cious one, Winny condescended to compliment him on the manner in
which his letters, large and small, were gotten up.

"They ought to be nice," Tode explained, "the way I worked at 'em! It
took me a week off and on, to make that K crook in and out, and up and
down, as it ought to. Dora Hastings, she told me about 'em, and made the
patterns. You don't know Dora Hastings, do you?"

"No, I never heard of her; but these are not patterns, they are copies;
and there is no such word as ''em,' which you keep using so much. Our
teachers told us so to-day."

"What's the reason there isn't?"

"Well, because there _isn't_; it's '_them_' and not ''em' at all. And
you use a great many words that they wouldn't allow you to if you went
to school."

"Well then," said Tode, with unfailing good nature, "don't _you_ let me
say 'em then--no, I mean '_them_.' You're the school misses, and I'm
your school. Go on about the other things."

It was a busy evening. Arithmetic, except so much as had been required
to count his small income, proved to be a sealed book to Tode; but the
energy with which he began at the beginning, and tried to learn every
word in it, was quite soothing to the heart of the young teacher.

The little mother sat at the end of the table, and sewed industriously
on the clothes that she had washed and ironed during the day; but when a
queer little old clock in the corner struck nine, she bit off her thread
and fastened her needle on the yellow cushion, and interrupted the
students.

"Now, deary, let's put away our work. You've made a first-rate
beginning, but it's time now to read your piece of a chapter, and then
we'll have a word of prayer and get to our beds, so we can all be up
bright and early in the morning."

Tode closed his book promptly, and looked on with eager satisfaction
while Winny produced an old worn, much-used Bible--a whole Bible! and
composedly turned over its pages with the air of one who was quite
accustomed to handle the wonderful book.

"Where shall I read to-night, mother?" she asked.

"Well, deary, suppose you read what John says about the many mansions
that they're getting ready for us."

"John didn't say it, mother," answered Winny, gravely. "Jesus said it
himself."

"Yes, deary, but John heard him say it, and wrote it down for us."

So Tode listened, and heard for the first time in his life these blessed
words:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in