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Still, if you cannot reform the buyer, begin with the seller; and try if, in the end, honesty will not prove the best policy."

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Well, my lady, begging your pardon, you can't know my business as well as I know it myself. See if I shouldn't starve on your plan pretty soon. But it's very good advice I dare say; and now wouldn't you buy something, if it's only to help me remember it?"

"Practice will be the best remembrancer, and you shall have an opportunity of trying it if you choose. I will give you a list of some articles I shall need by the time you come this way again; and if you bring them sound and good, at a price which injures neither of us, and serves both, I will purchase them."

"I'll do it then, as cheap and good as any dealer in the land, so I will; but then-" and he hesitated-" you see my lady, I beg pardon, but you may be out, or engaged, or forget; and then perhaps I'll get the door shut in my face, as it happened to me just now; and it makes a man angry to be served like that, as if his time was worth nothing but to be wasted by his betters."

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"I think that will not happen here," replied my mother; or I should not have spent my time in speaking to you, as one who not only regrets the manner in which you trade, but who wishes to help forward a remedy. I shall ascertain the proper price of the articles I order, and will not purchase at all if I find you either attempting to impose, or pretending to distinguish me by a bargain."

The man promised to appear again that day month.

"If it please God," said my mother, "to whom we are both responsible, and if we regard him who not only sees actions, but searches hearts, we shall seek no unworthy advantage one over the other."

The hawker kept his appointment; and my mother kept hers, and at some little cost too, for a friend from some distance had just called, congratulating herself upon having my dear mother's exclusive attention for an hour or two, and who, when she found that a travelling hawker was to be allowed an interview, insisted upon going away before he arrived.

"It is impossible for you to escape in any reasonable time," said she, "when once you become visible to such people as those. One may sometimes obtain a bargain,

but it is at the cost of being talked to death, or perhaps of some positive rudeness."

"Do not fear that I shall be detained unnecessarily," said my mother. "I know exactly what I want, and the price I shall give; so there will be no delay."

"Oh! do bid him call some other day," pleaded our visitor: "it will be all the same to him."

"No," said my mother, "it would do him harm; and it would be wrong in me to waste his time, or disappoint his just expectations."

"Then good-bye, for here he comes laden with goods enough to occupy you all the day. I must come again when you have no such affair on hand."

And our friend hurried away, making it apparent to the hawker that she had been " sacrificed," as she called it, to the punctual observance of the engagement with him.

The selections were made, and the articles were written down on a small slate which my mother held in her hand, the purchase being more extensive than the hawker seemed to have anticipated; and in the joy of his heart, I suppose, he added a little ornamental trifle, saying "it should go with the rest, if the lady decided to take the whole."

"No, thank you," said my mother. "I do not require it, and you cannot afford to make presents to people to whom you owe no particular gratitude for buying what they want. Now then, the prices of all these things."

I could see that the hawker stole a glance at my mother's calm, firm countenance, which seemed to say, "If you attempt to impose our treaty must break up;" and after some little hesitation he named his prices.

My mother calculated the whole and said, "They come to a little more than the sum I should have paid at the china establishment at B-; and it would have cost me the difference in carriage to procure them thence. If y are satisfied, I am so."

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you

Well, ma'am, I don't grumble; but maybe you'll give me a taste of something after the load I've carried this morning."

"Are you hungry?" asked she, looking up at the round bluff face of the man.

"Not exactly that, my lady, only thirsty; and I'd like to drink your ladyship's health."

"Your good wishes for my health would have no ad

ditional value from that way of presenting them; and I dare not minister to that besetting sin of my countrymen, drinking for pleasure. If you are thirsty I will order a glass of water for you."

"Well, I'm not so unpolite as to refuse it, if your ladyship thinks it best. You've been an honourable customer; and mayhap I shouldn't be the worse for meeting more of the same sort."

"This little book will say for me much that I might find pleasure in telling you: may I hope you will read it?" and handing the amount of her purchase on a little tract with a pretty cover, my mother withdrew, and sent the servant to remove the ware into the house, and offer the glass of water.

"I'll tell you what," said the man in a low voice to our Christian servant, "you've got a queer missis; she's an evangelical, or a methodist, or something of that sort, isn't she?"

She reads her Bible, and minds what it says, if that's what you mean," said Martha.

