When Mr. Wade returned to the kitchen where the stranger had seated himself before the fire, he informed him, that they had decided to let him stay all night.  The man expressed in a few words his grateful sense of their kindness, and then became silent and thoughtful.  Soon after, the farmer’s wife, giving up all hopes of Mr. N—­’s arrival, had supper taken up, which consisted of coffee, warm cream short cakes, and sweet cakes, broiled ham, and broiled chicken.  After all was on the table, a short conference was held, as to whether it would do not to invite the stranger to take supper.  It was true, they had given him as much bread and bacon as he could eat; but then, as long as he was going to stay all night, it looked too inhospitable to sit down to the table and not ask him to join them.  So, making a virtue of necessity, he was kindly asked to come in to supper, an invitation which he did not decline.  Grace was said over the meal by Mr. Wade, and then the coffee was poured out, the bread helped, and the meat served.

There was a fine little boy of some five or six years old at the table, who had been brightened up, and dressed in his best, in order to grace the minister’s reception.  Charley was full of talk, and the parents felt a natural pride in showing him off, even before their humble guest, who noticed him particularly, although he had not much to say.

“Come, Charley,” said Mr. Wade, after the meal was over, and he sat leaning back in his chair, “can’t you repeat the pretty hymn mamma learned you last Sunday?”

Charley started off, without further invitation, and repeated, very accurately, two or three verses of a new camp-meeting hymn, that was just then very popular.

“Now let us hear you say the Commandments, Charley,” spoke up the mother, well pleased at her child’s performance.  And Charley repeated them with only the aid of a little prompting.

“How many commandments are there?” asked the father.

The child hesitated, and then looking up at the stranger, near whom he sat, said, innocently,—­

“How many are there?”

The man thought for some moments, and said, as if in doubt—­

“Eleven, are there not?”

“Eleven!” ejaculated Mrs. Wade, looking towards the man in unfeigned surprise.

“Eleven!” said her husband, with more of rebuke than astonishment in his voice.  “Is it possible, sir, that you do not know how many Commandments there are?  How many are there, Charley?  Come!  Tell me; you know, of course.”

“Ten,” said the child.

“Right, my son,” returned Mr. Wade, with a smile of approval.

“Right.  Why, there isn’t a child of his age within ten miles who can’t tell you that there are ten Commandments.  “Did you never read the Bible, sir?” addressing the stranger.

“When I was a little boy, I used to read in it sometimes.  But I’m sure I thought there were eleven Commandments.  Are you not mistaken about there being only ten?”