e told him that he was a sinful child, and had done many bad things.
But she also told him that God was full of love, and had sent his only
Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for our sins. And God will hear
our prayers for the sake of his dear Son; and if we ask him, he will
pardon our sins, and give us his Holy Spirit to make us holy.

When their talk was nearly over, Susan came again, and Albert kissed his
mamma, and jumped off her knee, and bade her good night. And as he went
up-stairs he said,

"I thank God for the soft warm bed
On which I lay my little head;
I thank him for the sweet repose
When my weary eyelids close."

THE THIEF IN THE DOLLS' HOUSE.

Lucy and Kate had a kind aunt; and one very cold day, when the snow was
on the ground, she sent them a New Year's Gift. It was a little house
for dolls to live in, and there were four rooms in it, and tables and
chairs. Two of the rooms were below, and two of them were above. In each
of the two rooms that were above, there was a little wooden frame for a
bed to lie on, but there was no bed on it, and no pillow, and there were
no sheets, nor anything else of the kind. Their aunt sent word that Lucy
and Kate must make the things that were wanted, and it would help them
to learn to sew.

[Illustration]

Their aunt also sent two little wax dolls to be in the house. One of the
dolls had on a pink silk frock, and the other had on a blue frock.

So their mother gave them some linen to make the sheets, and to make a
case for each of the beds, and for the pillows. Lucy and Kate said to
each other, "What shall we put into the beds, to make them soft, like
the bed in baby's cot?" And Lucy said, "Nurse has got some bran in a
bag; I will ask her to give us some to put into the beds." Then Kate
said that bran would do very well.

They went to ask nurse, and she was very kind, and she said, "I think it
would be better to stuff the beds with wool." The little girls said,
"Yes, give us some bran, if you please, nurse. We have not any wool, and
we do not want to wait till we can get some, for we do not like our
dolls to sit up all night."

For a long time after this, Lucy and Kate played with their dolls, and
the pretty house, and every night they took off the silk frocks, and put
on the white caps and the night-gowns, and laid each doll in its own
little bed. And then they shut the door of the house. But one night they
were in a hurry, for their au