eart like this,
Save that which breaks it."

MATURIN'S BERTRAM.

"Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in
mine affliction."

PSALM 119: 92.

Elsie was sitting alone in her room when there came a light tap on the
door, immediately followed, much to the little girl's surprise, by the
entrance of her Aunt Adelaide, who shut and locked the door behind her,
saying, "I am glad you are quite alone; though, indeed, I suppose that is
almost always the case now-a-days. I see," she continued, seating herself
by the side of the astonished child, "that you are wondering what has
brought me to visit you, to whom I have not spoken for so many weeks; but
I will tell you. I come from a sincere desire to do you a kindness,
Elsie; for, though I don't know how to understand nor excuse your
obstinacy, and heartily approve of your father's determination to conquer
you, I must say that I think he is unnecessarily harsh and severe in some
of his measures--"

"Please don't, Aunt Adelaide," Elsie interrupted, in a pleading voice,
"please don't speak so of papa to me; for you know I ought not to hear
it."

"Pooh! nonsense!" said Adelaide, "it is very naughty in you to interrupt
me; but, as I was about to remark, I don't see any use in your being
forbidden to correspond with Miss Allison, because her letters could not
possibly do you any harm, but rather the contrary, for she is goodness
itself--and so I have brought you a letter from her which has just come
enclosed in one to me."

She took it from her pocket as she spoke, and handed it to Elsie.

The little girl looked longingly at it, but made no movement to take it.

"Thank you, Aunt Adelaide, you are very kind indeed," she said, with
tears in her eyes, "and I should dearly love to read it; but I cannot
touch it without papa's permission."

"Why, you silly child! he will never know anything about it," exclaimed
her aunt quickly. "_I_ shall never breathe a word to him, nor to anybody
else, and, of course, you will not tell on yourself; and if you are
afraid the letter might by some mischance fall into his hands, just
destroy it as soon as you have read it."

"Dear Aunt Adelaide, please take it away and don't tempt me any more, for
I want it so very much I am afraid I shall take it if you do, and that
would be so very wrong," said Elsie, turning away her head.

"I presume you are afraid to trust me; you needn't be, though," replied
Adelaide, in a half