THE SKYLARK.

IT is a pleasant thing

To walk at early day, To see the pretty flowers,

And smell the sweet new hay. The sun is warm and bright,

The sky is clear and blue; And all the trees and flowers

Are wet with drops of dew.

Hush! don't you hear the bird
That's singing in the sky?
No bird except the lark
Would fly so very high.
It left its little nest
When day had just begun,
And flew so high to bid

Good morning to the sun.
'Good morning, shining sun,'
I think the lark would say;
'I'm happy in my heart

This fine warm summer day. 'I'm very glad you're come,

You make the world so light,
And all the trees and flowers

So beautiful and bright.
I'll sing a merry song,

And then fly down to rest,
Or search for worms to feed
My young ones in the nest.'
The lark has done its song,

And settled on the ground; But we will not forget

The sweet and happy sound. And when our hearts are glad,

In long, bright summer days, To God in Heaven we'll sing

Our songs and hymns of praise. God loves each thing He made,

However weak and small; But glad and thankful hearts He loves the best of all.

TIMOTHEUS AND PHILEMON.

(Continued from p. 235.)

CHAP. VII.-THE PRISONER

OF WAR.

HILST Elmine had the two children in her house, and treated the pious Antonius, not so much as the overseer of her garden as the shepherd of her soul, the Pacha, her husband, still remained at Constantinople, The Sultan was preparing for a

fresh campaign against the Christians, and had summoned the Pacha to a council of war, and had appointed him to be one of his generals. The war, in fact, had broken out. Elmine soon received news of it. She and her Christian friends were much grieved at it, but the Turks in the palace and the town loudly rejoiced.

Although the Sultan's army had invaded Hungary in a distant part of the country, yet the Turks who lived near the Pacha's palace would not be idle. They banded together and hastened across the frontier, falling upon the towns and villages, desolating the fields, driving away the flocks, burning and destroying everywhere, and bringing back many Christian prisoners with them to Turkey.

Surrounded by an immense throng, and with shouts of joy, several prisoners were brought to the market-place before the Pacha's palace to be sold. Elmine and the two boys hastened to the open window to look at them. Suddenly the boys saw and knew their father among the prisoners. Both exclaimed with one voice as loud as they could, Father! dearest father!"

He looked up, saw the two boys in Turkish dress, but did not know to whom they were calling. But they hastened down, and tried to press their way through

the crowd. The people made room for them. They reached their father; they embraced his knees. He did not know them at first.

'Oh, dear father!' they cried; do you not know us again? I am your Timotheus. I am your Philemon.'

'Oh, my children!' cried the father with a loud voice. Oh, God! I thank Thee!'

The father now no longer thought of his chains, he was so full of joy. The people who stood around were astonished and touched, tears came into the eyes of many. They called out to those further off who wished to know what had happened, 'He is their father. They are his sons!'

Elmine sent a servant down with the message, The Pacha's wife demands that this prisoner should be given up to her.' The soldiers led him to her. Elmine paid Elmine paid them well, and said, 'Take this for. the present; the Pacha will pay you, brave soldiers, when he comes back.'

The boys implored that their father's chains should be taken off. dered the soldiers to do so.

Elmine orThey obeyed, They obeyed,

and went away with the chains.

The boys hardly turned away their eyes from their father. They saw with sorrow that he had grown to look older. His deep sorrow at the death of their beloved mother, and his anguish at the robbery of his children, as well as his being himself carried away into slavery, during which he had to suffer much from the Turks, had left many traces on his features. The boys were sad when they saw this.

Their father, too, looked at them with sorrow mingling with his joy; the splendid Turkish dress of his sons was strange to him.

He feared lest they should have become Turks. Elmine remarked his sadness and guessed the reason of it.

'Be of good courage and rejoice,' she

said. 'I, too, am a Christian. God has made use of these your good children to be the first to tell me about Jesus Christ. And this worthy man here, who is a good Christian,'—she pointed to Antonius, who had just entered the room,' has been my teacher and theirs. I rejoice to know the father of such dear children!'

Now the father felt altogether happy. He praised and thanked God with a loud. voice. Elmine, the two boys, and Antonius, now told Lucius how God had dealt with them. The father passed many happy days bere; all rejoiced in the mercy and goodness of God.

Nevertheless, Lucius longed to be back again in his home with his two dear children, for sometimes the Turks who dwelt in the palace, or who came to it, scowled on him, and with difficulty restrained their rage against him. He begged the good lady to allow him and his sons to travel home.

But Elmine replied, "So long as the war lasts it is not safe; you will be exposed

to many dangers. to many dangers.

But as soon as there

is peace I will send you back to your country, and with ample compensation for all you have lost through the war.'

Lucius knew that she was right, and thanked her gratefully. But he said, 'It will be difficult for me to live here without some employment. I cannot bear to be idle.'

Hitherto, in his leisure hours and for pleasure, he had busied himself with gardening, and with the culture of flowers. He now asked to be appointed as assistant to the pious Antonius, which Elmine willingly granted..

Lucius went to live with Antonius in the garden-house. Both rejoiced at being together, and able to devote their lives to God in common work and in prayer. (To be continued.)