at this refusal, for if her sister had lent her the gown she would have been puzzled what to do.

6. The next night came; and the two young ladies, richly dressed, went to the ball. Cinderella, more splendidly attired and more beautiful than ever, followed them shortly after. "Now, remember twelve o'clock," was her godmother's parting speech; and she thought she certainly should. But the prince's attentions to her were greater even than the first evening; and, in the

delight of listening to his pleasant conversation, time slipped by unnoticed. While she was sitting beside him in a lovely alcove, she heard a clock strike the first stroke of twelve. She started up, and fled away as lightly as a deer.

7. Amazed, the prince followed, but could not catch her. Indeed he missed his lovely princess altogether, and only saw running out of the palace-doors a little dirty girl, whom he had never beheld before, and of whom he certainly would never have taken the least notice. Cinderella arrived at home breathless and weary, ragged and cold, without carriage, or footman, or coachman. All that was left of her past magnificence was one of her little glass slippers. The other she had dropped in the ball-room as she ran away.

8. When the two sisters returned they were full of this strange adventure: how the beautiful lady had appeared at the ball more beautiful than ever, and enchanted every one who looked at her; how, as the clock was striking twelve, she had suddenly risen up and fled through the ball-room, disappearing, no one knew how or where, and dropping one of her glass slippers behind her in her flight; how the king's son had remained inconsolable until he chanced to pick up the little glass slipper, which he carried away in his pocket, and was seen to take out continually, and look at affectionately. In fact, all the court and royal family were convinced that he was deeply in love with the wearer of the little glass slipper.

9. Cinderella listened in silence, turning her face to the kitchen fire. Perhaps it was that which made her look so rosy; but nobody ever noticed or admired her

at home, so it did not signify, and next morning she went to her weary work again just as before.

10. A few days after, the whole city was attracted by the sight of the prince, preceded by a herald, who went about with a little glass slipper in his hand, proclaiming that the king's son ordered this to be fitted on the foot of every lady in the kingdom, and that he wished to marry the lady whom it fitted best, or to whom it and the fellow-slipper belonged. Princesses, duchesses, countesses, and gentlewomen, all tried it on; but, being a fairy slipper, it fitted nobody. Besides, nobody could produce its fellow-slipper, which lay all the time safely in the pocket of Cinderella's old linsey gown.

11. At last the herald and the prince came to the house of the two sisters. They well knew that neither of themselves was the beautiful lady. Still they made. every attempt to get their clumsy feet into the glass slipper; but in vain.

12. "Let me try it on," said Cinderella, from the chimney-corner.

"What, you?" cried the others, bursting into shouts of laughter; but Cinderella only smiled, and held out her hand. But her sisters could not prevent her, since the command was that every young maiden in the city should try on the slipper, in order that no chance might be left untried. For the prince was nearly breaking his heart; and his father and mother were afraid that, though a prince, he would actually die for love of the beautiful unknown lady.

13. So the herald bade Cinderella sit down on a threelegged stool in the kitchen, and himself put the slipper

on her pretty little foot, which it fitted exactly. She then drew from her pocket the fellow-slipper, which she also put on, and stood up-for with the touch of the magic shoes all her dress was changed likewise no longer the poor cinder-wench, but the beautiful lady whom the king's son loved.

Filled with

14. Her sisters recognized her at once. astonishment and alarm, they threw themselves at her feet, begging her pardon for all their former unkindness. She raised and embraced them, telling them she forgave them with all her heart, and only hoped they would love her always. Then she departed with the herald to the king's palace, and told her whole story to his majesty and the royal family, who were not in the least surprised, for everybody believed in fairies, and everybody longed to have a fairy godmother.

15. As for the young prince, he thought her more lovely and lovable than ever, and insisted upon marrying her immediately. Cinderella never went home again; but she sent for her two sisters to the palace, and with the consent of all parties married them shortly after to two rich gentlemen of the court.

21. TRUST.

PICTURE memory brings to me:
I look across the years, and see
Myself beside my mother's knee.

I feel her gentle hand restrain
My selfish moods, and know again
A child's blind sense of wrong and pain.

But wiser now, a man gray grown,
My childhood's needs are better known,
My mother's chastening love I own.

Gray grown, but in our Father's sight
A child still groping for the light
To read His works and ways aright.

I bow myself beneath His hand:
That pain itself for good was planned,
I trust, but can not understand.

I fondly dream it needs must be,
That, as my mother dealt with me,
So with His children dealeth He.

I wait, and trust the end will prove
That here and there, below, above,
The chastening heals, the pain is love!