a sore heart. A bad temper is not likely
to get sweet of itself, so Amy went on more and more discontented with
herself, and her lessons, and everything else, until the class was
called to read their morning lesson. The text from the Bible which
stood at the head of the lesson happened to be, "For if you, from your
heart, forgive not your brother his trespasses, how can your heavenly
Father forgive you your trespasses?" Amy had to read these words, and
they struck to her heart; she thought of what sinful and angry
feelings she had been cherishing, and how much she had to ask God to
forgive her, and how little she felt inclined to forgive in her sister
and others; and afterwards, as she wrote her copy, hot tears fell on
the page, and she confessed her fault in her heart to God, and begged
him to forgive her. Then she felt happier at once. After school, one
of her school-fellows was kept in to finish a sum; she was crying, and
did not seem able to do it, so Amy went quietly to her, and showed her
the way, and then danced off to the play-ground. On their way home she
had a harder struggle to make, and that was to tell Kitty she was
sorry for her hasty words; but she conquered, and Kitty having
confessed that she too had been in the wrong, the sisters felt happy
again together.

This was true repentance; it was a sorrow for and confession of sin,
and then forsaking the sin; it was a change of mind. That evening Amy
felt very serious when she thought over the day's doings; she was
weaker than she had thought--it was harder to do right than she had
believed; but she resolved to try harder again to-morrow. So she went
to bed hopeful, although rather sad. We shall see how her resolutions
were carried out.

CHAPTER V.

TRY AGAIN.

Amy did try very hard the next day, and she prayed earnestly for
strength from on high. She rose early, she got everything ready in
time for her father, and he praised her and called her "a thrifty
little maid;" she never reproached Kitty with leaving the work to her;
she went cheerfully through her lessons, and in the afternoon she had
the delight of being highly commended by the mistress and set to teach
one of the younger classes. After school, some of the children went
blackberry-picking, and the Harrisons were of the number. They had a
merry time of it; the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and
the thick leaves of the wood where the blackberries grew just let
enough of the su