meant it. Did you, Master Sisty? Speak! (this in a whisper3) or pa will be so angry."

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Well," said my mother, "I suppose it was an accident; take care in future, my child. You are sorry, I see, to have grieved me. There's a kiss; don't fret."5

"No, mamma, you must not kiss me; I don't deserve it. I pushed out the flower-pot on purpose." "Ha! and why?" said my father, walking up. 6 Mrs. Primmins trembled like a leaf.

"For fun!” said I, hanging my head-"just to see how you'd look, papa; and that's the truth of Now beat me, do beat me."

it.

My father threw his book fifty yards off,10 stooped down, and caught me to his breast.11 "Boy," he said, “you have done wrong: 12 you shall repair it by remembering all your life that your father blessed God for giving him 13 a son who spoke truth 14 in spite of fear. Oh! Mrs. Primmins, the next fable of this kind you try to teach him,15 and we part for ever."

13

*

This box of dominoes was my delight.16.

"Ah!" said my father one day when he17 found me ranging the ivory parallelograms in the parlour, "ah! you like that better than all your playthings, eh ?"

:

1 He was standing so, and he never meant it, il était là comme çà, et il ne l'a pas fait exprès-2 did you, n'est-ce pas-3 in a whisper, à voix basse in future, à l'avenir-5 don't fret, voyons, ne te tourmente pas-6 walking up, en s'avançant for fun, pour m'amuser (or familiarly histoire de rire!)-8 hanging my, baissant la-9 how you'd look, quelle mine vous feriez-10 fifty yards off, à vingt pas11 caught me to his breast, me serra contre sa poitrine-12 boy, etc...... wrong, mon garçon," dit-il, "tu as commis une faute". -13 for giving him, de lui avoir donné-14 spoke truth, disait la vérité-15 the next, etc......him, essayez encore une fois de lui apprendre une pareille fable was my delight, faisait mon bonheur-17 when he, qu'il.

16

"Ah! yes, papa."

"You would be very sorry if your mamma was to1 throw that box out of the window and break it for fun." I looked beseechingly at my father, and made no answer.3

4

"But perhaps you would be very glad," he resumed, "if suddenly one of those good fairies you read of 5 could change the domino-box into a beautiful geranium in a beautiful blue-and-white flowerpot, and that you could have the pleasure of putting it on your mamma's window-sill.”

"Indeed I would!" said I, half crying.

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'My dear boy, I believe you; but good wishes don't mend bad actions-good actions mend bad actions."

So saying, he shut the door and went out. I cannot tell you how puzzled I was to make out what my father meant by his aphorism. But I know that I played at dominoes no more that day. The next morning my father found me seated by myself 10 under a tree in the garden; he paused and looked at me with his grave bright eyes11 very steadily.

"My boy," said he, "I am going to walk to —; will you come? And, by-the-bye, fetch your dominobox; I should like to show it to a person there." I ran in for 12 the box, and, not a little proud of walking with my father on the high road, we set out.13

1 Was to, allait-2 out of, par-3 and made no answer, sans répondre he resumed, reprit-il- you read of, dont il est question dans vos livres 6 that you could, que vous pussiez-7......I would, oui......8 at, aux-9 the next morning, le lendemain matin-10 by myself, seul -11 with his grave bright eyes, de ses yeux graves et vifs-13 I ran in for, je courus à la maison chercher-13 and, not a little proud......, we set out, et nous partîmes, moi pas peu fier......

1

"Papa," said I by the way, "there are no fairies now."

66

'Why,3 how then can my domino-box be changed into a geranium and a blue-and-white flower-pot ?" My dear," said my father, leaning his hand on my shoulder, "everybody who is in earnest to be good,5 carries two fairies about with him—one here," and he touched my forehead; "and one here," and he touched my heart.

6

"I can wait till you do, Pisistratus!"

