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"True, but this is lending, as we hope, to the Lord."

"Well, if so, the Lord loves the cheerful giver. I must bring myself right before I can do any good with my money."

Accordingly Miss Flush bade her a kind afternoon, and went elsewhere.

On the next Sabbath, Mrs. Armstrong was at church, in a rich, dark silk dress, and a very heavy cashmere shawl, but her face wore a rather serious aspect, and it was not relieved till the minister preached on the sin of extravagance, and prayed that the people might not come by their sins to the doors of poverty.

"I told you so, Mrs. Pepper," said her rich old miserly husband. "I have long foreseen it -- the sequel can't be long coming. We are doomed to the poor-house."

"What now?" grumbled she.

"George wants more money I" (whispered the old miser.)

"George does?"

"Yes!"

"Well, he can't have it, can he?"

"No, not fairly -- not without security."

"Then he can't have it at all, can he?"

"I don't see that he can."

"How can he? Hasn't he any security left?"

"His stock is about all mortgaged!"

"Then tell him he can't have it, hey?"

"I think I must -- but -- but "

"'But' what?"

"He will secure a little further -- -- "

"Look out, old man, for the poor-house!"

"I'm afraid on't, I vow."

"If we get there we shall never go any further, up nor down."

"How so?"

"It's as bad as the pit," said she.

"Horrible necessity," said her husband, and they both ruminated over it for a long time.

"One thing is as plain as day to me, Mrs. Pepper."

"What is it, eh?"

"That we can't afford to be so extravagant!"

"I know it."

"We can't afford to buy tea, flour, sugar, tobacco."

"No," said she, "nor any new shoes, nor pipes, nor snuff."

"We must eat up close all the old crusts. Have we any left of yesterday?"

"Yes, two or three pieces, and some bad cold potatoes."

"Make our dinner out of them."

"Can we afford salt?"

"And vinegar!"

"And pepper?"

"And mustard! No, no, no!" said he. Salt is good enough alone sometimes. We must live on nothing that costs us anything; we shall then be at the poor-house soon enough."

CHAPTER XXX.
THE Missionary's Letter. "We have known one Missionary who complained that he couldn't be thankful enough, and another who complained that he was too thankful. So we fancy that somewhere near the middle of the beam lies the true emotion.

If you would not have known James, (alias Jims,) the next day after his introduction into Mr. Rodman's family, you certainly would not have known him a month later. The very next day he appeared in a new hat, new grey pants, brown jacket, neat shoes and stockings, with a clean, bright face, and well-combed black and curling locks. He stood also erect, like a free boy and a happy one, with a look of firmness and decision that occasion- ally gleamed out in the days of his degradation, in circumstances connected with his past history.

Mrs. Rodman was proud of him, and with her husband formed a system of daily life for the present, in which they strove to bring out his powers of self-government and personal reliance, as well in small things as in those that were greater. They wished him to pursue a course of study and of life that would lead him to deep reflection, and so bring him to realize the true nature of things, to know something of his own being, and of his personal obligations; of God's holiness; of the nature of sin, of love and truth, and to lead him to right exercises of mind in general. They did not expect the boy would immediately become a man of maturity of knowledge, but they did expect that he would make progress in knowledge by observation and experience every day he lived. He was not too young to entertain many definite and clear ideas of life; and such had been his position for more than twelve years, that there was reason to begin forthwith a course of thorough systematic development of his true nature, and put him on the right track of life.

James, rejoicing in his newly-found liberty, was perfectly willing to conform to the rules they established over him, and his conduct every day showed that he appreciated their kindness, and that he was determined to make it the duty of his life to please them.

Mr. and Mrs. Rodman themselves at the first attended altogether to his instruction. They found him able to read a little, though awkwardly and with hesitation. He could also write a very poor page. Of arithmetic he knew the simplest rules; of grammar and history almost nothing. But such was his desire and such his application, such the grasp of his intellect and the attention of his friends, that in three months he had shot ahead far in advance of his friends' expectation. He also immediately came to be respected by the other boys, and to be known to them. He was received into the Sabbath-school, and was attentive and respectful to his teachers, always in the slip also on the Sabbath. Scarcely a vestige of his former character could be noticed about him at the end of three months; and among the boys and girls he associated with it scarcely seemed to be remembered that he had once been a poor, abused, a wild, good-for-nothing pauper!