rs, and tell them as they was Miss
Clara's parting gifts to her class, and that's all as they need to
know."

The promise was cheerfully given by all; and then, before they left, all
knelt, and in their hearts joined in the fervent prayer which Thomas
Bradly offered for the vicar and his family, and specially for the
invalid, that she might be spared to return to them in renewed health,
and be kept meanwhile in perfect peace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening after this little happy tea-party, Thomas Bradly called in
at William Foster's. He found the young man and his wife studying the
Bible together; but there was a look of trouble and anxiety on the
husband's face which made him fear that there was something amiss. He
was well aware that his former foe but now firm friend was but a weak
and ignorant disciple; and he expected, therefore, that he would find it
anything but smooth sailing at first in his Christian course. Still,
what a marvellous change, to see one so lately a sceptic and a scoffer
now humbly studying the Word of Life!

"Anything amiss?" asked Bradly. "Can I be of any service to you,
William?" he added, as he took his seat.

"Well, Thomas," replied the other, "I can only say this--I had no idea
how little I knew of the Bible till I began to study it in earnest. I
see it does indeed need to be approached in a teachable spirit. But I
have my difficulties and perplexities about it still. Only there's this
difference now,--I've seen in my own home, and I see daily more and more
in my own heart, abundance to convince me that the Bible is God's truth.
So now, when I meet with a difficulty, I see that the obscurity is not
in the Bible but in myself; in fact, I want more light."

"Yes; and you'll get it now, William; for the Bible itself says, `The
entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the
simple.'"

"I heartily believe it, Thomas; still there is much that is very deep to
me--out of my depth, in fact. But there is one thing just now which is
a special trouble to me. They don't chaff me so often at the mill now,
but this evening Ben Thompson came up to me, and said, `Do you think
it's any good _your_ turning Christian?'--`Yes, Ben, I hope so,' I
said.--`Well,' he went on, `just you look in the Bible, and you'll find
that there's what they call the unpardonable sin--there's no forgiveness
for those who've been guilty of