In this manner Mr. Dalben and Henry conversed as they walked through the wood, where it became darker every minute; but at length coming to the end of the wood, and entering on an open field, the light of the moon and stars seemed almost to shed upon them, who had been for some time in almost total darkness, a glory equal to the perfect day.

"Oh!" said Henry, "how sweet and pleasant is light after darkness!"

"It is indeed, my boy," said Mr. Dalben. “Darkness is not agreeable to man; and when involved in it, he never ceases to desire the light. Hence darkness is compared to that state in which man is by nature, and in which he must ever remain, unless his mind is enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

"When you were in the wood, my dear little boy, you could not see the path before you; you could not distinguish the trunk of a tree from a projection of a bank; you could not avoid a stone or clod of earth which happened to be in your way. So it is with the natural man, the man in his state of darkness; he knows not good from evil, right from wrong, or the way in which he ought to go; and, if left in this state, he must unavoidably perish: but when light shines on him from above, then he becomes, as it were, a new creature, his eyes are opened, and he is enabled to discern what dangers to avoid, and what benefits to pursue."

"Uncle," said Henry, as he drew near their house, "we have had a very pleasant walk." "And I trust that we shall have many more such, my dear boy," said Mr. Dalben, "if the Lord prolong our lives."

So saying, they entered the house; and I conclude my chapter, hoping, at a future time, to give some farther account of Mr. Dalben and his adopted son.

THE END OF PART I.

PART SECOND.

CHAPTER I.

Showing the Improvement made by Henry before his eleventh Year.

It is now more than three years since the learned community of little readers in this happy island first became acquainted with Henry Milner, that highly-favoured child, who, during all the years of early youth, was never taught any thing of the fashions and ways of this world; but was led straight on in the paths of holiness, without being allowed to turn either to the right or the left.

I am about to give my young friends some farther accounts of this little boy; but they must not now expect to find him such a baby as he was when he had that notable quarrel with Mrs. Kitty respecting his green bag, of which I have given so full and true an account in my last book.

Henry Milner was not nine years old when we finished our last accounts of him; and more than a year passed after his visit to Southstones Rock, without any thing very particular taking

place: he was therefore full ten years old, or perhaps near eleven, at the time which I have fixed upon for beginning the second part of my memoirs.

And, first, I presume that you would wish to know what improvements he made during the year and half which was spent by him, from the time of his visit to Southstones Rock, to the period which I have fixed upon for the beginning of my second history.

In the first place, he was very much grown, and become much stouter, so that he could run almost as fast as Lion, and could walk much further than Mr. Dalben himself, without being tired. He had a very pleasant countenance, particularly when speaking, and his manners were such as a Christian child's ought to be. When any person spoke to him, he did not stop to consider, as some proud boys do, whether it was a rich or a poor person who was addressing him; but always answered with the same civility, and if the speakers were grown up persons he always used the words Sir or Ma'am, when he answered them, which is what I am sorry to say is very seldom done in these days by children of any age; for boys cannot be made to understand that whilst they are boys, they are of no consequence in the world, and of no use to any one; and that grown up people only bear with them because they hope that in time they may become useful and good men, and because they pity them and love them; and because they remember the time when they were also little children, and were very troublesome to their parents, and rude and silly.

However, as boys are so silly and so trouble

some, the least thing that they can do is to pay respect to their elders, and not be talking in company and giving their opinions before wiser people, though they may speak no doubt to their fathers and mothers, and friends at home, and say what is in their minds on those occasions, and then they may ask any questions they please, and I dare say may often be allowed to joke and play, and make themselves innocently cheerful.

But as I said before, Henry Milner was always respectful to his elders, and this made every one love him, so that the old people all about Mr. Dalben's would have done any thing for little Henry Milner; and whenever he happened to meet with any of them, they would stroke his head, and pray that he might be blessed.

And now, with respect to the things which Henry Milner had learnt, I will endeavour to give you an exact account, in order that any of you, my readers, who may be of the same age of which he then was, may be enabled to discern whether your own improvements have kept pace with his.

And first, he could read English very well, and when he came to a hard word he always asked the meaning of it, in order that he might know it again when he saw it, and that it might not be a hard word to him any longer.

Till people can read their own language well, and until they know the hard words and their meanings, they cannot have enjoyment in reading, and then indeed they do lose a very great pleasure, and a very great means of improvement; and therefore, the very first thing which