tural, or more holy, than the Litany of the Established Church. In it, the whole audience makes a public and solemn acknowledgement of their offences, prays for pardon, and a renewal of the Holy Spirit, to keep them from again falling." "Well, well; Davy, you are now eighteen, an age quite old enough to judge for yourself; besides, you have more learning than ever I had, and I am sure, that if I thought the Church was a better place than our chapel, I would accompany you there with all my heart." 66 Nay, father, it is of no consequence where we worship God, whether in a Cathedral, Church, or Meeting-house, provided we worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Dissenters of your meetinghouse do not differ from the Established Church in matters of faith, the doctrine is the same, the form only is different, and certainly that ought to be of no consequence. At the same time, as there is what I call no prayers, in your meeting, I own I like to join in that form of worship where I can, along with the minister, offer in an audible voice, my mite of praise to my Great Preserver. "The ministers of the Protestant Church, my dear father, are not, like those of many of our Conventicles, 'blind leaders of the blind.' No; every minister in the Church of England is a tried man, educated and set apart, like Aaron of old, for the holy priesthood. They are men in whom the people may safely confide; for of them it may be said, they point to heaven and lead the way." After remaining some time longer at school, Davy made choice of a profession, that of the Clerical; and his father being a liberal man, and free from every thing like prejudice, at once gave into his son's wishes; sent him to Cambridge to finish his studies, where the young Divine became, not only a very learned, but what was far better, a very good man; and he soon after got a living in a country town, where he now lives beloved and respected by the whole country, and almost adored by his parishioners. CHAPTER XV. "A city mouse, well-coated, sleek, and gay, NEW DRESSES. ONE morning, after Agnes had heard her brother read his lesson, and given him a copy to write, she said, "Come, now, my dear little sisters, and I will tell you what I mean to do to-day. You have both been so diligent the whole week, both in your lessons and knitting, that I mean to buy a new dress for each of you." "Oh, thank you, dearest Agnes," cried the sisters, "and we shall wear them when father wears his new stockings." "Yes," said Agnes, " with a new week, you shall all put on new things, and our dear father will be quite proud to wear stockings knit by his two dear little girls; so make haste and read your lessons, that we may go out to buy your dresses." “And would you buy for us the pretty dress that is in the haberdasher's window next door, with the oyster shells on it?" "No, my dear little sister, for you know that our dear father has a dislike to oysters, and, therefore, we must not have any dress that reminds him of any thing disagreeable to him." Why does father dislike to look at oysters, do you know?" "I will tell you. When he was employed in some repairs of the Eddystone Light-house, he went one day to an inn to get his supper, when he was told by the waiter, there was nothing in the house but oysters. Father said they would do very well, for at that time he liked them well enough. The waiter, therefore, went to the cellar for the oysters, and placed the dish and the oysters before father just as he had brought it from the cellar. "What the deuce have you brought me, waiter ?' asked my father, looking at the dish before him; Have all your oysters got hair on them? have brought me mice instead of oysters.' Two You large mice were absolutely dangling to the shell of one of the oysters." "Was that really the case, sister?" "It was indeed, my dear; you cannot, therefore, be surprised at our father's dislike to them. It is a well known fact, I believe, that oysters open their shells to admit the water, and take their food, at the time that the tide flows; and, at this period, a large oyster, which, with others, was on a dish in the cellar of the inn, had expanded its jaws, and, at the same moment, two hungry mice, searching for prey, pounced upon the victim, and seized it with their teeth. The oyster, shrinking at the wound, closed its shell, collapsing with such force as to crush the marauders to death. The oyster, with the two mice, was long shown as a curiosity by the landlady of the inn to her guests." "It must have been quite a curiosity, and I dare say the landlady of the inn made a vast deal of money by exhibiting it." "It is possible that it attracted customers to her house, but I do not imagine that she charged so much a-head for exhibiting it, as is usually done in this country on the exhibition of any outlandish animal." "Perhaps the landlady was not mercenary," said Willy, laughing, "and as in the case of children and servants, she might only have charged her customers half-price for a sight of her raree-show." CHAPTER XVI. "'Tis the first sanction nature gave to man, THE DRUNKEN COACHMAN. THERE is an old proverb which says, "take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves." On the same principle we would say, be careful not to commit little faults, and you will have no trouble to avoid great ones. A small offence, apparently, may often lead to the most calamitous effects, as the following story will show you. One day, a gentleman's carriage stopped at the door of the same conscientious inn-keeper whom I lately told you a story about. "Do you mean John Andrews ?" asked Jane Smith. "The same," said Agnes. "Well, the footman entered the inn, and asked for a glass of gin for the coachman, who was outside on the box. The landlord himself took it out to the coachman, and upon seeing the state he was in, (having, as Andrews thought, made too free with that spirit) refused to give him more. And, upon perceiving two boys |