ask him, for Jesus Christ's sake," said Mar"You know the Bible says, as I garet. told you, there is not anybody in the world quite good; if people had been quite good Jesus need not have come to die for them."

Ada raised herself upon her pillow as if she expected Margaret to go on, but finding she did not, she said

"What does it mean about Jesus dying for us, Margaret. I know he was crucified, but I don't know why."

"Do you not know, dear Ada,” replied Margaret, "that Adam and Eve did what God told them not to do, and so sinned against God? Since then, their children, and everybody in the world, have been sinful, and all have deserved to be punished for ever, because they are sinners. I can repeat a verse that says so: 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.'* But God had compassion, and sent his Son Jesus Christ' to save

6

*Rom. v. 12.

them. The Bible says, 'God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'"*

"Do you mean, then," asked Ada, “that everybody would have been punished if Jesus had not died instead?"

"Yes," answered Margaret; " and so will all people now who do not believe on him and love him."

"But suppose Jesus does not love them," said Ada. "I do not think he loves me, Margaret," she added, looking into Margaret's face.

"Yes, he does, dear Ada,” replied Margaret, "aunt Ellen has often told me that he loves everybody, and will save all who come to God by him. Pray to him, dear."

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But, Margaret, I do say my prayers to myself very often now, but I don't feel a bit happier."

Margaret tried to explain to Ada, as well as she knew how, and in the gentlest and tenderest manner, that she might not hurt

* John iii. 16.

her feelings, that saying prayers and praying were very different; that it was one thing to repeat words with the lips, and another to pray with the heart, though the lips might not have power so much as to move. She tried to speak to her, too, of the infinite love and compassion of the Saviour, and repeated from the Scriptures some of his invitations to sinners to come to him and live.

It was the first time in her life that Ada had ever been spoken to in this way; she had, doubtless, heard the same truths in church, but never with any heed or desire to understand what they meant. She now listened to them as to a thing she had never been told before, seeming to drink in almost with astonishment every word that Margaret uttered. From this time Margaret was in her room more than ever; Ada never seemed easy when she was absent. Mrs. Craven could not help observing this, and felt almost jealous that she should sometimes seem to prefer having Margaret by her side even to her. She considered it, however, as one of

the whims incident to illness, and while she remarked to herself the increasing patience with which her darling endured her pain and suffering, little supposed she had learned to do so from the simple teaching of the quiet gentle sister whom she loved so much to see by her side.

Ada still continued to fluctuate, appearing sometimes better and sometimes worse, as she had done from the commencement of her illness. One day when she was very ill, but lying on the sofa, her mother came in and sat down beside her. Margaret was on the sofa at her feet.

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My precious Ada," said her mother, "how glad I shall be when we can get you into warmer air ; you will soon be better then."

"Do you think I shall ever get better, mamma?" said Ada, with a searching look.

"Get better, my darling!" repeated Mrs. Craven, "of course you will, what should hinder your getting better? you will be quite well when the spring comes."

"But the spring is coming now, mamma," said Ada, quietly; "see, Margaret has brought

me some primroses this morning, and the spring always comes with them, you know. No, mamma dear," she added, looking up in her mother's face, "I do not think I shall ever get better; I do not think I shall be here when the roses come."

"Ada, my child, you must not talk so,” said her mother, "indeed you will get better soon; you are very poorly to-day; there, let me shake up your pillow, and you will feel brighter when you have had a little sleep."

Ada hid her face in her pillow. After a time she appeared to be sleeping. Mrs. Craven rose very softly and beckoned Margaret out of the room.

"Margaret," said she, "is it you who have put these notions into Ada's head?"

'No, mamma," replied Margaret almost weeping, "indeed I did not. Ada told me ever so long ago that she did not think that she should get better."

"If she says anything of the kind again,” said her mother, "I desire that you will immediately begin to talk of something else. No wonder she should seem so poorly to-day,