could now "look the whole world in the face, for she owed not any man;" her children were neatly dressed; and she herself moved with elastic step amidst her duties. Weeping endured for a night, but joy came in the morning. The means also by which the change came was now known to her; and not a week passed that she did not visit Grannie Gordon's cottage, and learned more there in a few visits than she had learned in many years. And when one day Grannie showed her the Lord's bag, and told of how pleasant it was to give unto God, the minister's wife felt as all feel who thus serve God, that laying by in store for the Master, and giving weekly in His house, is the sure way to overcome all the evils which arise from the want of HARD CASH. GOLDEN FETTERS. We heard Our minis OURS was a very quiet country Church. the din of the great world only from afar. ter was earnest, if not brilliant. For his goodness we loved, for his integrity we revered him. He had known us ere we knew ourselves. His presence arose before us in many scenes of joy and sorrow, and as we listened to the most loving words of truth which came welling from a genuine soul, we felt very thankful for having such a minister. Then our deacons also were good men and true, foremost in every scheme of usefulness, rich in faith, fellow-workers with our minister, and thinking it an honour to be led by one whom they loved. In the Church-meetings we never fell out,— no one spoke unkind words, and if we were not among the great and noble, we could think that ere long the poverty and shame of earth would give place to the glory and renown of heaven. We had little excitement. True, there was the annual tea, and the missionary meeting, but both were very quiet. Sometimes we had a little stir over a missionary who had come back to England for repose and health, and was trotted up and down the country speaking at endless public meetings, for the benefit of weak lungs and a diseased liver; we could not see how this would do him good, but we were only country people with old-fashioned ideas about rest and quiet. But times change, and even our remote village Church was doomed to be the scene of an entirely new order of things. The first hint I gót of it was when walking down the village to the library with two volumes, which gave me much pleasure-the one was "John Halifax, Gentleman," the other a volume of "Froude's History of England." I met a young man called "Sammy," who was regarded as half-witted. Whether this was because he came to chapel twice every Sunday, ten minutes before the time, and never ran off directly the benediction was pronounced, I cannot say. But wise people generally came only once a day, ten minutes late, yawned at the sermon, rubbed their hats during the benediction, and whenever "Amen " was pronounced, made a rush for the door. 66 'Well, Sammy, any news to-day?” "That depends on how much you know already.” 66 Well, well, you know what I mean." "Me know what you mean! how can that be, when you don't know yourself what you mean?" I saw it was of no use to say much more, and waited in silence for some great secret. It came out ere long, and he told me, with feelings of vast importance, that the big house was let to a family from the city, who kept a carriage, and were even reported to be Baptists. |