THE EXPLANATION.

Lettice’s father was a man of education, a scholar, a gentleman, and had much power in preaching.  He received one hundred and ten pounds per year for his services.  Her father’s illness was long and painful, and the family were dependant on others for assistance.

“We at last closed his eyes,” said Lettice, “in deep sorrow.”  He used to say to himself, “It is a rough road, but it leads to a good place.”

After his funeral, the expenses exhausted all that was left of their money—­only a few pounds were left when the furniture was sold, and “we were obliged,” said Lettice, “to give up the dear little parsonage.  It was a sweet little place.  The house was covered all over with honeysuckles and jessamines; and there was the flower garden in which I used to work, and which made me so hale and strong, and aunt Montague used to say I was worth a whole bundle of fine ladies.

“It was a sad day when we parted from it.  My poor mother!  How she kept looking back, striving not to cry, and poor Myra was drowned in tears.

“Then we afterwards came to London.  A person whom we knew in the village had a son who was employed in one of the great linen warehouses, and he promised to try to get us needlework.  So we came to London, took a small lodging, and furnished it with the remnant of our furniture.  Here we worked fourteen hours a day apiece, and we could only gain between three and four shillings each.  At last mother died, and then all went; she died, and had a pauper’s funeral.”

From this room the orphan girls removed soon after their mother’s decease, and located among the poor of Marylebone street, where Mrs. Danvers accidentally met with the two sisters, in one of her visits among the poor, and for whom she obtained the work which led to the unexpected meeting related in the previous story.

[Illustration]

JONAS AND HIS HORSE.

A horse is a noble animal, and is made for the service of man.  No one who has tender feelings can bear to see the horse abused.  It is wicked for any one to do so.  A horse has a good memory, and he will never forget a kind master.  Jonas Carter is one of those boys who likes to take care of a horse.  His father gave Jonas the whole care of an excellent animal which he purchased for his own use.  Every morning he would go into the stable to feed and water him.  As all the horses in the neighborhood had names, Jonas gave one to his, and called him Major.  Every time he went into the stable to take care of him, Major would whine and paw, as if his best friend was coming to see him.  Jonas kept him very clean and nice, so that he was always ready for use at any time of day.  At night he made up his bed of straw, and kept the stable warm in winter and cool in summer.  Major soon found that he was in the hands of a kind