that she would have the book this time. So, to make herself, as she thought, perfectly sure, she took her Bible and a mora, and went and sat in one corner of the room; thinking to herself, I will not stir till dinnertime, and, surely, I cannot break one of the commandments while I am sitting here with my Bible in my hand. For half an hour Mary seemed to do well, and made sure of the book: but, unluckily for her, just as the clock struck twelve, there came into Mrs. Browne's room, one Mrs. James, and her daughter Kitty James, who was just Mary's age. Mrs. James was the sergeantmajor's wife, and she called to ask Mrs. Browne how she did. Mrs. James was one that loved finery very much, and always dressed her daughter in the best and smartest of everything: accordingly, Kitty James had on a wrought muslin frock, much finer than Mary's, with a pink sash and pink slippers, and white beads round her neck.

So Mrs. James sat down, and Kitty placed herself upon a mora by her, just opposite Mary; and Mrs. James began talking to Mrs. Browne. All this time little Mary's eyes were upon Kitty's sash and fine shoes and she could not help wishing and wishing, for them, till she became quite uneasy; so much did she long for them. Mrs. James sat talking till the dinnerdrum beat, when she got up and went away; and then Mary, rising from her mora, ran up to her godmother, and said, "O, godmother, what a beautiful sash! wish-I wish I had it."

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Mary Mary!" said Mrs. Browne, "fie! fie! How can you allow yourself to covet and desire what is not your own??

Soon after this the dinner was brought in, and Mary said, "Now, godmother, for the book. It is dinner

time, and I have not broken any of the commandments since I came in from church."

Mrs. Browne.-Stop, stop, Mary: do not be too sure of that.

Mary.-Why, godmother, how can I have broken a commandment since church? I have been sitting in that corner till this very minute.

Mrs. Browne.-Yet you have broken a commandment, I assure you.

Mary.-Nay, godmother, nay. I ought to have the book. I have been very good.

Mrs. Browne.-Indeed, Mary, you have not been very good; for, to my knowledge, you have broken one commandment, at least, since church-time.

Mary looked rather cross, and said, "What commandment, godmother?"

Mrs. Browne.-What is the tenth, Mary?

Mary.-The tenth commandment? Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his.'

Mrs. Browne.-Pray, my dear, did you not but just now covet and desire Kitty James's sash?

Mary could not deny that she had done so: so she sat down to dinner with Sergeant and Mrs. Browne, without her book: and she could scarcely eat her dinner because she was so vexed. However, Mrs. Browne once more comforted her by saying, "Mary, I will give you another chance for the book. If I do not find you out breaking one of the commandments before the bugle sounds for parade, you shall have the book to take home with you.'

Mary thanked her godmother, and determined to try for it again.

Now there was in the same barrack, but at the other end of it, a woman who was very sick, and Mrs. Browne used to go very often to see her: so, after dinner, the sergeant said to his wife, "Do you go now to see Sally Jones, and I will take care of Mary." Mrs. Browne then gave Mary a hymn-book to read, and went to see Mrs. Jones, leaving Mary and her husband together in the berth.

The sergeant took his Bible in his hand, and sat down, bidding Mary also to sit down to her book: and presently, being much engaged with his Bible, the sergeant quite forgot that he had taken charge of Mary.

Mary sat a little while reading very busily; but presently she got tired of reading, and began to count the leaves of her book: and behold, while she was counting the leaves, she heard a monkey chattering in the verandah; so up she must get to look at the monkey, and out she must go into the verandah. And in the verandah were two or three rude children, riding on sticks. Mrs. Mary presently found a stick too: and when Sergeant Browne bethought himself of Mary, and looked to see where she was, she was coursing up and down the verandah, though it was Sunday, upon a stick, with most of the rude boys and girls in the barrack. The sergeant was sadly vexed at her. He soon brought her back, and tied her to the foot of the bed with his pocket-handkerchief; bidding her repeat the fourth commandment to herself, and try to keep it better another time. It was a sad tale to tell Mrs. Browne when she came back, how Mary had been romping and rioting, on a Sunday evening, with all the rude lads in the barrack. Mary cried, and was very humble, and said, "Godmother, I have done very wrong. I have

broken one of God's commandments again. I am a wicked girl."

Mrs. Browne untied her, and took her upon her lap, and kissed her, saying, "Mary, I am glad to see you so humble and sorry for what you have done; and I hope, my dear child, that you will never again boast, and say that you are able to keep Gcd's commandments; 'for know,' my dear, 'that in us (that is, in our flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with us; but how to perform that which is good we find not. For the good that we would, we do not: but the evil which we would not, that we do." (Rom. vii. 18, 19.) Then said Mary, "You may put away that pretty little book, godmother, for I shall never gain it, I a

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Mrs. Browne.-What! won't you try again to-morrow, Mary?

Mary.-O no, no, godmother; for I shall never get it by my own goodness. I now know that I am a miserable sinner, though I did not know it this morning at church.

Mrs. Browne.-Then, my dear child, you have learned the best lesson you ever learned in your life.

Mary cried and sobbed very much, and said, "Godmother, if I cannot be good half an hour, to gain this little book, how can I be good all my life, to gain heaven?"

Mrs. Browne.-If there was no getting to heaven but by our own goodness, my dear child, we should none of us ever get there.

Mary.-But will God take me to heaven with all my sins and wickedness? Godmother, I am not fit to go to heaven.

Mrs. Browne.-Certainly not. But if you believe in

the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be washed from your sins by his blood: and the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ will be given you; for the sake of which you will be taken to heaven: and your heart will be made clean, and white, and pure, so that you will be enabled even upon earth to love God and keep his commandments.

Mary.-O, godmother, I know now why I have been so wicked to-day. I have not loved the Lord Jesus Christ to-day; but I have loved myself all day: and therefore I could not keep God's commandments, because I did not love him.

Then Mrs. Browne taught Mary these verses: 'Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.' (John xiv. 23, 24.)

By the time Mary had learned these verses, it was parade-time, so Mrs. Browne sent her home. But before they parted, she kissed her, and said, "I hope, my child, that you will remember what has happened to-day, and bear in mind continually, that if we all had what we deserved, it would not be heaven and a crown of glory, but hell and the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; and that we have nothing to trust to but the cross of Christ' God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto us, and we unto the world.'" (Gal. vi. 14.)

When little Mary got home, she told her mother all that had happened: and Mrs. Mills felt very much obliged to Mrs. Browne for the pains she had taken

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