look at us, but at something soft that lay upon her arm, and she swept close up to the bed without saying a word.

Madame, utterly dispirited, was weeping behind the curtain. The child paused in her low cry, arrested by the sight of this stranger, and said, "Who's that, with her best frock on?"

"I've got something so pretty here," said Miss Black, still looking down upon her arm; "I don't know whether I shall show it to anybody;" she seemed to consider, and in the mean time the child regarded her with fixed and wondering

attention.

"If I knew of any very good child, perhaps I should show these little things to her,' said Miss Black, pretending to talk to herself. "Wee, wee, wee," cried the things on her arm. "But I dare say nobody wants to see them," she continued.

"I want to see them," said the child, checking a long sob. "Ah!" said Miss Black, "they seem very hungry, poor little things!"-"Wee-wee-wee.'

"Oh! do show them to me," sobbed the child; and when Miss Black took up two tiny kittens by the necks, set them on the bed, and let them creep towards her, she was so delighted that she began to laugh, and try to feed them with some of the bread and milk which she had been vainly implored to eat for her supper.

"Oh! they cannot eat bread," said Miss Black, quietly, "they are too young; but when we have emptied the saucer, they shall have some milk in it."

She sat by the child and supported her feeble frame;"Now, then," she said, "let us eat this," and she held the spoon to her mouth, which was opened half unconsciously; for Miss Black had begun at once to relate a wonderful story about four white kittens who lived in a hayloft, to all which the child listened with rapt attention till the supper was eaten, when the tale came to a sudden conclusion; some milk was poured into the saucer, and the real kittens were fed.

When they had lapped every drop of the milk, Miss Black produced a little basket and a piece of flannel, in which she let the child help to place these playthings that had appeared so opportunely. "Now, then," she said, "let us put them on the table, and you shall sit on my knee, and peep at them, while Miss West shakes up the pillow, and makes the bed all smooth and comfortable.'

No objection was made to this arrangement, but the little wasted arms were held out, and the child, almost too weak

now to rise, tried to creep away from the pillows to her new friend, suffering herself to be nursed and cherished till she could be placed comfortably in her bed again. Then, indeed, her face changed, and she said in a piteous tone, "But I don't want you to go away. I want you to get into my bed. Will you?

Miss Black darted a glance at Madame, who nodded assent. "Oh yes!" she said. "I should like to sleep in your pretty bed very much."

"And I may see the kittens to-morrow?"

"Oh yes!" repeated Miss Black, lying down beside the child, whose chest still heaved every now and then with a deep sob, but who was so completely wearied and faint for want of sleep, and the comfortable cherishing that little children so much require, that now she was with some one who could manage her, she fell at once into a deep sleep, and her little wayward face began to look calm and almost happy.

Madame had kept completely in the background from the moment of Miss Black's entrance, and when she saw that the child would soon be asleep, she made a sign to me to remain perfectly still. She looked so happy, when at length she came up to the bed, and shading the candle with her hand, drew back the curtain, and saw her poor little pupil fast asleep. "Ah! this has been a terrible anxiety to me," she murmured, and then she stooped and kissed Miss Black,—a thing I had never seen her do to any pupils but the little ones. "I am greatly indebted to you, my dear," I heard her say; "you have relieved me from great dread for this desolate child."

Miss Black cautiously turned her face upon the pillow-the child's long curls were spread somewhat forlornly across her forehead, she parted them with her soft hand-the little creature was in a most healing slumber-and she said: "I would take the greatest care of her, Madame, if you would take some rest. Will you trust me?"

Madame could not make up her mind to leave the room, but she dismissed me to mine, and took possession of the other bed in the nursery. She was soon asleep, and the door being left ajar, I could see distinctly the little child and her new nurse, and I wondered what it was that had given Miss Black such ascendancy; for I do not think anything more transpired than what I have narrated, and all her art seemed to have consisted in first surprising and then amusing.

But at fifteen one does not reason much, nor spend the

precious midnight hours in any abstract speculations. I fell asleep, and did not wake till we were called, when I found the door shut between us, and was not told anything about the child till after breakfast, when Belle waylaid a maidservant as she came down stairs, and heard from her that the physician had already paid his visit; that he thought the child better, though extremely weak, and had as usual requested that she might be kept as cheerful as possible.

But about ten minutes before the first school-bell rang, Miss Quin desired me to carry Miss Black's exercise-book and some ink into the nursery, as Madame had given her leave to write her exercise there; so I went up and saw the little patient lying in bed, looking decidedly better, and listening to a story,-a story, namely, concerning a young cocksparrow, of a rebellious turn of mind, who would insist upon hopping under a handglass, which a gardener had propped up with a piece of wood. His mother, in forcible and affecting language, had entreated him not to enter that dangerous place; but this deluded bird, when she was not looking, went in, the gardener came, shut it down, and he was obliged to sit inside, peeping through the glass and flapping his wings, with nothing to eat, while his good, obedient brothers and sisters had some little ants and some juicy caterpillars for their dinner.

