TIMOTHEUS AND PHILEMON.

the scaffold.

(Continued from p. 283.)

HE boys whispered to each other for a few moments, then both cried aloud, 'We must go to the Pacha-we have something to say to him!' They hurried down the steps of

The people made room for them. They hastened up the steps of the platform where the Pacha stood. Both cast themselves at his feet.

What do you wish?' he said, angrily. 'I won't pardon your father, so there is no use your praying me to spare his life.'

'Oh, no!' said the boys, 'we do not ask you for his life. We know, indeed, that We only beg you to

would be in vain.

allow us to die with him.'

How? what?' said he in amazement. "You request that I should have your heads cut off? Would that give you pleasure?'

"Yes! yes!' said the boys. It is the wish of our hearts.'

'How can you wish that?' he said. 'Why do you ask it?'

Ah,' said both, we wish to go to Heaven at the same time as our father.'

The Pacha watched the two boys. They wept no longer. Their faces, though still wet with tears, looked cheerful and happy. 'Oh, yes,' said both, do grant our wish!' The Pacha, who esteemed courage above everything, could not but admire the bravery of the two boys; their request was so unexpected, the joyfulness with which they longed to die was to him so strange. scarcely knew where he was, or what he was doing. He was surprised, amazed, touched. He summoned the executioner.

Put up your sword into its scabbard,' he said to him. The execution will not take place to-day. Lead the prisoner back to his dungeon.'

A great hubbub then arose among the people. people. Some few murmured because the Pacha had put off the terrible tragedy; but the most part rejoiced that the father of those good children and the wife of the Pacha had a chance of pardon. The joy was almost universal, so that nearly all the people shouted Long live the Pacha!'

The crowd dispersed. But many men and women remained standing in groups. "We should like to know,' some said, 'what these two children said to the Pacha.' Yes, indeed,' said others, 'so should we. But we were all too far off to understand a word. What they did say, the Pacha alone and the officers who stood nearest him know. It must have been something very strange. One could see how amazed the Pacha was by it. He changed colour at once, and he so suddenly put off the execution! It is next to a miracle.'

To the father, Lucius, it seemed also strange. He did not know what his sons had said to the Pacha, for he was sure that a petition for his life would have been in vain. 'Whatever it may have been,' he thought, it was certainly inspired by God's Spirit.'

The Pacha's wife, thanking God, returned to her chamber. Lucius was led back to his prison. His two boys accompanied him. They wished to go to his cell with him. 'However horrible it may be there,' they said, 'yet when we are with our dear father we are as happy as if in Heaven.' But they were not allowed to enter the dungeon. Father and sons embraced each other. Both boys thanked God and their Redeemer on their knees for having so wonderfully saved their father.

CHAP. XIV.—THE TWIN-BROTHERS BEFORE

THE PACHA.

THE Pacha Abdallah left his suite and went into his garden. Here, with rapid strides, he walked up and down under a long avenue of palm-trees. It is very strange!' he said to himself, as he remained standing. 'Such courage in boys of so tender an age I could not have supposed possible. I myself, though I have always gone bravely into the battle, should feel somewhat faint-hearted and timid, if, like a poor criminal, I had to die miserably and disgracefully without a sword in my hand to defend myself. I cannot deny that I should be terrified were the Sultan to send me the silken cord, the sign that I was to be strangled. Whence, then, have these boys such a more than human courage? This Christian faith surely cannot be so foolish as we Turks think it. I must examine the matter more closely.'

He walked up and down for some time longer, then he stood still again, and said: The two boys came to me at a very fitting time. In my rage against my wife I have gone too far. I have expressed my determination to kill her too loudly before too many people. It will be known not only throughout the whole city, but through the whole country too. I could not retract it with honour. Then those good children, without knowing it, helped me out of my difficulty. It is true, indeed,' he said, when one has done wrong, or is about to do so, one should not consider it a disgrace to retract. But a Pacha sometimes thinks differently from other reasonable people. But I can now, through the courage of these boys, abandon my decision without any one blaming me for it; on the contrary, I shall rather be praised. This I have seen and heard to-day. All the people were sad that my sentence was about to be

executed, and they rejoiced aloud when it was deferred. The people raised shouts in my honour. They considered that, even were I in the right, I had preferred mercy to justice.'

He became calmer, went into his apartment, and said to the slaves who attended him, "Send the two boys to me!' They came, and remained timidly standing at

the door. Come closer, my children,' said Abdallah. You please me. I honour your courage. Come, sit down beside me. You on my right, and you on my left-so! And now answer my questions.'

He asked them many things about their father and their late mother; then he inquired about the way in which the two children had been brought into his country, how their father and Antonius had come hither, how Elmine had caused them to be received into her house, and all that his wife had done during his absence. The boys answered all these questions with childlike candour and simplicity. The Pacha several times could not repress a smile.

