T was a dark, wretched cellar in the city, where, by the light of a farthing

room was entirely destitute of com-. fort, almost bare of necessaries, and the poor woman herself was very scantily clad. It was New-Year's Eve, and what rich people called (with a comfortable inflection in their voices, as if they had the ordering of cold and heat, and knew which was best) seasonable weather. Alas! to the poor and homeless, it is very hard to realize that the weather is seasonable, when they are without fire or shelter,almost, perhaps, without food. Mrs. Owen (that was the poor woman's name) raised her head from her work every now and then, and listened intently; then, with a heavy sigh, she stooped over the wearisome stitching again. At length she heard a footstep on the flight of steps that led down to her room; and, rising hastily, she opened her door, a little boy stood on the threshold, a very little boy to be out in the street on such a night: it was snow

ing fast, and the flakes of snow had fallen upon his golden hair, and there frozen in crystals.

"I have no money, mother," he said, throwing himself into her arms, "and I've tried everything all day, and this evening, too, to earn an honest penny. I asked one gentleman I saw to let me hold his horse, but he laughed at me, and said I was too small. And, ob, mother, the shops were. so beautiful to-night, and I was looking in at a baker's window, and longing to take home a hot cake for you, and the master came out and sent me away; and, oh,"-his voice sunk to a whisper-"I was so hungry, and ... would it have been very wrong to take one little piece of bread, mother?"

The large eyes looked up with such a wistful look in the poor mother's face, that she burst into tears; "God help me!" she murmured, as she clasped her boy close in her arms, as if to save him from evil, "Willie, my own darling, you know how much I love you?"

Yes, mother;" the child looked won. deringly up in her face.

"And yet I had rather see you dead, my child, than know that you had broken God's commandment." She spoke with passionate earnestness, and then broke down completely, and sobbed.

"Then I won't steal, mother dear; only don't cry, but-but, I am so hun. gry."

The poor woman dried her eyes at once; "I am going to take home this work, Willie," she said, "they will pay me a few pence for it, I hope, and then I will buy some bread: will you stay here, or go with

me ?"

"I'll come, mother."

"You are not tired, my darling?".

"No:" there was a little sigh, and he added, "Not much, mother, and it is so cold here."

Mrs. Owen tied on something which might be called a bonnet, though it looked like an old rag, and pinning a threadbare shawl round her, and taking her work in her hand, she blew out the candle, and, followed by Willie, left the room and went up, the damp stone steps, out into the night. The snow had ceased to fall, and the stars were shining overhead, as the mother and child took their way through a labyrinth of streets towards Southwark Bridge; they reached their destination at last, but the shop for which she worked was closed, for Mrs. Owen had mistaken the hour, and it was past eleven o'clock. The blow was so unexpected, and she had so counted upon that money to keep them that one night from starving, that she could hardly realize it.

"Willie, my darling, I can give you no bread to-night," she said, despairingly; "Surely, God must have forgotten us."

"You told me He never forgot any one that loved him, mother; don't you love Him still."

The sweet patient little voice went to her heart. Alas! she could bear anything for herself, but to see her child suffer want, almost made her doubt God's goodness.

“I'm not very hungry now, mother,” he said, as his mother, who had wandered on, hardly knowing where she went, sat

down on a doorstep close to the bridge, and buried her face in her hands. "Don't cry; if we say our prayers, God will always help us, father told me that before he went away; can he see us now, mother, do you think, and does it make him sorry that we have nothing to eat?"

His mother could not answer.

Willie took her hands in his and drew them away from her face. "The stars are so beautiful," he said gently, "it makes me forget that I am cold and hungry, and hark, oh! mother, how beautiful! it is like angels' music.”

The clocks had all struck twelve, and with the last stroke, the air was filled with the chiming bells, ringing in the New Year. Ah! me, how varied were the memories those bells brought to those in the great city. One, sitting alone and desolate, in a well-furnished room, was striving to repress the blinding tears that filled her eyes, as she thought of the happy New Year's Eves of other days. Another, perhaps, with the weight of some concealed sorrow heavy at her heart, was trying to be merry in a large party of friends, who little guessed that her mirth was feigned -her smile a forced one. Another, forgetting all the sorrows of the past, in the glorious promise his future shewed, was standing listening to those bells by the side of one who loved him above all. Some heard them as they watched by a dying bed-others, as they danced at a wedding party; to all, they brought memories of olden days some sad-some happy beyond description. To Mrs. Owen, sitting out in the cold night by the bridge, those bells brought back the memory of her happiness in her husband's lifetime, when they had a happy home, and Willie was a plump, rosy, well-fed baby. William Owen had been a sailor, and until his last voyage all had gone well with him; he earned enough to make his wife comfortable, and even save a small sum for a rainy day but his last voyage had been a fatal one, and all poor Mrs. Owen knew or heard of his death was, that when she called upon the ship owners to know why the ship in which her husband sailed was delayed in coming; back, they told her that the ship had gone

