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"Yes, come in. Oh, Carrie, I am so miserable, I cannot sleep. I don't know what is to become of me, I have been so wicked. I feel that I have no right here in my father's house. I do not deserve any of your love and kindness, and I cannot bear it."

"Yes, you can, Harry; you need not think of what you have been, but only of what you are going to be."

"There is no hope for me; I cannot change, though I hate myself. I wish I had never been born, I wish-oh! I don't know what I wish."

He walked to and fro in the room, and looked so haggard that his sister could have cried.

"Come and sit down, Harry," she said; "I want to talk to you." He came, and she laid her cool hand upon his burning head. It soothed him directly, but she scarcely noticed that. She was lifting her heart up to God in prayer that she might be able to say the right things to her brother, and that God would bless her words. "Poor Harry! you don't know how much we all love you, papa, mamma, and I."'

"But how can you?

"We cannot help it."

"But papa will never, never forgive the disgrace I have brought upon him."

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"I think if you want to be forgiven he will only be too glad to do so."

"I want to be forgiven, but I dare not hope that I shall be." "But I think you are already. Did not papa show it when he took your hand? And when mamma put her arms round you and kissed you did you not feel that you were forgiven?

Harry could not speak, he could only cry at the remembrance. Brother," said Carrie, softly, "have you asked God to forgive

you ?"

"No," said Harry, shuddering. "I know He would not. Only this evening I have read that He is angry with the wicked every day."

"But there is another verse that says, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Think of Jesus, Harry. You know He came on purpose to save sinners, not good people. And He says, Come unto Me."

"I will try," said Harry. "I will try and be a great deal better than I ever have been before, and then perhaps He will listen to me when I pray."

"Oh, don't wait for that. Come now, just as you are, for I know you cannot make yourself better. Harry, if you like to ask Jesus to receive you and forgive you at this very minute He will."

Harry looked at his sister.

"Do you know what you are saying, Carrie? Is it true? Can I pray to Him although I am so wicked, and do you think He will pay the least attention to me?"

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Harry, when Jesus was here you know what sort of people He blessed. He cured those who were ill, and He spent His time with sinners. And He is the same now. It is no matter how bad we are, nor how sinful we have been, if we come to Jesus He will heal us and pardon our sins."

"How do you know?

"I know because the Bible says so, and because I am sure He has forgiven me."

Harry sat quite still for a long time, thinking.

Carrie said nothing, but now and then, as she thought of them, she repeated verses of Scripture.

""Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.'

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.'

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'

"Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.'

"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'

"Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.' Presently Harry spoke.

"That text says 'Him that cometh ;' it says nothing about being good before we come. Do you think it means that I may come to Jesus just as I am to be forgiven ?"

"I am sure it does, Harry."

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At another time, perhaps, Carrie would have been too timid. But now she did not think of herself. They both knelt down together, she and Harry, and she earnestly asked God to forgive her brother, and to let him be His child, not because of anything he could do, but because of what Jesus had already done to save sinners.

When she had finished Harry was sobbing. He did not rise from his knees, but he too prayed. He could only say a few words, but he said them from his heart. He confessed that he had been very sinful, but he asked God to forgive him, and he gave himself up to Jesus-" Thou has saved so many; Thou canst save me. Oh, Saviour, take me, for I come to Thee."

And then Harry was strangely happy, for he felt that he was forgiven. Of course Jesus would keep His word, and now that he had come He would not cast him out.

"Oh, Carrie," he said, "it is wonderful, but I know that He loves me, and has saved me; and though I have been so wicked I feel that He will help me to love and serve Him all my life."

Carrie was so happy and thankful that she could not speak.

It was quite daylight when she went away to her room. And then Harry felt as if he could sleep.

He took the little Bible, and read two verses the last thing :"And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation."

And with these beautiful words in his mind Harry fell asleep.

CHAPTER XII. (CONCLUSION).-CARRIE'S RESOLUTON KEPT. Mr. and Mrs. Lacey passed an anxious night as well as Harry and Carrie. They were glad and thankful to have their son back again, but they wondered whether he was changed, or whether he had only come back because he was tired of wandering about, and knew he could be more comfortable at home. If this were the case, they had every reason to fear that he would soon return to his evil practices and bring fresh trouble upon them. But they hoped for the best, for they loved him, and resolved that they would speak no hard words to their boy, but would let him see how dear his happiness was to them.

Mrs. Lacey resolved to talk to him very seriously, though lovingly, about his conduct, and Mr. Lacey promised to try to forget the past if only Harry would turn over a new leaf and behave differently in the future.

