whole nation, and have a bad effect upon society. This little boy's father, he said, was an ingenious man, and likely to have a good salary; but there were many who would, he felt sure, never be able to emerge from their low condition, or soar to anything higher than the occupation of a sower of the ground; whilst others, like stones thrown into a pond, would immerge deeply in evil, and lose the very virtues they now possessed. One old man especially, with grizzly hair, but strong as if made entirely of bone and gristle, was, he said, evidently an impostor, accustomed to carry on illicit practices, though it was difficult to elicit from his neighbors any information about him. He might by a specious imposture illude some kindly disposed persons, and even elude the vigilance of the police; but there could not be the least hope of his real improvement. I agreed; for a man who practises such arts is like one who gambles, he finds pleasure in evil. I said to the priest, "There must be imminent peril for a child in such companionship, and one is inclined to prophesy great evil from it." His reply was, "Yes." One must indeed fear lest the prophecies should come true; but a good pastor, an eminent man, very wary and full of patience, is going with them. His presence will be a protection; and, as his advice will be useful, I shall advise them to attend to it. Leaving a few presents for the poor people, especially any sick patients, and a razor for the boy's father, I returned home by the pasture fields, in which an old racer, who had long left off gambolling, was

feeding upon some turnips, which had been allowed to rot. After having wrought so well, this seemed but poor food; and, weary though I was, I went to its master, and offered to buy it. He consented, for he had been gambling and wanted money; but he amused me much by calling my proposition, or offer, a preposition, or name for a part of speech. He might as well have confounded capital, a chief city, with the Capitol, or citadel of Rome.

SECOND SERIES.

RULE I.

MONOSYLLABLES, or words of one syllable, ending with a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the last consonant when they take an additional syllable beginning with a vowel.

Monosyllables ending with a single consonant preceded by a diphthong, or two vowels, do not double the consonant when they take an additional syllable beginning with a vowel. Thus, dot becomes dot-ted; heat, heat-ed.

EXERCISE I.

I thinned and trimmed the shrubbery yesterday, and was much heated; for I toiled all day under the hottest, most broiling sun I ever felt. But the reapers were still more fagged. One man almost fainted, and I saw his boy running to the druggist's shop for help. They seated him under a tree; and, as I was digging near, I went up to him. He was sitting up, and when I tapped his arm, he looked at me, and rubbed his brow as if stunned.

Then he moaned

and groaned, and said his head was spinning round.

I stripped off my coat, wrapped it up like a pillow, and propped it up with a stone, and he leaned against it. The boy came back sobbing. He had been stopped and robbed by a lad of greater strength than his own, who had rapped him on the head, and, being skilled in drubbing, had beaten him, and talked of strapping him to a tree. Hearing this I begged the child to go back with me; but he wished to be waiting on his father, and shunned meeting the lad: so, bidding him stay quiet, I planned a way of catching the fellow by popping upon him suddenly. I no sooner saw him than I scanned him well. He was strutting about, and bragging of his doings to another lad who had squatted upon the ground, and was roaring with laughter. As I drew nearer, I slipped behind the young robber, and, pulling a knotted cord over his head, pinned his arms. He screamed, but stirring was useless; and I dragged him off, and took him to a magistrate, who had him well flogged. The man who had been reaping is getting

better.

RULE II.

When words ending with double l are compounded with others, or when the termination ness, less, ly, or full is affixed, one 7 should be omitted, as al-ready, almost, &c.

There are, however, a few words in which the two 's are still retained. The greater

number are embodied in the following exer

cise :

EXERCISE II.

I was standing last winter near the church belfry, looking at the view. The stillness was almost awful. The dulness of the heavy grey sky foretold snow, and the chilliness of the air caused a chillness in the feet which was fully sufficient to produce chilblains. The waterfall, stopped in its downfall, was frozen; the grinding of the millstone was no longer heard. The millrace was checked in its course, and the bulrushes in the pond were motionless. It was a picture of still life which, if a skilful artist had been at my elbow, I should have desired to carry away; but, skilless as I was, I could but gaze until the tallness of the lengthening shadows, the shrillness of a railway whistle, and the sight of a man running down-hill to catch the evening train, warned me that I must say farewell to the scene, and return to fulfil an engagement to drink tea with a friend, and eat allspice cake.X I felt unwell as I entered my own door, and albeit not given to fancies, and withal most anxious to receive my friend's welcome, I knew that it would be for my welfare to remain at home. But a wilful feeling came over me, and although my symptoms were serious, the smallness of my actual sufferings made me think little of what might befall me. I went, and the consequence was an illness which lasted altogether five weeks.