beginning to learn your Catechism. I don't think you could keep it better: but it is a good thing for you, Nellie, or rather, a good thing for your father that you did not live three hundred years ago."

Nellie's blue eyes were opened wide. It was easy to see that she could be intelligent enough in anything that interested her.

"Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Stancombe, remarking this, "for in those days, Nellie, the father of a little girl like you, who could not say her Catechism at ten years old, would have had to give ten shillings to the poor's box."

"Father wouldn't give it," said Nellie, abruptly. "He couldn't, for he hasn't got it to give! and he don't care for me to learn my Catechism at all. He told me not to bother when I asked him what it meant. But I must learn it, or Mrs. Blake said I shouldn't come to school."

"And you like to go to school ?"

"No, I don't," said Nellie.

"Then why would you be sorry not to go?"

"Because I want to know how to read, and write, and work, and do everything that mother did when she was here."

"And mother is dead ?" said Mrs. Stancombe, gently, becoming more and more interested every moment in this strange little girl of ten years old, whom the village mistress had pronounced that very day to be a "wicked, troublesome child," yet who was so truthful in her words, and who, though she did not like learning, yet

wished to learn for the sake of the advantages to be gained.

"Yes," said Nellie, "she died five years ago. If she hadn't died, I could learn my Catechism, for she taught me everything; I wasn't ever in trouble then.”

M

CHAPTER II.

A MEMBER OF CHRIST.

HEN little Nellie spoke thus of her mother, and how differently things would have

gone with her if only she had lived, Mrs. Stancombe's heart was touched, and the tears rose to her eyes, for she had a little girl of her own at home just Nellie's age. She drew the child nearer to her, and said in a motherly tone, which went straight to little Nellie's motherless heart"And you are sometimes in trouble now; let me see if I cannot help you, you say you can't make it out. What is it you cannot understand ?”’ And Mrs. Stancombe asked Nellie if she could repeat the first answer, which she did word for word, adding, moreover, that "she knew she had been baptized, for father had told her so, and had got the lines about it in the box up-stairs, along with the other lines about his being married to mother. She'd been baptized in the parish church of Frampton a while before they came to live here; but as to god-parents, she did not know anything about them; she had never heard of any father or mother but her own father, who lived here with

her, and her mother, who had gone to live in heaven."

Mrs. Stancombe told her, that if her godparents were near her, it would be their duty to explain many things to her, and teach her many things; amongst others, this very Catechism, which seemed so hard to understand. And then telling her how much she should like to help her instead, she asked her if she knew what the first hard word meant, and what a member” was.

Nellie answered, "No; she had never heard of any other member but Mr. Audley, the fine gentleman that lived yonder. Father said he was the member,' but she didn't know what that meant ; and he had not anything to do with the Catechism."

Mrs. Stancombe smiled, and said, "No; he had not anything to do with Nellie's Catechism certainly." But she thought she could make her understand that the word had; and then she asked whether Mr. Audley was at home now, up in the "great house yonder," as she called it.

"No," said Nellie, "I know he isn't, because father works there, and I heard him say he'd gone away to London, and wasn't coming back for a good bit of time.”

"And shall I tell you why Mr. Audley has gone to London, Nellie ?" continued Mrs. Stancombe. "He has gone because he is a member.'"

Nellie stared; she did not see any connection between Mr. Audley and the Catechism yet, but the subject interested her, and her face was all

attention when Mrs. Stancombe put her next question, "Who is the greatest person in all the land? Nellie, do you know who sits on the throne in London, and rules the kingdom?"

"Yes," said Nellie, "it's the Queen."

Quite right, Nellie; and do you know who helps her to rule her kingdom, and take care of all her people, and make wise laws and good rules, so that they may have everything they want, and live in happiness and peace?"

This Nellie did not know; but she listened very attentively while Mrs. Stancombe explained to her that clever men from all parts of the country, men like Mr. Audley, went up to London to help to make laws, and that they were called "members." Then, seeing how completely Nellie's attention was gained, she said, "Now, tell me, Nellie, how many bodies have you got?

"Bodies!" replied Nellie, " only one."

"And is all your body made of one part, Nellie? is your head all your body ?"

"No," said Nellie, quickly enough; and on being asked to name other parts of her body, she readily mentioned her hands, and feet, and eyes, and ears.

"And every one of these parts is called a 'member,"" said Mrs. Stancombe, "a member being a part of the body, the body being one thing made of many parts. The Queen's Parliament, Nellie, which you have often learned about at school, and, I dare say, heard about at home, is one great Parliament, where many gentlemen go to speak, each