tired of hearing it."

The boys were silent, and the whole party walked along very slowly, for
several steps; and then David said that he thought that though the boys
were pretty bad, he did not think they were quite so bad as they would
be, if they did not hear any thing about God. He said it seemed to him
that it had some influence upon them.

"O, yes," said Madam Rachel, "I have no doubt that what is said to them
about their duty to God has a very important influence over them in
various ways. Religious instruction produces a great many good effects
upon the conduct of boys and men, even where it does not awaken any
genuine love for God, and honest desire to please him. That is a
peculiar feeling. I will tell you."

So saying, Madam Rachel paused, and seemed a moment to be lost in
thought. The whole party had by this time gone almost the whole round of
the walk, and were now slowly sauntering towards the house and as Madam
Rachel said those last words, they were just passing along by the side
of the rocky declivity at the back of the garden. Madam Rachel looked
upon the rocks, and saw a beautiful little blue-bell growing there in a
crevice, and hanging over at the top.

"What a beautiful blue-bell there is!" said she.

"Where?" said the boys, looking around.

"There," said she, "just by the side of the little fir-tree. How Mary
Anna would admire it."

"I'll climb up and get it for her," said Dwight. "I'll have it in a
minute."

He dropped his mother's hand, and began scrambling up the rocks. They
were jagged and irregular fragments, with bushes and trees among them,
and Dwight, who was a very expert climber, soon had the blue-bell in his
hand, and was coming down delighted with his prize. He brought the
leaves of the plant with it, and it was in fact an elegant little
flower.

"Now, Dwight," said Madam Rachel, as they walked along again, Dwight
holding his flower very carefully in his hand, "notice this feeling you
have towards Mary Anna, which led you to get the flower. It was not fear
of her,--it was not hope of getting any reward from her, I suppose."

"No, indeed, mother," said Dwight.

"It was simply a desire to give her pleasure. When you go in, you will
take a pleasure yourself in going to her, and gratifying her with the
present. Now, do you suppose that the boys generally have any such
feeling as that towards God?"

"No, mother," said David, "I don't think they have."

"Nor do I. They are de