This story, though it does not sound probable, nor of very absorbing interest, was precisely suited to the infantine listener, who remarked concerning the sparrow, that if he would not do as he was bid, it served him quite right to be shut in there; and then, while I was assisting Miss Black with her toilette, she tried to make further acquaintance with her new friend by asking what her name was.

"Oh, I have such a long name," said Miss Black, "that I don't think such a little girl as you are could say it-my name is Christiana Frances."

"Say it again," asked the child.

The name was repeated, and, after pondering it silently for awhile, the child said distinctly, in her sweet treble voice, Miss Christiana Frances, will you say my little name now? Mary Merton is my name.'

66

"Little Mary Merton, I love you very much," said Miss Black.

"And will you sleep in my bed to-night, Miss Christiana Frances?" pleaded the little creature.

"Oh, yes, if you are good," replied Miss Black, who well knew that Madame would be too happy to permit it.

“I am good,” said the child, glancing towards an empty medicine glass; "and you said you would tell me another story."

But this other story, my readers, I regret that I cannot lay before you, though it was doubtless of surpassing interest; for the bell rang, and I left little Mary to the companionship of her benefactress. And now I feel that I have passed over the first appearance of Miss Black among us, as if it was a matter of very small importance; and so it seemed to be in the first instance, for though she could easily make her way among children, she was particularly reserved-intentionally reserved -in thought among us; but as she is to play a somewhat important part in the little scenes which I am about to describe, I will try to give a sketch of her appearance and

manner.

She was nearly seventeen years of age, rather older than most school-girls; but as she had only come into the house for the sake of learning accomplishments, she was treated more like a parlour boarder than a mere pupil, though she slept in our room, and took her music and German lessons with us. Her appearance was elegant and agreeable, perhaps somewhat pretty; I speak of her as I saw her at first, for afterwards affection clothed her deservedly with many charms. She was very womanly in manner and character, and looked quite grown up, though she had a slender, girlish figure. The hair and complexion were extremely fair, yet she had black eyebrows, which met, and gave her sometimes, when she was deep in thought, a severe expression. There was a certain self-possession and calm about her which was not altogether free from pride, and which made us, from the first, fond of contrasting her character with that of Caroline, who was so winning and engaging, and who could refuse a kindness in a manner more flattering than the simple gravity with which Miss Black would grant it.

Caroline seemed often bent on pleasing and winning all suffrages for herself. Miss Black was never trying to please, though she was often trying to do good. Moreover, she was deeply affectionate; it seemed to be as essential to her happiness to find people on whom she could lavish her care and attentive love, as it was to Caroline to excite and receive the affection of others.

Caroline was clever, Miss Black was intellectual, and by far the most gifted pupil that Madame had ever received; but in spite of the difference in their age, she was not equal to Caroline in that peculiar tact, and that superior knowledge of character, by which this singular young creature obtained for

herself so much power, always choosing the most acceptable species of flattery to bestow on each schoolfellow whom she wished to influence, and finding the readiest way to their hearts, without yielding in return one-half of the affection that she received.

"Oh, what a name !" exclaimed Caroline, when I told her Miss Black's christian name; for we, school-girl like,had tried to find it out, but had not hitherto succeeded.

“Christiana reminds me of the Pilgrim's Progress. I shall always feel inclined to address her in antiquated fashion." Prithee, good Christiana, lend me thy French dictionary.'

"But Frances is a pretty name," I observed; "and she says that is the name she is called by."

'I shall always call her by both," said Caroline; "Christiana is a moral name, and Frances is an intellectual name. She is a perfect mass of morality and cleverness, I think, far too much so for my taste-'stuffed with honourable parts,' as that old gentleman says."

"You don't mean Shakspeare?" I exclaimed.

"I mean the man whose scenes and things we have to read sometimes, and whose picture has a turn-down collar-yes, Shakspeare, to be sure; I thought at first it was Chaucer, but now I remember it wasn't. Well, if the said Christiana Frances likes to sit up in the nursery with Mary, telling stories of cock robins, instead of cultivating the acquaintance of her equals, I have nothing to say against it, I am sure." "No," I remarked; "you always said that, as far as you were concerned, any one might patronize Mary who was willing.

A SERMON ON REPENTANCE.

No preaching of terror, no infliction of judgments, will ever make a person repent. That must be done by Calvary, not by Mount Sinai. Wherever there is real repentance, remember it is the result of faith in Christ Jesus; secondly, it humbles; and, lastly, it is permanent.