blessing be on you as you read; I think you will find you have not made a bad bargain. But yet, shall I give you another sample or two?"

By all means," said Hans.

Claude spent a little time in turning over the pages.

"I hardly know whether you will like to hear what I have opened upon now," said he, hesitating; "It is spoken by one having authority."

"Let's have it, then, by all means," said Hans; "Don't scruple, man, nor mince matters!"

"The speaker says," pursued Claude, They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for anything? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed and the workmen, they are but of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh

no water, and is faint. The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it to bake bread, and yet maketh thereof a graven image, and worshippeth it!. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he roasteth flesh; he warmeth himself with it, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire !— and with the residue thereof he maketh a god! falleth down to it! worshippeth it! prayeth unto it sayeth, Deliver me, for thou art my God!'" "That is strongly put," said Hans, as Claude paused.

Strongly put? Is it not true?" said Claude. "Has not your good mother just swept up your shavings, and thrown them on the fire?"

"Yes-only, I don't worship these dolls.”

"If you don't, those will who buy them."

Well, that's true. If one could suppose, now, that what you have just been reading was spoken

by one who had a right to speak—”

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'It is!" cried Claude, his whole face lighting

up with some fire from within ;

of God himself!

LORD.'"

It's the word

It begins, Thus saith the

I thought as much!" ejaculated Mother Agnes, with a long breath that was almost a sigh.

The Bible? I'm curious to see one," said Hans, with a singular expression stealing over his face; "I've heard of it often." And he stretched out his hand.

"Don't touch it, father!" cried Lisa, stepping forward.

"Not touch it, pussy? And why not?" "It's dangerous !

How do you know? Have you read it?" "Oh no! But the priests say so. It teaches bad things. It teaches people to despise the blessed Virgin."

Nay," interposed Claude, "listen to this.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women.''

"That's the Angelus," said Lisa.

"What you call the Angelus is nothing more or less than a text taken out of the Bible. Read it with your own eyes! It was found here and nowhere else. I thought you said just now," added Claude, softening his voice, "that you were pleased with me because you saw that I reverenced the Virgin."

"I did! but you replied that you did not love her."

No! You said you quite adored her. . . I only said I could not do that—I can reverence and love her, but I only adore God!'

"No created being. Christ himself said, Woman, what have I to do with thee? He addressed his mother as a very woman."

"I won't hear you," said Lisa, flushing deeply. "It's rank heresy. What business have you to come here, saying things to unsettle our faith? I love, I adore the Virgin! She is my hope, my life, my all!"-clasping her hands, and looking

upwards with intense devotion. "Take our religion from us, and you take everything! It is fine, reasoning and discussing things now, when we are all in health, but who gave us that health? who obtained it for us, with every other blessing? Who may withdraw it from us in a moment? And what have we left, on our death-beds, if we have forfeited our best friend?"

"All excellent, most excellent," said Claude, in a penetrating voice, "if spoken of the Son instead of the mother. . .

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The Son hears the intercession of the mother!"

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Say, rather, the Father hears the intercession of the Son."

You are cleverer than I; I can't argue with you," cried Lisa, passionately, "but you shall not undermine my faith; nor the faith of my dear little brothers. I'll go to bed the minute we have sung the Ave Maria. Play for us at once,

father."

And reaching down a violin, she gave it to Hans, and, with her face averted from Claude, and an arm round the neck of each of her little brothers, prepared to sing the evening hymn to