and the child felt this, spoke of it, forced her to acknowledge it, and, in his own person, was the first object on which to exercise a wish hitherto unknown to her, to be herself loving and lovable.  The boy’s firm faith, which was not to be shaken by any reasoning or by any of the myths which she knew, touched her deeply and led to her asking Hannah what was the real bearing of one and another of his statements.  It had always seemed a comfort to her that the miseries of our earthly life would come to an end with death; but Helios left her without a reply when he said in a sad voice: 

“Do you feel no longing, then, to see our father and mother again?”

To see her mother again!  This thought gave her an interest in the next world, and dame Hannah fanned the spark of hope in her soul into flame.

Selene had seen and suffered much misery, and was accustomed to call the gods cruel.  Helios told her that God and the Saviour were good and kind, and loved human beings as their children.

“Is it not good and kind,” asked he, “of our Heavenly Father to lead us to dame Hannah?”

“Yes, but we have all been torn apart,” said Selene.  “Never mind,” said the child confidently, “we shall all meet in Heaven.”

As she got well Selene asked after each of the children and Hannah described all the families into which they had been received.  The widow did not look as if she spoke falsely, and the little ones, when they came to see her, confirmed her report, and yet Selene could hardly believe in the accuracy of the pictures drawn of their lives in the houses of the Christians.

The mother of a Christian family—­says a great Christian teacher—­should be the pride of her children, the wife the pride of her husband, husband and children the pride of the wife, and God the pride and glory of every member of the household.  Love and faith in fact the bond, contentment and virtuous living the law of the family; and it was in just such a pure and beneficent atmosphere, as Selene herself and Helios felt the blessing of in Hannah’s house, that each and all of her brothers and sisters were growing up.  Her upright sense gave an honest answer when she asked herself what would have become of them all if her father had remained alive and had been dispossessed of his office?  They must all have perished in misery and degradation.

And now?—­Perhaps in truth the Divine Being had dealt in kindness with the children.

Love, love, and again love, was breathed from all she saw and heard, and yet—­was it not love that had caused her greatest sorrows.  Wherefore had it been her lot to endure so much through the same sentiment which beautified life to others?  Had any one ever had more to suffer than she?  Aye indeed!  A vivacious, eager youth had duped her and had promised happiness to her sister instead of to her; it had been hard to bear—­and yet, the Saviour of whom Hellos had told her, had been