d assisting the fallen,
endeavouring humbly and faithfully to do our duty to God and humanity--even
after a life thus passed, when we at last lie down to die the most faithful
and best may well shrink and tremble when they approach the gloomy portals
of death. At such an hour memory, more active than every other faculty,
drags all the good and evil from the past and sets them in distinct array
before us. Then we discover how greatly the latter exceeds the former in
our lives, and how little of our Father's work we have accomplished after
all our toils and struggles. 'Tis then the most devoted servant of our
common Master feels compelled to cry, "Mercy! O my Father!--for justice I
dare not ask."

If thus the Christian passes away--what terror must fill the breast of one
whose whole life has been a constant warfare upon the laws of God and man?
How approaches he the bar of that awful Judge, whose commands he has set at
nought, and whose power he has so often contemned? With a fainting heart,
and tongue powerless to crave the mercy his crimes cannot deserve!

McCloskey struggled long with death--died fearfully hard. The phantoms of
his victims seemed to haunt him in his dying hour, interposing between him
and God; and with distorted face, clenched hands, and gnashing teeth, he
passed away to his long account.

From the bedside of the corpse Mr. Balch went--late as it was--to the
office of the chief of police. There he learned, to his great satisfaction,
that the governor was in town; and at an early hour the next morning he
procured a requisition for the arrest of Mr. Stevens, which he put into the
hands of the man with the keen grey eyes for the purpose of securing the
criminal; and with the result of his efforts the reader is already
acquainted.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

And the last.

With such celerity did Mr. Balch work in behalf of his wards, that he soon
had everything in train for the recovery of the property.

At first George Stevens was inclined to oppose the execution of the will,
but he was finally prevailed upon by his advisers to make no difficulty
respecting it, and quietly resign what he must inevitably sooner or later
relinquish. Lizzie Stevens, on the contrary, seemed rather glad that an
opportunity was afforded to do justice to her old playmates, and won the
good opinion of all parties by her gentleness and evident anxiety to atone
for the wrong done them by her father. Even after the demands of the