AMONG LIONS. (Continued from p. 155.)

CHAPTER III.

N Sunday afternoon there were what were called 'Readings' at Moor School. The children came as on a week-day, and took their places in their classes; but the O teachers or readers were volunteers on this occasion. Alice was one. Miss Dawkins had a class of elder girls, and Violet Darell, the doctor's daughter, a girl of seventeen, had another of big boys.

There was one other teacher, too, who never missed a Sunday in the year,—just a simple carter, with no learning,' as he told Mr. Swayne, but a sincere love for little children. He might be seen Sunday after Sunday in his own corner of the schoolhouse, the centre of a cluster of little heads, while in his arms he held the youngest of the band.

He had two favourite texts,-Love God,' and Love one another.' On these Mr. Prince preached a short sermon every Sunday he practised them every day of his life. Mr. and Miss Brett took no part in these Sunday labours; Mr. Swayne thought they did enough teaching in the week.

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It was Catechising Sunday, the one following the exciting arrival at Moor Thornton; so the afternoon school-bell merely rang to collect the children for their church-going hymn, a custom that had long prevailed at Moor. In the old clerk's days the hymn was short, and sung very slowly as the school marched two and two to church; now the melody was oftener changed, and the children walked with brisker step: but still it went by the old name, the Marching Hymn,' and fathers

and mothers, who had sung it in their day, lingered at their cottage-doors on their way to church to see little Tom and Bessie swell their rosy cheeks, and bear them strain their voices till perhaps the very lark in the sky paused in wonder.

Other eyes looked on, and wondered and admired, to-day. Very bright eyes, too, peering through a hedge as the day before they had peered out of a travelling-cart. Ragged, unwashed, uncared for, it was yet a pretty little girl who stood behind the hedge that Sunday afternoon, and felt a sort of thrill at the singing: it touched her more than the birds' songs, which yet she loved, and fancied she understood.

When the train of children had quite passed, and the hymn was dying in the yewtree walk, and finally losing itself in the church-porch, the little watcher sighed, and threw herself down on the grass, where she lay awhile thinking; nay, not thinking, but letting fancies float through her mind: for, rude, untaught creature that she was, she had a very active little mind.

But she soon grew restless, for her fancies were troublesome, and took the form of a craving to see what the band of singers were doing now, shut up away from the blue sky in the grey church yonder. The song of the lark did not content her now, it seemed to confuse itself with the hymn she had just heard; so she rose, shook herself, tried to stroke down her tangled hair, and crept along the hedge till she reached the churchyard wall.

The catechising had begun, but it might have been in Greek for all the strange listener understood of it, as she timidly hid herself in the porch. It was not like the sound of the Marching Hymn, that had found its way through some chink into her soul, and awakened some craving within her which now asked for more light, more food.

Mr. Swayne became conscious at this time that something was distracting his flock, and following the direction in which eyes were wandering, he, too, caught sight of the stranger.

Come in, little one,' he said, kindly; 'little girl,' he once thought of saying, but the short plaid frock and tumbled hair hardly warranted the name.

The child hesitated, but Alice stepped forwards and led her to a quiet corner.

It is the little girl of the show, father,' she whispered.

Just then a low, strange roar was heard without. The children fidgeted, and here and there a tiny one clung to its elder sister.

Those are your lions roaring, are they not?' asked Mr. Swayne of the new-comer, who nodded assent.

Tell me your name,' he continued, that I may know what to call you.' 'Bell,' said the little girl.

'Have you ever been to church or to school before, little Bell?'

The child shook her head for a 'No.'
Do you know who made you?'

No,' said poor Bell, reddening; then, with a feeling that she was coming but badly through the questioning ordeal, she added, But they think I was made in Manchester.'

Not a smile crossed Mr. Swayne's face, and the poor child added,

'I've been to a many places since I came to the show, but I don't know nothing except the lion-taming. I can do that. Antony minds me, though he growls at the rest.'

The little rustics stood aghast, first at the new-comer's ignorance, and secondly at her professional experience; they were awed into stillness, while Mr. Swayne in the simplest manner tried to impress on

little Bell the old first lore taught in infancy to happier children, that there is a God who creates and loves them. Then, seeing her look puzzled and distressed by the effort to understand, he turned to his own flock, saying,

"Now, children, you are all very much excited, I see, by hearing those lions roaring in the paddock. Does it remind you of a text in the Bible?'

Half-a-dozen voices were ready with quotations. Two of them were chosen out by Mr. Swayne, who repeated them to the children till all knew them by heart.

One was the cry of the Psalmist, My soul is among lions; and the other was the warning from St. Peter's letter to the strangers scattered throughout the land, 'Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.'

You can all understand, children, the meaning of likening the devil to a lion, because we know he is something to be afraid of, to guard against; but tell me, how can this lion, the devil, devour you?'

'He may tempt us to do wrong, till our sins become so great and so many that they swallow us up,' said Alice.

'Are we sure that the devil appears in the form of a tempter?' asked Mr. Swayne. Yes; for he appeared so to our Lord,' was the answer.

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"Yes, children; and though not in actual bodily form, he still appears in that character. A thousand temptations to sin, which crop up in our daily life, are attempts of the devil to devour our souls. Think of these temptations to guard against them. Your souls are all among lions-lions of sloth, of anger, of envy, of world-love, are always about you, and you must be watchful lest they destroy you. And let one of these lions once conquer you, though you after

bright,