hearts from evil, and it also teaches us how to exercise a spirit of
forbearance and forgiveness, and now we must proceed to the work of the
day."

It is, somewhat singular that evil designs against one, either old
or young, often, instead of working harm, prove the means of their
advancement and promotion. It was so in this case. I did not forgive
these two boys without a struggle with my own temper and pride, but I
_did_ do it, and it came from my heart, and this forgiveness accorded by
me, as well as the thought of what I had suffered, caused me to stand
higher than ever in the good opinion of my teachers, and the kindness
extended to me on all sides more than repaid my past suffering, when
moving under a cloud of suspicion and disgrace. Had I allowed a feeling
of revenge to find a place in my heart it might have been gratified by
the mortification of Reuben and Thomas, but I tried to rise superior to
this feeling, and endeavoured, by repeated acts of kindness, to convince
them that my forgiveness was genuine. When I returned home that day at
noon Grandma Adams said she knew by the joyous bound with which I
entered the house I was the bearer of good news; and when I had told my
story, they were all happy to know that the dark shadow which had rested
over me was lifted, and my sky was again bright. Grandma listened
attentively while I told of the guilty ones being detected, and my own
innocence made clear as the light of day. When I had finished she called
me to her side and said, "I hope, my boy, you remember the verses I
repeated to you the other evening from the thirty-seventh Psalm. That
whole Psalm has been a favourite one with me all my life-long; when
weighed down by trouble and anxiety during my long and eventful life,
I have often derived consolation and encouragement from that beautiful
portion of the Bible; and I have often thought if there is one portion
of that Book more blessed and cheering than another it must be the