weet hymn:

"Shall we gather at the river?"

And tears bedewed many eyes, for they were reminded that there were yet
many partings in store before that gathering should take place.

And now the remnant of the band--still a goodly number--proceeded in the
direction of the far west. All night they travelled, and reached
Belleville, where they were received joyfully in the large house
presented as a free gift to Miss Macpherson by the Council of the County
of Hastings. It served as a "Distributing Home" and centre in Canada
for the little ones till they could be placed in suitable situations,
and to it they might be returned if necessary, or a change of employer
required it. This Belleville Home was afterwards burned to the ground,
and rebuilt by sympathising Canadian friends.

But we may not pause long here. The far west still lies before us. Our
gradually diminishing band must push on.

"It's the sea!" exclaimed the boy who had been named little Mouse,
_alias_ Robbie Dell.

"No, it ain't," said Konky, who was a good deal older; "it's a lake."

"Ontario," said the Guardian, "one of the noble fresh-water seas of
Canada."

Onward, ever onward, is the watchword just now--dropping boys like
seed-corn as they go! Woods and fields, and villas, and farms, and
waste-lands, and forests, and water, fly past in endless variety and
loveliness.

"A panoramy without no end!" exclaimed Tim Lumpy after one of his long
gazes of silent admiration.

"_Wot_ a diff'rence!" murmured Bobby Frog. "Wouldn't mother an' daddy
an' Hetty like it, just!"

The city of Toronto came in sight. The wise arrangements for washing in
Canadian railway-cars had been well used by the boys, and pocket-combs
also. They looked clean and neat and wonderfully solemn as they landed
at the station.

But their fame had preceded them. An earnest crowd came to see the
boys, among whom were some eager to appropriate.

"I'll take that lad," said one bluff farmer, stepping forward, and
pointing to a boy whose face had taken his fancy.

"And I want six boys for our village," said another.

"I want one to learn my business," said a third, "and I'll learn him as
my own son. Here are my certificates of character from my clergyman and
the mayor of the place I belong to."

"I like the looks of that little fellow," said another, pointing to Bob
Frog, "and should like to have him."

"Does you, my tulip?" said Bobby, whose natural tendency to insolenc