in secular matters, amusements, gossip,
criticisms on dress and conduct, most prejudicial to any good
influence that might have been derived from the public exercises of
the day, as well as deteriorating to the whole tone of the mind at any
time. No wonder, then, that divine truth, heard at church, fell on
inattentive ears, and failed to penetrate hearts filled up with the
"lusts of other things!" Through a medium so unyielding, how could the
soft dew of holy, spiritual influence descend upon the heart, to
nourish and fertilize it?

Lucy was down at the usual breakfast-time, but had to wait more than
an hour before any one appeared, except Amy, who sat contentedly on
her knee, and listened to more reading out of Lucy's Testament, and
had even learned two verses of a hymn, before Stella at last appeared.

"How foolish you were to get up so early!" she said, when Amy had told
her how long they had been down. "I think it is so nice to lie as long
as you like, Sunday mornings! I used to think it so hard at Ashleigh
that you _would_ always have breakfast as early as other days!"

"We never saw any reason for being later on Sunday. Indeed, papa
always liked to have us earlier. He said it was the most precious day
of the week, and that, though he could excuse a hard-worked labouring
man for taking an extra sleep on Sunday, we had no such excuse; and to
try to shorten the day was dishonouring to Him who gave it."

"What in the world would he have said of Edwin then," said Stella,
"who often sleeps till it is too late to go to church, and then he
stays at home and sleeps more?"

Lucy could not help smiling; but as Sophy came in just then, she did
not need to make any reply. Amy was eager to repeat to her sister the
hymn she had just been learning, but Sophy did not seem to care about
it, and said to Lucy, "You had better not teach her any more hymns.
The doctor says she should not be allowed to study anything till her
constitution is stronger. Besides, I don't believe in filling
children's heads with things that make them think about death too
soon."

Lucy felt a little vexed and a good deal surprised at what was to her
so new an experience. She had not dreamed that any one could object to
teaching a child those blessed gospel truths which will shed either on
life or on death the truest light. But while she felt a strong
interest in and attraction towards her cousin Sophy, she instinctively
felt that on such subjects she