"And

lead pencil had been once or twice strongly drawn. Mizpah; for he said, the Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another."

"Now is not that a comfortable scripture," said Mrs, Smith. "Often and often it comes into my mind when I'm by myself in the house, or lying in bed when everything is dark and still about me, and I'm thinking what a way there is, both land and sea, betwixt me and Willie; and then I turn those words into a sort of prayer, and think we have a good friend between us, and that though we are so far from each other we are both of us near HIM, and that brings us near together in our souls, for all the land and sea-aye, those are Willie's pencil marks, and I see you're looking at the poor little flower! you would'nt think now, for as faded as it is, it was once a prize Hearts-ease and grew in Lord D-'s garden. Well do I mind, after the flower show, one of the gardeners gave it to Willie, and he came home with it sticking in his button hole, looking so pleased and cheerful though it was but a few days before he had to go to sea, and began to show me what a beauty it was, and told me what a fine name the gardener had given it, which I can't call to mind now." "I like Hearts-eases," he said "mother they're such pleasant looking little flowers; come what weather may, all the year round almost, they put up their heads, and show themselves satisfied and in a good humour; I think they're deserving of the name folks have given them."

"That you know ma'am was just his pleasant way of talking, and he had often a way, had Willie, of saying things almost as if it had been in a sort of jest, and still you could see he * Gen. xxxi. 49. Mizpah means in Hebrew, a Beacon or watch Tower.

had a serious meaning in it all along. Just before bed time I saw him take down the old Bible, and he seemed as if he was, busy about something, so I did not like to take any particular notice, but made as if I was not minding him; so when we bid good night, now mother,' he says, 'I've put something in there that you'll see and give a thought to when I'm far away, and whenever you want HEARTS-EASE you'll know where it grows and not have far to look for it; for I've set it in the right spot, its not every place it 'll thrive in.""

It was now time, Miss Ashton thought for them to be setting out upon their way homewards. So they took leave of their good old friend, with many kind good byes and promises, if all should be well, to walk over and spend another evening with her before summer was over.

"And who knows," said Mrs. Smith, "whether before then Willie's ship may not have come in, and then Miss Ellen, there'll be some more pretty things, may be, for you to look at;—and himself too; I think you would both like to see Willie, and many a curious story he could tell you about the wonderful things he has seen, and the places he's been to, only that he's shy and modest, and has'nt been used to talk to young ladies like you."

If they had had, as you remember, a pleasant walk in coming, I think the going home, in the calm peaceful evening was still more enjoyed, only that now they did not look much about them, or stop to watch the broad sunset lights and shadows come out upon the distant hills. Even Lucy I believe did not drop behind to gather one single flower, so close did they both keep to Miss Ashton's side, talking to her about all they had seen at the cottage. They both agreed

they had never spent an evening they had enjoyed more; "and what a nice old woman Mrs. Smith is," said Ellen," and how pleasant it is to hear her speak about' Willie,' he must be a good son, and as she says, 'well worth talking about.""

"But was it not pretty," remarked Lucy after a short pause, "to hear her little story about the flower we saw between the leaves of her Bible, I could not help thinking, dear Miss Ashton, while we were looking at it, that just as she said the book always opened at that place, partly because of the flower, and partly because it had been opened there so often before, so one might compare her own mind to a book, that whenever you took it up, was sure to open at one place, and that Willie was like the flower between the leaves."

Miss Ashton thought that Lucy's idea was a very pretty one, and said that hearing Mrs. Smith talk about her son had brought some thoughts, not very unlike it into her own mind; and there were two sayings in the Bible, she continued, "which very often came across me whilst we were in the cottage, I wonder if you could guess either of them." The little girls were afraid they could not, but thought they would like to try.

"Do you not remember one which tells us that if there is anything we like very much, and set great store by, our thoughts will be a great deal where it is."

"Oh yes," replied both children almost at once, your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

"where

"And it was very easy, I am sure," returned Miss Ashton, smiling, "to see both what good Mrs. Smith's treasure was, and also, that her heart was with it, it was very easy to see that there was no one thing in this wide world so dear to her

as Willie, and that he was so much a part of all her thoughts that they followed him almost whether she intended it or not, for you might observe even when she tried to turn to other things, her talk was sure in the end to come round to something connected with him."

"I think," said little Ellen, gravely, "I can now guess what the other text might be, 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh;' and I think, I know too, because I remember something I said to you this morning; not far from this very place, why it was that these two text came into your mind this evening, and what it is you want us to think of from Mrs. Smith's talk. I know you think that if we ourselves, and other people in the world, loved God and our Saviour only half as much as she loves her son, and thought only half as much about pleasing them here, and meeting them in heaven, as she thinks about his being away and coming home again, we should all talk about good things far oftener than we do, and not think it a strange thing when we hear any one else begin to speak of them."

"No, my dear Ellen, the strange thing to our hearts would then be that we should hear them spoken of so seldom. If we love God very much as our Father and best Friend, and think a great deal about all He has done to save us, and to make us happy for ever, I am sure it would hurt us very much not to talk about Him sometimes, and to be obliged to keep our conversation always confined to subjects relating only to things we see around us, which, although they may be very interesting and worthy, like the pretty things we looked at in the cottage, of a share of our attention, are but the merest trifles when compared with the one thing our thoughts would most turn,

to. You can easily believe that if any one were to say to Mrs. Smith, Now, you must try and not mention Willie's name once this whole evening,' it would always rising to her lips, till she would not have any pleasure in talking about anything else, and I am sure she would not care to show off her pretty things, when she could no longer say, 'He gave me that,' or that's of Willie's bringing."

"No, my dear, most certainly I do not, for that would neither be good for ourselves or for others, and there would be great danger in bringing such subjects too frequently forward, and without duly considering the time and place of our speaking, and the Almighty being robbed of the hon. our due to His most Holy Name. I do not wish for example that Mrs. Smith should be always talking as she does about her son, we all liked very much to hear her, but, I dare say people in general who know nothing about Willie, cannot take much interest in being told so much about him, and get very tired of hearing her always dwelling upon the same thing, but this never occurs to Mrs. Smith, though she would know it had she mixed inore among other people; but she is as you see, but a simple old woman, living a great deal by herself, with no other company but her own thoughts, so that it comes naturally to her to speak of whatever is uppermost in her own mind."

After a little pause, Miss Ashton went on, "You cannot say my dear Ellen and Lucy, for example, that I myself am always talking about my dear Father and Mother; perhaps there may be some days when I do not even mention their names, but I am sure you do not on that account believe that they are any less in my thoughts, for you know well how