'Let it be gold if you can,' said Oswald; 'see what you can do, and bring it to my house to-morrow evening exactly at eight o'clock. But say nothing of it to anybody.'

In the same way Oswald called upon every one of the two-andthirty men who had made the promise to keep the seven rules: to each of them he addressed the same petition, and appointed the same time and place for receiving the money. All these friends met at Oswald's house at the hour of dusk, and were conducted into a chamber almost dark. Oswald went out to fetch candles, and in a few minutes returned, arrayed in a military costume, with star, sword, and feather, just as he had appeared to them in the same room seven years before. 'Have you brought the money, my friends?' said he. Please to lay it upon the table.' One after another stepped forward, and laid his heap of money upon it.

Then Oswald spoke: 'Remember, my friends, that now your time of probation has expired: the seven years and seven weeks. are gone; and now you have placed more gold upon this table than lay upon it on the night of our engagement. My promise is fulfilled: I have taught you the art of goldmaking. And now abide faithful to God and your own vows; so shall your welfare increase from day to day. Bring up your children by the same rules, and your welfare will descend to them.' Many expressions of hearty gratitude broke forth as Oswald ceased speaking. He now returned the money to those who were so willing to lend, assuring them that he did not need it.

"Then what can we do for you to express our thankfulness?' said several at once. Only tell us, and we are ready to go through fire to serve you, for without you we should have been ruined.'

Then Oswald answered: 'I thank you for your sincere friendship, but I have no need of assistance of any kind. Thanks to a worthy man, my good father, who gave me a fair education. When a soldier, I found all that I had learned useful, and my knowledge of land-measurement, next to my good conduct, procured for me promotion to the rank of captain of horse. In a skirmish, when the prince was surrounded by foes, I dashed in with my squadron and rescued him. I received for that service this wound on my brow, and the star on my breast, with a good pension for life. The prince has never forgotten me, but, as you have seen, has condescended to visit me here in Goldenthal. When I returned to my native village, and found it in such miserable circumstances, I thought it prudent to disguise my real condition. I soon lost all desire of living in Goldenthal, and should have gone away had I not seen Elizabeth, my dear wife she kept me in the place. Then I resolved to do my utmost towards improving the place where I chose to dwell. Το arry out my plan, I hid my wealth and rank from all except my and her parents. And now,' he added, 'let this discovery of ation in the world make no difference in your intercourse with

me: you are my brethren, and the title I shall be proudest of will be to be called your friend!'

'Then,' said the chief speaker of the company, 'if we can express our thanks in no other way, we and our families will attend your child's baptism, and make the day a festival in all our houses!'

Sunday came, and all the young people in Goldenthal arose early, for on that day Oswald's child was to be baptised. In the morning, Oswald went to the bedside and kissed the young mother and her infant. See, Elizabeth,' said he, 'my heart is almost breaking with joy and sorrow mingled. My boy makes my heart glad, and the aspect of our village this morning moves me to tears. See! who dare deny the capability of goodness and gratitude in the souls of men? During the night, they have decked our house with garlands and wreaths, as they did at our bridal; and not only so, but all the cottages in the village are decorated with green boughs and wreaths of bright flowers, as if our festival was to be a festival in every family. And all the way from our house to the church, they have planted stakes on each side of the road, and hung long strings of flowers between them, while the road is strewn with green leaves and many-coloured flowers.'

The young mother blushed with pleasure, and her eyes were moistened as she heard what Oswald told. 'I have heard noises of going to and fro in the night,' said she, 'and knew not what to make of them.' She could not stay in bed, but must go to the window to see the decorations of the cottages. And then she wept silently, for nothing is more touching to a tender soul than to witness the sympathy of many united by one good feeling; it is an anticipation of the joy that will be felt in heaven. Elizabeth returned to her infant son, and her parents arrived to prepare for the baptismal ceremony. The miller's good wife could not express her joy at the gay appearance of the village. 'Never,' said she— never was there such a baptism in Goldenthal before-no, not even at the birth of a prince have we had such a festival!' As she was speaking, a procession of boys and girls came on towards Oswald's house: all were clothed in their best Sunday garments, and . every one carried some little present for the cradle of the infant. They came in two at a time, and, kneeling down, kissed the hand of the young mother, calling her 'Mother Elizabeth;' then kissed the hand of Oswald, and called him 'Father Oswald !'

