was upon us to guide us whilst yet we were in a state of darkness.

Well, but to return to the especial morning in May to which I alluded above. My father's house stood in a park which was richly wooded; through this we passed, for it was not large, and crossing a stile which was thrown over the paling, we entered a thick coppice which skirted the park towards the east. Children do not love a formal avenue or stiff gravelled path, but they love a wild, devious, wood walk, where the eye cannot penetrate a dozen yards before it. I had never visited this coppice before; it had therefore all the charms of novelty; and there were partycoloured vetches, and wood anemones, and dry acorn-cups, and squirrels capering from bough to bough, and blackbirds, and thrushes, and beds and banks of moss, with all the treasures of forest scenery. I was delighted; and I ran forward before Sally and back again, extending my arms as a lapwing extends her wings, till my maid, being alarmed at the exuberance of my spirits, took my hand, and we proceeded more soberly. At length, suddenly turning a corner, we came to an opening in the wood, and a green sunny glade, in the very middle of which was an old house with two gable ends facing the path, and in the centre of the front a porch with three steps to ascend to the door. Sally was surprised, and so was I-in these days such houses are not common, I remember many when I was young-it was of timber, with lath and plaster, and the windows on each side the porch projected, and were casemented with mullions of carved wood. We heard at the same time the rushing of water; it was a brook, which was not, however, visible at first, but we saw it afterward twinkling through the trees on our right, and fretting itself in its pebbled channel.

I would know of Sally who lived there, but she could not tell me; so we walked on, and as soon as we had stepped into the glade we saw a very old person, neatly dressed, yet still looking like a lady; for she wore a lawn apron, and a kind of tippet trimmed with black lace over her shoulders. She was sitting in a shady place or sort of natural arbour on the edge of the grass.

I was a little thing then; and as children never consider whether it is or is not proper to indulge their curiosity, I no sooner saw the lady than I slipped my hand

from Sally's and ran up to her, standing before her about the distance of a yard, and making a courtesy as I had been taught to do to all strangers.

The old lady closed her large book, and smiling very sweetly, she put out her hand and said, "My little lady, I am very glad to see you, though I do not know your name; so you are come out this fine morning to see the works of God in this his beautiful world, and I am come out too to enjoy the same;" and she invited me to sit down, and made room for Sally by her side, speaking most kindly to her; "and you must come in too," she added, "and take some refreshment; you have had a long walk, no doubt;" and all this she did and said without knowing who we were; but Sally presently informed her, thanking her at the same time for her kindness. She had, however, no sooner heard my name than she turned and caught me in her arms, kissing me even with tears, saying, "and is it my own little godchild whom I now see, and whom I have so long desired to see? my own little girl, for whom I have been so often led to pray ?"

"They call me Violetta, ma'am," I said; "but why do you call yourself my godmother?" She then related as much of the story which I have told you as she thought right, and, taking Sally's arm, she led us to the house, where she had lodged for many years with an old farmer of very humble degree, whose wife waited upon her. I shall not describe more of the house than my godmother's parlour; it was the room on the right hand of the porch; it had a large oval window which had a step up to it; it was wainscoted, and had a polished oaken floor; in one corner of the room was an old japan cupboard, all gilt, and having many colours. I thought it very grand. There was a famous Dutch clock at another end, in which there were little figures, which came out and struck the hour upon hammers; oh! it was a wonderful clock. There were many figures in Dresden china on the mantel-shelf, and over it a portrait of a young man in a military dress, above which were crossed a sword and musket. I never knew the history of that picture, but my godmother sometimes looked at it till a tear came into her eye; there was a bookcase too in that parlour, and many books, and a cabinet full of old curious things, such as rings, and brooches, and cream-jugs, and spoons, and buckles, and

old pocketbooks, and tweezercases, but I did not see these treasures at that time.

