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"Should you, indeed?" said the king.

"I should," said the soldier.

3. His majesty said no more, but left him. A while after, the king having invited some of his lords to dine with him, the soldier was sent for; and, when they were at dinner, the soldier was ordered into the room to wait awhile. Presently the king uttered an oath. The soldier immediately, but with great modesty, said,

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"Should not my lord, the king, fear an oath ?"1 4. The king, looking first at the lords, and then at the soldier, said:

He can

"There, my lords, is an honest man. respectfully remind me of the great sin of swearing; but you can sit by, and let me take God's name in vain, and not so much as tell me of it."

5. Children, remember the commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

a DIS-GUISE', false appearance.
b MA'-JES-TY, title of a monarch.
DIS-LIKE', hate; disapprove.

d UT-TERED, pronounced; expressed in language.

[LESSON VIII. This is another lesson on character. A king is reproved for profane swearing. The honesty and moral courage of the soldier are in marked contrast with the servile conduct of the lords, who do not appear to have shown, in any manner, their disapproval of profanity.]

LESSON IX.

TRUE DUNCAN.

1. There was a little boy in our school named Duncan. All called him True Duncan, because he never would tell a lie.

2. One day he was playing with an ax in the yard of the school, and while he was chopping a stick, the teacher's little kitten came along.

3. Duncan accidentally let the ax fall on the kitten's head, and killed her.

4. What to do, Duncan did not know. The kitten was a pet of the master, and used to sit on a cushion at his side while he was hearing the les

sons.

5. Duncan stood and looked at the dead creature. His face grew very red, and the tears filled his eyes.

6. All the boys came running up, and every one had something to say. One of them whispered to the others, and said,

7. "Now, boys, we shall see if Duncan can tell a fib as well as the rest of us."

8. "Not he'!" said little Thomas Wilson, who was Duncan's friend. "Not he'! I'll warrant you. Duncan will be as true as gold."

9. John Jones stepped up, and, taking the kitten by the tail, said, "Here, boys, I'll just fling her into the alley, and we can tell Mr. Cole that the butcher's dog killed her. You know he caught her and hurt her last week."

10. Several of them thought this would do very well; but Duncan looked quite angry. His face swelled, and his cheeks grew redder than before.

11. "No!" said he, "no"! Do you think I would lie for such a creature as that'? It would be a lie, a LIE, a LIE!" And every time he said the word, his voice grew louder and louder.

12. Then he picked up the poor thing in his arms, and carried it into the school-room; and the boys followed to see what would happen.

13. The master looked up, and said, "What is this? My faithful kitten dead'! Who could have done' this?"

14. All were silent for a little while. As soon as Duncan could get his voice, he said, "Mr. Cole, I am very sorry, but here is the truth. I will not tell a lie, sir. I killed the kitten. But I am very sorry for it. It was an accident; but I ought to have been more careful. I am very sorry, indeed, sir."

15. The boys expected that Mr. Cole would take down his long ratan. But he put on a pleasant smile, and said,

16. "Duncan, you are a brave boy! I saw and heard all that passed, from my window above. I would rather lose a hundred kittens, than miss such an example of truth and honor in my school.

17. "Your best reward is what you now feel in your own conscience; but I beg you to accept this handsome penknife as a token of my approbation.""

18. Duncan took out his handkerchief, and wiped his eyes. The boys could no longer restrain themselves; and when Thomas Wilson cried, "Three cheers for True Duncan," all joined in a hearty hurrah.

19. The teacher then said, "My boys, I am glad you know what is right, and that you approve of it; though I am afraid some of you would not have done as Duncan did.

20. "Learn, from this time, that nothing can make a falsehood necessary. Suppose Duncan had taken your evil advice, and had come to me with a lie: it would have been instantly detected, for I was a witness of what passed.

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21. "I trust Duncan has been governed in this by a sense of right, and I exhort' you all to followi his example. He is a brave boy who at all times dares to do right. A lie is always cowardly."

a AC-CI-DENT'-AL-LY, without design; by chance.

b PET, any little animal fondled and indulged.

EX-PECT'-ED, thought; believed.

d PASSED, occurred; took place.

e To'-KEN, mark; evidence; sign.
f AP-PRO-BA'-TION, approval.

8 DE-TECT'-ED, discovered; exposed.
h Gov'-ERNED, influenced.

i EX-HORT', urge; earnestly advise.
J FOL'-LOW, imitate.

[LESSON IX. This is a lesson on character. The story of "True Duncan" is an illustration of truthfulness and honor on the part of a little boy, who was urged by his companions to tell a falsehood to shield himself from anticipated punishment. Why is a lie always cowardly?]

1. Can you tell me what this is a picture of'?1 Why does the man ride in that manner? Why

does he lean forward so'? Why is his hat drawn down over his face? Can he see as well when his hat is over his eyes'?1

2. You can see that it is a windy day. Can you tell which way the wind blows'? How can you tell? Do you see how the wind blows the hair of the horse's tail'? The wind blows strong in the man's face. Perhaps it rains, also. Perhaps it is very cold.

3. Do you see how the man braces himself against the wind'? If he should sit up straight, could he ride just as well'? If he should not pull his hat over his face, what do you think would become of his hat?"

4. The man's hat keeps the wind and the rain out of his face. Now the hat will not be blown away. Now the man sits easy on the horse. He will not fall.

5. But why are the horse's ears turned back'?* Because, if they were not turned back, the wind. would blow into them, and the rain would beat into them, and that would not be pleasant. The horse knows what to do with his ears, to keep the wind and the rain out of them.

How would he hat on? How Would the hairs

6. If the wind blew against the back of the man, would he sit in that manner? sit? How would he put his would the horse turn his ears'? of the horse's tail look as they do now?

7. What a change would be made in the picture, if the wind should change'!" The man, the horse, and the clouds would all be changed. If the wind