e, but they _could_ give them prayer and example, and could leave
the rest to God in happy, loving trust. People who talked about total
abstinence as a sour and mopish thing, should have spent an evening at
Ned Brierley's when the whole family was at home; why, there was more
genuine, refreshing, innocent fun and mirth there in half an hour than
could have been gathered in a full evening's sitting out of all the pot-
houses in the neighbourhood put together. Ay, there were some who knew
this, and could say, "If you want gradely fun that leaves no
afterthought, you must go to Ned's for it." Of course Ned had won the
respect even of those who abused him most, and of none more truly than
Thomas Johnson. Spite of all his swaggering and blustering speeches no
man knew better than he the sterling worth of Brierley's character; no
man was more truly convinced, down in the depths of his heart, that
Ned's principles and practice were right. And so now, restless and
wretched, he was coming, he hardly knew exactly why, to ask counsel of
this very man whom he had openly abused and ridiculed at the very time
when he both envied and respected him.

Could there possibly be a greater contrast than between the house he had
just left and the one which he now entered?

Ned Brierley's dwelling was the end house of a row, which had been
recently built out of the united savings of himself and children. It
was rather larger than the rest, and had one or two out-buildings
attached, and also a considerable piece of garden ground belonging to
it. In this garden Ned and his sons worked at odd times, and everything
about it had a well-to-do air. The neat rows of celery, the flower-beds
shaped into various mathematical figures by shining white pebbles, the
carefully-pruned apple trees, and the well-levelled cindered paths, all
betokened that diligent hands were often busy there.

Johnson opened the little white gate, walked up the path, and
hesitatingly raised the latch of the house door. What a sight met his
eyes! it was a perfect picture. If the three sisters, Cleanliness,
Neatness, and Order, had been looking out for a home, they certainly
might have found one there. In some of the neighbours' houses, go when
you would, you would find the inmates always cleaning, but never clean;
it was just the reverse at Ned's, you always found them clean, and
scarcely ever caught them cleaning. Then, what an air of comfort there
was about the wh