ur affectionate Sunday scholar,
BERTHA SANDERSON.

"I think we may join in the joy of the angels in the presence of God
over the one sinner that repenteth," said Miss Eunice, as her sister
finished this long and evidently earnest letter. "I think you may safely
write to the dear child to come home and commence her new life among us.
Your class is greatly blessed, my sister, and I think when we remember
what it has done for Gretchen and Bertie, we may well thank God for the
ship-fever as for an angel in disguise."

The next Sunday Etta Mountjoy detained her class a few moments after the
school session, and read to them the whole of Bertie's letter.

It was received with various expressions of surprise, which were greatly
augmented when the whole story of the fifty-dollar bill was told.

"I have brought this all before you, girls," she said, "not to make you
think hardly of Bertie. She has suffered too much and is too evidently
sincerely sorry for me to do that. I want you to rejoice with me in her
repentance, and when she comes back, to receive her with full
forgiveness and sympathy, and aid her in her efforts to lead a new life.
I thought you ought to know how well one little girl among us has
behaved under the most unjust suspicions and great unkindness. Not one
of us has understood Katie Robertson. She has known for four weeks, from
Bertie's statement to her, what was the real reason of our avoidance and
suspicion, and she has never opened her mouth to explain the true state
of the case and clear herself, as she might easily have done, because by
so doing she would have been obliged to tell of the unkindness and
malice of her companion.

"I think we all ought to ask her pardon for being so ready to condemn
her unheard and to believe what was whispered against her; and, more
than that, we ought to be very thankful to the Lord for giving her such
a grand victory over herself."

Katie blushed and could find nothing to say, as one after another the
girls and their teacher shook hands with her and kissed her; but it was
a very happy heart the little girl carried home with her that bright
Sunday.

"Tessa," she said, "it's all true, every word:

"'Commit thy way unto the Lord,
And He _shall_ bring it to pass.'"

CHAPTER XVIII.

SEALED.

The first Sunday in September was the most beautiful day of the
season--calm, still, and