truction. Imagining his visitor to be a schoolmaster from the
country, who wished to learn something of the Edinburgh modes of
tuition, my friend acceded to his request. The stranger remained two
hours, and paid particular attention to every department. When my friend
was about to dismiss the school, the stranger inquired whether he was
not in the habit of commending his pupils to God in prayer before they
parted for the day. My friend replied that he was; upon which the
stranger begged that he would not depart from his usual practice on his
account. My friend accordingly prayed with the boys, and dismissed them;
after which the stranger thanked him for his politeness, and also
withdrew. Nothing more occurred; but, four or five days afterwards, my
friend received a letter from the Earl of Hyndford, in which that
nobleman, after stating that he had satisfied himself as to his piety
and ability as a teacher, made him an offer of the Rectorship of the
Academy at Bothwell.

'Was your visitor fair-haired,' said I, 'and his surtout of a claret
colour?'

'They were,' replied my friend; 'but what of that?'

'It was the Earl of Hyndford himself,' said I; 'there can be no doubt of
it.' And I gave him the history of my journey to Glasgow.

'Well, he took the best method, certainly, to test my qualifications,'
rejoined my friend. 'I wish all patrons would do the same; we should
have better teachers in our schools, and better ministers in our
churches.'

'All patrons, perhaps, are not equally qualified to judge,' said I; 'at
all events, let us rejoice that, though "not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called," still we see one
here and one there distinguished by divine grace, to the praise and the
glory of God the Saviour.'

JANE HILL.

[ILLUSTRATION]

JANE HILL.

'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

Some years since a fire broke out in one of the narrow alleys which
abound in the poorer parts of the town in which I live. It originated,
as fires so often do, in the carelessness, or rather helplessness, of a
tipsy woman, who had thrown herself across her bed, and lain there in a
drunken stupor, while a candle, which she had left burning on a table in
the room, had fallen over and set fire to some shavings, by which the
flame had gradually been communicated to the furniture and to the house.
The author of the mischief was rescued; she lived on the ground floor,
a