At last he said, All this pleases me very much. Your father is a really good man, and your mother was a very excellent lady. Antonius, too, I must praise. But has your father never scoffed at our Prophet?'

Our father has never mentioned his name to us,' said the boys. "We heard his name first here in this country.'

'But,' said the Pacha, 'you Christians hate the Turks, do you not?'

'Oh, no! no!' cried both boys. "We must love all men over whom God makes His sun to shine. And the Turks are among these. among these. We see with our eyes that He makes the sun to shine over them. We must, therefore, love the Turks.'

'Our father has only grieved,' said Philemon, that there is not more justice in Turkey, and that many innocent persons were condemned without proper trial. He spoke, too, of the silken cord which the Sultan sometimes sends to a Pacha. We do not understand what he meant by that. That cord, though it is made of silk, must be a very bad cord. At least, so we thought from what our father said about it.'

"Your father was perfectly right there,' said the Pacha, with a bitter smile. 'But what else did your father say about the Turks?'

"Ah!' said Timotheus, that they forced people by fire and sword to adopt their faith.'

'Well, enough, enough of that!' said the Pacha. It struck him that he wished to force his wife through the sword to return to the faith of Mahomed. • Let us talk of something else,' he said. 'I want to know something more about your religion.' He asked the boys many questions. He was fairly pleased with their answers. Now and then, however, he shook his head but said nothing. What pleased

him most were some texts from Holy Scripture which the boys repeated. Their mother and their pious father had so often said these texts before them, and Antonius had frequently heard the boys read and repeat them, till they knew them by heart perfectly. Among these were the following:

'God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." 'God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' 'To them that believe in Him giveth He power to become the sons of God.' Hereby is our love to God manifested, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.' The first and greatest commandment is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy strength; and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye also so to them. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.' 'If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. The world and the glory of it passeth away, but whosoever doeth the will of God abideth for ever.' 'Whosoever hath My commandments, and keepeth them, dieth not, but is passed from death unto life.'

"The righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

These divine words, which Abdallah now heard for the first time from the mouth of

these boys, touched his heart. The boys had to repeat them to him several times.

'Very well,' said he. "You are good, brave, well-taught children. Now, go and tell your father that he is released. Tell him I won't do him any harm, but show him all the kindness in my power.'

(To be continued.)

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE EAST.

HORNS.

E read in the Bible of an

animal called the Unicorn, which is supposed to be the same as the beast which we call a Rhinoceros - a beast so strong that it is said to be able to kill an elephant with its horn. Wild oxen, too, have terrible horns, and when they are angry toss them about very proudly. And so, when we read of lifting up or exalting the horn, we may know that some one has become strong and powerful, and need not fear his enemies. In the East, princes and other great men sometimes wear an ornament like a horn, to show that they consider themselves powerful, and persons who ought to be feared. When David says Mine horn hast Thou exalted,' he means to own that it was God

Who had raised him from being a shepherdboy to be the King of Israel.

THE LOST KITTEN.
Tribulation worketh patience.-
Rom. v. 3.

EVER was a dearer little kitten than Tiny'-so gentle and loving; and so pretty and playful, too. Her fur was of a soft tawny colour, without any spot of white; and she had bright, lively eyes, and the sweetest little purr that ever was heard. No wonder her mistress, Susy Fletcher, thought there was no kitten equal to her kitten in the whole world, and felt she would rather part with her favourite doll, or indeed with any of her toys or other treasures, than with her

darling Tiny. The two were the greatest friends possible: they would play together for hours, never tiring of each other's company; and when Tiny blinked and grew lazy, she would curl herself up in Susy's lap and sleep quietly there, while the little lady learned her lessons for the morrow, or worked at her doll's clothes.

But one day, on her return from school, Susy's coaxing call of Puss, Puss, Puss,' met with no kind of notice; and her question as to where Tiny could be got no satisfac tory answer. No one had seen puss since the morning; and a careful search all over the house proved of no use. where to be found.

Tiny was no

"Where can she be? Where can she have gone?' Susy asked piteously, her spirits quite giving way as bed-time drew near without any signs of her pet.

'She will come back in the morning, no doubt,' the maid said, soothingly; but this did not content Susy, and she begged her mother to send one of the servants to make inquiries at the neighbouring houses. No news could be gathered, however, and poor Susy cried herself to sleep that night.

The morning brought fresh hope; surely when she came back from school, Susy told herself, Tiny would be at home to meet her. She could scarcely give any attention to her lessons, so full was she of the thought; and the hours seemed to pass much more slowly than usual. But at last she was at home again; and she asked eagerly,

'Has Tiny come back?'

"No, my dear,' the old nurse answered; 'nothing has been heard of her. I'm afraid we shall never see her again."

break.

All Susy's hopes were crushed now; and she cried as though her heart would The nurse tried to comfort her. and the younger children wanted her to Susy play with them; but it was of no use.