a few moments' silence.

"Yes: you are in the room behind the store."

"Is it night yet, or is it morning?"

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It is a little after midnight. My husband came here and found you sick with the cold, and brought you up into this room. We have been waiting here until you were better, but I think we may leave you now. This woman is going to sit up with you, and I shall come back in the morning. Good-night."

"Good-night,.dear lady. Do angels look like you?" The lady only smiled and kissed her forehead.

"If they do," said Maggie, "heaven must be very beautiful."

It was a new, strange feeling to the child to rest there, perfectly at ease, feeling that she was closely watched and tended. A strange feeling, but a very pleasant one. It was delightful to lie in that sort of doze, with a shaded lamp burning on the hearth, and the room so still that she could hear the very breathing of her nurse, with no troubling thoughts of the morrow pressing upon her. For a long while she lay in that state of wakeful repose, and then she sank into a soft refreshing sleep.

CHAPTER VII.

TWO LITTLE SANTA CLAUSES.

was the

"MERRY Christmas, father! merry Christmas! cry which awakened Mr. Graham the next morning. He would have been glad if his morning nap had not been broken into quite so early, for his night's rest had been but short; but sleeping was entirely out of the question with a tiny sprite in a white night-dress, dancing about the room in the highest state of excitement over a well-filled stocking which she held in her hand, and so he roused himself up to lift her on the bed, for the little rosetinted feet were bare, and he feared that she might take cold.

"See, father, see!" exclaimed Bessie, pouring out her treasures upon the bed. "There is a box of cream-drops, and a beautiful ring, and lots of candies and mottoes; and see, father, what Santa Claus has put in here! I guess he's made a mistake, and meant this box for somebody else, because I don't know how to play with such a funnylooking thing."

She had drawn from the stocking a small black box, prettily carved, and, opening it, displayed it to her father.

"It's got a kind of a round thing in there, and that's all covered with little prickers. And there's a thing like a comb in it. I could use that comb for my dolly's hair, only I can't get hold of it, 'cause there's a glass over it. What did Santa Claus give me such a queer thing for, father?"

"Did Santa Claus leave a key in the box?" said Mr. Graham.

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Yes, it's somewhere in here," said Bessie, plunging her hand into the depths of the stocking. "Here it is, right down in the toe; the tiniest little key that ever you saw. Look!" and she held it up before him, expecting him to close the box and lock it.

But instead of that, he placed the key in a small hole in the side, turned it once or twice, and laid the box down on a table which stood at the head of the bed. For a moment Bessie sat in silent surprise, and then, with one quick bound, she sprang from the bed, crying out,-O Alice! Alice! come quick. That box in my stocking had a music shut up in it, and it's coming out. Come quick, before it all runs out. Oh, it's too beautiful! it's too beautiful!" and she danced about in a perfect ecstasy of delight.

Alice came running in, as if in answer to her call; but, to Bessie's great surprise, she paid no heed whatever to the tinkling music of the box, but ran straight to her mother; and even Bessie's attention was diverted from her treasure when she saw that Alice's face was wet with tears. "Crying on Christmas!" she exclaimed, in dismay. Why, Alice, no one ever cries on Christmas!"

"I don't believe it's true," sobbed Alice. "Mother, Jane says that father found a little girl almost frozen to death last night, and she hadn't any bread to eat, and she was nearly dead, and she kept the baby warm when she was freezing herself, and the mother's very sick, and they were all in a cellar under a house, and the little girl had nothing but an old torn frock on, and--and

But here Alice paused for breath, fairly exhausted by her own vehemence.

"It is true, my darling," said her mother, taking her on her lap. "That sad story is all true; but the poor people have been made more comfortable, and we must see what we can do for them to-day."

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Why didn't the little girl have any bread to eat?" asked Bessie, wonderingly.

"Because the mother had none to give her, and they were so poor that they had no money to buy any," said her mother.

"Then why didn't she take a piece of cake, or some rice and chicken? I think rice and chicken is ever so much better than bread: it's real good."

"But there was nothing there to eat, Bessie; nothing at all," said Alice: "no bread, nor meat, nor potatoes, nor anything."

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"O Alice!" exclaimed Bessie, very incredulously. "It's true, mother says it is," said her sister. "And Jane says, that when the little girl got better, the first thing she wanted to know was whether the daily bread had come for the other children. She says the prayer just like we do, Bessie. Don't you Give us this day our daily bread?'"

know how we always say,

"Yes," replied Bessie. I'm sorry for her if she had nothing to eat; but maybe there is something good in her stocking this morning. I wonder if Santa Claus took her a box with music in it ?"

"Santa Claus did not go to see her at all, dear," said Mrs. Graham. "How would my two little girls like to be the Santa Claus for those poor children to-day?"

"Oh, that would be nice!" said Alice, eagerly: "wouldn't it, Bessie?"

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Yes," said Bessie. Only we haven't got the long white hair, nor the reindeer for the sleigh, nor the bags full of toys."

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