cted to have seen him here?'

"With that both my aunts ran out to meet him and bring him in. The old
gentleman was a clergyman, and a near relation of our family, and had
lived many years upon his living in the North, without seeing any of
his relations.

"'I have often promised to come and see you, cousins,' he said, as
soon as he was seated, 'but never have been able to bring the matter
about till now.'

"My aunts told him how glad they were to see him, and presented me to
him. He received me very kindly, and told me that he remembered my
mother. The more I saw of this gentleman, the more pleased I was with
him. He had many entertaining stories to tell; and he spoke of
everybody in the kindest way possible. He often used to take me out
with him a-walking, and show me the flowers, and teach me their names.
One day he went out into the town, and bought a beautiful little Bible
for me; and when he gave it to me he said: 'Read this, dear child, and
pray to God to send His Holy Spirit to help you to understand it; and
it shall be a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path.'"

"I know that verse, mamma," said Lucy; "it is in the Psalms."

"The old gentleman stayed with my aunts two months, and every day he
used to take me with him to walk in the fields, the woods, and in the
pleasant meadows on the banks of the Thames. His kind words to me at
those times I shall never forget; he, with God's blessing, brought me
to the knowledge of my dear Saviour, and showed me the wickedness of my
own heart, and made me understand that I never could do any good but
through the help of God."

"When the good old gentleman was gone, did you behave better than you
did before he came, mamma?" said Lucy.

"After he left us, my dear, I was very different from what I was
before," said Mrs. Fairchild. "I had learned to know the weakness of my
heart, and to ask God to help me to be good; and when I had done wrong,
I knew whose forgiveness to ask; and I do not think that I ever fell
into those great sins which I had been guilty of before--such as lying,
stealing, and deceiving my aunts."

On Envy

[Illustration: "How lovely! How beautiful!"]

"Who can go with me to the village this morning," said Mr. Fairchild,
one winter's day, "to carry this basket of little books to the school?"

"Lucy cannot go," said Mrs. Fairchild, "because her feet are sore with
chilblains, and Henry has a bad cold; but Emily can go."

"Make haste