grave, said in the most solemn and emphatic manner, "My friends, the
Prayer-book says this; but if there is any truth in God's word, it
cannot be applied to this man. He denied the existence of a God,
ridiculed the idea of a Saviour, was an irreligious and bad member of
the community, and died in the commission of an habitual and deadly
sin; and it is my firm conviction that such as he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God!" [Footnote: A fact.]

'The Doctor was greatly censured by the neighbouring clergy for boldly
declaring what he felt to be the truth; but it produced an electrical
effect upon those present, and the son of the deceased, who was fast
following in his father's steps, became a sincere and practical
Christian.

'Mrs. Leatrim was quite a contrast to her husband--a gentle,
affectionate, simple-hearted woman. She never thwarted his wishes in
word or deed, and was ever at his side to assist him in his
ministrations among the poor, in teaching the children, and reading to
the sick and inquiring. She had been the mother of several children,
but only one, and that the youngest-born, survived the three first
years of infancy. It is this son, named after his father, George
Leatrim, who forms the subject of my present story, which, though a
painful one in its general details, is _strictly true_.

'If the good Doctor had an idol in the world, it was his son George.
The lad possessed the most amiable disposition, uniting to the talent
and earnestness of the father, the gentle, endearing qualities of his
mother. He was handsome, frank, and graceful; the expression of his
face so truthful and unaffected, that it created an interest in his
favour at first sight. Religious without cant, and clever without