cially, who knew her best, felt sure that she had something on her mind which troubled her, and she thought, too, that it might be something that concerned her, for she had observed that more than once during the conversation, Mrs. Stancombe had looked at her with an expression of special and somewhat sorrowful interest. Nor was Nellie wrong in her suspicions. Mrs. Stancombe, on rising to take leave, asked Nellie to come up to the Rectory that evening; she and Mr. Stancombe wished to speak to her. Nellie longed to ask what it was they desired to say to her; had they heard anything further from the Park? was it bad news? But she was too shy to make any inquiries, and Patty did not like to do so either, and Mrs. Stancombe went away, leaving Nellie in a state of much suspense.

"I'm sure something has happened," she said; "Mrs. Stancombe's face was so sorrowful. I observed her look directly she came in, and felt sure it had something to do with me, for I saw her looking at me so very gravely."

"So did I," replied Patty," but I didn't see anything strange in that. We know how much she thinks about you just now, Nellie. When she was reading the seventy-second Psalm, I know she thought of you when she came to the verse, 'Mine enemies speak against me, and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,' for I saw her look at you; and if you remember, she spoke so sweetly about its being quite useless for our enemies, either temporal or spiritual, to lay wait for us,

hoping to overthrow us, for that if we had God on our side, we could say, like David, 'I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'

Nellie was very thoughtful for a few moments. Patty," she said at length, "I'm afraid they've invented something against me. You don't know how much I fear them."

"Oh, but you must not fear," said Patty, putting her little thin hand into Nellie's, and fixing her large eyes on her with a look of mingled entreaty and command, "it is wrong to fear, when we have a God whom we can trust. Remember, Nellie, darling, what Mrs. Stancombe said only just now about the Commandments of God. Don't you re

collect her reminding us what was the first thing which these Commandments were meant to teach us?"

"Yes," said Nellie, "our duty towards God."

"And the first duty which God requires from us is to believe in Him.' To believe in Him, Nellie, at all times, and under all circumstances; never mind what happens to us, still to believe always in Him, in his love, in his power, in his compassion. You know what Mrs. Stancombe said about its not being possible for man to hurt us, if we had God for our friend ?"

"I know that," said Nellie, "but it's difficult to remember it when one is frightened, and feels that one has enemies trying to injure one. And I know, Patty, I feel quite sure that they have done something to hurt me.

"Believe in the Lord your God,'" said Patty solemnly, "so shall ye be established; believe his

prophets, so shall ye prosper.' You remember who said that, Nellie, and when he said it ?"

But Nellie did not remember.

"It was Jehoshaphat," said Patty, "when the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and others with them, came against him to battle. You can read all about it in the twentieth chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles, and I should like very much to hear it, for it's such a comforting story when one is feeling afraid of anything."

And so it proved. For Nellie, taking her Bible, and reading of God's goodness to his people of old, in saving them from the great multitude that came against them, felt, as many an older child of God has done, that all these things were written indeed for our instruction in difficulty, for our comfort in trouble, for our encouragement in fear. How great was the deliverance which Judah experienced on that occasion! How different the sensations of the king before and after that struggle with his enemies! Before, he "feared." Afterwards, he "appointed singers unto the Lord, to sing and to praise." And what were the means which worked this great deliverance? what the weapons which obtained this great victory? Just such as

are in the hands of every servant of God, every man, woman, and child amongst his people. There was but one condition on which success was promised. The people were "to believe." "Hear me, O Judah. Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."

HEN Nellie had finished reading the chapter, Patty begged her to read the twentieth verse again.

"Is it not a wonderful story?" she said. "Our Catechism tells us, Nellie, that the first part of our duty towards God is to believe in Him, and so it is. Believing leads to all the other duties to prayer, and to trust, and to hope, and best of all, to love. You see, Nellie, Jehoshaphat had nothing left him to do but to believe and trust. He asked God to judge his enemies, for he had no might against them, and did not know what to do. His only support was in faith, in that great God who, he believed, was God over all the kingdoms, and in whose hand was such power and might that none were able to withstand Him. All he and his people could do was to stand still and see the salvation of God. But what a salvation it was, Nellie! We are told that when they came to the watch-tower in the wilderness to look toward the multitude, behold they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, none had escaped; and when Jehoshaphat and his people

an orphan, for it would be better for her, poor child, to have no father at all than the like of him she's got; and not only that, but cruelly slandered and ill-treated, wouldn't I be thankful to the Lord if He sent a strong arm to protect her, and a safe home to shelter her. Yes, I would; and what I'd like the Lord to have done for my own child if she'd been left alone and unprotected, that I'll do, God helping me, for this poor stray lamb of his that He seems Himself to have set along my path, maybe on purpose to see if I'd got enough of his own compassion in me to pick it up and set it in safety on my own shoulder."

"And the Lord will reward you, neighbour, no fear but He will. "Tis not the Lord's way to refuse his help to them that are doing a good work in his name and for his sake."

"We must consult Mr. and Mrs. Stancombe," said Seymour. "I've named it to them already, but they gave me no settled answer. They said they'd talk it over."

And at that moment Mr. and Mrs. Stancombe were talking it over, and the result of their conversation was that they called that evening at Master Seymour's cottage, and it was arranged that Nellie should remain with him for the present, and be to him as his own child. Thus did the Lord provide the orphan with a protector and a friend, and send comfort into the bereaved heart of the widowed father.