e pointed stick the
letter U on the ground.

"Yes, it is," replied I.

"And the next is like this," continued he, drawing the letter R, after
he had smoothed the ground and effaced the U.

"Yes," replied I.

"Well then, to make sure, I had better go on, OUR is one word, and then
there is a little space between; and next you come to an F."

"Yes," replied I, looking at what he had drawn, and comparing it with
the letter in the book.

"Then I believe that we are all right, but to make sure, we will go on
for a little longer."

Jackson then completed the word "Father," and "which art," that followed
it, and then he was satisfied.

"Now," said he, "out of that prayer I can teach you all the letters, and
if you pay attention, you will learn to read."

The whole morning was passed in my telling him the different letters,
and I very soon knew them all. During the day, the Lord's Prayer was
gone through, and as I learnt the words as well as the letters, I could
repeat it before night; I read it over to him twenty or thirty times,
spelling every word, letter by letter, until I was perfect. This was my
first lesson.

"Why is it called the Lord's Prayer?" said I.

"Because, when our Lord Jesus Christ was asked by his followers in what
way they ought to address God, he gave them this prayer to repeat, as
being the most proper that they could use."

"But who was Jesus Christ?"

"He was the Son of God, as I told you yesterday, and at the same time
equal with God."

"How could he be equal with God, if, as you said yesterday, God sent him
down to be killed?"

"It was with his own consent that he suffered death: but all this is a
mystery which you cannot understand at present."

"What's a mystery?"

"That which you cannot understand."

"Do you understand it yourself?"

"No, I do not; I only know that such is the fact; but it is above not
only mine, but all men's comprehension. But I tell you honestly, that
on these points, I am but a bad teacher; I have paid little attention to
them during my life, and as far as religion is concerned, I can only
give you the outlines, for I know no more."

"But I thought you said that people were to be punished or rewarded when
they died, according as they had lived a bad or good life; and that to
live a good life, people must be religious, and obey God's commands."

"I did tell you so, and I told you the truth; but I did not tell you
that I had led a bad life, as I have