thousand
little tender services. At last the end came: there was neither joy nor
peace, but there was not despair,--just one little ray of hope lighted
the dark valley.

When the unostentatious funeral was over, Amos and his sister returned
home cast down yet hopeful and trustful. That evening a subdued but
happy little group gathered in Miss Huntingdon's private sitting-room,
consisting of Amos, Julia, Walter, and their aunt. When Amos had
answered many questions concerning the last days of his brother-in-law,
Walter turned to his aunt and said, "Now, dear auntie, you have some
examples of moral courage ready for us I am sure.--Amos, you are to be a
good boy, and not to turn your back upon the teacher, as I see you are
inclined to do. I know why; but it does not matter. Julia and I want
doing good to, if you don't; so let us all attend."

"Yes," said Miss Huntingdon, "I know what you mean, and so of course
does your brother; he does not wish to listen to his own praises, but he
must not refuse to listen to the praises of others, even though their
conduct may more or less resemble his own. I have some noble examples
of moral courage to bring before you, for I have been thinking much on
the matter since Amos and Julia left us. My heroes and heroines--for I
have some of each sex--will now consist of those who have braved death
from disease or pestilence in the path of duty. And first of all, I
must go back to our old example of moral heroism--I mean, to one who has
already furnished us with a lesson--John Howard. That remarkable man
was not satisfied with visiting the prisons, and bringing about reforms
in them for the benefit and comfort of the poor prisoners. He wished to
alleviate the sufferings of his fellow-creatures to a still greater
extent; so he formed the plan of visiting the hospitals and lazarettos
set apart for contagious diseases in various countries. Amongst other
places he went to Smyrna and Constantinople when these cities were
suffering from the plague. From Smyrna he sailed in a vessel with a
foul bill of health to Venice, where he became an inmate of a lazaretto.
Here he was placed in a dirty room full of vermin, without table,
chair, or bed. He employed a person to wash the room, but it was still
dirty and offensive. Suffering here with headache and slow fever, he
was removed to a lazaretto near the town, and had two rooms assigned
him, both in as dirty a state as that he had left. Hi