She was gratified by his grave, "yes!"

"But Elfie," said he smiling again, "you have not told me your thoughts yet. What had these verses to do with

the sea you were looking at so hard ?”

"Nothing-I was thinking," said Fleda slowly,-"that the sea seemed something like the world,-I don't mean it was like, but it made me think of it;-and I thought how pleasant it is to know that God takes care of his people."

"Don't he take care of everybody?"

"Yes-in one sort of way," said Fleda; "but then it is only his children that he has promised to keep from everything that will hurt them.”

"I don't see how that promise is kept, Elfie. I think those who call themselves so meet with as many troubles as the rest of the world, and perhaps more."

"Yes," said Fleda quickly, "they have troubles, but then God won't let the troubles do them any harm."

A subtle evasion, thought Mr. Carleton." Where did you learn that, Elfie?"

"The Bible says so," said Fleda.

Well, how do you know it from that?" said Mr. Carleton, impelled, he hardly knew whether by his bad or his good angel, to carry on the conversation.

"Why," said Fleda, looking as if it were a very simple question and Mr. Carleton were catechising her," you know, Mr. Carleton, the Bible was written by men who were taught by God exactly what to say, so there could be nothing in it that is not true."

"How do you know those men were so taught ?" "The Bible says so.'

,,

A child's answer!-but with a child's wisdom in it, not learnt of the schools. "He that is of God heareth God's words." To little Fleda, as to every simple and humble intelligence, the Bible proved itself; she had no need to go further.

Mr. Carleton did not smile, for nothing would have tempted him to hurt her feelings; but he said, though conscience did not let him do it without a twinge,

"But don't you know, Elfie, there are some people who do not believe the Bible?"

"Ah but those are bad people," replied Fleda quickly; "all good people believe it."

A child's reason again, but hitting the mark this time. Unconsciously, little Fleda had brought forward a strong argument for her cause. Mr. Carleton felt it, and rising up that he might not be obliged to say anything more, he began to pace slowly up and down the deck, turning the

matter over.

Was it so that there were hardly any good men (he thought there might be a few) who did not believe in the Bible and uphold its authority? and that all the worst portion of society was comprehended in the other class?—and if so how had he overlooked it? He had reasoned most unphilosophically from a few solitary instances that had come under his own eye; but applying the broad principle of induction it could not be doubted that the Bible was on the side of all that is sound, healthful, and hopeful, in this disordered world. And whatever might be the character of a few exceptions, it was not supposable that a wide system of hypocrisy should tell universally for the best interests of mankind. Summoning history to produce her witnesses, as he went on with his walk up and down, he saw with increasing interest, what he had never seen before, that the Bible had come like the breath of spring upon the moral waste of mind; that the ice-bound intellect and cold heart of the world had waked into life under its kindly influence and that all the rich growth of the one and the other had come forth at its bidding. And except in that sun-lightened tract, the world was and had been a waste indeed. Doubtless in that waste, intellect had at different times put forth sundry barren shoots, such as a vigorous plant can make in the absence of the sun, but also like them immature, unsound, and groping vainly after the light in which alone they could expand and perfect themselves; ripening no seed for a future and richer growth. And flowers the wilderness had none. The affections were stunted and overgrown.

All this was so, how had he overlooked it? His unbelief had come from a thoughtless, ignorant, one-sided view of life and human things. The disorder and ruin which he saw, where he did not also see the adjusting hand at work,

had led him to refuse his credit to the Supreme Fabricator. He thought the waste would never be reclaimed, and did not know how much it already owed to the sun of revelation; but what was the waste where that light had not been! -Mr. Carleton was staggered. He did not know what to think. He began to think he had been a fool.

Poor little Fleda was meditating less agreeably the while. With the sure tact of truth she had discerned that there was more than jest in the questions that had been put to her. She almost feared that Mr. Carleton shared himself the doubts he had so lightly spoken of, and the thought gave her great distress. However, when he came to take her down to tea, with all his usual manner, Fleda's earnest look at him ended in the conviction that there was nothing very wrong under that face.

