White Rose, was not unhappy and grave and mournful when she rose up from her sick bed with a purpose of being a "new creature" in Christ-a young Christian; nor will you find that you lose one real good, one real pleasure by turning heart and soul to God.

And you know what we mean by a real turning to God. It is not a passing desire, the wish of a moment, my little readers, the goodness which is described in Scripture as the "morning dew." Ask God to give you the longing to be His; ask Him earnestly, and His Holy Spirit working within your hearts will show you how you need a Saviour. You know who that Saviour must be-the gentle loving Jesus who died that men and women and little children might be forgiven every sin! He will not turn away, He will not refuse your petition, for He has bidden you trust in that promise, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." For Christ's sake, God will pardon all your sins; for Christ's sake, God will strengthen you by His grace to resist temptation; for Christ's sake, God will let you live for ever in that home where only those can enter who are washed in the Saviour's blood.

And if but one of my readers is led to turn "heart and soul to God," to accept Christ as a Saviour, and start bravely on the heavenward path, this little story of the "Two Roses" will not have been written in vain.

in return He helped her to be one of His own dear obedient children.

"I must try and be like her," thought Red Rose; but when to this she added, "I must begin to be a Christian," a sigh came, and she fancied to be that was to set about some very hard and dreary business.

One day it was a holiday in honour of Miss Middleton's birthday, and the whole school were out on the bright breezy downs which lie above the town of Brighton, and she and her cousin had drawn a little apart from the rest-she said, "Do you remember the day I pushed you down the steps in my dreadful passion?"

White Rose nodded yes.

"And after that-when you began to get well, and I was so very sorry, I really meant to be good; I used even to say earnest prayers, but I so soon grew tired, and left off."

"Why didn't you begin again, dear?" said the other, seriously. "Mother told me that was the only way of really persevering-I mean beginning again every day."

"Well, I did not ;" and Red Rose coloured up, and began to speak faster, "I left off quite, and grew worse instead of better; and now

-oh, do you think it is any use after all this time beginning again?"

"Do I think it any use?" and White Rose looked surprised. "Oh, indeed, Rosie, there is no need to think, for we know, and that is far better. Why, God has said in so many different places that we can always, while we live, go for pardon through Christ to Him, and begin afresh to love and serve Him, or begin for the first time perhaps in earnest."

"But I promised before, and I gave up."

"Yes, but God will forgive all that, because He forgives us everything, if we ask for Christ's sake. Don't you remember the parable we had at our last Bible lesson, and how it was explained to us? Why, God sees when we are a 'long way off,' just like that father saw his poor son, and He comes to meet us, and helps us at the beginning. Oh, Rosie, my own dear Red Rose, won't you begin at last? It would be such happiness to be trying to love and please God together, just as when we were quite little tiny children we used to do all sorts of other things together?"

"I will try, I really will this time;" and there was a look on Rose Dunn's face which seemed to tell she was in earnest "at last "