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Well, it's a very good sect whatever it's called; and if I'd got a few buyers as straightforward and honest, may hap I'd be thinking of following the good example. But now, you see, though I've done a bit of fair dealing here, and the feeling of it is pleasant and comfortable like, I dare say I'll have to be a bit of a rogue at the very next bargain I make."

"Then," said Martha, looking earnestly in his face, you will be a worse rogue than ever you were in your life, for you have had a good lesson here; and the knowledge of right is uppermost in your mind this minute. The little book perhaps will remind you if you should forget." "Will it teach me to sell to profit now, think you?" said he, as he lifted the lightened basket on to his head. Yes, it will teach you about the best riches, and the profit of the man who should gain the whole world, and yet lose his own soul;" and, with a kind wish for his true welfare, Martha considerately stepped down to open the gate before him.

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THOUGHTS.

LET thy thoughts be such to thyself as thou art not ashamed to have God know them; and that if it should be suddenly asked, "What thinkest thou?" thou mightest not be ashamed to tell.

THE COWSLIPS; OR, THE CONVERTED INFIDEL.

IN one of the northern counties lies a beautiful valley, hidden amongst the hills by which it is surrounded. Travelling for some distance over dreary moorlands, you scarcely expect to come upon so sweet a scene.

The joys of early days spent there have long since gone away, but their memory is pleasant still. Back in the far past is the recollection of a green meadow, and a grassy seat under a spreading oak, where the ear listened to the murmuring stream, and the eye rested upon banks of yellow primroses, or cows lazily chewing the cud, or bathing their feet in the cool stream. A band of sisters were playing there, their merry laugh echoing through the meadows as they filled their baskets with the cowslips at their feet. Where are they now? Two sleep in the churchyard in the valley; the rest have long since left that pleasant home. All this may appear very insignificant; but He who rules all things often draws praise to himself from the simplest means, and so it was then.

One of these little ones delighted in these flower-gatherings. She had early been taught to prize a flower as a special gift from her own loving Saviour, who so often attracted attention to their beauties, teaching his followers to "consider" them when doubting the care of their Father in heaven.

One day, not satisfied with the flowers only, she dug up some roots, and, having taken them home, was planting them, when the gardener appeared, and exclaimed," What be you doing, miss ?"

"I am going to have a cowslip bank here under the trees."

“Well, miss, let me help you: my hands are fitter for the work than yours."

"Thank you," she replied; and stood quietly looking on, whilst he planted them as she directed.

She was a bright-looking child, her golden hair and fair face a perfect contrast to the dark, rough-looking man beside her. "That is very nice," she said, at last: "I could not have done them so well. Don't you think them pretty? Is it not good of God to give them to us?" looking timidly and anxiously into his face, she added, George, do you love God?"

Then

how dreadful!"

“Well, miss, I can't say much about them things: there be some as say there is no God." "Oh!" said the child, For some moments wonder and awe kept her silent: she then said, "How could these flowers be made, if there was no God? Chance could not bring them. Do you know I have learned that all flowers are so perfectly made, that they can easily be arranged and classed. There could not be such order if there was no God. Do you read the Bible, George?" "Well, miss, I can't say I do."

"Will you let me read it to you sometimes?"

"If you are so good, miss; but I hav'n't much time." "I won't keep you long." And so the child began, for a few minutes at first, gradually lengthening the time as the man became more interested, and apparently more moved with the precious words.

One day he said, "If there is a God, miss, somehow I think, he would be too merciful to punish us. I don't think there can be such a place as hell."

The child said: "If we don't take God's way, and believe his word now, he would not be just if he did not punish us hereafter. Do you ever think, George, how wrong it is to disbelieve what God says? The soul that sinneth, it shall die;' The wicked shall go into everlasting punishment;' Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.' God gave his Son from heaven to die for us, and if we believe on him, we have everlasting life. Oh! George, our condemnation must be sure and just if we do not trust him and believe his word. I think you had better talk about these things to some one wiser than I am."

"Ah! miss, I had rather listen to you, if you would please read more of what the Bible says. The truth is, when I was a young man, I worked in the mines. An overseer there, who pretended to a great deal of knowledge, used to talk to us. He was what they call an infidel. I don't know where he is now; but most of the men who listened to him have had unhappy deaths. One, poor Hugh Taylor, who died the other day, sent me a message to take care, as he felt the fire of hell already. I thought of what you have been reading to me, and I thank you."

From this day the child spent much time reading to this man, in the summer sitting near his work, in the