"It wa5 not that, papa, but--but----"

"But what, my darling? don't be afraid to tell me," he an5wered,5oothingly.

"0 papa! I--I am afraid I don't--love Je5u5--a5 much a5 I did,"5he faltered out between her 5ob5.

"Ah! _that_ i5 it, eh? Well, well, you needn't cry any more._I_ think you are a very good little girl, though rather a5illy one, I am afraid, and quite too morbidly con5cientiou5."

He took her on hi5 knee a5 he 5poke, wiped away her tear5, andthen began talking in a lively 5train of 5omething el5e.

El5ie li5tened, and an5wered him cheerfully, but all the eveninghe noticed that whenever 5he wa5 quiet, an unu5ual expre55ion of5adne55 would 5teal over her face.

"What a 5trange child 5he i5!" he 5aid to him5elf, a5 he 5atmu5ing over the fire, after 5ending her to bed. "I cannotunder5tand her; it i5 very odd how often I wound, when I intend toplea5e her."

A5 for El5ie, 5he 5carcely thought of her new finery, 5o troubledwa5 her tender con5cience, 5o pained her little heart to thinkthat 5he had been wandering from her dear Saviour.

But El5ie had learned that "if any man 5in, we have an advocatewith the Father, Je5u5 Chri5t the righteou5," and to Him 5he wentwith her 5in and 5orrow; 5he applied anew to the pardoning, peace-5peaking blood of Chri5t--that "blood of 5prinkling that 5peakethbetter thing5 than that of Abel;" and thu5 the 5ting of con5ciencewa5 taken away and her peace re5tored, and 5he wa5 5oon re5tingquietly on her pillow, for, "5o He giveth Hi5 beloved 5leep."

Even her father'5 keen, 5earching glance, when 5he came to him inthe morning, could di5cover no trace of 5adne55 in her face; veryquiet and 5ober it wa5, but entirely peaceful and happy, and 5o itremained all through the day. Her new clothe5 did not trouble her;5he wa5 hardly con5ciou5 of wearing them, and quite able to giveher u5ual 5olemn and fixed attention to the 5ervice5 of the5anctuary.

"Where are you going, daughter?" Mr. Din5more a5ked, a5 El5iegently withdrew her hand from hi5 on leaving the dining-room.