The next morning Frank was awake even before the early hour when his mother was to call him. He threw open the window of his little attic, and the keen, fresh air of a clear December morning blew upon his bright young face, and brought a yet warmer colour into his glowing cheeks. Something of regret stole into his heart at the thought that, after to-day, home would not be quite the same thing to him that it had been before. But the feeling of melancholy was absorbed in the stronger ones of hopefulness and courage. Hitherto he had been a child. Now he was to put away childish things, and learn to be a man. Life was before him, and his brave young spirit rose, and his heart beat high, at the thought of treading its unknown paths, all the thorns in which were hidden from his sight at the distance at which he then stood from them. He knew he must come upon them some day. He had seen troubles and difficulties find their way even into his happy home; but he had seen, too, how they could be met and overcome, and had learned not to fear them. Frank turned from the window, and saw his mother at the door.

"Don't look so grave, mother dear," he said. "I must have gone some day, and I could not begin better than this. I am not going far, too, and we shall often meet. And you need not be

afraid of my forgetting all you and father have taken such trouble to teach me. You have been the best of parents to me, and, God helping me, I will be a good son to you."

"Yes, dear Frank," said his mother, "God helping you, you will be. Don't forget that. The best of us would soon forget all the good we know, and fall into all the evil we wish to keep out of, if God did not help us. You have a brave spirit, Frank, and it's a good thing to have; for it will get you over many a trouble that, perhaps, another might sink under. But it is not a brave spirit alone that will keep you straight when once you are set off in life by yourself. You will have to meet sin, Frank, as well as trouble; and the bravest heart in the world can't meet that enemy in its own strength. You remember what Mr. Murray told us last Sunday, about sin being like a strong man armed. If you go to meet it in your own strength, you will fall like others; for where sin is concerned, we are all weak alike. But you remember what we heard, too, about Him that is stronger than the strong man. Whenever you want strength, go to Him, and then, God helping you, I know you will be kept right. You will never forget to read your Bible, and pray. And you will come to see us when you can. It will be lonely here, without the sight of your merry

face coming in and out. sadly."

We shall miss you

"Yes," said Frank, "I know you will miss me. I should not like to think you would not. But come, mother," he added, cheerfully, seeing the tears where he seldom saw them, in his mother's eyes, "let us go down to breakfast. I must be off in half-an-hour."

And in half-an-hour Frank was off. He thought of Stephen Barton as he passed the red-brick house on his way to Fairlegh, and felt more and more thankful to the watchful father who had always kept him from evil companions, and trained him in the right way. If he turned from that way now, the fault must remain with himself, and himself alone. A text of Scripture came into his mind,"Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments." And he resolved that with this wish in his heart, this prayer upon his lips, he would enter upon his service at Fairlegh. A kindly welcome awaited him in his new home. Mr. Chester told him that he had arranged that he should lodge with Mr. Eggar, the village schoolmaster, and himself walked with him to the house. Frank was

delighted with the little room which had been provided for him, and with the kindness of the schoolmaster's wife, who shook hands with him, and said she was "quite thankful to Mr. Chester for bringing

a young face amongst them, she was so fond of young people, though she had not been blessed with any of her own.”

Frank's worldly prospects seemed to him to be growing each moment brighter and brighter. He thought a great deal of his home and his parents; but Mrs. Eggar had a kindly face, and a hearty, cheerful voice, and he could not feel lonely or down-hearted as he took his place at the suppertable, while the bright flames from the cheerful fire lighted up the neat kitchen, pleasantly reminding him of the "bit of fire" which his mother used to prepare so carefully to greet her husband on his return from work.

Frank lay down that night with a happy, thankful heart, and looked forward with boyish eagerness to the next day, when he should begin work at Fairlegh Park, under Mr. Andrewes, the headgardener.

CHAPTER VI.

"If praise come, accept it and be thankful, and be thou humble in accepting;

If it tarry, be not thou cast down; the bee can gather honey

out of rue;

And is thine aim so low, that the breath of those around thee Can speed thy feathered arrow, or retard its flight?" Proverbial Philosophy.

BUT all was not to go as smoothly with Frank Elston in his new home as he had imagined. Before he had been a day at Fairlegh, he began to experience the truth of his own words, that trouble was to be found everywhere. If William Elston had not wished to place his son with Mr. Sloman, because he dreaded his temper, he would, indeed, have hesitated before he could have made up his mind to allow him to serve under Mr. Andrewes, the head-gardener at Fairlegh. Mr. Andrewes was honest, industrious, and clever; but he was a most ill-tempered man,-one of those unfortunate people whose chief pleasure seems to consist in finding