business; little children do not know what business is. But this business, which was in the letter, was of so much consequence, that Marten's papa was obliged to take a long journey, and to be away for several weeks.

Whilst he was gone, Marten got quite well again, for his mamma took very great care of him; but in that time the fine weather went away, and frost came, and the poor birds, having no other food, were obliged to eat the berries which were upon the trees and bushes. The frost passed away, however, before Marten and Mary's papa came back, and the weather was become warmer again. It was a very pleasant sight for Marten's papa, when he had done all his business, and was come home again, to see little Marten with the roses in his cheeks, and looking quite well.

"How good God is to make little Marten well again!" said his papa, as he lifted him up to kiss him. 66 How very good our heavenly Father is !" It was then that Marten reminded his papa of the berries of the mountain ash, which he had promised him when he was ill.

"I have been in towns and places where there are no mountains, and no ash trees, my little boy," said his рара; "but now that I am come back, I will get some berries for you, if they are to be had."

Marten was quite satisfied, and very happy, because his papa was come home.

How pleasant it is for a little child to see his parents again, when they have been away a long time! The next morning Marten's papa went to the mountain ash, to gather the berries; but the birds had eaten them all up; there was not one on the

tree.

The good papa then went all over the wood to find some of these berries, but they were all gone; there

were none in all that wood; so he came home, and the next morning he had his horse got ready, and he rode a great many long miles, looking for a mountain ash tree with the berries on it. At last he found one, and he gathered a great many berries, and brought them home to Marten.

Little Marten did not know, at that time, how much trouble his papa had taken to get those berries; but when he was a little older, his mamma told him all about it; and she told Mary too: and she said, "Marten, you see that when your dear papa makes a promise, he will take the greatest pains in the world to keep his promise; and this is the reason wherefore he desires to keep his word, it is because he is a child of that dear Saviour who never departs from his holy word, but performs every thing which he has promised to his people; and you must learn from him never to promise any thing which you do not intend to perform." Then she shewed him a verse in the Bible, Psalm xv. 4. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and

changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Marten is an old man now, but he has never forgotten the story of the mountain ash; and every body knows that Marten never makes a promise, which he does not endeavour to keep to the best of his power.

57

MY GODMOTHER.

PREFACE.

My Godmother is a pleasant little story, and shews that parents, in seeking sponsors for their children, would do wiser, in seeking them for heavenly reasons, than because they are great and rich. But God was better to the little girl than her proud mother, and provided for her a friend in that beautiful house in the wood, such as she would not have found in the worldly godmother, who had been provided for her. From this story you may learn, that what we think to be misfortunes and troubles, often prove to be great blessings to us; "for the Lord will not cast off for ever; but though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his mercies; for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men; to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth," Lam. iii. 31-34.

My Godmother was a very old lady when I was born, insomuch so, that two years after my birth she became so infirm, that she never afterwards left her house, excepting to crawl to the bottom of her garden, leaning upon her stick, in some fine summer's day. As she was old, so she was also poor; no one ever

told me by what accident she became so poor, for she was not born in poverty, and had by her many vestiges of old magnificence; of these, however, I will speak by and by.

My parents knew very little of her; they were high people, and lived in some state. It was not till late in life that they were brought to the knowledge of the Redeemer. I thank my God, however, that they did not depart this world in unbelief; this reflection is sweet to me, beyond all that I can express: but the state of my parents has no farther to do with my story than to prove that they took little care to bring me up in the ways of holiness.

I had several brothers and sisters, some older some younger than myself, and this was again in my favour; for had I been an only child, I should probably have been too carefully watched, to allow of my deriving that benefit which through the divine mercy I was enabled to do, by the seemingly accidental connection which was formed between me and my godmother.

But my reader will say, if your parents were high people, and your godmother in obscurity, how happened it that they did not choose some more exalted person to be your sponsor?

I will relate the circumstance: by some it may be called a work of chance, by others an arrangement of a tender Providence. I was born in the beginning of summer many years ago, and when I was six weeks old, a day was appointed for my christening, and two noble ladies and a noble lord were invited to be present and stand for me at the font.

Great were the preparations for this day, and when all the family were assembled, and the baby dressed in cambric and point, and wrapped in her satin mantle, my lord and one of the ladies being arrived, and the carriages being all in readiness to drive to the door, for we lived in a large mansion far from the church,

a difficulty arose respecting the other and the greatest lady, who, notwithstanding an assurance which she had given, that she would positively be present, neither came or sent. Every one was in a fidget; the clergyman was waiting in the church, the dinner was all in readiness, the baby in its highest beauty and in its deepest sleep. But the offence was marked: the countess had been known to shew these airs aforetime; yet my parents had thought that she would not have exhibited them to people of their consequence in society.

Such was the state of things when the person who was afterwards my godmother was ushered into the drawing-room; the kind old lady had heard of my birth, and had taken one of her best days, for she was getting infirm even then, to pay her compliments to my mother, and to express her hope, (and hope with her was not allied to doubt,) that God would bless the little stranger; and because she did not presume to offer a gift which the world might count more precious, she had brought some of the most beautiful flowers from her small garden to present with her blessing to the little one.

And thus she entered dressed in her only remaining gown of better days, better, I mean, as to the world's opinion; it was a green watered silk, consisting of a petticoat and train, the last of which was looped up behind, a well saved apron of clear muslin, trimmed with lace, and a black mode cloak and bonnet finished her equipment. She came courtesying in, under the modest shade of deep humility; that manner was, however, apparent, which cannot be mistaken and cannot be assumed, viz. the manner of one who had been early accustomed to polished society.

She was already slightly known to my parents, and lost no time in explaining her errand; and the baby being brought forward to her, she kissed me tenderly,