Ah! how proud, how overjoyed I was, when, after placing vase and flower on the window-sill, I plucked my mother by the gown, and made her follow me to the spot.9

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"It is his doing 10 and his money!" said my father; good actions have mended the bad.”

"What!" cried my mother, when she had learned all; "and your poor domino-box that you were so fond of! We shall go back to-morrow, and buy it back, if it costs us double."11

"Shall we buy it back, Pisistratus ?" asked my father.

"Oh, no-no-no!-it would spoil all," I cried, burying my face on my father's breast.12

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'My wife," said my father solemnly, "this is my

1 By the way, chemin faisant-2 what then, où veux-tu en venir3 why, mais my dear, mon ami-5 everybody who is in earnest to be good, quiconque fait de son mieux pour être bon-6 till you do, que vous le compreniez-7 how......how......I was, que je fus......que je fus......8 placing, avoir placé-9 and made her follow me to the spot, pour l'amener voir-10 doing, oeuvre- if it costs us double, quand même elle nous coûterait le double-12 burying, etc......breast, me cachant le visage dans le sein de mon père.

first lesson to our child-the sanctity and happiness of self-sacrifice-undo not what it should1 teach him to2 his dying hour."

BULWER, "Caxtons."

CHARACTER OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

There are few great personages in history who have been more exposed to the calumny of enemies, and the adulation of friends, than Queen Elizabeth; and yet there is scarcely any3 whose reputation has been more certainly determined by the unanimous consent of posterity. The unusual length of her administra-tion, and the strong features of her character, were able to overcome all prejudices; and obliging her detractors to abate much of their invectives, and her admirers somewhat of their panegyrics, have at last, in spite of political factions, and what is more, of religious animosities, produced a uniform judgment with regard to her conduct. Her vigour, her constancy, her magnanimity, her penetration, vigilance, and address, are allowed to merit the highest 10 praises, and appear not to have been surpassed by any person that ever filled11 a throne: a conduct less rigorous, less imperious, more sincere, more indulgent to her people, would have been requisite to form a perfect character. By the force of her mind she con

8

strong features,

1 What it should, ce qu'elle doit-2 to, jusqu'à. 3 There is scarcely any, il y en a à peine un seul traits fortement marqués-5 were able to, réussirent à- obliging, en obligeant--7 have, ils ont-8 what is more, qui plus est-9 are allowed to merit, méritent, de l'aveu de tous-10 the highest, les plus grands11 by any person that ever filled, par aucun des personnages qui out jamais occupé.

trolled all her more active and stronger qualities,1 and prevented them from running into excess; her heroism was exempt from temerity, her frugality from avarice, her friendship from partiality, her active temper from turbulency and a vain ambition : she guarded not herself with equal care or equal success from3 lesser infirmities; the rivalship of beauty, the desire of admiration, the jealousy of love, and the sallies of anger.

Her singular talents for government were founded equally on her temper and on her capacity. Endowed with a great command over herself, she soon obtained an uncontrolled5 ascendant over her people; and while she merited all their esteem by her real virtues, she also engaged their affections by her pretended ones. Few sovereigns of England succeeded to the throne in more difficult circumstances; and none ever conducted the government with such uniform success and felicity. Though unacquainted with the practice of toleration—the true secret of managing religious factions--she preserved her people, by her superior prudence, from those confusions in which theological controversy had involved all the neighbouring nations; and though her enemies were the most powerful princes of Europe, the most active, the most enterprising, the least scrupulous, she was able by her vigour to make deep impressions on their

8

1 Qualities, facultés-2 from running into excess, de se produire d'une manière excessive-3 she guarded, etc......from, elle ne se mit pas en garde avec le même soin ou le même succès contre-4 endowed, etc......herself, doué de beaucoup d'empire sur elle-même-5 uncontrolled, absolu-6 engaged, captiva-7 by her pretended ones, par celles dont elle se donnait les apparences- unacquainted with, étrangère à —9 for managing, pour maîtriser.