dear. But I wish to show you, Charles, the
terrible consequences of a civil war. It may happen that fathers and
sons are of different opinions, and that one fights for the queen, and
the other for the king; and then it is possible that in battle the son
may kill his father, or the father his son."

"Oh, that would be shocking!" said Charles.

"And yet it has sometimes happened," said his mamma; "there have been
brothers too, who have fought against each other, and many persons who
were friends before, have become the bitterest enemies."

"Was there ever a civil war in England, mamma?"

"Yes, my dear, more than once. The last was because many people thought
they should like to have no king at all; I am going to buy you a little
history of England, and then you will read about it."

"I shall like to read about it," said Charles, "but what did the people
do when they thought they should like to have no king?"

"They said the king had done a great many things that were wrong, and so
they put him in prison, and at last had his head cut off; do you know,
Charles, which king it was who was beheaded?"

"Yes, mamma; it was Charles the first."

"Well, after Charles the first was beheaded, some of the people declared
that his son should be king, and others said they would have no king at
all, but that they would have somebody instead to manage the affairs of
the country."

"And I know who that was, mamma," said Charles, "it was Oliver Cromwell,
I know he was not a king, but I did not understand how it was before."

"And I suppose you also understand now, why this caused a civil war?"
said his mamma.

"Of course I do," replied Charles; "some people fought for the king, and
some for Oliver Cromwell."

"Yes," replied Mrs. Barker, "and for a long time the country was in a
very unhappy state. The king was obliged to hide himself, for if he had
been caught he would perhaps have been beheaded, as his poor father was.
But at last he got away in a ship, and went to Holland, where he lived
for some years; but at last his party was victorious, and he came back
to England."

"Then there was a king again," said Charles.

[Illustration: CONVERSATIONS ON HISTORY: CHARLES IInd.]

"Yes, then there was a king again, he was Charles the second; and now
every year on the day that he returned, the bells ring, and the guns are
fired, it is the 29th of May, and is called king Charles's restoration.
When May comes, if you listen on that