there's work to be done; and as it don't seem as though you could give up the skulking, you'll have to give up the work;" saying which the man turned on his heel and walked away. It was not fair to judge him thus, and Tom felt it was not; and yet what could he do to convince people that he really was willing to work, if they would only give him a fair trial?

Turning to leave the beach he almost ran against Harry Macduff. "I've been looking for you everywhere, Tom," he panted. "I want you to teach me to swim."

"Teach you

to swim," repeated Tom. “Why I can't swim myself." "You can't! and you've been living at the sea-side all your life," said Harry, disdainfully. "Well, I'd have taught myself before this time if I'd been you, or, at all events, I'd learn now."

"It's too late in the day,” said Tom, with a sigh, mechanically repeating the words of the fishermen.

"Moonshine!" snapped Harry; "what stuff have you got into your head now?"

"I'm only telling you what the fishermen told me," reasoned Tom.

"And you believe all they say!" asked Harry, in a voice of ineffable scorn. 'Well, you are a duffer, Tom, the biggest noodle I ever saw in my life;"- with which flattering epithet he turned away, feeling very cross because Tom could not teach him to swim.

Suspicion.

A NARRATIVE OF FACTS.

HEN I was very young I began to go out sometimes to nurse a baby, or run on errands for the neighbours, but when I was about fourteen I got my first situation away from home, with some young people of the name of Green, who had lately set up in business. I was quite proud of my place, and very comfortable in it; for on the whole my mistress was kind, and I was very fond of the baby, a dear little fellow about a year old. Well, one Sunday evening-I had been there, I think, about two months-I had been out to church, and when I came back I began to lay the supper. Mistress was sitting by the table, and to amuse baby, who had been fretful, she was spinning a half-crown. Just as I came in with the tray I heard her say, 66 There, baby, it's gone!" and I heard the money drop, as I thought, under the fender. When I had put down the tray I went to look for it, and mistress looked too, but we could see it nowhere. As soon as master came in he took the baby, and then mistress and I searched again. We looked inside the fender, and under it, and under the hearthrug and the table, and in every corner, but could not find it anywhere. At last mistress said it must be among the ashes, and we stirred them about with the poker, but there was such a quantity that it might easily have been there without our finding it in that way. So mistress said I must sift them carefully when I took them up in the morning, and no doubt it would be found. Soon after I went to bed.

The next morning I got up rather early; I had no doubt of finding the money, yet I felt as though I should be glad when it really was found. The first thing I did was to sift the ashes; it certainly was not there. Then I turned up the carpet, examined the joinings of the boards, searched in every likely and every unlikely place I could think of, but I could not find it. It was a long time before I began to feel frightened. I knew it must be somewhere, and thought I should surely find it: but at last I got very uncomfortable, and stood still in utter perplexity, or looked hopelessly in the same places over and over again. When my mistress came down to breakfast she asked directly had I found the half-crown. When

I told her I had searched everywhere but could not find it, she first looked surprised, and then I saw by a sudden change in her countenance that she suspected me of having found and kept it. The very thought made me turn red, and I daresay I had a guilty-looking face. After breakfast iny mistress called me up again, and directly charged me with the theft. cried bitterly and protested my innocence, but it was no use. The

money, she said, could not have gone without hands, and no one had been in the room but me. Then she urged me to confess, and promised if I told all the truth, she would forgive me but of course I could not confess what I had not done. At last she said she was going to the nursery, and I must look again until I found it. I knew what this meant, mistress was convinced I had it, and thought I should now bring it back, and say I had found it. I don't know whether I looked any more, I think not. I thought it would be all the same even if I found it; and indeed, I did not know where to look, for I had already looked everywhere.

even now.

But I don't want to make a long story, I hardly like to think about it The end was, my mistress paid me a week's wages instead of notice, and told me to go. I begged and intreated to be searched, and to have my things searched, but she would not listen. I left the week's wages just where she had put it, and went home: went home to my poor mother lying ill in bed, having lost my place and lost my character.

It was a long time before I could get another place. I do not think that my mistress said anything about the lost money, but people guessed from my leaving to suddenly that something was wrong. At length my kind Sunday school teacher, to whom I had told all, and who believed me, found me a place. It was not nearly so comfortable as the one I had lost; the work was very hard, and my new mistress very cross; but I was determined to stay long enough to earn a good character. So I remained fifteen months, and then went to a better situation, which I left after two years, to enter the service of a family I shall ever remember with grateful affection: with them I remained until I married.

Six years afterwards, while in London, I received a letter from my mother, saying that my first mistress had called upon her to ask about me, and to say I was perfectly innocent,-the half-crown had been found. The fender used in that parlour—how well I can remember it even now!-was one of those old-fashioned painted fenders with brass round the bottom and the top. Soon after I left, a new fender was bought, and this was laid aside in a room where lumber was kept. Six years after, on moving to another house, Mrs. Green was in the lumber-room seeing the things taken out. In lifting the fender one of the men gave it a blow, and out from the brass at the bottom rolled the lost half-crown. Strange as it may seem, it must have so slipped between the brass and the iron of the fender as to have become fixed until loosened by the blow.

This circumstance of my early life has led me to be slow to suspect others, even on what seems strong evidence. K. L. G.

'TIS JESUS.

Music composed for the Bible Class Magazine by JAMES SMART, Fairfield, near Manchester.

On earth I know 'tis

true and faith-ful loving friend; But One to

The Editor's Table.