himself safe and sound in his palace again; and in a moment there he was, with his garden, and his stables, and his horses; and his three faithful friends dwelt with him, and they all spent their time happily and merrily as long as they lived.

cr

THE NOBLEST VENGEANCE.

"Oh! I'll have my revenge on him, I'll make him heartily repent it," cried little Philip, while his face turned quite red with anger. His playmate Henry chanced at that moment to be coming near him, and he asked him what had taken place, that he should speak in that way. "Why," replied Philip, "the farmer's son that lives at yonder cottage has broken my pretty cane that my father gave me a few days ago." "Why did he break it?" asked Henry. "I was walking quietly along," said Philip, "and playing with my cane by bending it round me, when I came to the gate against the wooden bridge, where this boy had put down a pitcher of water, which he was carrying home from the well. By some means or other, as I was passing him, one of the two ends of the cane got out of my hand, struck the pitcher and turned it over, but did not break it. He then came up close to me, and began to call me names. I told him I did not intend to upset his pitcher, and was very sorry that it had happened. He would not listen to what I said, but seized my cane, and broke it into pieces. I

will make him heartily repent it! I'll have my revenge upon him!"

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"He is indeed a very bad boy," said Henry, 'but is even now, to some extent, punished for his evil actions, for everybody dislikes him. If he wants to play, he cannot find anyone to play with him; and if he comes to other boys who are playing, they will have nothing to do with him. I think you had better, therefore, leave him alone; for actions such as he has done always find their own punishment.”

"Yes; but he has broken my cane," said Philip. "My father only gave it me a day or two ago: and it was a very pretty one, as you know. He is sure to ask me what has become of it, and will be grieved to think it is broken. I did him no harm. I offered to fill his pitcher, having thrown it down by accident. But he must twist my cane out of my hand, and break it. However, I'll have my revenge!"

"Believe me," said Henry, "it will be far better not to mind him. He is better able to do mischief than you are, and so you will very likely not succeed in hurting him. He has been punished in many ways lately for his bad conduct; and it will be better for you to leave him alone.

"A few weeks ago, he saw a bee on a flower. He tried to catch it, and pull off its wings for sport; but the bee stung him, and flew away in safety to the hive. Quite mad with rage, he said then, as you say now, 'I'll have my revenge for this!' He therefore went and cut a stick out of

the hedge, and poked it into the hive at the bees, killing several of these useful little creatures. In an instant, the whole swarm flew all at once upon him, and stung him in many places. You may guess how he roared with the pain, and how in his agony he tumbled about on the ground. His father ran up to him, and at last put the bees to flight by flinging bowls of water on him. As the result of this, he was ill for several days.

You see, then, his vengeance had no very great success. Do not, therefore, think of paying back his injury; he is sure to meet with some one who will punish him, without you taking any trouble in the matter."

"I think," said Philip," you are right; so I will go to my father, and tell him all about it, and I hope he will not be angry with me." Philip then went to his father, who saw that he was not to blame for the loss of his cane. The next day Philip had another cane, just like the first; so that he did not really suffer from this bad boy's malice.

Some days after, Philip saw him fall under a heavy log of wood that he was trying to carry home. He was in such a state that he could not get up again; so Philip ran up to him, took the log from off his shoulders, and helped him to rise. This was the kind of revenge that Philip had, and every Christian boy and girl should practise it as often as possible. The ill-natured boy was quite ashamed to think that Philip, whose cane he had broken a day or two before, should now

come forward to help him. He was then, for the first time, sorry that he had broken his cane. As for Philip, he went home, glad that he had shewn his enemy that he bore no malice against him. "This," he said, "is the noblest vengeance; I shall never repent of using it."

THE FOX AND THE CROW.

In a dairy, a crow

Having ventured to go,

Some food for her young ones to seek,
Flew up in the trees,

With a fine piece of cheese,
Which she joyfully held in her beak.

A fox, who lived by,

To the tree saw her fly,

And to share in the prize made a vow·
For having just dined,

He for cheese felt inclined;
So he went and sat under the bough.

She was cunning, he knew,
But so was he too,

And with flattery formed his plan,
For he knew if she'd speak,
It must fall from her beak,
So bowing politely, began:

""Tis a very fine day,"

(Not a word did she say);

"The wind, I believe, ma'am, is south.

A fine harvest for peas:"

He then looked at the cheese,

But the crow did not open her mouth.

The sly fox not tired,

Her feathers admired:

'How charming! how brilliant their hue!
The voice must be fine

Of a bird so divine!
Ah, let me just hear it, pray do.

"Believe me, I long

To hear a sweet song."
The silly crow foolishly tries:
When she gave the first caw,
The cheese fell from her maw,
And the fox ran away with the prize.

THE CAT.

Every boy and girl has seen a cat, and there are very few houses in the kingdom in which this useful animal may not be found. When the cat is pleased, she makes a noise which is called purring. Almost any cat or kitten will purr if you take it up in your arms, and stroke its back. When it is hungry, or wants to come in the house, it mews. When there are two or three cats, and one of them has a piece of meat, or a mouse, it utters a low growl to keep the others away; and if they venture to come near, strikes at them with its paw. The cat likes a mouse better than any