wars.

placent self-assurance, renewed his attentions to Miss Helen. Neither Mrs. Alliban nor her ruddy-faced daughter had forgotten me, and both of them very warmly congratulated me on my success. They assured me they had never ceased to regret their suspicion of me, that the ostler who had sworn to my complicity in the robbery did it to shield himself, that he had since left them in disgrace and was either transported or gone off to the Janet hadn't a doubt but that he had entered my room while I was asleep, and slipped into my pocket the plate that was found there. Before I had half finished my breakfast, the coachman announced that our time was up, and so drinking my coffee as by stratagem, and swallowing my ham and bread almost without any mastication I bade hostess and daughter "Good morning," and resumed my seat on the coach. In the meantime Helen Graceford had taken her seat inside, and Lawrence Westbourne stood at the door flourishing his cane, and ejaculating a few parting words. The coachman mounted his box, drew up the reins, cracked his whip, and we were off again. I gave Mr. Westbourne a respectful salute as we moved away, but he stood silent and cold, and did not acknowledge it. His behaviour was, to say the least of it, very singular. I had never seen him before, and could not for the mere fact of being privileged to converse with a young lady merit such treatment. Could he be jealous of the kindness and sympathy she had shown to me?

The coach rattled on. My thoughts would run upon one theme. Everything else was for the time forgotten. The child had grown into womanhood, yet she was not changed save in years. She had the same artless simplicity of character, the same unassuming gentleness of disposition, the same sunny kindliness of heart. I had loved her as a child-to my young fancy she had seemed as an angel of grace and loveliness. She had grown older: must I forego all such feelings now? Not one word of attachment had I ever breathed to her, nor she to me. Formerly the difference in our circumstances and position had been immense; even now it was so wide, that only a very vigorous hope and fervid imagination could throw a bridge across. But I will not detail my thoughts and feelings on this theme. The heart that now lies cold in death once beat with the life of youth, and felt the romance and delirium of love; let that suffice. I did pass through at period when we "are like those that

dream," when head and heart both dream, when golden visions float before us day by day, and throw over our souls the spell of their fascination. I had not yet passed through that period at the time of which I am now writing; and after that short interview at the "Shepherd and Shepherdess" a world of enchantment, in which I had lived but little in busy London, came up before me again, bright with more bewildering beauty and radiant with promise more glorious and divine. It was, at least, a circumstance that could not fail to set me thinking and dreaming that the face that had been the last to smile upon the poor adventurer, footsore and weary, tramping to the great metropolis should be the first to smile upon him on his return.

The coach rattles on. We passed the bank whereon I sat to rest on my way to London; we reached the town where I had first caught a glimpse of the great world; we entered the yard of the hotel, and the coach emptied itself of its passengers. Mr. Graceford is there with his carriage to meet his daughter, and conduct her to the Villa. He is very pleased to see me, he says, and but that he is "full," should like to have the pleasure of driving me home. I thank him for his kindness; and ere I have done speaking, up comes my old schoolfellow, Charles Merle. I agree to ride home with him. We do not stay long in the

town, but are soon on the road. Charles and I have much to say to each other. We talk over school-days, and changes at Guysmore, but Charles will have me tell him my story. With part of that story the reader is already acquainted. I will not here repeat it, but will content myself with taking up the thread where in the last chapter I dropped it:

Friendless, disheartened, almost penniless, I had laid myself down to sleep under the rude shelter of a gateway and on the hard boards of a wagon. I did not sleep all the night undisturbed. The loud springing of a watchman's heavy rattle aroused me a little after midnight. I started up and unobserved looked over the end of the wagon into the street. By the glimmering lamplight I could discern two men engaged in a scuffle with a watchman and a person half-dressed. I could see the door of the house opposite open as if the two men had just issued from it followed by the alarmed master of the house. As they were struggling to escape, the face of one of the burglars struck me. I thought I had seen it before, though at first, owing to the dimness of

