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shadows of another world, and to reach the dying boy. He opened his eyes, and smiled tenderly upon her. Leigh is tired almost asleep. Take the cushion, and I will

carry him in," said Philip hastily to the mother. She obeyed without a word; but her face grew deadly white, and her hands trembled.

7. When the boy was placed, as he seemed to wish, in his mother's arm-chair, she came and knelt before him, looking into his face. There was a shadow there. She saw it, and felt that the time was come when not even the mother could stand between her child and death. Philip thought she would have shrieked, or fainted; but she did neither. She only gazed into the dim eyes with a wild, earnest, almost beseeching gaze. "Mother, will you let me go?" murmured Leigh. She drew a long sigh, as if repressing an agony so terrible that the struggle was like that of a soul parting; and then said, "Yes, my darling!"

ance

8. He smiled, what a heaven is there in the happy smile of the dying! - and suffered her fond ministering hands unwilling even yet to give up their long tendto unfasten the cloak, and put the wine to his lips. Then she sat down beside him, laid his head on her bosom, and awaited-oh, mighty strength of a mother's love! awaited, tearless and calm, the passing away of the life which she had given. "He is quite content — quite happy — he told me so," Philip whispered in her ear, with his soft comforting voice. She turned round one moment with a startled air: "Yes, yes, I know. (p.) Hush!" and she bent down again over her child, whose faint lips seemed trying to frame, scarcely louder than a sigh, the last word," MOTHER!"

9. Then there fell over the twilight-shadowed room a

solemn silence, long and deep, in the midst of which the spirit passed. They only knew that it was so, when, as the moon rose, the pale, spiritual light fell on the calm face of the dead boy, still pillowed on the mother's breast. She turned and looked upon it without a tear, or a moan, so beautiful, so heavenly was it! At that moment, had they put to her the question of old,-"Is it well with the child?"* she would have answered like the Shunamite," IT IS WELL!"

LESSON XVII,

1 SU PER NAL, (SUPER, above;) relating to things above; celestial; heavenly.

1.

I

PASSING TO THE SUPERNAL.1

SAT. EVE. POST.

AM drifting, slowly drifting,

With the changing waves of time;

Every scene around me shifting,

And each moment more sublime,

As I near the great eternal,
Passing on to the supernal,
Through the grave.

2. On each shore are hidden treasures,
'Neath the waves rare jewels play;
Time bears on in rapid measures;
I, to seek them, may not stay;
For my home is the eternal,
And I pass to the supernal,
Through the grave.

* 2 Kings, 4th chap., 26th 'verse.

1

3. Sometimes on the foamy billow,
Sometimes in the sinking sand,
Weary head can find no pillow,
Weary feet can find no land;
But I'm nearer the eternal,
Passing on to the supernal,
Through the grave.

4. Dark the clouds that float above me,

Fierce the winds that round me play;
Changing waves that ever move me,
Drifting-here I may not stay;
For I see the great eternal,
And I press to the supernal,
Through the grave.

5. Darker still the skies that cover,
Icy chill the waters now;
Angel wings above me hover,

Angels smooth the death-pale brow.
Lo! I enter the eternal,

And I pass to joys supernal,

Through the grave!

LESSON XVIII.

SUNSHINE AND SHOWERS.

VO children stood at their father's gate,

TWO

Two girls with golden hair;

And their eyes were bright, and their voices glad, Because the morn was fair.

1.

For they said, "We will take that long, long walk

In the hawthorn copse to-day;

And gather great bunches of lovely flowers

From off the scented May;

And oh! we shall be so happy there "Twill be sorrow to come away!"

2. As the children spoke, a little cloud
Passed slowly across the sky;

And one looked up in her sister's face
With a tear-drop in her eye.

But the other said, "Oh! heed it not;

'Tis far too fair to rain;

That little cloud may search the sky

For other clouds, in vain."

And soon the children's voices rose
In merriment again.

3. But ere the morning hours waned,
The sky had changed its hue,
And that one cloud had chased away
The whole great heaven of blue.
The rain fell down in heavy drops,

The wind began to blow,

And the children, in their nice warm room,

Went fretting to and fro;

For they said, "When we have aught in store,

It always happens so!"

4. Now these two fair-haired sisters

Had a brother out at sea;

A little midshipman, aboard
The gallant "Victory."

And on that self-same morning,
When they stood beside the gate,
His ship was wrecked! and on a raft
He stood all desolate,

With the other sailors round him,
Prepared to meet their fate.

5. Beyond they saw the cool, green land,
The land with her waving trees,

And her little brooks, that rise and fall
Like butterflies in the breeze.

But above, the burning noontide sun
With scorching stillness shone;

Their throats were parched with bitter thirst,
And they knelt down, one by one,
And prayed to God for a drop of rain,
And a gale to waft them on.

6. And then that little cloud was sent,
That shower in mercy given!
And, as a bird before the breeze,
Their bark was landward driven.

And some few mornings after,

When the children met once more,

And their brother told the story,
They knew it was the hour
When they had wished for sunshine,
And God had sent the shower.