_ them, and pray to God for his strength to enable you, for the
sake of his Son, our Saviour; for remember, though I cannot go home
with you, _God does_."

The church bells were ringing, the classes broke up to form into
marching order, and the lesson was over.

CHAPTER III.

AT HOME.

And what did the children think of Mrs. Mordaunt's words? We will
follow them home and see. Little Jane Hutton, I am afraid, forgot
them; for during the service her eyes kept wandering round the church
in search of gay dresses and bonnets, and watching what her
school-fellows thought of her own new ribbons.

Kitty Harrison had attended to what Mrs. Mordaunt said, and resolved
to do it; so she found out all the places in her prayer-book, and went
home full of plans of amendment, and in the evening she drew her
little stool to the window, and began to read her Bible, _not_ so
much because she wished to learn what it said, as because she thought
it _right_ to read it. But, in the first place, her thoughts would
keep wandering to Jane Hutton's ribbons, then she could not help
listening to what her father and mother were talking about, and the
kitten would keep playing with her frock; and so she got through a
chapter without very well understanding it, and then was rather glad
that it grew too dark for her to read any more. Soon after, the
children were sent to bed, and Kitty went upstairs wondering why she
did not like to read the Bible better, and rather pleased to think
that to-morrow was a play-day.

Kitty had forgotten two great things: she had forgotten that to love
_God's Word_ we must first love _God_; and she had forgotten that the
little seed could not sprout without rain, and that the dew of heaven,
the Holy Spirit, must be _asked for_.

Meantime, Amy was feeling very differently. She thought how good it
was of Jesus, the Son of God, to care about the love of little
children, and to watch the good seed sown in their hearts, and nourish
it, and water it, and make it grow; and she thought that it would be
the happiest thing in the world to be his disciple, and to do what he
wished, and be loved and approved by him; and she resolved to try. So
as they walked home, she planned that she would go into a quiet place
in the garden, under the trees, and pray to God.

But when they reached the cottage, they had to put away their Sunday
things; and when Amy came down her mother desired her to keep the baby
while she got the