my life where I began it, perhaps I may find my sister alive, and if so, she will long before this have found out what the world is made of, and that-"

"He that bodes himself a silk gown is sure to wear a sleeve of it!"" cried Nurse Dinah, throwing herself, to the no small terror of the children, into the arms of the ragged old beggar-man; "didn't I always say so? Haven't I been waiting all these years for my brother to come back rich and happy? and here he is, in rags, which is all the same to me, bless his dear heart!" And Nurse Dinah cried and laughed in a manner which Nurse Dinah had never before been known to do within the memory of man.

"It's a beautiful world-that's what I've found out about it," said Nurse Dinah after a minute or two, as she held her ragged brother by the hand under the Christmas-tree; " and it's just wonderful the way things come round."

"The world comes round to those who will but wait,'" said Hermione in her soft, musical voice, which reminded the Fir-tree of the sighing of the wind through the trees in Dark Dell.

"Yes, dearie," said Nurse Dinah, wiping her eyes; and the world has come round to us two, for here we are, boy and girl together again, and going to begin life to-morrow with a new motto.”

The brother did not say much all this time, but he shed tears and kissed Nurse Dinah's hand as respectfully as if she had been a duchess, and, perhaps for the first time in his life believed in what he saw-the faith and love shining in his sister's eyes.

"It's a beautiful world," repeated the Fir-tree, after the excitement had subsided and everybody had gone to bed, "and I would say the same if this were to be my last night in it. I have not won the princess, but I have worn a crown and made people happy, and learnt a lesson which it would be well for everybody to know-that good out of evil is the law which governs the world; and what more could any king do? One can't have everything. He that bodes himself a silk gown is sure to wear a sleeve of it.' The world comes round to those who will but wait.' Yes, yes; the Christmas-tree, with its light of tapers and happy faces, and its flowers and fruits of

human love, is the true King of the Woods; there can be no doubt about that."

And the Fir-tree, after singing this little psalm of thanksgiving for his life, went to sleep.

He never woke again, for it stands to reason, that if you take a Fir-tree up by the roots and make a Christmas-tree of him, he must die sooner or later; but that did not matter at all; he had done his work and learnt his lesson, and got the happiness he wanted, and probably would not himself have desired to live any longer. But the beautiful Snow Flower did not die; it bloomed for many a long year under the hands of Nurse Dinah and Hermione-ay, and through many a winter's snow, cold and cheerless, it is born to bloom amidst the snows of life-blessed Flower of Faith in God and Man.