lady, all smiles, standing ready to receive him with a crown
in her hand.

"Come hither, Prince," she said, "and receive this crown, which I
never bestow on any but my greatest favorites. It is called the crown
of Contentment. I reserve it for those who, led on by Perseverance,
come to me by the Right Path, in spite of Difficulty and Danger. Those
who arrive at my presence by any of the many other roads that are open
to mankind I give over to the charge of some of my inferior
attendants, such as Pride, Vanity, or Ambition, who amuse themselves
by making them play all manner of strange tricks."

Thus saying, she put the crown upon his head, and the Prince found the
most delightful tranquil feeling spread through his whole body.
Nevertheless, he could not help looking about almost instantly for the
figure of the ugly little gray dwarf; and, as he could not see him
anywhere, he said to the beautiful lady: "Where is that hideous,
yawning Satiety? I hope he has left the palace."

"He may be hanging about in some dark corners of the palace," answered
the lady, "or hiding among the roses in your garden of Pleasure; but
he will never appear in your presence again, so long as you wear that
crown upon your head; for there is a rich jewel called Moderation in
the crown of Contentment which is too bright and pure to be looked
upon by Satiety."

THE FRUITS OF DISOBEDIENCE

OR THE KIDNAPPED CHILD

In a beautiful villa on the banks of the Medway resided a gentleman
whose name was Darnley, who had, during the early part of life, filled
a post of some importance about the Court, and even in its decline
preserved that elegance of manners which so peculiarly marks a
finished gentleman.

The loss of a beloved wife had given a pensive cast to his features,
and a seriousness to his deportment, which many people imagined
proceeded from haughtiness of disposition, yet nothing could be
further from Mr. Darnley's character, for he was affable, gentle,
benevolent, and humane.

His family consisted of an only sister, who, like himself, had lost
the object of her tenderest affection, but who, in dividing her
attention between her brother and his amiable children, endeavored to
forget her own misfortunes.

Mr. Darnley's fortune was sufficiently great to enable him to place
his daughters in the first school in London, but he preferred having
them under his immediate instruction, and as Mrs. Collier offered to
assist him in their