teach disconcerted him. He stopped abruptly and gazed at the
child with a perplexed expression. This gaze was evidently regarded by
Lippy as an additional touch of humour, for she went off into renewed
explosions of delight and the lesson had to be given up for that time.
Zeppa was gifted, however, with patient perseverance in a remarkable
degree. He renewed his efforts, but changed his plan. From that time
forward he took to humming hymns in a low, sweet voice, as if for his
own amusement. In a short time he had the satisfaction of hearing Lippy
attempt, of her own accord, to sing one of the hymns that had taken her
fancy. She went wrong in one or two notes, however, which gave Zeppa
the opportunity of putting her right. He took her on his knee, and told
her, in her own tongue, to try it again.

"Listen, this is the way," he said, opening his mouth to give an
example; but the first note had scarcely begun to sound when Lippy
thrust her brown fist into his mouth, and told him to stop. She would
sing it herself!

Accordingly, she began in a sweet, tiny little voice, and her teacher
gazed at her with intense pleasure depicted on his handsome face until
she reached the note where she had formerly gone wrong.

"No--not so; sing thus," he said, giving the right notes.

The pupil took it up at once, and thus the singing lessons were fairly
begun.

But the matter did not rest here, for Lippy, proud of her new
acquirement soon began to exhibit her powers to her little companions,
and ere long a few of the smallest of these ventured to creep into
Zeppa's hut while the daily lesson was going on. Gradually they grew
bolder, and joined in the exercise. Zeppa took pleasure in helping
them, and at last permitted as many as could crowd into his hut to do
so. Those who could not get inside sat on the ground outside, and, as
the hut was open in front, the gathering soon increased. Thus,
insensibly, without a well-defined intention or effort on the part of
any one, the praise of God and the sweet name of Jesus ascended to
heaven from that heathen village.

The assembling of these children for their lesson brought powerfully to
Zeppa's mind, one day, the meetings of the Ratinga people for worship,
and the appropriateness of beginning with prayer occurred to him.
Accordingly, that morning, just as he was about to commence the hymns,
he clasped his hands, raised his eyes, and briefly asked God's blessing
on the work.

P