she lifted up her heart to the “God of peace.”  She turned over the leaves and tried to find the chapter, which she knew very well, about the king who took account of his servants, and who forgave the man the great debt of ten thousand talents; and then when that man went out and found his servant who owed him but one hundred pence, he took him by the throat, and said, “Pay me that thou owest.”  In vain did the man beseech for patience, he that had only just been forgiven ten thousand talents could not have pity on the man who owed him but one hundred pence.

Often had Edith read this chapter, and very just was her indignation against the hard-hearted servant, who, with his king’s lesson of mercy and forgiveness fresh in his memory, could not practise the same to one who owed him infinitely less than he had done his master; and yet here was little Edith who could not forgive Fred his injuries, when, nevertheless, God was willing to forgive hers.  Had Fred injured her as she had injured God? surely not; and yet she might now kneel down and receive at once the forgiveness of all her great sins.  Nay, more:  she had been receiving mercy and patience at the hands of her Heavenly Father many years.  She had neglected Him, done many things contrary to his law, owed him, indeed, the ten thousand talents, and yet she was spared.

She had a great deal of revenge in her heart still, however; and she could not, reason as she would, try as she would, read as she would, get it out, so she sunk down on her knees, and lifted up her heart very sincerely, to ask God to take it away.  She had often said her prayers, and had found no difficulty in that, but now it seemed quite different.  She could find no words, she could only feel.  Well, that was enough.  He who saw in secret, saw her heart, and knew how it felt.  She felt she needed forgiveness, and that she could only have it by asking it of Him who had power to forgive sins.  She took her great debt to Jesus, and he cancelled it; she hoped she was forgiven, and now, oh! how ready she felt to forgive Fred. How small a sum seemed his hundred pence—­his little acts of annoyances compared with her many sins against God.  Now she felt and understood the meaning of the Saviour’s lesson to Peter.  She had entered the same school as Peter, and though a slow she was a sincere learner.

She is in the right way now to learn the true law of kindness.  None but the Saviour, who was love itself, could teach her this.  If any earthly teacher could have done so, surely Emilie would have succeeded.

She went down to tea softened and sad, for she felt very humble.  The consideration of her great unlikeness to the character of Jesus, affected her.  “When he was reviled he reviled not again; when he suffered he threatened not;” and this thought made her feel more than any sermon or lecture or reproof she ever had in her life, how she needed to be changed, her whole self changed; not her old bad nature patched