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PERSEVERE AND CONQUER.

(Concluded from page 387.) TELL you what, children,' said their father at tea, I am at leisure and could take some of you for a row down the river this evening.'

The boys were delighted; but when Lily remembered

her unfinished task she was in great grief, for she knew that her mother would not allow her to neglect her work. With a sigh, then, she said she could not join them, and when pressed by the others to reveal the cause she could only say that she had something to do which must be done, not daring to tell what it was.

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Can't you do it some other time?' said Leonard, who always liked his sister to join in their parties.

'What a tiresome thing you are!' said Eddie. Can't you tell us, and then we might all do it ?"

'No, I can't, and I must stay at home,' was the only reply.

Directly the tea was over Lily ran off for the work-basket, and, in no very good temper, she searched for the handkerchief she had begun to hem, and sat down in the parlour to finish her task. May at once saw what had been the cause of her sister's refusal to join the water-party, but she could not so readily give up the little amusement it caused her to see her sister hunting round and round the handkerchief for the unsewn sides. The explanation was soon given, and the difficulty being cleared away the two sisters quickly dressed, and were at the landing-stage, to which the boys and their father had gone on before.

'Well, you are a regular good one!' said Leonard; 'why, you must have done that

before you knew anything about the canary we were going to give you!'

The trip on the river passed off plea santly enough, as such things will with beautiful scenery, lovely weather, light hearts, and young minds free from cares and anxieties, and with dearest friends to share in the enjoyment. They rowed and sailed down the river, Mr. Winter telling them stories of his own travels, and of what he had read. At last they turned the boat's head homeward, and returned before the last rays of the setting sun had disappeared from the sky.

When they reached home Mrs. Winter told them that an invitation had come from Jessie Warder to Lily, to join her party. Lily received the news with delight. 'But I wonder why they did not ask May?' said Leonard.

May bit her lip, but said nothing.. Now she found it was hard indeed not to feel envious, and when she went to rest she prayed that she might have strength to go on with the task of conquering herself; and she soon thought, that if she continued to do right and improve, Jessie would see how different she was, and would, perhaps, ask her to her next party.

When the day of the party came she helped cheerfully to put on her sister's dress, which was white muslin, with paleblue sash and ribbons.

'Never mind, May,' whispered Lily, as she set off; 'try and be happy at home, dearest, or I shall think you are moping, and that would spoil my enjoyment."

May kissed her sister, and tried hard to keep back her tears; but as soon as she was gone she could no longer refrain. It will be such a grand party,' she sobbed, 'and I must stay at home!'

May rushed away to her room, and on her knees she asked for strength to over

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'Never mind,' said Leonard, go on with your story; I will get Eddie to talk to me.'

But May could not be persuaded to return to her book. She fetched Leonard's Tales for Schoolboys, and read a long while to him. At length, when Eddie wished them 'good night,' Leonard told him how good and kind May had been, and she felt repaid for her self-denial.

Afterwards May played at draughts with him when he grew weary of the reading, and in this way she amused him till he went to bed.

Next morning when May awoke she found Lily up and dressed, for the party was not very late. 'I have got heaps of things off the Christmas-tree for you. Here is a doll and a penknife for you, and a box of sweets for Eddie, and a book for Leonard.'

May was rewarded at breakfast by her father's saying that she had been a very good and useful girl last night, and he was glad to find that she had done so much to conquer her feelings of envy.

May had many more and harder trials to bear; for when it is known that a person has an evil temper it is long before

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Draw the curtains, and hasten the death of the day,

And let us rejoice we've no dear one away;
We need not in fear and anxiety wait
The step of the absent, the click of the
gate.

We care not for Winter in front of this fire,
Our bosoms are light and our ring is entire;
The storm rages fiercer, but little we reck
Of the snow in the shrouds and the watch
on the deck;

And little we think, as we nestle to sleep, How Mary, lone Mary, does nothing but

weep:

Her heart's full of grief as she sits in her chair,

For her Matthew is out and she does not know where.

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