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"She certainly may come often. Here is one of her custard pies for you, made by herself. And here are a few biscuit, and some bread, and a little jar of quinco jelly for you, and so on. And her father has sent you some meat in the basket. So you need not feel any uneasiness about food for the present. The girls have sent you down several little articles of dress, Henrietta, which we will look at by and bye.

"They are kind -- you are all so kind," said she. "I can hardly bear it, especially as I can do nothing to re-pay you."

"Oh! Hetty, never mind about that, do not speak so. We have done nothing that was not our duty to do. We should be poorly paid if we looked for some return, for freely we have received, and freely we must give."

"Were it not for you, we may have been obliged before this wholly to go upon the town," said she, "and that we both shrink from. But now we do not fear it as much as we once did."

"Oh, I hope and trust there will be no necessity for taking that step," said Mrs. Haddock, "and if you do not think there will be, why of course it is not very likely to happen."

"I did not mean to be understood precisely so, ma'am," said the deeply sensitive and affected Hetty. "We are but a little way from pauperism, although through your kindness, and my own work, and what the town has given us here, we have had sufficient means for our support. But where there is poor health, such as both father and I have, and nothing laid up 'against a wet day,' the danger is very great of coming to want. I, however, meant to say, that father looks at things with a different eye, Mrs. Haddock, and he seems so resigned -- that's what I referred to."

"Dear child! dear Hetty! Bless you, my dear friend, how you have awakened my surprise and gratitude. How is it -- pray tell me?"

"Sure enough," said James, "we rejoice at the good news."

"It is nothing that ought not to be the case always," said Hetty. "Have we not received of the Lord, and shall we not repay him with our love! So I had the other evening a long good talk with father about aunt Prescott, and her love of the Bible, and how I wished she would come here and talk with me; and we both of us got deeper and deeper and deeper into the subject, till we both said we would go to Him who in the New Testament invites the weary and heavy laden to come to Him for rest. And if you will believe it, father was so much overcome, that he sobbed aloud, and kneeled down and prayed! And so it has been ever since. He prays a humble, penitent prayer, and says the Lord may do with him as seemeth to Him best."

Mrs. Haddock covered her eyes with her handkerchief, and for a moment she could not utter a word. But she pressed the hand of Hetty in her's, and silently lifted her heart in thankfulness to God.

"Well, I declare," said James, "your narrative has interested me exceedingly. I rejoice with you, and I trust you will both find friends enough to keep you henceforth from all fear of the poor-house. I think if they don't, the Lord will."

"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Haddock, "never doubt that. I am glad that you have been able to tell me this. Nothing, not even thousands of silver and gold, could do you so much good as that peace of mind which is of God, and that leads one to confide in him, and to rejoice in his government over us."

"I am ignorant, very ignorant, so is father, of the Bible. But we now mean to read and study it more every day."

"That is right -- that is the true way to enlighten the mind, for the Word of God is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet, and it is able through faith to make us wise unto eternal life. We are, moreover, instructed to search the Scriptures, and to believe in them as the record God has given us of his Son, Jesus Christ. They unfold a most sublime and most beautiful system of mercy, justice and benevolence in the government of God, and are indeed to one as a well of water springing up into eternal life. The Bible, Hetty, will be a great source of enjoyment to you now, and I do feel most happy that you have come to find its value, both you and your father,"

"Yes, it is a joyful piece of intelligence," said James. "I must see your father -- I wonder he is out so long."

"He will come soon, I think," said Hetty.

"I will go out and find him; you know I love to roam in these woods. Hereabout I used to fish in those cold winter days for Boyce, and roam for nuts in the sum- mer. Oh, Hetty! do you remember those times -- was it not a singular sort of life! Don't it look like pure fiction--eh?"

"A sorry sort of one," said she.

"Yes, indeed -- 'a sorry sort of one,'" said Mrs. Haddock.

"Oh, to be sure," said he. "But a real one. I declare to you it rises to my view every day of my life, as the strangest and yet most interesting and eventful thing that could ever have happened to me -- and, indeed, as a most strange and singular life to us all, abounding in circumstances of melancholy interest from first to last, but not wanting points of positive enjoyment. It was a wild, painful life, motionless, wretched. We shall have better things, Hetty," said he, "better things at the poor-house soon!"