God to forgive me; and I think that He
has heard my prayer, for I feel happier than I did."

"But have you thought, Henry, of the great wrong which you have done?"

"Yes, mamma, I have been thinking of it a great deal; I know that what
I did this morning was a very great sin."

"Why do you say this morning?" said Mrs. Fairchild; "the sin that you
committed was the work of several days."

"How, mamma?" said Henry; "I was not two minutes stealing the apple,
and papa found it out before breakfast."

"Still, my dear," said Mrs. Fairchild, "that sin was the work of many
days." Henry listened to his mother, and she went on speaking: "Do you
remember those little chickens which came out of the eggs in the hen's
nest last Monday morning?"

"Yes, mamma," said Henry.

"Do you think," said Mrs. Fairchild, "that they were made the moment
before they came out?"

"No, mamma," said Henry; "papa said they were growing in the egg-shell
a long time before they came out alive."

_Mrs. Fairchild._ "In the same manner the great sin you committed this
morning was growing in your heart some days before it came out."

"How, mamma?" said Henry. "I do not understand."

_Mrs. Fairchild._ "All wrong things which we do are first formed in our
hearts; and sometimes our sins are very long before they come to their
full growth. The great sin you committed this morning began to be
formed in your heart three days ago. Do you remember that that very day
in which your father forbade you to touch the apples, you stood in the
parlour window and looked at them, and you admired their beautiful
appearance? This was the beginning of your sin. Your sister Lucy told
you at the time not to look at them, and she did well; for by looking
at forbidden things we are led to desire them, and when we desire them
very much we proceed to take them. Your father forbade you to touch
these apples; therefore, my dear child, you ought not to have allowed
yourself to think of them for one moment. When you first thought about
them, you did not suppose that this thought would end in so very great
a sin as you have now been guilty of."

"Oh, mamma," said Henry, "I will try to remember what you have said to
me all my life."

Mrs. Fairchild kissed little Henry then, and said:

"God bless you, my child, and give you a holy heart, which may never
think or design any evil."

Mrs. Fairchild then led Henry down into the parlour, where Mr.
Fairchild and Lucy and Emily we