to pieces, and all the crew were lost. They were considered kind-hearted men, those shipowners, they gave her a sovereign, and told her they were sorry for her but it was a thing that happened every day, and they had so many claims upon them. And so, gradually, the store of money that William Owen had saved for his wife, diminished, though the poor widow worked her fingers almost to the bone, to keep herself and her little' son: and two years had passed away in the bitter struggle for daily 1

bread, and the endurance of hardships and necessities which those who have never wanted can hardly imagine or believe and it had come to this, that mother and child were starving, and knew not where to go for bread. The bells rang on, and Willie listened in rapt attention, with his eyes fixed on the glittering stars, and his mother shuddered as she looked at the pale, worn little face, which want and care had already robbed of its childish bloom. The quarter-past twelve struck, and the bells stopped suddenly but Willie seemed to have gained fresh courage, he threw his arms round his mother's neck.

You told me, mother," he said," that i Jesus was once cold, and hungry, and sorrowful, don't you think He will help us now, or send some one to give us bread ? "air

Yes, my poor boy.””)

Willie started it was not his mother's voice a tall gentleman was bending over him, and a kind hand put a piece of money into the child's shivering palmiiret :

[Mr.. Sowerby' was a bachelor; and fóro years it had been his custom to spend Newb Year's Eve on Southwark Bridge, from half-past eleven till a quarter-past twelve. The reason he gave was that it was the best place in the world for hearing the chittes, which was true enough'; but another reason there was, which he never gave to his friends, but which was, none the less, a powerful motive with him. He had never passed a New Year's Eve in his life without doing some good action; and experience had taught him, that many wretched creatures, who had neither home mor food, were to be found ihuddled up by the bridge gates, like shapeless masses of rags : no one knew the good he did, and there were no by

r

22

standers to see him. But year after year he had saved dozens of wretched, hopeless! human beings, by a kind word and a Tittle timely relief and help. Perhaps, the kind words were almost as much, and in some cases, more prized than the money; for ! none but those who have suffered can tell ' what it is, when miserable, Hopeless, and forsaken, to hear words of love and kind♫ ness from the lips of a human being; who? at the moment, seems almost an angel; and, surely, angels' work is near akîm tổ human kindness. On this New Year's Eve Mr. Sowerby had just left the bridge, I when he heard Willie's voice cheering his poor heart-broken mother. Mr. Sowerby was not a young man, he had experienced much of joy and sorrow in his long, wellspent life, but nothing had ever given him so much real heartfelt pleasure as the poor 'widow's thanks for the timely relief which would save her child from starving; But he would not wait to be thanked, he askedTM for Mrs. Owen's address, and promised to ! see what he could do to help her he left e the poor woman blessing him with tears of i gratitude for his goodness,ali Hyd heroikt

A few hours later, Willie and his motherʊ were seated by a brightly blazing fire, in their own room, with a comfortable mealt spread on the "old rickety table!» Whatu incalculable good Mr. Sowerby inNow.n Year's gift had already done!!t Willie'?I cheeks had a tinge of colour în them now, i and he said, softly, to his mother, as she murmured a thanksgiving for their meal, “I am so glad I did not steal, mother, for I should not have felt happy now if I had.e Dolayou think it was because you would not let me be naughty, that God sent that kind gentleman to help us?" He paused a moment, and then he added, “God had not forgotten us, mother rule) yigma Fog“. No, my darling, God never forgets His children; but I was faithless and despairi ing, and I did not trust Him as I ought♫

The little fellow raised his eyes from the fire, You taught me long ago, that He always answers our prayers,” he said;} "mother, I have always prayed that fabherr might come back, was it naughty? H:^T*

The widow turned her head away, she could not bear to answer;andy (alas!!