by the cardinals, and which they believe to be pardons for sin. Poor people! they have never been taught that it is only at the cross of Christ they may lay their burden."

"As Christian did, mamma."

"Yes, my dear; and we are told he went on his way rejoicing." Mrs. Nugent proceeded, "In the evening the beautiful dome of St. Peter's is illuminated; and this is such a dangerous business that the poor men, before they attempt to place and light the tapers, receive what they call 'extreme unction,' as they imagine then, that should they fall off, as is unhappily too often the case, their souls will be in paradise."

"How very shocking!" said little Nora.

"It is, my dear, and shows the superstition of a false religion. But I will now tell you of some pretty German customs before I ring the bell for candles. Papas and mammas dye a number of hardboiled eggs with bright colours, and placing them in a pretty basket with little sugar hens, hide them in the moss or grass in their gardens, and send the children to look for them early in the morning. The Germans have a very ingenious way of ornamenting eggs,' which you might easily copy, Nora, with the blown goose eggs you have up-stairs."

Nora's eyes sparkled with pleasure. "Do tell me how, dear mamma."

"But the rushes, mamma ?"

"The rushes are of the same kind you were looking at last week in the blind boy's hands. Do you not remember you told me how nicely he was peeling them, and leaving one little piece of peel on for rushlights?

"Oh yes, mamma."

"Well, my dear, take off that little piece of peel, and your rushes will be ready for making an Easter egg.".

Little Nora thanked her mamma with a kiss, and ran off in great glee, to tell nursey all she had heard about Easter and Easter eggs; and the kind woman promised some pretty pieces of silk, and to help Nora's manufacture as far as possible they also arranged a walk to a field covered with rushes for the first fine day.

THE BIBLE.

THE Bible I should venerate
For age as well as worth;
A volume of most ancient date,
The oldest on the earth.

The Bible I should value, too,

Because the word of God, A gift to man, divinely true,

By God's great grace bestowed. The Bible I should further prize,

For I am taught therein
Of Jesus, and the sacrifice
He offered for my sin.

The Bible I should hold more dear
Than silver, or than gold;
Its words my youthful days can cheer,
And comfort me when old.

The Bible I should try to send

To nations that have none, Who in their idol-worship bend To gods of wood and stone. The Bible I should pray may be

By great and small possessed: Till all mankind, both hond and free, Shall with God's Book be blessed.

MY GOLD-FISH, AND HOW I KEPT THEM.

OST children must be fond of gold-fish, but very little girls and boys are not to be trusted with the care of them, for they are apt to think " they would look prettier out of water;" and the poor fish, who cannot breathe out of the element that it is their nature to live in, are then quickly killed. My first knowledge of gold-fish was obtained from a poor old woman, who used to bring fruit and flowers to sell, three years ago, when I was six years old. She was once standing near our house, and she showed me some gold-fish. She said she had bought them for a lady, and if my mamma liked she would bring me some another day; so the next day she brought me two in a pickle-bottle, and I had to go out directly, and buy a glass globe to keep them in; for as birds must have cages, so fish must have glass houses to live in, and they must be large enough to hold plenty of water for them to swim about in. The woman who sold me the fish told me to feed them with crumbs, but it is wrong to do that, for it kills them. They do not require any special food, but fresh every day, into which sometimes a water fresh-water weed may be put for a day or two, but not left long, as it may begin to decay, and then it will be bad for the fish. To empty the globe of the stale water, either the fish must be lifted out in a small net (which may be bought at the shop where the fish are sold) into a basin of water, while the contents of the globe are poured out; or in case the

fish may get a blow this way, a piece of gutta-percha pipe may be put into the globe, then draw off the water, and then very gently refill it. I used to put my fish outside the window in a small high balcony, where the cats could not reach, because the room (our nursery) was thought to be too warm for them of a night, and for some time they got on very well; but to my great surprise and regret, one morning I found one had disappeared; and how do you think the fish had got out? The globe had been overfilled with water, and it had jumped out, and fallen from the top of the house down to the area steps below, where we found the poor gold-fish lying on his side, half smashed by the fall. Soon after that we went to the sea-side, and while we were away the other fish died. It was through the house being painted, and the smell of the paint having got into the water. Still, when we came home, mamma bought me some more fish, as I had not been careless of them. These were bought at Covent Garden Market, and were very fine fellows; but one day, as I was taking up the globe, the bottom fell out-water, fish, and all. This did not kill them, but I had another accident the water once got frozen over in the globe, and formed very pretty but very cruel spiky forms inside; and before we could remove the ice one poor fish ran against it, and so wounded itself that it died a few days afterwards. But although there is some trouble and great care required to keep gold-fish, and one has to run many risks as to their living, I think it is a very nice amusement for boys seven or eight years of age to keep them and look after them, and it gives them something to think about and be careful of, and teaches them how much thought and care is necessary to preserve the

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life of even a gold-fish, and what a wonderful and delicate thing its life is, and how great the power of that Being must be who creates and sustains it.

