clerk, then his partner, and then his son-in-law; but I must add, with thankfulness too, that my trials and temptation, and very near fall, taught me, through life, to sympathize with those who are tempted, even though they fall. There is One, who knew no sin, and yet has infinite compassion on the sinner; and surely we cannot do wrong if we strive in this, as well as in all things else, to be like our Master."

289

THE UNFRIENDLY LETTER.

"SPREAD it before the Lord, Leonard," said Lucy

Grey. 'Do not say any more about it, nor answer it, nor take any steps about it, till you have spread it before the Lord."

Leonard Grey made no reply to his sister, but continued to pace the room with unequal steps. His countenance betokened anger, and he thought he did well to be angry. It was natural anger, and just anger, and righteous anger, and generous anger; so he would have said. An open letter was in his hand. His first impulse on reading it had been to tear it up and trample it under his feet, in token of his angry contempt of the writer: so far he had restrained himself; but whether the offending sheet would be thrust between the firebars or thrown into his desk was yet an open question, when his sister interposed again.

"Be angry, but sin not, dear Leonard. Follow Hezekiah's example."

"Hezekiah! Hezekiah! What are you talking about, Lucy ?" said Leonard, turning round upon his sister, rather sharply perhaps; at least he thought so himself afterwards, when he became

U

cooler. It is to be noted that, though Leonard Grey was a Bible student, he was just then so carried away with his angry feelings, that for the moment he did not catch his sister's meaning. He heard her words indeed, but they conveyed little sense to his mind.

It is a great blessing, and a great mercy too, when an impetuous, hot-headed, generous-hearted man has a better angel by his side—in the shape of a wife or a sister, for instance-who is not afraid, on any needful occasion, to tell an unwelcome truth in a gentle way, or to pour the oil of mild persuasion and judicious counsel on the turbulent waves of passion. Such a one was Lucy Grey to her brother, who at this time, however, felt far too provoked and excited to listen at first to his sister's mild remonstrances.

"Is it not an abominable letter, Lucy? tell me that," said he, striking off from Hezekiah at a tangent.

"If I were to say Yes, would that do any good?" asked Lucy, with a half-smile on her countenance, though in truth she sympathized deeply with the insult and injury her brother had received.

66

'Good! why, you know it would do good, Lucy. I should feel doubly sure then that the man who wrote this"-Leonard crushed up the poor letter in his hand as he spoke-" that the man who wrote this is a detestable, sneaking, undermining

66

'Leonard, Leonard, dear brother, 'in the mul

titude of words there wanteth not sin,'" inter

posed Lucy.

"Sin, Lucy! It is no sin to call things by their right names."

"But there may be sin, brother, in the temper of mind which induces us to call things by even their right names. Besides, we may be mistaken; and, though this letter seems very unkind, illiberal, and unchristian

I am

"Seems, Lucy! It is all that and more. sure you cannot deny it, gloss it over as you may," said Leonard, breaking in upon his sister's apology for the writer.

"Well, dear Leonard, say, then, that it is all that and more; what a fine opportunity here is for showing a better spirit. Do not forget, my dear brother, that you are a Christian; a follower of the blessed One, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.'"*

"I am to submit, then, to these imputations, Lucy; and the fellow who wrote this letter "once more the poor sheet of paper was crushed up in Leonard Grey's hand-" is to go over half the world blasting my character? Do you mean

that ?"

"Half the world is a long journey, Leonard. But better even that he should do this than that you should do wrong.. Two wrongs can never

* 1 Pet. ii. 23.

make one right, you know. They never have yet; and they never will."

"A word spoken in due season, how good is it !" Leonard paused in his erratic course across the carpet of his drawing-room, laid the offending epistle on the table, and sat down in silence by his sister's side.

Now what was in that letter need never be known our readers may supply this want of information for themselves. Perhaps it contained false accusations affecting the personal character of the receiver. It might have been a retaliatory letter, threatening injury for some imagined wrong. Or it was possibly a legal demand for a large sum of money not really due to the writer, except by some flaw in an agreement, or in consequence of some pettifogging quibble. Or it was, perhaps, a mean and spiteful letter, intended to give offence to Leonard Grey by some rival in business. On the other hand, it was possibly an honest, though mistaken outpouring of wrath, stirred up by a tale-bearer and backbiter, or by some mutual misunderstanding. All these things have happened since the world began, and will happen again and again before it comes to an end; at any rate, until the happy time comes, prophetically prefigured by the dwelling together of the wolf and the lamb, the lying down of the leopard with the kid, and the cow and the bear feeding together. Until then it must needs be that offences come; and brother will sometimes sin against brother.