wrong; it is what somebody hasn't done that I was thinking

about."

"And what is that ?" inquired Ernest.

"Don't you remember what your papa said about the dandelions, Master Ernest?" said the old gardener. "I was in hopes you would have been gathering them this morning before you went to your lessons."

"Papa didn't say that we were to gather them, Titus," put in Mabel.

"No; but he said he should be pleased if you did so, and I am sure you want to please him; don't you, Miss Mabel ?"

"Yes," answered Mabel, rather doubtfully.

"Yes, of course you do; I was sure of that.

And you

know that in trying to please your father you will please your heavenly Father too."

"Come along," cried Ernest; "let us go at once and gather them."

But his sisters did not seem quite so eager to help, and Gracie exclaimed, "Why don't you mow them off, Titus? a few sweeps of your scythe would cut them all down."

"That may be, Miss Gracie; but there is a good reason why I don't do it; and then your papa's wish, you know, was that you should gather them."

"Do you really think that it will please God if we do gather them, Titus ?" asked one of the children.

"Yes, I am sure it will; for why would you do it ?"

"To please our father."

“Ay, ay! and when you are trying to do that, especially at a little inconvenience to yourselves, you may be quite certain that He who gave the command, Children, obey your parents,' will look down with approbation."

"I don't think we can gather them now, after all, Titus, because the sun is so hot, and mamma has told us to keep in the shade," said Ernest; "but we will come when it is cool in the evening, and pick them all; won't we?" he continued, turning to his sisters.

"Yes," answered Mabel; "I will." But the other two made no reply.

"Well, then, we will do it ourselves. Don't say anything to papa about it, will you, Titus ?”

66

Very well, Master Ernest; not if you don't wish it."

In a few minutes the children went away, and the old gardener was left alone. "Ah! we all have a Father to please," he said to himself, "whatever our ages may be, a heavenly Father, who loves to see us obedient children. May He bless the little ones; they will have need of some patience before they can strip the paddock of those gilded pests."

These last words were overheard by Mr. Allen, who had come up unperceived by Titus.

"Gilded pests!" he said. "I wonder whether you are thinking of the dandelions !" and a shade of disappointment passed over his face; he had hoped to find that his wishes had been carried out by his children.

"Yes, sir, I was meaning the dandelions, sure enough. They put me in mind of a text, sir, in the way they send their seeds all about."

"What text is it, Titus ?" asked Mr. Allen.

"One sinner destroyeth much good,' sir; that's what I was thinking of. You see," he continued, "each one of those flowers, unless it is destroyed, will send a great number of seeds off, and there is no telling where the mischief may stop.'

Quite true, Titus; you must tell the children that."

"That won't be the only lesson they will learn from the dandelions, I hope, sir," said the gardener, and then he recollected Ernest's request not to make known the resolve to gather the flowers in the evening.

"I am sorry they have not learned to do as I wish, Titus," said Mr. Allen.

“Well, you see, sir, they haven't lost much time yet. Perhaps you will find the flowers all gathered by-and-by." The evening came at last, and, very much to the delight

of Ernest and Mabel, their papa was out. "We shall be able to surprise him now, Mabel; won't it be nice to have finished by the time he comes home ?"

"Yes," said Mabel; "but I wish Gracie and Florrie would come and help us. It will be hard work gathering

them all ourselves."

But Grace still persisted in saying that their papa had not told them they were to pick the dandelions; he had only said it would be a nice little job for them. "You said so yourself this morning, Mabel," she urged.

"And that he would be pleased if we did," answered Mabel. "Never mind; Ernest and I will manage them, if you and Florrie won't help. But, Gracie dear, I think you would be happier if you did your share. Don't you think so, Titus ?" she continued, turning to the gardener, who was working close at hand, and had heard what passed between the children.

"Yes, I am quite sure of it, Miss Mabel; and so would little Miss Florrie, for though she is so young, she is old enough to know when she is trying to do what will please her papa."

In a few minutes more Ernest and Mabel were hard at work in the paddock, while Grace and Florrie played at ball upon the lawn.

After all there was no great hardship in being set to pick the dandelions. If the idea had suggested itself to the children, the probability is that Grace would have been one of the first to hail it with delight; but now the work seemed distasteful to her, and she preferred having her own way. But although she tried to enjoy her play with her little sister, she was not quite happy, and after a time she almost envied the brother and sister who were trying to please their father; and at last she said to Florrie, "Come along, Florrie dear, we will go and help."

"Oh! I am glad you are come," said the others; "it is so nice to feel we are doing what will make papa glad." "Many hands make light work ;" and it was not very

long before the yellow flowers were all gathered, and the children were carrying them away in their baskets; as they were doing so they met their father, who was delighted to find that his little ones had done what he wished.

It was a happy party that went into the house that evening, after Mr. Allen had been taken to the paddock to see that every flower was gathered.

"I am very glad you did it without my speaking again," he said as he kissed his little ones. "Now I dare say you would like to know why I said I should be pleased if you picked them. You know I might have set John" (the boy who helped in the garden) "to do it; but I wanted to see whether you would remember my wishes and try to please me. And you have shown me how much you love me by doing as I wished. It is nice to feel that you have done right, isn't it, Gracie ?"

"Yes, papa; but" and here Gracie stopped, and Mr. Allen, looking down, was surprised to see a bright tear sparkling in her eye.

"But what, Gracie?" he inquired.

"But you ought not to praise me, papa. If it hadn't been for Ernest and Mabel, I shouldn't have gathered the dandelions;" and then the little girl explained candidly how unwilling she had at first been to help.

"Never mind, darling; you helped at last; and next time you will be quite ready to do what you know will please me, won't you?"

"Oh, yes, papa, always," answered Grace; and the others said so too, and they were all happy in having earned their father's approbation.

It is quite true, as old Titus said, that no matter who we are, how old, or how circumstanced, we are all children of a heavenly Father, who wishes us to do His will. He has given us the Bible to tell us what He would have us do; and He is pleased when we strive to serve Him. Sometimes our duty is not exactly in accordance with our wishes; but

the more we strive to fulfil our Father's will the happier shall we be.

David was one who certainly had no life of ease, but rather one of great difficulty, and often of suffering; yet hear what he says about God's commands, and the pleasure to be derived from obeying them:

"The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is Thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward."

Yes, there are great rewards for those who strive to please God. There is a feeling of peace and satisfaction in this life, and in the life to come joy everlasting.

Let us, then, earnestly endeavour to do our duty, no matter whether we can see why it is imposed upon us or not. No matter whether it seem easy or difficult, in the end we shall find that the words of the Psalmist are as true now as ever: "Great peace have they which love Thy law."

X. Y. Z.

Thinking the Best.

BY CRONA TEMPLE.

ow giddy those fishes are!" said the dweller in a tiny sea-shell, as it floated along in deep water, supported by a mass of soft brown weed. "I

wonder they have not more sense than to go skipping over the top of the waves like that; it is very unbecoming, I think."

The poor little flying-fishes! how glad they would have been to stay quietly beneath the waves; but they had an enemy in the water of which the sea-shell knew nothing. A large fish, fully six feet long, lithe and slender, with many fins and keen eyes, was chasing them cruelly.

The "dorado" he is called, or the "golden fish," and