If I am allowed, and these lines are thought worthy of publication, I will another day tell you some more about some other pets I have been allowed to keep. W. P. A.

[The above is from a very young contributor, and we insert it to gratify him, and in the hope that others may try to do even better than he has done. We could have improved it, but preferred not to do so.-ED. C. O. M.]

ROBERT TO MOLLY.

My dear little Molly,
I know it is folly

For me to be wasting my time,
And racking my brains
With taking such pains
To write you a letter in rhyme.

But since it's the fashion, I s'pose I must dash on And tell you the news of the day; How Annie and Susie, Mamma and aunt Lucy, Went yesterday riding away.

Perhaps you have heard say
Our Sue had a birthday,
And so, as the weather was fine,

We thought it no harm
To ride out to the farm,

And carry our baskets and dine.

The horses were steady, So when we were ready, And every one fixed to his mind, With laughing and singing, Away we went springing, And Fido came running behind.

Over stones, over ridges, O'er hills and o'er bridges, We jolted and rattled so fast,

That every one said

With a shake of the head, "I'm glad we have got there at last."

We set out our tables Down under the maples

(You know that the grove is quite handy),

And as for the victuals,

Each one brought a little,

Nuts, apples, and raisins, and candy.

There were little round cakes, Such as grandmamma bakes, All covered with sugar on top; And so many nice things, If I once should begin,

I never should know where to stop.

A little red box,

Without hinges or locks,

Was filled full of presents for Susy;
A tea-set of china-

You never saw finer

And a doll from mamma and aunt Lucy,

A pair of warm hose

For her dear little toes,

That grandma herself had been knitting; Mother Fairy herself,

With a troop of her elves, And some chairs for her dolly to sit in.

My dear little Molly,

I knew it was folly

For me to be trying to rhyme;
And I've used them all up,

So I think I must stop,
And bid you "good-bye" for this time.

CHARLIE'S FRIGHT.

"GOOD night, children!" and away went Charles and Harry up the stairs into their own little chamber.

It was so very moonlight that there was no necessity to have a candle; so, after each had said his own little prayer, they were quickly undressed and in bed. They occupied separate cribs, one at each side of the window, through which the moon shone with a bright light. Charles, the elder of the two, was wrapt up as round as a ball, with his head under the counterpane; but Henry had his head high up on the pillow, and was watching the rays of the moon as they streamed in through the window.

Now neither of the brothers had observed that as they came up the stairs Tabby, the cat, was following them softly, and had entered the room when they did.

For some time Tabby was content to lie still in a corner of the room; but at length, wishing for a comfortable cushion, she approached Charlie's bed, and leaping upon it at a bound, made herself a cosy seat.

was.

Now though Charles was a boy of ten years old he was very cowardly. If he had not been so he would have got up and seen what the weight on the bed Such was his fright, indeed, that he covered himself up all the more in the bedclothes, without making the least attempt to find out what was the matter. He kicked about so much in his foolish fear that Tabby found her seat anything but an easy one; so leaping to the floor, and walking across to the other crib, she prepared to make herself a more comfortable bed near Henry.

Henry was asleep, but pussy's movements soon awoke him, and stretching out his hand to feel what this strange

weight on his bed could be, he caught hold of Tabby, who began to "purr" gently. Henry was not in the least afraid as his brother Charles had been; and directly he saw that it was the cat, he got up, and taking pussy in his arms, stroked it, and said, “Poor Tab! Tab!”

Henry liked to stroke Tabby's warm fur, and to hear it purring with pleasure; but he knew that it was not right for the cat to be left in the room all night; so he opened the window, and put it upon the roof of an outhouse just below.

Now Charles had been lying huddled up in bed, covered with the clothes, frightened to look out. At last, after taking many cautious peeps, he put his head up, and seeing Henry at the window, he asked, "What is the matter, Harry?” Oh, it was only Tabby," answered his brother; she came to sleep on my bed, and I have been putting her out.' Then," thought Charlie to himself, "it was only the cat that was upon my bed, which so frightened me that I durst not look out!"

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So Charles wished that he had been as courageous as his little brother, who was not afraid of "poor pussy," though it was night, and he could not see her.

They only are truly brave who trust in God's presence to protect them from all danger.-Quiver.

THE SLEEP OF YOUTH.

SLEEP well, my dear; sleep safe and free,

The holy angels are with thee,
Who always see thy Father's face,
And never slumber, nights nor days.
Thou liest in down, soft every way;
Thy Saviour lay on straw and hay;
Thy cradle is far better drest
Than the hard crib where He did rest.