Still it was with anxious faces and fearful hearts that they entered the breakfast-room the morning after their son's return.

Harry was there first, and although he had only slept for an hour or two in the morning there was a look of peace and rest in his face that had never been there before.

Carrie saw it as soon as she entered, and it made her heart leap for joy. He came towards her with open arms.

"My darling sister," he said, "I have been thanking God for you."

It was too much for Carrie, she was relieved to hear her father and mother coming.

Harry's face turned a shade paler when he saw them.

"Father, mother, will you forgive me?" he said; and his voice trembled so that it did not sound like his own. "I did not dare ask you last night, but now, I think, I believe that God has forgiven me, and so I think it is possible you may. I have felt as if there could be no hope for me, but Carrie showed me that there was, and I have confessed my sins to Jesus, who gave His life for sinners, and He has made me so happy that I think I can bear anything now. I cannot expect that you will let me stay at home with you, but I will go anywhere, and do anything you wish. Only if you can forgive me, do, and I hope, I pray that I may never again grieve you as I have done."

Oh, what joy these words gave to Harry's parents! They could scarcely speak, they were crying for joy. But they made Harry understand that they fully and freely forgave him, and loved and trusted him still. It was agreed that he should not leave home again.

"Stay with us, Harry," said his father. "I need your help in the management of my affairs, and your youth and intelligence will be a great help; there is plenty to occupy you, and I would rather my son do the work than anybody beside."

"And you are not afraid to trust me, father?"

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"No, my boy, because I know that now you are looking higher than yourself for strength. And your prayer, Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil,' will certainly be answered."

"Yes, stay with us, Harry," said his mother, laying her hand on his shoulder, "it will be such a comfort to me to have my boy

near me."

And Harry thanked them with tears in his eyes.

"But, oh, Carrie, you must pray for me," he said afterward to his sister. "I am not good, and strong, and wise as I ought to be to do what father and mother expect me to do, and I shall disappoint them unless God will help me."

"But He will, Harry."

And He did. It was wonderful what a great change had passed over Harry. Everybody noticed it, but they saw it the most clearly who lived with them. Every day his parents thanked God for such a son, and he comforted them, and made them so happy that they almost forgot what he had been.

But he never forgot. It often made him feel sad, and ashamed even although he knew he had been forgiven. And often Carrie had occasion to cheer her brother by reading to comfortable words of God.

him some of the

It was not often that Carrie would let him talk about the past. "It is buried out of sight, and it ought to be out of mind," she said. But sometimes Harry felt as if he could not help talking about it

to his sister. On one of these occasions he said something that made Carrie very happy.

They had been to spend the day at the house of Bessie's parents, for Bessie was at home then. They had a very pleasant time. Bessie was as loving as ever, and very glad indeed to see her friend.

"And what do you think, Carrie? Mamma is going to thank you for having me at your house. She says she is quite pleased at the difference there is in me, for she never has to scold me now for being untidy, and she says it must be all your doings."

"But it is not," said Carrie.

"No, I have told her so.

It is all because I have kept my

New Year's resolution, isn't it? "

"Did you form a resolution at the new year, then, Bessie? asked Harry.

"Oh, yes, both Carrie and I did, and I have kept mine. Have you kept yours, Carrie ?"

The colour came into Carrie's face at Bessie's question. Tears too rose to her eyes, for she remembered that New Year's Eve, and all the sorrow she had had to bear since. But both Harry and Bessie were looking at her, and she was obliged to answer, "I-yes, Bessie, it has been kept, though I was not able to do much toward it."

"Then, now you will tell me what it was, will you not ?"

"Oh, no, Bessie dear, I cannot; I can only tell you that that has been done which I so hoped for then."

"But I think you promised to tell me what it was."

"Dear Bessie, do excuse me."

Harry was watching his sister's face, and he thought he understood.

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"I believe I can guess. Carrie had a brother last year who was very wicked, and a great grief to her and his father and mother. And Carrie made a resolution that she would save her brother, or at least teach him better before the year was gone. And she had plenty of trouble to keep this resolution, but she kept it, and her brother, though he isn't what he ought to be and hopes to be, is very different from what he was."

Bessie could not help feeling a little curious, and she had her curiosity satisfied.

"Are you the brother?"

"Yes. Have I guessed right, Carrie ?"

Carrie could not deny it, and Bessie rejoiced with her friend.

"Oh, Carrie, I am so glad you are happy, for you deserve to be." "Oh, no, dear, it was not my doing after all."

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