of God's Holy Spirit, you will be "able to stand against the wiles of the devil,” and the strong temptations which may assail you.

We do not know what our old schoolfellow Mansfield would have done without this armour; but we do know that "life abounds with circumstances calculated to manifest what are the real principles of most persons; and wherever there is a desire of glorifying God, the transactions of every day will yield opportunity for doing so; as they will also afford means for serving" self and the world.

Christian principle !-but how to get Christian principle? Is that your question, young friend? Listen, then, to Him who says, and says to you, "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart. Learn of ME."

Yes, learn of Jesus, and then one simple and all-sufficient reason will urge you on, and strengthen you for a continuance in welldoing, and brace you in every unexpected emergency:-I cannot do this wrong; I must not do this wrong; by God's help, I will not do this wrong; for I "serve the Lord Christ."

VI.

THE GENERAL ILLUMINATION.

AN illumination and a holiday-an illumination in the town, and a holiday at school! Cause and effect; the effect, however, preceding the cause: there was a holiday at school in the day, because there was to be a grand illumination in the town at night. Why there was to be an illumination is but of little consequence; it might have been on occasion of a political triumph, or a coronation, or some other public event.

A long walk after breakfast; then, after dinner, marbles in the playground, for marbles were in. Of all the marble players of that day, Robinson was the best shot. He could single out a marble from the ring, or strike, with unerring aim, the taw of an opponent at a distance of three paces; and at six he rarely missed. On that particular afternoon, his skill shone more conspicuously than ever, and he was proportionably elated.

Superior ability, however, whether in the games of schoolboys or the more important pursuits of manhood, has its disadvantages;

and Robinson's opponents dropped off, one by one, tired of being perpetually beaten. "It is of no use to play with him," said they; "there is no chance of winning a single game." At length, he was left alone in his glory.

He disclaimed all

Robinson was modest. personal excellence, and depreciated his own skilful performances. It was not that he could shoot with a marble better than any other boy; this was not the cause of his winning every game, he said: but he had the happiness of possessing a most valuable "blood alley;" and all the merit was in his alley, and not in himself. It was a perfect sphere, this same alley, he said, and therefore it went so straight to the mark; it was also the exact size which suited his knuckle : according to his account of it, this alley almost seemed to be endowed with consciousness, and to act in concert with the mind and will of its owner. Besides all this, it was a perfect beauty, quite a love of a marble, so regularly veined, and so delicately tinted. It was a real blood, too.

"How much will you take for your alley?" was asked once and again by one and another, who half believed in its vaunted and peculiar virtues.

How much! Scores of common everyday alleys would not, that afternoon, have purchased Robinson's "little fairy," as he called it.

Thus much for the holiday; now for the illumination.

It was a fine evening, and hundreds were thronging the streets, to see what was to be seen. Before the sun had set, each householder was busy in preparing the lamps or candles with which his dwelling, outside or in, was to be enlightened and enlivened. Presently, as the dusk of evening increased, lights were rapidly applied to turpentined wicks, until soon every street sparkled, from end to end, with brilliancy. On one house shone a magnificent pure white star; on another, a crown of many-coloured lamps. Here were gigantic initial letters of flame, shining through purple and gold; and there a wonderful transparency, emblematic of the event which had given rise to the general rejoicing. Some householders had contented themselves with decorating their window sills, externally, with tallow candles in candlesticks of clay, which flared and flamed and wasted (the candles, not the candlesticks) in the evening breeze. Others, more prudent and economical, illuminated their windows withinside.

It was a profitable evening, that, for oil merchants and tallow chandlers: even the poor bedridden stocking-knitter, who could scarcely earn enough money to buy daily bread; the mechanic out of work; the widow washerwoman, with a large young family to

support these, and dozens besides, while sorely grudging the waste, added, by their rows of lighted candles, to the splendour of that general illumination.

The excited schoolboys, however, who, accompanied by one of their teachers, lest they should get into mischief, increased the throng of street-gazers that night, had little thought for such matters, and found enough to admire in every bright and shining device that met their eyes. Stars and garters, crowns and sceptres, transparencies, oil lamps, and tallow candles, all seemed wonderfully fine and grand to boys who had never until then witnessed a general illumination.

Presently, turning the corner of a street, our schoolboys found themselves in a thicker crowd, facing a large house which was not lighted up. Very gloomy and frowning seemed that mansion amidst its gay and brilliant neighbours; and very wroth was the crowd with the owner of that house for the strange perverseness he showed.

"He deserves to have his windows broken," said one.

"So he will," replied another, "before the night is out."

"A stingy fellow!" exclaimed a third. "He is not stingy; he belongs to the opposition," said a fourth.

"More shame to him!" shouted a fifth : "he ought to have his windows broken."