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"I do not know whether or not I should like to go."

The father told him that it was left for him to decide; and that he might either stay at home or go, as he pleased. And then the little boy asked,

"How long shall you be gone, father?" His father told him that he should be away from home nearly a month.

66 Oh, that is a long time," said George. And Emma said it was a long time; and she wished her father would stay at home. As for little Ruth, she did not think much about it; she was almost too young to know what her father and mother, and brother and sister, were talking about.

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"Well," said Mr. Hardy, "I must go; and I should like you, my little boy, to go with me; but need not decide this evening. I shall leave your mother and you to talk about it; and you may tell me at the end of the week how you have made up your mind. And now, let us have a good run round the garden."

So they all went out in the garden. Mr. Hardy ran first, and George, and Emma, and Ruth ran after him. He climbed up in the great cherry-tree; and George wanted to get up too. So his father stretched down his arm, and drew him up into the tree, and seated him on a safe branch. Then Emma wished to be in the tree beside her brother; and

her father lifted her up. Little Ruth was too young to be trusted in a tree, even with her father; so she stayed below. After they had been in the tree a little while, and gathered a few of the cherries that the birds had not taken-(birds are sad creatures for stealing cherries) Mr. Hardy let himself down from the tree, and stretched out his arms, and George sprang off his branch into them, and his sister did the same. If you had seen them you would have been sure that this was not the first time they had got into the cherrytree, and out of it again.

And now Mrs. Hardy pointed to the sun, which was just about to set, and said that it was time for her little ones to go indoors; and though they said, "Cannot we stay a little longer?" they did not cry when their mother said "No;" but they ran in: when they reached the parlour, they said, "How nice it is to have tea in the arbour," "I wish we could have tea there every day."

"What, every day?" said their mother; "think again."

"Yes, every day," said Emma; "I am sure I should. I should never be tired of it. Should you, George?"

"I do not know," said George; "I think it would not do every day. It would not do when it is cold and wet; nor in winter, when there are no leaves on the trees, and the seats in the arbour are covered with snow."

Emma agreed with her brother that it would not be pleasant to have tea in the arbour at such times; but she had forgotten all about rain, and snow, and cold.

"You see, then," said their mother, "that what are pleasures sometimes, would not be pleasures at others; and though it is pleasant to have an arbour to go to when the weather is fine and warm, it is still better to have a house to live in, which shelters us and keeps us warm. It would be a sad thing to have only an arbour to live in, would it not?"

"Oh, mother," said George, "that would not do at all. We should soon perish with cold."

"Well, then," said his mother, "all our pleasures in this world are like arbours; and our gracious Father who is in heaven, is very kind to us in giving us so many enjoyments. But it will be very sad if we try to make this world and all its pleasures, our home, and think of nothing else. We should think of heaven as our home, and be always ready to go home, whenever we are called. Will you try to remember this ?”

Both the children said, "Yes, mother;" but the little girl seemed as if she did not understand all that her mother had said. Her mother saw this; and so she said,

"We will talk a little more of this another day; but now it is time to put your little sister to bed. And you must soon get ready

to go to bed, too; but before you go I will read a little hymn to you.

This is the hymn that Mrs. Hardy read to her children :

"To thee, my God and Saviour,
My soul exulting springs;
Rejoicing in thy favour,
Almighty King of kings.
I'll celebrate thy glory,
With all the saints above;
And tell the pleasing story
Of thy redeeming love.

"Soon as the morn, with roses
Bedecks the dewy east;
And when the sun reposes
Upon the ocean's breast,-
My voice in supplication

Well pleased thou shalt hear;
Oh grant me thy salvation
And to my soul draw near.

By thee, through life supported,
I'll pass the dangerous road,
By heavenly hosts escorted,
Up to their bright abode;
There cast my crown before thee,
When all earth's joys are o'er,
And day and night adore thee;
What angel can do more?"

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PREPARING TO LEAVE HOME, AND A DISAPPOINTMENT.

GEORGE's parents wished their little boy to take the journey with his father. They thought it would do his health good to go into another part of the country; and they hoped, too, that it would do his mind good by gaining knowledge, if he were to see other persons and things than he could see in his own little village. Besides this, they had some kind and good friends who lived where Mr. Hardy was going, and they wanted their little boy to see them, and know them, and love them. All this they told George; and then they thought it best to leave him to

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