Then the answer was wafted back from those who walked upon the margin of the lake :—

"For I will be their Father,

And they shall be My children,

Saith the Lord."

My heart filled with a great yearning as I listened, and I longed to run down the steep hill-side, and join the happy groups below.

But again those words sounded sadly in my ears,—

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

This time it was the angel who repeated them, with a low, mournful wail in her voice, as though she, too, earnestly longed for me to become one of that favoured band of chosen

ones.

Then I fell to the earth, and burying my face at her feet, sobbed forth, as though my heart would break,—

"I have tried to be a peacemaker, indeed, indeed, I have. Oh, won't God love me, and let me be His child ?"

Suddenly I felt a strong pair of arms steal gently under me, and a voice that I knew so well ringing in my ears, with a cry of passionate, satisfied joy,

"My child! My child! At last!"

It was my father, with the white robes and dazzling wings of an angel.

With a cry of great contentment, I threw my arms about his neck; whilst the angel-guide, in a voice of triumphant exultation, burst forth into a song of praise. And once more the burden of her strain was the same grand, beautiful, old words,-"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

My dream was over, and as my eyes opened, I saw Miss Royce bending over me, and heard her say, cheerfully,—

"Why, little man, you have been to sleep, out here in the sun, and it is tea-time now. Didn't you hear the bell?"

But I was too much dazed with the glory of my dream to answer her, and closing my eyelids again, I allowed myself to be carried indoors, without uttering a sound.

Ah, how different now was my idea of heaven to the old notions I used to have, before I feasted my eyes upon the marvels of Martin's grand creation; a Paradise in which whiterobed angels floated for ever through a dull expanse of cloudland, playing incessantly upon golden-stringed harps, or standing continually, with red, inflated cheeks, blowing long, unwieldy trumpets, as do the cherubs in so many of Raphael's choicest pictures.

"If you please, miss," said Anne, putting her head round the corner of the school-room door, one day, "Mrs. Royce wants Master Ayres in the drawing-room."

My heart gave a great bound.

Had Father come to see me, without giving me any previous warning?

Then my spirits dropped as quickly, for I suddenly reflected that the visitor was sure to be the lady who seemed so desirous of making my acquaintance.

My surmise proved perfectly correct; there was the identical individual seated near the great French window, her little daughter standing at her side.

Though she kissed me warmly, and spoke very kindly, I was terribly shy of her during the whole of her visit, and felt ready, when permission was requested for me to pay her a visit, to tell Mrs. Royce that I didn't want to go.

However, it was a vast consolation to hear her say that she hoped I would bring some of my little friends with me, and under these altered conditions the prospect of a day's outing became positively pleasant.

Accordingly, it was arranged that on the following Friday my three greatest "chums" should accompany me across the valley, viz., Harry Morland, Mat Davis, and the Scamp.

To settle who the three should be, was no easy matter, for I was anxious not to leave out either Willie Knowles or Johnnie Harris; but Mrs. Royce would not hear of the party being increased beyond four.

"I am afraid even that number will be more than you can put up with, conveniently, if you are not strong. It really is very kind to ask them at all," she said, as her visitor rose to take leave.

That afternoon was our mid-weekly half-holiday. We had arranged to spend the time in conducting the funeral of one of Johnnie Harris's white mice, which had lately died from 66 accidental starvation."

This, at any rate, was the verdict of the jury of boys, selfelected to try the case.

For though in the evidence it had transpired that neglect to feed the deceased for two mornings running had been the cause of its premature death, yet it had also been proved that such negligence had arisen through an unfortunate misunderstanding.

Johnnie, being confined to the house with a cold, had asked Bob North to take his live stock in hand for a few days.

But Bob North had gone home on Saturday, being only a weekly boarder, and through the oversight occasioned by this arrangement, the poor mouse was discovered on Monday morning, lying stiff and cold on the floor of his cage.

Fortunately, his other pets had been well enough stocked to prevent actual starvation, though in one or two other instances the provisions had run dangerously low.

After the fatality had occurred, the other owners of live stock of course remembered having noticed the restless, uneasy state of the lamented deceased on the previous mornings, but

had not troubled to give the matter more than a passing thought; for no one ever interfered with another's pets, unless specially desired to do so.

Both the boys concerned in the affair were seriously lectured by Mrs. Royce, who publicly announced that no live animals whatsoever should be allowed on the premises, if ever such a melancholy event happened again through carelessness.

Her caution discharged, however, she very kindly granted permission for us to bury the poor victim with all the ceremony we wished.

Accordingly, at three o'clock the boys assembled for the purpose of forming into a procession.

Amongst my numerous playthings was a small, black musical box, its works covered with transparent horn, which played three tunes with variations.

One of these was, "Oh, Willie, we have missed you ;" and this, though not as appropriate as might have been desired, was decided upon as the most suitable for the occasion. Such an addition to the performance was not to be despised ; so I was raised to the dignity of organist, and was placed in the front rank.

Behind us

Harry and Mat walked one each side of me. came Johnnie Freeman, Jack Smedley, and another boy, Willie Knowles following immediately, alone.

We seven were all dressed in clean, white nightshirts over our clothes, reaching to our ankles. Round his shoulders Willie Knowles had fastened a large black silk scarfborrowed from Miss Baxter-so tied as to fall in a long curve across his back. At his throat he wore pieces of white paper in the shape of lappets, for he was to be our officiating minister.

Next came the Scamp, his red hair flying about under the shadow of a great "Jim Crow" hat, with its brim carefully turned down all round.

His jacket was put on inside out, his trousers rolled up to