herself one sack to
serve as a bed, and only the old rags the woman had given her for a
covering.

They lay down, not in the highest possible spirits. Elsie was so angry
at being robbed of her food and of her money, that she dwelt more upon
this grievance than the wretched discomfort they were enduring, until
she heard a faint sound of sobbing emerging from the sack in which
Duncan was encased.

That sound smote her with an uncomfortable sense of reproach. "Never
mind, dear," she whispered softly; "it'll be all right to-morrow. Get to
sleep and forget it."

"If it were not for being poked up in this loft, I'd slip out, without
bidding them 'good-bye,' as soon as it is light to-morrow morning,"
Elsie said to herself, with an uneasy reflection of what disagreeable
greedy people they seemed to be. "Any way, we won't stay a minute longer
than we're obliged."

Fortunately for Elsie, she had no idea how long that was to be. Nance
Ferguson knew what she was doing, and why she had put them up in the
loft.

(_To be continued._)

HINTS ON CANVASINE PAINTING.

This is the art of colouring a photograph so as to imitate an
oil-painting. Although we know that no imitation of this kind can ever
reach the perfection of the real article, yet we can obtain very fair
copies. The work, when well done, is really pretty, and it makes a good
show on the walls. It is not at all difficult, and those who have a
slight knowledge of painting can easily accomplish some creditable
pieces that they will enjoy seeing in their rooms, and that their
friends will consider welcome presents. The colours are unobjectionable
as regards smell, for they have none, and the work is clean, and can be
rapidly done.

The choice of the photograph is of importance, for it must be a good
one, and suitable for the purpose. Those taken from the pictures in the
Munich, Dresden, and Italian galleries will be found best to select
from. The outlines of the subject should be well defined, and the whole
photograph clear and distinct. It is advisable to begin on figure
subjects, as they are easiest, and certainly the most effective. The
picture should not contain many figures, or they must necessarily in
that case be small, and some difficulty will, in consequence, be met
with in colouring them. Young amateurs seem to think that small pieces
are more within their province: they are afraid to attempt a larger
size, but we assure them this is a fallacy. Minu