Alice said nothing; her heart was too full. A look of sadness came over her face.

She was wondering whether Mrs. Reed would continue to love her, and thinking, with a mingled feeling of fear and dread, that now her friend was rich, perhaps she, the poor orphan girl, might not be so welcome at the cottage as before.

Mrs. Reed seemed to understand somewhat the nature of Alice's thoughts. "Cheer up, Alice," said she; "this is not a time to be sad! Come, help me put away this gold.

"By the way, Alice, now is the time to use your pocket-book; you know I told you it was handy to have things in the house, they might be needed," she continued, smilingly.

66

'Why certainly, Mrs. Reed; do you want to borrow my pocket-book? here it is."

"Yes, my dear," replied Mrs. Reed, "I shall want a new one myself, and I want to see yours. I wonder how many pieces of gold it will hold?”

Then Mrs. Mrs. Reed crammed the pocketbook full of gold pieces.

"There!" said she, handing it to Alice; "that is the Christmas present I wanted

to give you this morning, but did not

have it."

"What! this for me! O no, no! I do not deserve it!" cried Alice.

"But you must take it, Alice, and listen; for I have something to tell you. I want you to be my daughter now. I will have abundant means to make both of us comfortable and happy."

"O Mrs. Reed," said Alice, bursting into tears; "I would love to be your daughter, nothing could make me happier."

Mrs.

In a very short time every thing was changed in the little cottage. Reed had legally adopted Alice as her daughter and was sending her to school.

Fresh paint, inside and out, and many new comforts, made the old house charming and bright. But nothing could change the happy relations between the two friends, and a more contented and cheerful household could not be found anywhere.

Language Lesson.-Tell the story in your own words, using the points given in the following

Analysis.-1. Mrs. Reed's home. 2. Her talk with Alice. 3. Mrs. Reed prepares a present for Alice. 4. Alice receives the work-box. 5. What was found in it. 6. The broken tile and the discovery of the money. 7. What happened after that.

I've peeped in many a bluebell,
And crept among the flowers,
And hunted in the acorn cups,

And in the woodland bowers;
And shook the yellow daffodils,
And search'd the gardens round,
A-looking for the little folk
I never, never found.

I've linger'd till the setting sun
Threw out a golden sheen,
In hope to see a fairy troupe

Come dancing on the green;

And marveled that they did not come,
To revel in the air,

And wondered if they slept, and where
Their hiding-places were.

I've wandered with a timid step
Beneath the moon's pale light,
And every blazing dew-drop seemed
To be a tiny sprite;

And listened with suspended breath,
Among the grand old trees,

For fairy music floating soft
Upon the evening breeze.

Ah me! those pleasant, sunny days,
In youthful fancies wild,-
Rambling through the wooded dells,
A careless, happy child!

And now I sit and sigh to think
Age from childhood varies,

And never more may we be found
Looking for the fairies.

Directions for Reading.-Which one of the stanzas would be read more slowly than the others?

Point out the emphatic words in the last four lines of the lesson.

Language Lesson.-Which lines in each stanza end in similar

sounds?

Let pupils explain the meaning of what is given below in dark type.

I've hunted in the acorn cups.
I've wandered with a timid step.
Age from childhood varies.

We all know very well that we can not live without breathing.

What we do not all know, or do not all think of, is that we want not only air, but good air. We are apt to take it for granted that any air will do for us; stale air, dirty air, even poisonous air.

What makes the matter worse is, that we can not help spoiling air ourselves by the very act of breathing.

If people are shut up in rooms where the bad air can not get out and the good air can not get in at all, it is sure to make them ill.

Some people in Scotland thought they would have a merry Christmas party, and invited their friends to come to a dance.

As it was very cold weather, they shut all the doors and windows tight, and then they began to dance.