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And what did he say ?" inquired his wife.

"That honesty is the best policy," answered John.

“"Tis very well, and 'tis mighty easy for them to say so that have never been sore tempted by distress and famine to say otherwise; but your bidding is enough for me, John."

Straightways she went to the big house, and inquired for the young squire; but she was denied the liberty to speak to him.

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You must tell me your business, honest woman," said a servant with a head all powdered and frizzled like a cauliflower, and who had on a coat covered with gold and silver lace and buttons, and everything in the world.

"If you knew but all," said she, "I am an honest woman, for I've brought a purse full of gold to the young master, that my little boy picked up by the roadside; for surely it is his, as nobody else could have so much money."

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"Let me see it," said the servant. "Ay, its all right, I'll take care of it-you need not trouble yourself any more about the matter;" and so saying, he slapped the door in her face. When she returned, her husband produced the two cakes which his master gave him on parting, and breaking one to divide between his children, how was he astonished at finding six golden guineas in it; and when he took the other cake and broke it, he found as many more. He then remembered the words of his generous master, who desired him to give one of the cakes to his wife, and not to eat the other himself until that time; and this was the way his master took to conceal his wages, lest he should have been robbed, or have lost the money on the road.

The following day, as John was standing near his cabin door, and turning over in his own mind what he should do with his money, the young squire came riding down the road. John pulled off his hat, for he had not forgot his manners through the means of his travelling to foreign parts, and then made so bold as to inquire if his honour had got the purse he lost.

"Why, it is true enough, my good fellow," said the

squire, "I did lose my purse yesterday, and I hope you were lucky enough to find it, for, if that is your cabin, you seem to be very poor, and shall keep it as a reward for your honesty."

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Then the servant up at the big house never gave it to your honour last night after taking it from Nancy— she's my wife, your honour-and telling her it was all right p

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Oh, I must look into this business," said the squire. "Did you say your wife, my poor man, gave my purse to a servant-to what servant ?"

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"I can't tell his name rightly," said John, "because I don't know it; but never trust Nancy's eyes again if she can't point him out to your honour, if so your honour is desirous of knowing.”

"Then do you and Nancy, as you call her, come up to the hall this evening, and I'll inquire into the matter, I promise you." So saying, the squire rode off.

John and his wife went up accordingly in the evening, and he gave a small rap with the big knocker at the great door. The door was opened by a grand servant, who, without hearing what the poor people had to say, exclaimed, “Oh, go!—go-what business can you have here ?" and shut the door.

John's wife burst out crying. "There," said she, sobbing as if her heart would break, "I knew that would be the end of it."

But John had not been in merry England merely to get his twelve guineas packed in two cakes. "No," said he firmly, "right is right, and I'll see the end of it." So he sat himself down on the step of the door, determined not to go until he saw the young squire; and as it happened it was not long before he came out.

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'I have been expecting you some time, John," said he; come in and bring your wife in," and he made them go before him into the house. Immediately, he directed all the servants to come up stairs; and such an army of them as there was! It was a real sight to see them.

"Which of you," said the young squire, without mak ing further words" which of you all did this honest

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woman give my purse to ?" But there was no answer. 'Well, I suppose she must be mistaken, unless she can tell herself."

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"John's wife at once pointed her finger towards the head footman; There he is," said she, "if all the world were to the fore-clargyman, magistrate, judge, jury and all-there he is, and I'm ready to take my Bible-oath to him; there he is who told me it was all right when he took the purse, and slammed the door in out as much as thank ye for it."

The conscious footman turned pale.

my face, with

"What is this I hear ?" said the master. "If this woman gave you my purse, William, why did you not give it to me?"

The servant stammered out a denial; but his master insisted on his being searched, and the purse was found in his pocket.

"John," said the gentleman, turning round, "you shall be no loser by this affair. Here are ten guineas for you; go home now, but I will not forget your wife's honesty."

Within a month John Carson was settled in a nice new-slated house, which the squire had furnished and made ready for him. What with his wages, the reward he got from the judge, and the ten guineas for returning the purse, he was well to do in the world, and was soon able to stock a small farm, where he lived respected all his days. On his death-bed, he gave his children the very three advices which his master had given him on parting:

"Never to take a bye-road when you could follow the highway.

"Never to lodge in the house where an old man was married to a young woman.

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'And, above all, to remember that honesty is the best policy."

EXERCISE.-25. MEANINGS OF WORDS.

1. Give the meaning of the following:-bestowed, mendicant, preca rious, eloquence, foreign, magistrate, conscious, jury.

2. Distinguish between :-road, rode, rowed; two, too, to; right, wright, rite, write; rap, wrap; heart, hart; not, knot; buy, bye, by; boy, buoy. 3. Illustrate the different meanings of:-cabin, right, long, stock, can.

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ge-ol-o-gist [Gk. ge, the earth; logos, a discourse], one who is versed in the science of geology, which treats of the structure and constitution of the earth. gran-ite [L. granum, grain], an igneous crystalline rock composed of grains of quartz, felspar, mica, and hornblende.

Ir a piece of granite were placed in the hands of a geologist, he would name it, and tell you of what sort it is, and whence it came; and after satisfying himself as to whether it were a good specimen or a bad one, he would probably label it, place it in his collection, and consider it no further. But should the same piece of rock be examined by a person intimate with other sciences than that of geology, it would be discovered that the so-called granite is composed of various

substances called minerals, the knowledge of which constitutes the science of mineralogy. If it be necessary to explain the uses to which these several minerals are put, in the arts, and in every-day life, we call in the aid of the science of technology. Finally, should it be necessary to trace the composition of the minerals themselves to their elements, the science of chemistry must be consulted. But it is possible that some of the minerals of which the specimen is composed are metals. A consideration of these brings us into contact with the science of metals, called metallography. We see from this how very closely allie the various sciences are to each other. In order to pursue the study of any one of them, we must have more or less knowledge of the whole.

Let us now consider the mineralogy of a piece of granite. The variegated colour of this rock is well known. If it be examined closely, the following tints will be found more or less in every variety, namely, black, white, grey, and red. The black substance is hornblende; the white or grey tints belong to the quartz, which is a very hard substance; the red is felspar, which is also sometimes white; and the scaly, glistening, light-coloured substance is mica.

Hornblende is so named from its horny, glistening appearance when broken. It is sometimes of a dark olive-green colour. When it is the principal mineral in a mass of granite, the latter is called syenite, from Syene, in Upper Egypt. Hornblende occurs, in many places, in a massive form. It is then known as hornblende-rock. Very closely allied to it are augite, hypersthene and actynolite. A wellknown variety of the latter is asbestos or amianthus, which can be woven into an incombustible cloth. This cloth was used by the ancients in burning their dead, in order that the ashes might be preserved for burial.

Quartz is the parent of a numerous family of minerals. Every one knows the pretty rock-crystal, which is one of its forms when crystallized. Another form is the cairngorm of the Scottish hills, which is sometimes yellow, like clear candy, and at others, of a greyish colour. A favourite variety is the amethyst, of a wine-colour, and which, like its brother cairngorm, is largely used in jewellery. The

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