and
then Mrs. Barbauld you think childish for yourself!"

My countenance fell, for I had been indulging in the cheap generosity of
giving away second-bests, and I could see my mother did not admire such
liberality. Indeed, after a moment's consideration, I was ashamed of it
myself, and hastened with alacrity to hide Mrs. Barbauld, and the Queens
of England, and one or two other trifles, in the obscurity of my own
room; whilst my mother decided upon the best position for a couple of
prettily-framed pictures which she had had brought up, and fastened an
illuminated text, similar to one in my own room, opposite the bed--"_The
things which are seen are temporal; the things which are unseen are
eternal_"--and placed a little statuette of a guardian angel, with the
scroll underneath, "_He shall give His angels charge over thee_," over
the bed-head.

"What a good thought, mamma," I said, when she had finished her
arrangements; "that looks exactly like mine."

"Just what I want it to look, Willie. You and Aleck are to be as like
brothers to each other as may be. You have never had brother or sister
of your own, Willie--not that you can remember [there _had_ been one
infant sister, whose death, when about a month old, had been my parents'
greatest sorrow]--but now that your cousin is likely to stay a long time
with us, I hope that you and he will be as much as possible like
brothers to each other."

Then my mother, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, drew me towards
her, and quietly talked to me about some of the new duties as well as
temptations which would come with new pleasures, bidding me remember
that I was to try never to think first of myself, but to be willing to
consider others before myself. We had been reading the 13th of First
Corinthians that morning together, and her observations seemed to me as
if drawn straight from that source; indeed, before long she reminded me
of it, bidding me remember it supplied the standard we ought to aim at,
and telling me that strength would be always given, _if I sought it_, to
help me to be what I wanted to be; it was only those who did not
heartily strive who got beaten in the conflict.

It is not to be supposed that this was all uttered in a set speech; I am
giving the substance only of a few minutes' quiet talk which we had up
there in the bed-room together that morning before luncheon, and which I
confess to having felt at the time rather superfluous, my delight in the