deer.' The lord replied with wonder in his tone, "What of this fox concerneth me? If large or small, I care not. Spur we our horses, for to-day our journey must be long.”

10. "Long, indeed," still thought the serving man; and in sadness he crossed the brook. Then came they to a stream, running quickly through a green meadow, the stones showing themselves in many places above its frothy water. The varlet started, and cried aloud, "Another river? Surely of rivers there is to-day no end: was it of this thou spakest heretofore?"

11. "No," replied the lord, "not of this." And more he said not; yet marked he with inward gladness his servant's fear. "Because, in good truth," rejoined the knave, "it is on my conscience to give thee note that the fox of which I spake was not bigger than a calf.”, Large or small, let me not be troubled with the fox; the beast concerneth not me at all."

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12. As they quitted the wood, they perceived a river in the way, which gave sign of having been swollen by the rains; and on it was a boat. "This, then, is the doom of liars," said the knave; and he looked earnestly towards the ferry boat. ‘Be informed, my good lord, that renard was not larger than a fat sheep." The lord seemed angry, and answered, "This is not yet the grave of falsehood: why torment me with this fox? Rather spur we our horses, for we have far to go."

13. Now the day declined, and the shadows of the travelers lengthened on the ground; but darker than the twilight was the sadness on the face of the knave. And as the wind rustled the trees, he ever and anon turned pale, and inquired of his master if the noise were of a torrent, or stream of water. Still, as the evening fell, his eyes strove to discover the course of a winding river. But nothing of the sort could he discern; so that his spirits began to revive, and he was fain to join in discourse with the lord.

But the lord held his peace, and looked as one who expects -an evil thing.

14. Suddenly the way became steep, and they descended into a low and woody valley, in which there was a broad and black river, creeping fearfully along, without bridge or bark to be seen near. “Ah, miserable me!" said the knave, turning deadly pale; "this then is the river in which liars must perish.' "Even so," said the lord; "this is the stream of which I spake; but the ford is sound and good for true men. Spur we our horses, for the night approacheth, and we have yet far to go."

15. "My life is dear to me," said the trembling serving man, "and thou knowest that, if it were lost, my wife would be disconsolate. In sincerity, then, I declare that the fox which I saw in the distant country was not larger than that which fled from us in the wood this morning."

16. Then laughed the lord aloud, and said, "Ho, knave! wert thou afraid of thy life? And will nothing cure thy lying? Is not falsehood, which kills the soul, worse than death, which has mastery only over the body? This river is no more than any other, nor hath it a power such as I feigned. The ford is safe, and the waters gentle as those we have already passed; but who shall pass thee over the shame of this day? In it thou needs must sink, unless penitence come to help thee over, and cause thee to look back on the gulf of thy lies, as on a danger from which thou hast been delivered by God's grace.”

17. And as he reproved his servant, the lord rode on into the water, and both in safety reached the opposite shore. Then vowed the knave that from that time forward he would duly measure his words; and glad was he so to escape.

Such is the story of the lying servant and the merry lord, by which let the reader profit.

London Magazine.

LXXX.-QUICKSILVER.

trans-form', to change the form; verwandeln.

ze'-ro, naught; Null.

in-dis-pen'-sa-ble, impossible to be spared; unerläßlich.
re-flec ́-tion, the return of rays; Abglanz.

a-mal-ga-ma'-tion, a mixture; Mischung.

dross, worthless matter; Abfall; Schlacke.

e-vap'-o-rate, to pass off in vapor; verdampfen.

prep-a-ra ́-tion, that which is made for a certain purpose; Zubereitung.

pre-scribe', to give medical directions; verordnen; verschreiben.

Father. Did you ever see a liquid metal, boys?

Robert. Yes, sir, I did. The other day when I was in the foundry and watched the casting of rail-road car wheels, I saw the men carry vessels full of liquid iron which was sparkling like fire.

F. Very well, but that iron was under the influence of an immense heat, for it came just out of the melting furnace, where it had been transformed from the solid to the liquid state. But I mean a metal which in the common temperature remains as liquid as water, and requires so low a degree as 39 below zero to attain a firmness similar to that of other metals.

William. No, indeed! I am sure I never saw such a

metal.

F. You may find some of it within this room. Look for it near the window.

W. Do you mean, father, that whitish stuff which fills part of the narrow tube of our thermometer?

F. That is what I mean.

this substance?

Do you know the name of

R. It is called quicksilver. But I never knew that it is a metal.

F. It is a metal much the same as gold, silver, iron, copper, lead, tin, and the like. But do you know the service which is rendered by that quicksilver in the thermometer?

R. It points out the temperature of the air; but I do not exactly understand how it can do that.

F. I will explain it to you. The volume of all bodies is increased by heat, and decreased by cold, but there is scarcely any other substance which does show this so plainly, and is affected by heat or cold so thoroughly, as quicksilver. The warmer, therefore, the surroundings of the thermometer are, the higher the pillar of the quicksilver rises in the tube; whilst a low temperature causes it to fall. By the marks of the scale to which the quicksilver reaches we are then able to tell the degree of heat or cold.

W. But if quicksilver is nearly always liquid, man can not coin money, or make vessels or tools out of it, as is done from other metals. I suppose the only use to which it may be turned is in the thermometer.

F. Far from it! Though it is true that we can not apply quicksilver in the same manner and for the same purposes as most of the other metals, there is, besides its employment in the thermometer and barometer, many other use in which quicksilver is indispensable. Without it, for instance, we would have no such mirrors as we now have. The gray coating you see on the reverse side of a looking-glass, and which causes the reflection of light, is partly quicksilver.

R. How can this liquid metal be made to adhere to a pane of glass?

F. Most metals are dissolved by quicksilver, which then combines with them and forms a firm substance. It is an amalgamation of quicksilver and tin which is employed in the manufacture of mirrors. This quality of acting so powerfully on other metals fits the quicksilver in helping to refine silver and gold.

F. The ore is crushed, then ground into dust, and, being mixed with quicksilver, the gold or silver readily unites with it and is easily separated from the dross. When heat

is applied, the quicksilver evaporates and the silver or gold remains in a perfectly pure state.

R. I remember that one day I heard that a person had been poisoned by taking quicksilver.

F. Yes, it is a dangerous poison, but preparations of it are frequently prescribed by physicians in the cure of diseases. Still I may add that a combination of quicksilver and sulphur is that beautiful scarlet-red paint, called cinnabar, or vermilion.

W. Where is that useful metal found?

F. There are quicksilver mines in many parts of Europe, Asia, and America, but the richest in the Old World are in Spain, while in this continent California, and Peru in South America, furnish most of this remarkable metal.

LXXXI. THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET.

cot, cottage, hut; Hütte; Häuschen.

Adapted.

ex'-qui-site, exceedingly nice; kostbar; vortrefflich.
ar'-dent, eager; eifrig.

gob'-let, a drinking vessel without a handle; Becher.
in-tru ́-sive-ly, without right or welcome; aufdringlich.
fan'-cy, imagination; Phantasie; Gedanke.

re-vert', to turn back; sich zurück wenden.

How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood
When fond recollection presents them to view!
That orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangled wild wood,
And every loved spot which my infancy knew:

The wide-spreading pond, and the mill which stood by it;
The bridge and the rock where the cataract fell;
The cot of my father, the dairy-house nigh it;

And e'en the rude bucket which hung in the well;
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket,

The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well!