to yourself. I told him I was
not afraid about that; and then we had a very serious talk together, and
he begged me with many tears to forgive him for all the wicked words he
had said in our house, and the bad example he had shown there; and he
finished by begging and praying me to get out of the public-house and
the business, where there were so many snares, and to care for my soul
and a better world.

"O Mr Bradly, I can never forget his words. But they were not the
first that touched me, and brought me to a sense of sin. That night
when poor Wright was killed, when Ned turned that bag upside down which
he told you about, a little book fell out of it under the table; but the
men were so eager with their plan, and so frightened about the bracelet,
that they never remembered or thought anything about the book; but I
found it under the table when they were gone, for I had noticed that
some of the papers out of the bag had not been put back, and I was
curious to see if there was any writing on any of them, but there was
not; they were only bits of silver paper and other waste paper. As I
stooped to pick them up I noticed the little book, and took it up from
under the table. It was an old-fashioned Bible, very faded and worn.
As I carelessly turned over a leaf or two, I noticed that a red-ink line
was drawn under some of the words. Not understanding why this was done,
my curiosity was a little excited, and I read a few of the verses.
There was one which seemed to have been very much read, for the Bible
opened of its own accord at the place; the words were these,--`Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee.' My heart sank within me as I read them. I felt that
I knew nothing of this peace, nor, indeed, of any peace at all. I
hastily turned to another part, and my eye caught the words, which were
underlined with the red mark, `Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.' I _did_ fear, and I
knew I was not one of `the little flock.'

"We used to read the Bible every day at the boarding-school I went to,
and the mistress explained it, and we used to get verses by heart, and a
whole chapter or part of one on Sundays; and we had to write out on
Sunday evenings what we could remember of one of the sermons. But this
was only task-work; and I remember agreeing with my special friend at
school what a happiness it would be when