For several days Mr. Carleton pondered the matter of this evening's conversation, characteristically restless till he had made up his mind. He wished very much to draw Fleda to speak further upon the subject, but it was not easy; she never led to it. He sought in vain an opportunity to bring it in easily, and at last resolved to make one.

66

Elfie," said he one morning when all the rest of the passengers were happily engaged at a distance with the letter-bags,"I wish you would let me hear that favourite hymn of yours again,-I like it very much."

Fleda was much gratified and immediately with great satisfaction repeated the hymn. Its peculiar beauty struck him yet more the second time than the first.

"Do you understand those two last verses?" said he when she had done.

Fleda paused a minute or two, and then finding that it depended on her to enlighten him, said in her modest way, Why it means that we have no goodness of our own, and only expect to be forgiven and taken to heaven for the Saviour's sake."

Mr. Carleton asked, "How for his sake?"

Why you know Mr. Carleton, we don't deserve to go there, and if we are forgiven at all it must be for what he has done."

"And what is that, Elfie?"

"He died for us," said Fleda, with a look of some anxiety into Mr. Carleton's face.

"Died for us!—And what end was that to serve, Elfie ?” said he, partly willing to hear the full statement of the matter, and partly willing to see how far her intelligence could give it.

"Because we are sinners," said Fleda, "and God has said that sinners shall die.

"Then how can he keep his word and forgive at all?' "Because Christ has died for us," said Fleda eagerly ;— "instead of us."

"Do you understand the justice of letting one take the place of others ?"

"He was willing, Mr. Carleton," said Fleda, with a singular wistful expression that touched him.

"Still Elfie," said he after a minute's silence," how could the ends of justice be answered by the death of one man in the place of millions ?"

No, Mr. Carleton, but he was God as well as man,' Fleda said, with a sparkle in her eye which perhaps delayed her companion's rejoinder.

"What should induce him, Elfie," he said gently, "to do such a thing for people who had displeased him?”

"Because he loved us, Mr. Carleton."

She answered with so evident a strong and clear appreciation of what she was saying that it half made its way into Mr. Carleton's mind by the force of sheer sympathy. Her words came almost as something new.

Certainly Mr. Carleton had heard these things before, though perhaps never in a way that appealed so directly to his intelligence and his candour. He was again silent an instant, pondering, and so was Fleda.

"Do you know, Elfie,” said Mr. Carleton, “there are some people who do not believe that the Saviour was anything more than a man?"

"Yes I know it," said Fleda ;-"it is very strange!'

Why is it strange ?”

"Because the Bible says it so plainly."

"But those people hold I believe that the Bible does not say it."

“I don't see how they could have read the Bible,” said Why he said so himself." "Who said so ?"

Fleda. ((

"Jesus Christ. Don't you believe it, Mr. Carleton ?” She saw he did not, and the shade that had come over her face was reflected in his before he said "no."

"But perhaps I shall believe it yet, Elfie," he said kindly. "Can you shew me the place in your bible where Jesus says this of himself?"

Fleda looked in despair. She hastily turned over the leaves of her bible to find the passages he had asked for, and Mr. Carleton was cut to the heart to see that she twice was obliged to turn her face from him and brush her hand over her eyes, before she could find them. She turned to Matt. xxvi. 63, 64, 65, and without speaking gave him the book, pointing to the passage. He read it with great care, and several times over.

"You are right, Elfie,” he said. "I do not see how those who honour the authority of the Bible and the character of Jesus Christ can deny the truth of his own declaration. If that is false so must those be."

Fleda took the bible and hurriedly sought out another passage.

Grandpa shewed me these places," she said, "once when we were talking about Mr. Didenhover-he didn't believe that. There are a great many other places, grandpa said; but one is enough ;'

She gave him the latter part of the twentieth chapter of John.

(6 You u see, Mr. Carleton, he let Thomas fall down and worship him and call him God; and if he had not been, you know- God is more displeased with that than with anything."

"With what, Elfie?"

"With men's worshipping any other than himself. He says he will not give his glory to another.""

"Where is that?"

I am afraid I can't find it,” said Fleda,—“it is somewhere in Isaiah, I know”.

She tried in vain; and failing, then looked up in Mr. Carleton's face to see what impression had been made.