nd, Thomas, that chance is only a
wrong and misleading term for the guiding hand of One whom I now hope to
trust in, love, and obey, however unworthily."

"The Lord be praised, his blessed name be praised!" cried Thomas Bradly,
while the tears ran fast down his cheeks.

"Yes," said Foster reverently, "he may well be praised, for I have
indeed good reason to praise him.--So you see I had got to the bottom of
the mystery at last, and that little book has become to me now worth a
thousand times its own weight in gold.

"Day after day I went on reading it by stealth, and every day I wondered
more and more at its marvellous suitableness to my own case. And then I
began to do that which a few weeks back I should have looked upon as
simply an evidence of insanity in a man of my views. I began to pray.
I hardly dared make the attempt at first. It seemed to me that were I
to venture to address the great Being whose existence I had denied, and
whose name I had constantly blasphemed, a flash of lightning or some
other sudden exertion of his power would strike me dumb. But I did
venture at last to offer up an earnest cry for mercy and pardon in the
name of that Saviour who invites us to offer our prayers in his name;
and then it seemed as though a mountain were lifted from my heart, and
blindness were removed from my eyes.

"Next day, after tea, I quietly asked Kate for the Bible. I shall never
forget her look as long as I live. Fear, hope, joy followed one another
like sunshine breaking through the clouds. Could I be in earnest? She
did not hesitate long, for she saw that in my face which told her that
she might trust me with her treasure. Then she brought out the book
from its hiding-place, put it on the table by me, and throwing her arms
round my neck, wept away the sorrows of years. And it may be that at
that time angels looked down upon us, and shed tears of joy to see two
poor penitent sinners thus `sitting at the feet of their Saviour,
clothed, and in their right mind.'"

For a while no one spoke, for all were too deeply moved. At last Foster
continued: "I knew I should have to come out on the right side openly
sooner or later, but you may be sure it would be no easy matter.
However, I had made up my mind: it would have to be done some time or
other, so, as the Annual Temperance Meeting was soon to come off--I knew
that, for Joe Wright's party were boasting of what they meant to do--I
determined to show my co