will be locked against you," and with these words he turned away from his son. Eric could not sleep the whole night. He was afraid of the darkness, and he heard the beating of his own heart. It was the most unhappy night of his life.

6. Next day Eric looked very sad, and his mother said to her husband, "See, Eric mourns, and is sorry." The father answered, "It is right that he should mourn. For this reason I have locked the garden. We must give him time to repent, and be sorry for his fault."

7. After some days the mother said, "If we do not comfort him now, he may doubt our love." “No,” replied the father; "he will learn otherwise. He has always had our love till now. Let him learn to think highly of it, that he may try to gain it anew."

8. Some days had passed again, when Eric came one morning from his room with a calm and cheerful face. He had laid all the gifts which he had got from his parents together in a basket. He brought these, and placed them before his father and mother, saying, "I feel that I have not been worthy of your love. But my heart tells me that I shall live a new life. If, then, you will forgive me, and love me as you used to do, I will give back to you all the gifts your goodness has given to me."

9. Both father and mother saw that their darling boy was truly sorry for his fault, and they well knew, from what he was now doing, that he would never likely go wrong in the same manner again. Then the father clasped the boy in his

arms, and kissed him, and wept over him. His mother did so likewise.

SUMMARY.-Eric's birthday was in the early autumn. His parents gave him some handsome presents, and allowed him to ask his young friends into the garden. There were some peaches which his father had told him not to touch. He let the boys take the peaches, but he soon felt he had done wrong. When his father found out what had been done, Eric grew pale and trembled, but confessed all. The boy was greatly troubled, and could not sleep the whole night. His father wished to teach him a lesson, and to make him value the love of his parents. When they saw that he was truly sorry for his fault, they clasped him in their arms, and kissed him, and wept over him. Ap-pe-tite, desire to eat. Hand-some, fine looking.

Re-pent', be sorry for.
Pi-ous, holy, very good.

1. "Where do sponges come from, I wonder?"

said James, as he sat by the window, cleaning his slate with a bit of fine sponge.

they made of?"

'What are

"Made of?" said Aunt Mary. "Why, they are the bones of animals."

2. Why, what do you mean, Aunt Mary? never saw any animals that looked like sponges.'

I

"I suppose not," said Aunt Mary; "because they all grow on the bottom of the sea and do not look then as they do when you see them."

3. How do they look then?" said James.

"Well, they grow in many beautiful forms, of different sizes and shapes-like a cup, a top, a ball, and sometimes like the branches of small trees.

Some

4. "They have a soft flesh, like jelly, which covers a bony framework of horny fibres. are red, some green, and others yellow."

5. "Then they must look like plants?" said James.

"Yes, but they are not plants. For a long time they were thought to be plants; but now, those who have watched them longest and with the greatest care, say that they are animals.”

6. "How do they catch them?" said James, who began to think about the way fish are caught.

"If the water is not too deep, men stand in a boat over the place where they are growing, and tear them off the rocks below with long spears." 7. "But if the water is very deep?"

"Ah, that is the most interesting part of all. Then, men have to dive down to the bottom and cut them off the rocks with sharp knives." 8. Why, how can they do that?"

"They are trained to the work, and can easily dive down to the bottom-a distance of sixty feet or more.

When the boat is right over the place

where the sponges grow-the diver takes

a

large rock, to which a rope is tied and jumps into the water.

9. "Down, down, down he goes-through the

dark water, till at last he stands on the bottom. "Once there, he works away as fast as he can, for it is not possible for him to stay

under water longer than two minutes at one time.

10. "He searches about among the rocks and cliff's, and cuts off, with great care, the nicest sponges he can find, and puts them under his arms, or into a sack.

"When he has gathered as many as he can, he pulls the rope, and the men in the boat haul him and his load of sponges up to the surface as quickly as they can.'

11. "How do they get the flesh off?" said James.

They bury them in the sand till the flesh decays, and then they wash them in acid and water till they are clean and fit to sell."

12. James sat still for a long time, looking at the piece of sponge he had in his hand. At last he said softly, to himself, "Sponges, animals? No eyes, no ears, no hands? What funny things!"

SUMMARY.-Sponges grow at the bottom of the sea in many beautiful forms, of different shapes and sizes. They are like a top, a ball, sometimes like the branches of small trees. They have a soft flesh like jelly, and are red, green, or yellow. It was long thought that they were plants, but those who have watched them with the greatest care now say that they are animals. They are cut from the rocks where they grow by men who are trained to the work.