guilt; nor had he advanced so far in this sinful career at the time of their death as to render him in their opinions unfit for the office of guardian to their children. They trusted he would faithfully discharge to them his duty.

Such were the persons into whose hands now fell these orphans, who had been the subjects of many anxious desires, and earnest prayers. Dark indeed and mysterious, in this case, were the dispensations of Providence. But all were righteous and wise. For He who out of darkness bringeth light, who even by birds of prey could feed his famished. prophet, ultimately can unravel this entangled skein of his procedure, and show he does all things well he can employ the most unlikely means to accomplish his will, and even in this case he answered the prayers of the parents in behalf of their children, long after their decease.

It cannot be supposed that in this family the little orphans should learn even the rudiments of religion. Mrs. Slade was a kind, though a haughty and worldly woman; and as she had no children of her own, was pleased with her little protegees, and was desirous, as she termed it, "to do her duty by them;" but

wherein this duty consisted will hereafter appear; it was almost any thing but what the parents would have approved.

Almost immediately after their arrival at their uncle's house, Miss O'Brien called to see the little orphans; and, though permitted to caress and weep over them, Mr. Slade intimated his intention of disallowing any further acquaintanceship, and on an after-occasion behaved with so much rudeness as effectually prohibited her from seeing them.

Her attachment to the departed mother, however, led her to inquire as often as she could of the welfare of the children; and while she mourned over, and was sometimes almost staggered by the darkness and gloominess of the dispensation, she offered up to God unceasing prayers for their spiritual and eternal welfare.

The children were now carefully kept from any thing like religious society; every precaution was taken to keep them from the taint of evangelical sentiments; and, lest their minds should be excited to inquiry, it was even carefully concealed from them, as they rose up into life, that their father had been a

clergyman-so great was now the malignity of Mr. Slade towards religion.

Nothing of peculiar interest was observable in the early years of Mary and Jane Banner. Like other children, they had their pleasures and their pains, their pets and reconciliations; but theirs was almost one uniform, monotonous mode of life, which presents but little to record. They were instructed at school in what are termed the fashionable branches of education, and at home they were initiated into various fashionable games, and taught, above all things, to entertain a "becoming pride," to consider themselves as persons of importance, whose property would by-and-by give them a high station in the scale of society.

Religion was the subject to which their attention was never called, except to some few of its formal observances at church on the Sabbath, to which occasionally their aunt conducted them; or when their uncle poured all the contempt of his scorn and ridicule upon the truly humble and pious followers of the Redeemer.

Mary was a girl of a quick and lively temper, affectionate, but extremely volatile. Jane was more thoughtful and sedate, more mild

and gentle, yet of ready apprehension, and exceedingly retentive memory.

They had both enjoyed a tolerable share of health till Jane had nearly completed her twelfth year. At that period her health began to decline, and soon it was deemed necessary to call in the aid of a physician. But her indisposition, instead of diminishing, increased, till at length she was confined to a chamber appropriated for her use in her uncle's house, and pronounced by her medical attendant to have the most unfavourable symptoms, a diseased spine, and the indications of an approaching consumption.

At this period it was that an additional servant in their house was deemed necessary by her uncle and aunt; the confinement of Jane, who was now compelled constantly to maintain a recumbent posture, requiring the constant presence of a nurse or attendant. Mrs. Slade was too much a woman of the world to relish in any degree the duties of a sick chamber; she therefore wished to find a person to whom she might almost entirely confide the charge of her niece, herself entering the chamber once or twice in the course of the day to make inquiries, and give directions.

Margaret Simmons, the young person hired. for this purpose, was exceedingly well adapted for the office now about to be committed to her. To a temper naturally mild and affectionate was superadded in her person a heart truly devoted to God. She had in early life received those instructions in a Sunday-school which produced the most deeply religious impressions upon her mind. Her conduct as a daughter was exemplary, and she was esteemed an humble, pious Christian by all her acquaintance. A diminution of her ordinary employment as a seamstress was one motive which, among many others, induced her to resolve on engaging in the capacity of waitingmaid, and on offering her services to Mrs. Slade, of whose vacant situation she had heard.

On the evening of the day on which she had been hired by Mrs. Slade, she entered upon the duties of her new and important station. Little Jane seemed to feel prepossessed at once in favour of her nurse, whose kind and winning deportment was very different from that of the other servants in the house, and before sleep closed up her eyes in the slumbers of the night, she felt as happy and familiar with