Now Giant Despair had a wife, and her name was Diffidence: so he told his wife that he had taken a couple of prisoners and cast them into his dungeon for trespassing. Then she counseled him that in the morning he should beat them without mercy. So when he arose, he getteth him a grievous crab-tree cudgel, and goes down into the dungeon to them, and there first falls to rating of them as if they were dogs. Then he falls upon them and beats them fearfully; this done, he withdraws and leaves them there to condole their misery, and to mourn under their distress.

"Brother," said Christian, "what shall we do? The life that we now live is miserable. For my part, I know not whether it is best to live thus, or die out of hand."

"Indeed," said Hopeful, "our present condition is dreadful, and death would be far more welcome to me than thus forever to abide; but let us consider, that all the law is not in the hand of Giant Despair. Who knows but that God, that made the world, may cause that Giant Despair may die; or that at some time or other he may forget to lock us in. For my part, I am resolved to pluck up the heart of a man, and to try my utmost to get from under his hand. I was a fool that I did not try to do it before. But, however, my brother, let's be patient, and endure a while." With these words Hopeful did moderate the mind of his brother; so they continued together in the dark that day, in their sad and doleful condition.

Now night being come again, and the giant and his wife being in bed, she asked him concerning the prisoners. He replied, "They are sturdy rogues; they chose rather to bear all hardship than to make away with themselves." Then said she, "Take them into the castle yard to-morrow, and show them the bones and skulls of those thou hast already dispatched."

So when the morning was come the giant took them

into the castle yard, and showed them as his wife had bidden. "These," said he, "were pilgrims, as you are, and they trespassed in my grounds as you have done; and when I thought fit I tore them in pieces, and so within ten days I will do you; get you down in your den again." And with that he beat them all the way thither. They lay, therefore, all day on Saturday in a lamentable case, as before.

Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of day. Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half-amazed, broke out in this passionate speech: “What a fool," quoth he, "am I, thus to lie in a dungeon when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle." Then said Hopeful, "That's good news; good brother, pluck it out of thy bosom and try."

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that leads into the castle yard, and with his key opened that door also. After he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went hard, yet the key did open it. Then they thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed; but that gate, as it opened, made such a crackling that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail; for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the King's highway, and so were safe, because they were out of the giant's jurisdiction.

MAY: PEACE AMONG NEIGHBORS

For the Teacher:

MEMORABILIA

XENOPHON

Socrates, seeing two brothers quarreling, said to one, "As it appears to me the gods have designed brothers to be of greater mutual service than the hands or feet or other members which they have made in pairs; for the hands, if required to do things at the same time, at greater distance than a fathom, would be unable to do them; the feet cannot reach two objects at the same time that are distant even a fathom: but brothers if they are in friendship can, even at the greatest distance, act in concert and for mutual benefit.

Learn:

Suggestions for morning talks

Echo not an angry word,

Let it pass!

Think how often you have erred;

Let it pass!

Any common souls that live

May condemn without reprieve;
"T is the noble who forgive:
Let it pass!

All The Year Round.

Read: "The White Dove," Maud Lindsay, in More Mother Stories. Milton Bradley Co.

"Little Girls Wiser Than Men," Tolstoy, in Twenty-Three Tales; translated by L. and A. Maude. Oxford University Press.

Read: "Rollo in the Woods," in Rollo at Play, Jacob Abbott. T. Y. Crowell & Co.

"A Bit of Loving Kindness," Ada Carleton, in Ethics, Julia M. Dewey. Educational Publishing Company.

"Three Bugs," Alice Cary, in Poetical Works of

Alice and Phabe Cary. Houghton Mifflin Co.

A SPARK NEGLECTED BURNS THE HOUSE 1

LEO TOLSTOY

There once lived in Russia a peasant named Ivan Stcherbakof. He was the best worker in the village, had three sons all able to work, his wife was a thrifty woman and they had a quiet and hard working daughter-in-law. They had only one idle mouth to feed; that of Ivan's old father, who had been lying ill on the top of the great brick oven for seven years. Ivan had all he needed, three horses and a colt, a cow with a calf, and fifteen sheep. So he and his children might have lived quite comfortably had it not been for a quarrel with his nextdoor neighbor, Limping Gabriel, the son of Gordey Ivanof.

As long as old Gordey was alive the peasants lived as neighbors should. If the women wanted a sieve or a tub, or the men a sack, they sent to the other house. Such things as locking up barns and outhouses, or hiding things from one another, were never thought of.

When the sons came to be at the head of the families, everything changed. It all began about a trifle. Ivan's daughter-in-law, Sonia, had a hen that every day laid an egg in the cart. But one day the hen flew across into Gabriel's yard and laid its egg there. When Sonia went

Abridged from Twenty-Three Tales. Translated by L. and A. Maude. Oxford University Press.

over, Gabriel's mother asked: "What do you want, young woman?" "Why, you see, my hen flew across this morning. Did not she lay an egg here?" "We never saw anything of it. We collect our own eggs. And we don't go looking for eggs in other people's yards, lass!” The young woman was offended, and answered sharply. The women began abusing each other. Ivan's wife joined in; Gabriel's wife rushed out; then a general uproar commenced. Gabriel, returning from the fields, stopped to take his wife's part. Ivan and his son rushed out; and finally Ivan pulled a hand-full out of Gabriel's beard. Thus the quarrel began, and from this a feud grew.

Ivan's old father tried to persuade them to make peace, saying, "It's a stupid thing, children, picking quarrels about an egg. The children may have taken it -well, what matter? God sends enough for all. And suppose your neighbor did say an unkind word; show her how to say a better one! If there has been a fight well, we're all sinners, so make it up. If you nurse your anger it will be worse for you yourselves."

But the younger folk would not listen. Not a day passed without a quarrel or even a fight. After a time the peasants began to steal from each other and kept getting each other fined. Finally, in the seventh year of the quarrel, Sonia accused Gabriel of horse-stealing, and Gabriel hit her such a blow that she was laid up for a week. Ivan got Gabriel condemned to be flogged. This was a terrible humiliation to Gabriel and he was overheard to mutter, "Very well! He will have my back flogged! That will make it burn; but something of his may burn worse than that!"

After this Ivan's old father spoke up again. “Ah, lad, malice blinds you. Others' sins are before your eyes but your own are behind your back. He's acted badly? If he were bad but you were good, there would be no strife.