city were thrown open, and the throng poured fortha throng of heavily-laden women indeed, but bearing neither gold nor household valuables. Each true wife bore on her shoulders her condemned husband, and carried him safely out of the city, her own possession, guaranteed to her by the word of an Emperor. 8. There was murmuring among the besieging host when this unexpected sight met their eyes. Their Emperor had not meant this. They said it was an evasion of his decree, and could not stand. 9. But Conrad, with all his severity, carried no heart of stone within his bosom. His word, too, was given. He would not draw back. The men were saved, and to this day the women of Weinsberg hold an honored place in the recollection of their country-men and country-women, and they have also a safe little nook in the history of their land. แ I LESSON XXV. THE AGED STRANGER. WAS with Grant"-the stranger said. But rest thee here at my cottage porch, 2. "I was with Grant "-the stranger said. I prithee sit at my frugal board, 3. "How fares my boy-my soldier boy, In the smoke and the battle's roar !" 4. "I know him not," said the aged man; I was with Grant"-" Nay, nay, I know," 5. "He fell in battle-I see, alas ! Thou'dst smooth the tidings o'erNay, speak the truth whatever it be, Though it rend my bosom's core. 6. "How fell he-with his face to the foe, Oh! say not that my boy disgraced 7. "I cannot tell," said the aged man, 8. Then the farmer spake him never a word, That aged man, who had worked for Grant BRET HARTE. LESSON XXVI. HABITS. Com'pre hĕnd'ed, embraced; | contained or included. Chărʼae ter, the sum of quali- Ca'ble, a large, strong rope used THE under the power and control Bas tile', an old prison in Paris. out study or preparation. Irk'some, tedious; tiresome. Těm'per, the state of a metal as to its hardness and strength. HE whole character may be said to be comprehended in the term, habits; so that it is not so far from being true, that "man is a bundle of habits." Suppose you were compelled to wear an iron collar about your neck through life, or a chain upon your ankle, would it not be a burden every day and hour of your existence ? 2. You rise in the morning a prisoner to your chain; you lie down at night weary with the burden; and you groan the more deeply as you reflect that there is no shaking it off. But even this would be no more difficult to bear than many of the habits of men, nor harder to be shaken off. 3. Habits are easily formed-especially such as are bad; and what to-day seems to be a small affair, will soon become fixed, and hold you with the strength of a cable. That same cable, you will recollect, is formed by spinning and twisting one thread at a time; but, when once completed, the proudest ship turns her head towards it, and acknowledges her subjection to its power. 4. Habits of some kind will be formed by every student. He will have a particular course in which his time, his thoughts and feelings will run. Good or bad, these habits soon become a part of himself, and a sort of second nature. Who does not know that the old man, who has occupied a particular corner of the fireplace in the old house for sixty years, may be rendered wretched by a change? 5. Who has not read of the release of the aged prisoner of the Bastile, who entreated that he might again return to his gloomy dungeon, because his habits there formed were so strong that his nature threatened to sink under the attempt to break them up? You will probably find no man of forty who has not habits which he laments, which mar his usefulness and destroy his peace, but which are so interwoven with his very being that he cannot break through them. At least, he has not the courage to try. 6. I am expecting you will form habits. Indeed, I wish you to do so. He must be a poor character, indeed, who lives so extempore as not to have habits of his own. But what I wish is, that you form those habits which are correct, and such as will every day and hour add to your happiness and usefulness. If a man were to be told that he must use the ax, which he now selects, through life, would he not be careful in selecting one of the right proportions and temper? 7. If told that he must wear the same clothing through life, would he not be anxious as to the quality and kind? But these, in the cases supposed, would be of no more importance than is the selection of habits in which the soul shall act. You might as well place the body in a straight jacket, and expect it to perform, with ease, and comfort, and promptness, the various duties of the body, as to throw the soul into the habits of some men, and then expect it will accomplish anything great or good. 8. Do not fear to undertake to form any habit which is desirable; for it can be formed, and that with more ease than you may at first suppose. Let the same thing, or the same duty, return at the same time every day, and it will soon become pleasant, however irksome it was at first. In this way all our habits are formed, and it rests with us to say of what character they shall be. REV. JOHN TODD. LESSON XXVII. MAZEPPA. Mēʼni-al, belonging to a train of | Ghastly, horrible; dreadful. servants; low; mean. Squad'ron, a body of cavalry. Thong, a strap of leather, used Reek'ing, smoking; sweating. to fasten anything. Pin ́ions (pin'yuns), wings. "B RING forth the horse!'-the horse was In truth, he was a noble steed, A Tartar of the Ukraine breed, [brought; Who looked as though the speed of thought |