into a violent passion, and could not bear the jokes of her brother, taking them all (and how should she do otherwise?) as intended to affront her.

Away, therefore, she ran to her father, and said it was a shame that a boy who was born to be a man, should speak such cowardly words.

The good gentleman replied, "My dear children, I wish that each of you would view yourselves in the glass every day of your lives; you, my son, that you may never disgrace your beauty by an unworthy action-and you, my daughter, that you may cover the defects of your person with the charms of virtue."

A BAD CONSCIENCE.

EXAMPLE I: THE SLAVE AND HIS MASTER.

THERE was once a slave who had run away from his master. Some time after the master went to a certain city, where he saw the slave, and seized him. But the slave at the same time caught hold of his master, saying, "You are my slave; you robbed me of a deal of money, and then ran away." At length they both went before the judge.

He made them both put their heads out of a window, at one and the same time. There, then, they both stood with their heads bent out of the window.

Next, the judge suddenly called out to the executioner "Cut off the slave's head with your sword." The one man instantly drew in his head, whilst the other remained as before.

The slave was therefore self-convicted; and he was thrown into prison accordingly.

EXAMPLE II: THE THIEVES AND THE COTTON.

In a certain city a large quantity of cotton had been stolen; and the thieves could not be found out. The magistrate was anxious to discover them, and he set about it in the following manner :—

He invited all the men of the town, small and great, to a feast.

All having met, the magistrate, looking the company in the face, said, "What ill-bred, impudent fellows those men are, to come to the feast with the stolen cotton sticking in their beards!"

The thieves immediately put their hands to their beards, and thereby convicted themselves.

THE WORM.

TURN, turn thy hasty foot aside,
Nor crush that helpless worm!
The frame thy wayward looks deride,
Required a God to form.

The sun, the moon, the stars he made
For all his creatures free;

And spread o'er earth the grassy blade,
For worms as well as thee.

Let them enjoy their little day,
Their humble bliss receive:

Oh do not lightly take away

The life thou canst not give.-Gisborne.

THE GOOSE.

I KNEW an old wife, lean and poor,
Her rags scarce held her together;
There strode a stranger to the door,
And it was windy weather.

He held a goose upon his arm,
He uttered rhyme and reason,

"Here take the goose and keep you warm, It is a stormy season."

She caught the white goose by the leg,
A goose 'twas no great matter,
The goose let fall a golden egg,
With cackle and with clatter.

She dropt the goose and caught the pelf,
And ran to tell her neighbours;

And blessed herself and cursed. herself,
And rested from her labors.

And feeding high and living soft,
Grew plump and able bodied;
Until the grave churchwarden doffed,
The parson smirked and nodded.
So sitting served by man and maid,
She felt her heart grow prouder:
But ah! the more the white goose laid,
It clacked and cackled louder.

It cluttered here it chuckled there;
It stirred the old wifes mettle:
She shifted in her elbow chair,
And turrled the pan and kettle.

"A quinsy choke thy cursed note:"

Then waxed her anger stronger

"Go take the goose and wring her throat,

I will not bear it longer."

Then yelped the cur and yawled the cat;
Ran Gaffer, stumbled Gammer;
The goose flew this way and flew that,
And filled the house with clamor.

As head and heels upon the floor
They floundered all together,
There strode a stranger to the door,
And it was windy weather.

He took the goose upon his arm,
He uttered words of scorning;

"So keep you cold, or keep you warm,
It is a stormy morning."

The wild wind rang from park and plain
And round the attics rumbled,
Till all the tables danced again,
And half the chimneys tumbled.

The glass blew in, the fire blew out,
The blast was hard and harder,

Her cap blew off, her gown

blew up,

And a whirlwind cleared the larder.- Tennys

Talons claws. Suspended, hung.

THE BUTTERFLY'S BALL.

COME, take up your hats, and aways let us haste,
To the Butterfly's ball and the Grasshopper's feast;
The trumpeter Gad-fly has summon'd the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you.
On the smooth-shaven grass, by the side of a wood,
Beneath a broad oak, which for ages had stood,
See the children of earth, and the tenants of air,
For an evening's amusement together repair:
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
And there came the Gnat, and the Dragon-fly too,
And all their relations, green, orange, and blue.

And there came the Moth, in his plumage of down,
And the Hornet, in jacket of yellow and brown,
Who with him the Wasp his companion did bring;
But they promised that evening to lay by their sting.

And the sly little Dormouse crept out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind brother, the Mole;
And the Snail, with his horns peeping out from his shell,
Came from a great distance—the length of an ell.

A mushroom their table, and on it was laid
A water-dock leaf, which a tablecloth made;
The viands were various, to each of their taste,
And the Bee brought his honey to crown the repast.

There, close on his haunches, so solemn and wise,
The Frog from a corner looked up to the skies;
And the Squirrel, well pleased such diversion to see,
Sat cracking his nuts overhead in a tree.

Then out came a Spider, with fingers so fine,
To show his dexterity on the tight line;

From one branch to another his cobweb he slung,
Then as quick as an arrow he darted along.

But just in the middle, oh! shocking to tell!
From his rope in an instant poor Harlequin fell;
Yet he touched not the ground, but with talons outspread,
Hung suspended in air at the end of a thread.

Then the Grasshopper came, with a jerk and a spring;
Very long was his leg, though but short was his wing;
He took but three leaps, and was soon out of sight,
Then he chirped his own praises the rest of the night.

With steps quite majestic, the Snail did advance,
And promised the gazers a minuet to dance;

But they all laughed so loud, that he pulled in his head,
And went in his own little chamber to bed.

Then as evening gave way to the shadows of night,
Their watchman, the Glow-worm, came out with his

light;

Then home let us hasten while yet we can see,

For no watchman is waiting for you and for me.-Roscoe.