of the gospel of our blessed God and Saviour. Of late, recondite themes have taken the place of the simple story of the life and death of the Lord Jesus, which has come to be a twice-told tale. All this is wrong. The song of Moses and the Lamb is an ever new song in heaven; and the story of the incarnation of the Son of God is the one great theme which God designs shall be the power of God to the salvation of the soul. It is to be hoped that a day-spring from on high is about to dawn, when a symmetrical and beautiful union will exist in the Church of God of sympathy with man, and of high and holy aspirations after the indwelling of Christ."

"I beg you will pardon me, sir," said Peter, "for saying, that until this descent of the Holy Spirit, I do not see what our preachers can so well do as to make a careful and entire preparation of their sermons. I have believed, and do still believe, that the Holy Spirit blesses those labors of the ministry which are the result of long study and earnest prayer; and this in spite of all the success of modern evangelists, so-called, who reap the golden harvest from seed sown by men of whom the world has never heard."

"The question you have started, my brother, I have often sought to solve," replied Mr. Howe. "God has doubtless made the conversion of every man brought home to glory to be the result of all the influences attending his existence, from the creation of Adam and Eve to the moment of his regeneration by the Holy Ghost."

Mr. Howe now made some inquiries concerning their nativities, and of the age in which they had lived on earth; and next, of the present state of the churches in North America. He was well advised as to the condition of the churches up to the opening of the nineteenth century; and Peter and Mrs. Jay gave him a full narration of the present state of the churches.

At this point of their colloquy, they came to a place where the avenue on which they had been walking diverged, and Mr. Howe took leave of Mrs. Jay and Peter, with many kind expressions of the pleasure he had derived from meeting with them.

Perpetua joined them as they were turning into a new path.

"I am glad to have met you, my friends," said Perpetua; "for Tibertius and Angela desire us to go with them on a visit to a certain studio in the metropolis tomorrow. Now I hope you are disengaged, and can accompany them."

Mrs. Jay and Peter both said they were at liberty, and would gladly go with Angela and Tibertius. "How pleased I am to see Angela so happy here," said Mrs. Jay.

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Angela," replied Perpetua, "is fast regaining her soul's freedom, and I am under obligations to Tibertius for his devotion to her happiness. It is wonderful how perfectly their tastes assimilate. He is never weary of the task I have assigned him, and Angela is a delighted

and docile pupil To-morrow, then, we will go in company to the city ?"

Mrs. Jay and Peter having assented to this engagement, Perpetua took leave of them to ascend into the air, and meet some friends of hers who beckoned to her to join them, while Peter and Mrs. Jay walked homeward to the Palace of Beauty.

CHAPTER XII.

Visit to the Studio of the Metropolis-Controversy between two Doctors, an Allopathist and Homeopathist, as to their several Systems and Modes of PracticeVisit to the Studio of a young Artist-Mrs. Jay makes a Discovery-Peter meets Lucia sitting on a Cloud-Their Colloquy-Of the recent Meeting of Savans in Montreal for the Advancement of Science-Lucia tells the Story of her Life-Of her Interview with Lady Alice De Vere, just from St. Barnabas, in Pimlico-Story of a Roman Saint.

THE dawn broke with a cloudless sky. Mrs. Jay and Peter met on the grand portico to welcome the coming day. The early hours are everywhere beautiful, but no words can convey the loveliness of that hour of prime— the freshness of the breeze, the fragrance of the morn, the music of birds; and looking up into heaven, the zone, which at night turned toward the planet its broadside, was now showing its edge, lessening in width, until at noon when it appeared but as a narrow belt of cloud across the sky; and now moons of various magnitude, and wearing different phases, were paling before the rising sun.

"To-day, Peter," said Mrs. Jay, "we are to visit the studios of the metropolis. I wonder I have never yet

walked into them when we have been sight-seeing in the capital, for unlike our world, living artists are here held in highest regard."

"And for a very good reason, madam. In our world we look back to the days of Pericles for the highest development of art. Not so here, where artists of the present day are expected to reach to a new grace of form, or some unexpressed loveliness of the human face."

"Yes, that is so. With us, living artists are generally mere copyists, and their works are valued according to the success of their imitations. Now if a torso could be dug up at Athens, which could be recognized as the work of Phidias, how would the cognoscenti of the fashionable world-tourists of all lands-wonder after it? Men and women of recent full-blown fortunes, whose taste is in the bud, would stand in crowds at gaze before it; as if by the simple act of staring they could see anything else than a bruised and battered mass of marble. Do you not think so, Peter ?"

"No doubt," replied Peter, amused at the thought as presented by his lady friend.

"But here," continued Mrs. Jay, "the ancient works are preserved to show the stages of progress from the infancy of art to the perfectibility of the skill of the present age. Now why is this not the case with the Fine Arts in our day?"

"Oh, because God never made for man such a climate