at the further end of the room, he concluded that they were too much interested in their conversation to have observed the terrible stain upon the floor. He therefore hastened to get down, thinking all the time what he could do with the handkerchief which was stuffed all soaking into his pocket. One good thing for himhis trousers were black and would show no stains; but he could not keep the handkerchief, and if the boy it belonged to should hunt for it, and find it, what a fuss there would be. He decided that he had better hide it, where the laurel bushes were thickest. Moving cautiously, lest he should be heard, be crept as far as he could into the shrubbery, and squeezing it into a ball threw it in further still. This done quietly and safely, ho hastened away from the school. He felt very uncomfortable as he walked home. Do what he would to stifle the thought, conscience would keep on repeating, Charley, you're a cheat! He tried not to hear its voice; he whistled, then hummmed a tune; and at last, finding his efforts useless, began to run. His father and mother thought him unusually cross and rude that evening. He did not even care to talk about the dictation prize; and when his father, thinking that he was out of spirits about his chance, tried to cheer him up, Charley answered snappishly, that he supposed he had as good a chance as any one, and that he was sick of hearing it talked about. He did not touch his supper and went off to bed early, but only to pass a restless night; and when he came down in the morning, he looked so pale that his mother begged him to stay at home. Of course

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Charley would not hear of this. It would mark him out for suspicion, if he were to be absent, when the boys were questioned about the stain on the floor, and the broken inkstand; so he started off for school, full of anxiety.

The bell rang as Charley entered the school. He found the boys already assembled. By the desk stood

the Rector, the Master, and Mr. Witherby,-all with grave faces. Prayers were read, and the Rector, stepping forward, desired all the boys to stand up, and spoke to them as follows,

"I am very sorry, my boys, to have to speak to you as I must speak this morning. Last evening some one-I am afraid it must have been one of you boys-got into the school-room through that window. You can see for yourselves, from the ink upon the floor, the broken inkstand deceitfully placed so as to hide the breakage, and the marks of ink on the desk and the window-sill. Whoever it was, his object could only have been that of meddling with one or more of the dictation papers. Whether he did so, I do not know. They were left in the drawer of the desk, and there we found them apparently undisturbed. I now call upon the culprit, whoever he may be, to confess his fault. I will not, of course, promise that he shall escape punishment altogether, but it is the only way in which he can in any measure atone for his fault; and, if he speaks out at once, he will not be punished severely." No one spoke.

"Do any of you," he continued, "know anything of this sad matter?"

"No sir, no sir," burst from all the boys,-from all but one. No one noticed his silence, however, and the Rector continued; "I am very sorry indeed that the guilty one will not confess. That he is present I cannot doubt, as no boy is absent to-day who was present yesterday. And I wish I were not forced to believe that he is one of the elder boys, one of those who tried for the dictation prize. Let those boys stand out." They came forward immediately.

"John Brown, do you know anything of this? "No, sir."

"James Howard?"

"No, sir."

"Charles Robins?"

"No, sir."

The answer was given in a low tone, and Charley's head drooped as he spoke. His cheeks were crimson, but two or three of the other boys were quite as much embarrassed as himself, being ashamed of having to deny such a charge, and indignant with the unknown culprit, who had brought such disgrace upon the school.

The Rector looked very sad, when the last of the eighteen boys had replied in the negative to his questions. "One of you," he said, "is, I very much fear, not only a cheat, but a liar. I warn him that he cannot hide his sin. I believe it will come out, even here; but if it does not, he cannot hide it from God. I wish that even now he would speak; or let him come to me privately. I give him till this evening."

Oh, how wretched Charley felt! But he had not the courage to speak out. "It's impossible," he thought, quite impossible. I couldn't do it now."

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"Under these painful circumstances," continued the Rector, "no dictation prize can be given, until the culprit is discovered, and I must also prevent the first class from enjoying a pleasure which your kind friend, Mr. Witherby, had intended to give them. He asked me last night, whether I should have any objection to his taking the twelve first class boys to Seaborough, to spend a long day in rambling about the beach and cliffs, and in boating. I most willingly gave my consent. must now withdraw it. The whole school must be considered in disgrace, and more especially the elder boys, till the guilty one is found. I shall not stop the school-feast, and the yearly prizes will be distributed as usual; but I shall not feel the pleasure that I generally do on that day, nor, I believe, will any of you.”—Our Curate's Budget.

I

A QUIET CONSCIENCE.

How pleasant it is at the end of the day,
No follies to have to repent,

But reflect on the past, and be able to say
That my time has been properly spent.

When I've done all my work with patience and care,
Been truthful, obliging, and kind,

I lie on my pillow, and sleep away there,
With a happy and peaceable mind.

But instead of all this, it must be confessed,
If deceitful or idle I've been;

I lie down as usual and go to my rest,
But feel discontented within.

Then as I am grieved at the trouble I've had,
In future I'll try to prevent it;

For I never am naughty without being sad,
Or good without being contented.

WIFE-BURNING IN INDIA.

A BRAHMIN died, leaving a young wife aged seventeen, and other relatives, but no children. On the following morning the woman declared her intention of sacrificing herself upon the funeral pile of her husband; and a wealthy native having offered to defray the expenses, preparations were made on a grand scale, in a secluded place. A spot was chosen, and four large posts eight feet high were fixed, on which a sort of scaffold of

dry wood was formed, and underneath it were layers of the driest wood and cow-dung (sun-dried), and other light materials, so as to burn briskly when set on fire. The body of her husband having been placed on the scaffold, and a considerable quantity of dry straw strewn, and oil and spirit poured over it, the woman mounted the pile, apparently with some reluctance, amidst the shouts of the spectators.

She took her seat on the right, and after a short ceremony, putting her hand under the neck of the corpse, with much coolness stretched herself beside the body, arranging the hair of her head and her clothes. A considerable quantity of wood was put over the two bodies, when a tremendous shout of applause rent the air, with a clapping of hands, and other tokens of satisfaction. About a quarter of an hour was now spent in making preparations, when torches were applied to different parts of the pile. No sooner did the flame arise, than the unfortunate victim, unable to endure the suffocation and pain, struggled hard to free herself from the pile; and, as the flames