Then all the church bells began to ring joyously. The child was dressed, and carried to the church. The grandfather and the grandmother followed, and behind them walked the father, deeply moved in his soul. The whole congregation, old and young, stood before the church in a wide half-circle waiting for Oswald; and as he came, all said, as with one soft and friendly voice, 'Goodmorning, Father Oswald:' then all followed him into the church. After the baptism, the preacher, Roderick, delivered a sermon on

the duty of the people to be grateful for good guardians. He seemed to be inspired more than usual with his theme. Word after word went to the hearts of the people. When he came to the closing prayer, and with tremulous voice prayed for the good guardians of Goldenthal-when, with tears no longer to be suppressed, he lisped out the name of Oswald, there was sobbing and weeping in the congregation: every one thought of all that Oswald had done for the parish; and at the conclusion of the service, the hymn 'for the life of the public guardians' arose to Heaven from an assembly of warm and thankful hearts.

Oswald walked to his house with his head bowed down, and yet happy at heart. When he saw his wife, he could hardly speak for emotion. The parson, the miller and his wife, and Oswald's fellowguardians, sat down to the christening dinner; then it was told that a festive dinner was prepared in every cottage, as if a child in every family had been baptised. Oswald shook his head, and said: 'I am not worthy of all this kindness.' But the general joy cheered his soul. In the evening, he visited many of the cottages to express his thanks for their display of affection; and until late in the twilight, youths and maidens were dancing on the green, and songs were resounding from the houses, the shade of the lime-trees, and the gardens all around. That day has been long talked of at Goldenthal; and since that time, Oswald has always kept the title of Father, and Elizabeth has been called Mother by all the young people of the village. Surely all good sown in this life shall be rewarded at last with a rich harvest, for God, the loving and merciful, the rewarder of the good, lives and rules over us all.

N the 24th of February 1857, there commenced in British India the most formidable mutiny or rebellion that had ever broken out in that vast country: a mutiny which placed the people and the government alike in great peril, taxed the utmost powers of the state to quell it, and called forth brilliant examples of heroic suffering and

I

daring valour. It had more the form of a mutiny of the native soldiery than a general rebellion of the people, although the latter element was in some districts not wanting. How it happened that there was a vast native army in the service and the pay of the British, and commanded by British officers, cannot be understood until we know something of that strange historical phenomenon— the rise of British India, the formation of a British empire in that rich and important region of the East.

INDIA: THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE.

Properly, India and Hindustan are the same in meaning, signifying 'the land of the Hindus;' but English writers mostly confine the name of Hindustan to the northern part only of India. The southern part is a large peninsula; the northern is a broad belt of country, extending up to the gigantic range of the Himalaya Mountains, and watered by the Indus, the Ganges, and other important rivers. The extreme length from north to south is about 1900 miles, the extreme breadth from east to west about 1600; presenting an area a hundred and fifty times as large as Great Britain. The peninsular portion of India has 4000 miles of seacoast-a fact to which much of the commercial prosperity of the country has been due. The flat regions bordering on the Indus and the Ganges—especially the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, Oude, Rohilcund, the Doab, and the Punjab-are for the most part very fertile and densely peopled; while Sinde, or Sindh, partakes rather of the nature of a sandy desert. Central India, comprising Malwah and Rajahstan, is an elevated plateau or table-land, much less thickly inhabited. Southern India, or the Deccan, is the peninsular portion; containing a large extent of elevated land in the centre, strips of lowland near the sea-coasts, and mountainranges (called the Eastern and Western Ghauts) between the highlands and the lowlands.

The natives spread over this wide region are of many nations and tribes, known by a great number of designations; but they are broadly distinguished (mainly by their religion) into Hindus and Mohammedans. It is supposed that many scattered tribes in various parts of India, less civilised than the Hindus, preceded them in the occupation of the country, and that the Hindus came as conquerors; although it is not now known at what period the irruption or invasion took place. In times comparatively modern the Mohammedans of Turkestan penetrated into India, and became the dominant race in many provinces. The vast population of nearly 200,000,000 souls is thus made up of many races, nationalities, and tribes, differing considerably in natural character and acquired influence. The ethnology of India is a difficult problem, which has as yet been only imperfectly studied.