the light I could not recognise it. In another moment I caught sight of it again. It was Shaftner. Summoned by the wellknown signal two watchmen came up in haste. Both Shaftner and his accomplice were secured. In a few minutes all was quiet again, and I lay down to finish my night's repose. When I woke up again it was broad daylight. I do not know how it was, it might be from seeing Shaftner, but I was carried back in my dreams to the first interview I had with the rough and shaggy boatman, and as I woke his words were ringing in my ears, "It aint a' no use trustin' to relations, they'll break under you like dry bulrushes. Trust to your own nat'ral genius, that's the plan, an' no other's the plan to my thinkin'." This seemed to me the text Providence had given me to work upon for the day, and I resolved to work upon it. If the latter part proved as true as, in my case, the former part had done, I did not despair of success. I had two things to do that day, get my bread and get money enough to pay the postage of the letter to my mother. I resolved to post the letter first, and to post it just as it was without adding anything that I had heard about Peter Clifton; I thought that by doing this the long suspense in which my mother had been kept would be broken, and yet she would learn nothing calculated to give her very great alarm as to my actual position. My wits were set to work at once, and I decided that it was ready money I wanted that day, not so much regular employment. I therefore went to coach offices and tried to get a few pence by carrying passengers' luggage. Professional porters elbowed me out of the way. One old gentleman had pity upon me, but I pitied him too, for he had conscience little enough to give me the handsome sum of two pence for carrying a heavy leathern case two miles and a half. I took the pence because I was too poor to refuse them. This was all I got that morning. I wanted but sixpence more and I could pay the postage of my letter, and get something to eat too. Had I begged in half a dozen streets I could have got twice sixpence in a few hours; had I dodged about the shop doors to pilfer whatever I could lay my hands on, I could soon have made up the amount; but because I was too proud to stoop to ask alms, and too honest to steal, I could not get the money. As the afternoon advanced I thought of an expedient I had not thought of before. The coat I had on was almost new, the little Jew would perhaps give me an older one in exchange for it, and a small sum to boot.

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I went to his shop which I found again without any difficulty. He sat in his chaotic abyss as he sat there the day before. He rose up to meet me as he had risen up before. I told him what I wanted; he replied "Goot, goot, vare goot." He depreciated my coat because of its shape, it was not the newest fashion, he exalted a secondhand one I thought would do for me, as "of superior make," none the vorse for vare," "de glosh" not being off, and the cuffs "better as new." I closed the bargain with him by drawing a couple of shillings. I then posted my letter and got something to eat. I slept that night in the same place as before. Next day I began to search diligently for regular employment. I went to the docks, to the warehouses and shops of the city. At first I thought I would try for a situation which opened up a wide field of action before me, and altogether leave retail shops out of the question. But I tried everywhere and everything. Some shook their heads and said trade was bad, others "did not like to employ strangers," some asked me for testimonials and references, and others took me (I suppose from my seedy second-hand coat) for a beggar and saluted me with "We haven't anything to give away." But I will not weary you with the long and dreary catalogue ef places I called at, nor tell you all the discouraging receptions I met with. The fact is, I at last gave up trying to get a situation, and began to think London the worst of all places for a young man to be launched upon. Nevertheless I bore up under every discouragement. I tried fresh tactics. I resolved to commence business for myself. By divesting myself of every valuable article of clothing I had, and getting very inferior ones instead, I managed to accumulate capital. It was small I admit, but I determined to make the most of it. I went early in the morning to the market-gardeners and invested my capital in fruit, strawberries, gooseberries, cherries, &c, and issued forth with them into the streets, and sold them from door to door. In this way I found that by being early at work I could reckon to turn over my stock-in-trade every day, and clear a sufficient profit to live upon. I did this nearly all one month, and became so prosperous that I changed my wagon-bed for lodgings at a small house in St. Olaves' Street, on the other side the river, not far from London Bridge; and I managed to buy back again the clothes I had exchanged, though the old Jew was very hard upon me.

