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further remonstrances, which he thought arose from diffidence and fear of intrusion, he led me into the hall.

From the hail into the drawing-room-yes, having shaken, dried, and rearranged our drenched clothing—we must go there. Lady B― would feel hurt by our

"I had rather not, dear Charles; oh, let us go; I will tell you some other time why I cannot meet Lady B- -" But it was too late; for even as I spoke a soft hand was laid on mine; and a gentle, persuasive voice, which I heard then, not for the first time, entreated me to accept the invitation.

What followed seemed to my confused faculties like a dream. There were ladies in the drawing-room, and gentlemen. I have some remembrance of one in particular, who politely expressed his regret at our misfortune, and offered any accommodation in his power; and I was afterwards told that Lord B-- had had a long chat with me. I did not know it; all my powers of attention were, for the time, concentrated on three persons near me, and on whom, as by cruel fascination, my eyes were fixed. While Lord Bwas talking to me, one of these had looked on my face with a smile of recognition—she was the deaf and dumb girl of Whitenest. In a moment I saw her glide towards the Miss G- — of my story, and then

If I were an artist, and had occasion to personify the humility of Christian forbearance, I would call to memory my first introduction to Lady B——.

G. E. S.

October's Apples of Gold; or, Words Fitly

Spoken.

ow well I remember what a red-letter A 1 day was that on which our golden rennet1 tree was stripped! How we used to watch the skies overnight, and in the morning, to see if the weather promised fairly for the treat in store! How we used to set 1 A beautiful autumn apple.

the youngest of our party to watch for the first rung of the ladder by which old rennet was to be reached! How, when the gardener and my eldest brother were fairly lodged in the branches, we younger fry would surround the tree to watch for windfalls, though not a breath of air was stirring! How the boys of our party always said that the apples which reached the ground should belong to the girls, who of course could not catch properly; but that all arrested in mid-air should become their lawful prey! How all these hows, together with many others as persuasive, made a certain day in October one of the

"Maddest, merriest days,"

to us who were privileged to wait on the gardener's movements, and receive, through his maladroitness, a few lessons on gravitation as the fruit bumped our heads instead of the ground, I must leave you, reader, to imagine. My present sketch is not drawn from any of them; but from a HOW that the wise man spoke of when he exclaimed, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold." I must, however, first lead you back to that delightful October festival. When our apple harvest was over, and the beautiful fruit lay temptingly in hampers of straw, we usually sat down on the grass to enjoy our feast. The big boys ate, and choked, and laughed; whilst the girls, less demonstratively, but not less heartily, partook of their share. "Little Becksy" alone ate sparingly, as though anxious to make hers hold out as long as her brothers. As "rennetting-day" was also always a holiday, our feast was no sooner over than we all scampered off for games in the meadow adjoining our orchard, until the dinner bell called us in. Once, as we were "tidying" before entering the parlour, we espied Becksy's hat, neckerchief, and gloves on a chair, evidently there placed in readiness for something. Harry, who was the funster of our party, immediately popped the hat on his head, when, underneath it, we saw a little basket containing three golden

1 Prov. xxv. II.

rennets, lying daintily in and covered by vine leaves. This was too much for Harry. He looked all round to see if Becksy was with us; no, she had preceded us into the house, and therefore was ready to go in to dinner before us; this was capital.

“Let's have a lark and hide her apples-'twill be fine fun to see her looking for them."

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"You shan't, if I can help it!" I exclaimed, marching straight up to the apples and taking them off the chair. If Becksy has more pleasure in giving them than eating them, I'm sure we needn't grudge her the pleasure, poor little thing."

My brothers were noble young fellows, and agreed that they would add another apple rather than deprive the basket of one, and declared that I was a "regular brick" for standing up for absent ones. So little Becksy was left in peace to do as she listed with her treasure, which soon passed from our minds.

In the afternoon of that day Becksy was missing when we wanted her for blind-man's-buff, and after calling in vain we set to play without her. Presently, Harry, who had climbed the now appleless rennet tree to evade the blind man, screamed down to us,

"There she is, the little monkey, running as fast as her legs can carry her across the common !"

"Then I guess her apples are running with her," replied Dick.

"Yes, after the fashion of the hedges that run away from the train," laughed John; but I held my peace, for I knew Becksy's secret, and where she was going with her prize. I may reveal it now, for the necessity for preserving it has long since passed away. Over the common, at the entrance of a neighbouring village, lived the widow and invalid daughter of an officer. The latter had a taste for painting, and devoted this taste to the service of the Lord, by making designs for motto cards, to sell for mission purposes; and as she took nature for her model, there was always beauty,

with refinement, in her drawings. One day this young lady had confided to Becksy, that directly she could find a "real picture of an apple" she should copy it to illustrate the text, before quoted, for her minister's wife, who wanted it to adorn her husband's study. Becksy immediately bethought her of the golden rennets, and secretly determined to bring her next share for Miss Anstey to choose from; she felt sure that she should find some "perfect "pictures" amongst them, if they were true to their name, and she was not disappointed. As we have seen, three golden beauties fell to her, and from these three Miss Anstey accepted two. Then, hanging them before her on a vine tendril, she commenced at once to copy them, to Becksy's great delight.

"Isn't it a curious text, Miss Anstey ?" Becksy asked, after watching the gradual development of the letters in outline until the whole appeared on the cardboard.

"Curious why, Becksy?"

"Because an apple is a thing to eat when you've admired it a little bit."

Miss Anstey smiled, and laying down her brush, said, "Why, you little Catechism, you have asked a question and then given the answer! Hand me that Bible, and I will read you a text which will show you what I mean."

Becksy obeyed, and Miss Anstey read as follows from Jeremiah xv. 16: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.' Now doesn't that prove two things, don't you think ?"

Becksy tried to think, but could not find any answer, except, "If 'twas real apples, I could tell in a minute what it proved."

"Well, then, just fancy it's real apples, and tell me." "Oh, that they were delicious, and I was delighted to eat them up; only I think I should be sure to save you one."

Miss Anstey drew Becksy close and kissed her beaming face, and then said,

"Ah, Becksy, that's just the way with all who have tasted God's blessed word; they find it so precious, and so good, that they want others to try it too. But that we must talk about another day. Now let us think what the two things are: why, exactly what you say. That when God's word is found by the poor sinner, it is so full of gracious promises and love that he eats it, and then finds it bring joy and rejoicing to his heart, because by eating it he makes it his very own: if he did not eat, but only set it up to admire, as I do these apples of yours, they would do him no goodthey would only be as pictures, and not as food.”

"But you are going to paint them on purpose to look at, Miss Anstey."

"True, Becksy. But why? Just to remind my friend of the beautiful words of life, which he must preach to poor sinners those golden gospel words: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved;' and 'The blood of Jesus Christ (God's Son) cleanseth us from all sin.' They are such 'fitly-spoken' words, that all who find them and eat them have everlasting life."

"Is that what 'fitly' means, then? I thought it meant like fitting us when we tried it.”

"Ah, it means that, too. It means that when our poor souls hunger and thirst after righteousness, the words of Jesus are such FIT WORDS that they fill us, when God's Holy Spirit brings them to us, and helps us to take and eat to the joy and rejoicing of our hearts."

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"Yes, I see now; it's because they are God's words they are such fit words. If I marry a minister when I'm grown up, I shall make him stick the text upon his walls to remind him of it."

"But suppose you don't wait for that, Becksy! Wouldn't it be better to place it on your own wall now?-or, best of all, why don't you ask the Holy Spirit to write it on your heart now, so that you may not only have it to feed on yourself,

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