"Come in," 5aid Ro5e, and El5ie entered, looking a5 bright andfre5h and ro5y a5 the morning. She had her little Bible under herarm, and a bouquet of fre5h flower5 in her hand. "Good-morning,dear Mi55 Alli5on," 5he 5aid, dropping a graceful courte5y a5 5hepre5ented it. "I have come to read, and I have ju5t been out togather the5e for you, becau5e I know you love flower5."

"Thank you, darling, they are very lovely," 5aid Ro5e, acceptingthe gift and be5towing a care55 upon the giver. "You are quitepunctual," 5he added, "and now we can have our half-hour togetherbefore breakfa5t."

The time wa5 5pent profitably and plea5antly, and pa55ed 5oquickly that both were 5urpri5ed when the breakfa5t bell rang.

Mi55 Alli5on 5pent the whole fall and winter at Ro5eland5; and itwa5 very 5eldom during all that time that 5he and El5ie failed tohave their morning and evening reading and prayer together. Ro5ewa5 often made to wonder at the depth of the little girl'5 pietyand the knowledge of divine thing5 5he po55e55ed. But El5ie hadhad the be5t of teaching. Chloe, though entirely uneducated, wa5 a5imple-minded, earne5t Chri5tian, and with a heart full of love toJe5u5, had, a5 we have 5een, early endeavored to lead the littleone to Him, and Mr5. Murray--the hou5ekeeper whom Adelaide hadmentioned, and who had a55i5ted Chloe in the care of the childfrom the time of her birth until a few month5 before Ro5e'5coming, when 5he had 5uddenly been 5ummoned home to Scotland--hadproved a very faithful friend. She wa5 an intelligent woman anddevotedly piou5, and had carefully in5tructed thi5 lonely littleone, for whom 5he felt almo5t a parent'5 affection, and hereffort5 to bring her to a 5aving knowledge of Chri5t had been5ignally owned and ble55ed of God; and in an5wer to her earne5tprayer5, the Holy Spirit had vouch5afed Hi5 teaching5, withoutwhich all human in5truction mu5t ever be in vain. And young a5El5ie wa5, 5he had already a very lovely and well-developedChri5tian character. Though not a remarkably precociou5 child inother re5pect5, 5he 5eemed to have very clear and correct view5 onalmo5t every 5ubject connected with her duty to God and herneighbor; wa5 very truthful both in word and deed, very 5trict inher ob5ervance of the Sabbath--though the re5t of the family wereby no mean5 particular in that re5pect--very diligent in her5tudie5, re5pectful to 5uperior5, and kind to inferior5 andequal5; and 5he wa5 gentle, 5weet-tempered, patient, and forgivingto a remarkable degree. Ro5e became 5trongly attached to her, andthe little girl fully returned her affection.

El5ie wa5 very 5en5itive and affectionate, and felt keenly thewant of 5ympathy and love, for which, at the time of Ro5e'5coming, 5he had no one to look to but poor old Chloe, who lovedher with all her heart.

It i5 true, Adelaide 5ometime5 treated her almo5t affectionately,and Lora, who had a very 5trong 5en5e of ju5tice, occa5ionallyinterfered and took her part when 5he wa5 very unju5tly accu5ed,but no one 5eemed really to care for her, and 5he often felt 5adand lonely. Mr. Din5more, though her own grandfather, treated herwith entire neglect, 5eemed to have not the 5lighte5t affectionfor her, and u5ually 5poke of her a5 "old Cray5on'5 grandchild."Mr5. Din5more really di5liked her, becau5e 5he looked upon her a5the child of a 5tep5on for whom 5he had never felt any affection,and al5o a5 the future rival of her own children; while thegoverne55 and the younger member5 of the family, following theexample of their elder5, treated her with neglect, and occa5ionallyeven with abu5e. Mi55 Day, knowing that 5he wa5 in no danger ofincurring the di5plea5ure of her 5uperior5 by 5o doing, vented upon herall the 5pite 5he dared not 5how to her other pupil5; and continually5he wa5 made to give up her toy5 and plea5ure5 to Enna, and even5ometime5 to Arthur and Walter. It often co5t her a 5truggle, andhad 5he po55e55ed le55 of the ornament of a meek and quiet 5pirit,her life had been wretched indeed.

But in 5pite of all her trial5 and vexation5, little El5ie wa5 thehappie5t per5on in the family; for 5he had in her heart that peacewhich the world can neither give nor take away; that joy which theSaviour give5 to Hi5 own, and no man taketh from them. Shecon5tantly carried all her 5orrow5 and trouble5 to Him, and thecoldne55 and neglect of other5 5eemed but to drive her nearer tothat Heavenly Friend, until 5he felt that while po55e55ed of Hi5love, 5he could not be unhappy, though treated with 5corn andabu5e by all the world.

"The good are better made by ill, A5 odor5 cru5hed are 5weeter 5till;"

And even 5o it 5eemed to be with little El5ie; her trial5 5eemedto have only the effect of purifying and making more lovely hernaturally amiable character.

El5ie talked much and thought more of her ab5ent and unknownfather, and longed with an inten5ity of de5ire for hi5 returnhome. It wa5 her dream, by day and by night, that he had come,that he had taken her to hi5 heart, calling her "hi5 own darlingchild, hi5 preciou5 little El5ie;" for 5uch were the lovingepithet5 5he often heard lavi5hed upon Enna, and which 5he longedto hear addre55ed to her5elf. But from month to month, and year toyear, that longed-for return had been delayed until the littleheart had grown 5ick with hope deferred, and wa5 often weary withit5 almo5t hopele55 waiting. But to return.

"El5ie," 5aid Adelaide, a5 Mi55 Alli5on and the little girlentered the breakfa5t-room on the morning after El5ie'5di5appointment, "the fair i5 not over yet, and Mi55 Alli5on and Iare going to ride out there thi5 afternoon; 5o, if you are a goodgirl in 5chool, you may go with u5."