I had got thus far in my story when we caught sight of Guysmore. I could go

amounted to £1,912 11s. 3d., being an increase of £669 16s. over that of last year. The sum of £296 3s. 7d. has been received from legacies, and your Committee have been apprised of other bequests which may be received soon. The Committee have appropriated the sum of £1,255 towards the versions of the Scriptures made by the missionaries of the Baptist Missionary Society; and have also voted the sum of £150 to their General Baptist brethren, in aid of a new edition of the New Testament in Oriya, with the promise of further aid should it be required.-The services of the Rev. D. Thompson have been secured as travelling agent. The Committee are also indebted to the Rev. Edward Adey, and the Rev. Thomas Morris, for acceptable services on behalf of the Society in their respective localities.-The Committee have the fullest impression that the income of the Society might be still considerably augmented, if after the example of some, each pastor would, in the course of the year, present the object and claims of the Institution to his own, and, if practical, to neighbouring churches. The Committee are strongly of opinion that late events, and present openings in the East, in China, as well as in other parts of the world, are such as should stimulate to increased and vigorous action in the noble enterprise of giving the Word of Life to the nations in their own language. They, therefore, commend the Institution to the support of all the churches of their own denomination, and to every one who desires that the "Word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified." Revs. Isaac Lord, of Birmingham, T. Morgan, of Howrah, I. Stubbins, of Cuttack, J. Stock. of Devonport, J. P. Mursell, of Leicester, Williamson, the eldest surviving missionary of the Baptist Society in India, addressed the meeting.

THE BAPTIST UNION annual meeting was held at the Mission House, Moorgatestreet, on Friday, April 22nd. Rev. G. W. Lehmann, of Berlin, delivered the introductory address, an interesting sketch of the rise, progress, and present position of evangelical religion in Germany. Rev. J. Webb, of Ipswich, moved the adoption of an address to their brethren in America, on the subject of slavery. If the revival in that country were genuine, it would give a renewed impulse to all righteous means for the abolition of slavery, and a remonstrance, just now, would be well received. After a warm discussion, in which Rev. J. H. Hinton, Dr, Hoby, Mr. Underhill,

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Dr. Burns, Mr. Clowes, Dr. Evans, Revs. J. J. Brown, J. P. Mursell, and others took part, the motion was unanimously adopted. Mr. Heaton called attention to the Bible Monopoly. He stated that the monopoly had now been in existence ever since the time of James I. last patent continuing that monopoly was issued some thirty years ago, and at the begining of next year that patent would expire. Of course, before then, the question would have to be decided whether it should be renewed. He called upon the Union to give an emphatic opinion on the subject. At one time, the Dissenters of England had their attention very fully directed to this question, and manifested a lively interest in it; and although it had now been in abeyance for some years, its importance was not at all diminished. The monopoly existed now only in this country; for practically, it had been abolished in Ireland, and absolutely abolished in Scotland, mainly through the noble exertions of Dr. Adam Thompson. renewal or abandonment of the patent involved more serious consequences than many, perhaps, were disposed to think. The common opinion was that the patent of monopoly could be successfully evaded by accompanying the text of the Bible with notes or comments; but the fact was not so, for, according to the very terms of the patent, the holders of it could prohibit the printing of any Bible, either with or without notes. At one time the holders of the patent had attempted to prevent the printing of " Henry's Commentary," and had only been deterred from persevering in the attempt by the expression of public opinion against them. It was very important, therefore, that the monopoly should be got rid of, and it was an unfortunate circumstance that, as the question must be decided within the next six months, the attention of the country should, just now, be so much absorbed in political matters. He should consider the Union highly honoured if, by their means, the attention of the Christian public came to be effectually directed to the subject. He begged to move:—

"That the Session regard with lively interest the approaching termination of the patent enjoyed by the Queen's printer for the privileged printing of the Holy Scriptures, and earnestly hope that the printing of the Bible will, hereafter, be placed on the same ground for all parties. And that it be an instruction to the committee to take part in all such measures, as they may approve, put into operation for this end."