So we were brought into the parlour, and bread, and honey, and milk set before us, and I ate and wondered, and thought I would come again if mamma would let me; but before we took leave, my godmother, taking me before her, and holding both my hands, gave me my first lesson upon religion. It was of God she spoke, trying to make me understand the first principles of revelation, viz.:-the nature of God, the Trinity in Unity, and the work of that blessed Trinity in restoring lost mankind. If I did not take it all in, there was one present who was enabled in a wonderful manner to receive much of it, and this was Sally. I could not tell what made Sally wipe her eyes many times whilst my godmother was talking to me; I thought that the old lady was saying something to frighten us. I did not then understand how the eyes sometimes run down with tears when the individual is first brought to admit a view of redeeming love; but it was through the divine mercy, as testified to me, that Sally was thus touched, for she thus became the means of exceeding good to her little nursling, repeating again and again to me many things which my godmother had said; and she did more, for when we got home she told my mother where we had been; this indeed she did by the express desire of my godmother, and begged permission to take me again to see the nice old lady. I was present when this request was made, and when my mother seemed to be slow in granting Sally's request I began to cry, for I was a little petted thing, and would not be appeased till my mother gave way and said, "Well, Sally, as you say she is quite a lady, I suppose it will not harm the child to visit her sometimes; to be sure the old lady stood for her at the font, and she owes her a duty; and when you go, fail not to take her some little present from the dairy or hothouse." Thus permission was given by my indulgent mother for that which I desired, and from that time for six years, for so long my godmother lived, I never failed to visit her three or four times a week.

It was my beloved godmother who was made the means first of leading Sally, and then myself, into the ways of holiness; it was my godmother who rendered Sally the channel of large blessings to all who were afterward connected with her, and who made me, as

far as human instrumentality can go, such as I am, and such as I was in my early youth; though still vile indeed by nature, yet having that principle of life which rendered it impossible for me to be at rest or peace, till I had seen father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all near and dear to me, were as sensible of their lost condition by nature, and of the assurance of their hope in Christ, as I now am myself; though I have fulfilled the years appointed for the life of man, beyond which all is but labour and sorrow, and am now, through infirmity, tottering on the very brink of the grave, and waiting, as it were, till the earth shall close over me, and my place shall remember me no more.

I conclude, my gentle reader, with this inquiry"Was it chance which led my godmother to put on her best silk gown, in order to pay her compliments to my mother, on the morning of my christening?"

VOL. XIII.-I

17

THE USEFUL LITTLE GIRL.

MRS. BURTON lived in a large town, and had three little children; the eldest of these was Susan, and she was just four years of age at the time when my story begins; then came Bell, a pretty little girl about two years and a half old; and the baby was Charles, he might be six months or a little more.

There was an old nurse who took care of these little ones, and sat all day in the nursery, excepting when she took the baby out to enjoy the air; and there was a young maidservant also, who waited upon her, and carried little Bell when they went out; and I can assure you that nurse and Betty had quite enough to do, for Susan, who was, as I said, four years of age, gave them more trouble by far than the other two put together.

There was not a thing which could be laid down that she did not take up and put out of its place; and if she were told not to touch any thing, she was then sure to watch the very first moment to get hold of it; when the nurse was dressing her brother she would run away with his cap or his shoes, and whenever she saw him asleep she chose that time to make most noise.

Bell was a very quiet, gentle little baby, and everybody loved her, but Susan was always contriving something to make her cry, so that there never was any peace in the nursery excepting when Susan was in the parlour with her mamma.

Now it happened one day in spring, just at that time of the year in which the mornings are often fine and sunny, and the evenings very cold, that Mrs. Burton's sister came from the country to see her. Susan was sent for into the parlour to see her aunt, and found that the table was spread with cold meat for luncheon, for her aunt was going back into the country in about an hour. When Susan saw the meat upon the table, she immediately asked her mamma for some of it; and her mamma cut her a slice, and put it on a plate with a bit of bread, which kept her quiet for a while; and I dare say that Mrs. Burton was not sorry for any thing that would keep her in her place, for she was always ashamed of