cried out loudly against Samuel, but Arthur again took his part. Some said that he hindered all their games and ought to be sent home; but Arthur said, "We will not be angry with him this time; I think he won't do so any more." Samuel really looked grateful to Arthur when he said this. Arthur noticed that it was the first pleasant look he had shown during the evening. His mamma noticed it too, and when she went out of the room she called Arthur to her.

"You see, Arthur," she said, "that though Samuel is so very mischievous, you have done him some good. If you will keep on being kind to him you will in time make him better." "But, mamma, it will take a great deal of kindness to do that. I think nearly all the boys have "suffered long" during the evening; but what is that? There's a great noise in the parlour again."

When Arthur and his mamma returned to see what was the matter, they were met with the cry, "It is Samuel Croker again"-"Master Croker has pushed him down."

Arthur found that James Foster had been telling Samuel that he was mischievous, and Samuel in anger had pushed him under the table. His companions were all much vexed now, and were taking Foster's part; they said, that Samuel was too rude, and really ought to go home.

"I am not rude," said Samuel, "you are rude! I didn't mean to hurt him. I think I will go

home. I don't like parties. Let me go!"

"No, you shall not go," said one of the boys, taking hold of him-" you are my prisoner, and we

mean to try you. Arthur, you come and sit in this chair and be judge."

"No, I would rather not," said Arthur; "no, let him go! Here is Edward Hall, he will be judge."

"I am not going to be tried," said Samuel surlily; "I am going home."

"No, you are not," said another boy, seizing his other arm; 66 we mean to try you for being so naughty-it will be good fun." So Arthur was forced into a chair, and made to sit there as the judge.

Samuel Croker pulled very hard to get away, but he found that he could not escape from his two policemen. He did not know whether they were joking or in earnest; so he looked on the ground and said nothing.

I cannot tell you of all that was said at the trial; one boy after another said that he had been rude; and when Samuel himself heard all they had to report, he began to feel very guilty indeed. When his two policemen told the judge to pass sentence upon him, and said that he ought to be transported, he almost feared that they would really do so.

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I don' know what sentence to pass, I am sure," said Arthur; "I had better ask the jury."

"We will be the jury," said some of the boys-"we say he ought to be sent home without any supper."

"I will ask mamma," said Arthur; "she will make a very good jury."

The judge then left his chair to consult with his jury; and soon he returned with his sentence written upon a piece of paper.

When Samuel looked at the piece of paper, and observed that all were waiting in silence, he felt more afraid than before. "It has been proved," said Arthur, as he stood up on his chair and looked at the paper, "It has been proved that the prisoner was not polite to my mamma, when he was spoken to-it has been proved that he did not agree with the other boys when playing at bagatelle -it has been proved that he pushed some of his friends out of their places, that he broke my magic lantern, that he knocked down James Foster, and did other disorderly things." "Go on!" said the other children.

"Wait till I find the place," said Arthur, looking again at the paper. "It is the opinion of the jury, however," he continued, "that the prisoner ought to be-ACQUITTED!"

"Hurrah!" said three or four boys who were standing round "Hurrah!" said Samuel's policemen, and they let him go; then all the girls and the little children said, "Hurrah!" But Samuel hardly knew what to say; he looked in the face of his judge and smiled, and ventured to smile at one or two others who were near him.

"But I haven't read all the sentence," said Arthur. "The

jury thinks that the prisoner is a very good fellow, after all-and that he did not really mean to be rude. I think that he did not mean to be rude to me. Mamma says she forgives him; and I say I forgive him, and you all say "

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"Oh, yes," said several voices at once; we all forgive him; he is a very good fellow, after all. Let us go to supper; it has been waiting a long time."

All the boys and all the girls, and the very little children, and Arthur and Samuel, ate a good supper. I should like you to have seen how different Arthur looked all the rest of the evening.

L. Is that the end of your story, papa? What was the use of trying the boy in such a way? Did it do him any good?

P. Yes; it did good to him, and to all the others.

In the first place, Samuel could not forget the words, "he is a very good fellow, after all." When he heard them applied to himself, he thought that, perhaps, he really could be ". good fellow." He tried and found that he could, and has been very different ever since.

a

2ndly. Arthur learned how good it was to suffer long and be kind. He gained some practice that evening in bearing with the faults of others, and he resolved always to keep on forgiving those who vexed him until he made them better.

3rdly. The other boys learned how pleasant it is to forgive. They now forgive one another more easily than they used to do.

Order 2. BARBERRY PLANTS.

(Berberidaceae.)

P. YESTERDAY as I was walk

ing by the side of a hedge, I saw a shrubby plant. I had seen similar ones in plantations, but had never noticed the plant growing in a hedge before. L. And when you saw it what did you do, papa?

P. I admired the bright red berries upon it; and then, I picked it and brought it home. The blossoms had gone off from the plant which I had picked, but near it was a smaller one on which I found a bunch of yellow flowers.

W. Did you pick that too? P. Yes; and here they are.

The plant is The Common Barberry.

W. Oh, I have seen that plant often enough. When we were at uncle's farm last year, we picked plenty of those red berries from the hedges; but they have such a sharp sour

P. True; but you had better sit down and let me describe it to you. I am going to point out its parts.

First. Here is this bunch of

yellow blossom. But I must not say bunch, it is a raceme. When you find several flowers all stalked along a common axis, like these, or like the currant blossoms, then you call such a branch a raceme." L. Then we will pick some 66 racemes of currants" when they are ripe. "bunch of

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P. No-we say, currants," or "bunch of barberries"; we use the word "raceme" when speaking of the flowers.

But let us proceed. Here is a barberry blossom picked off the raceme. Its calyx, you see, has six

Barberry blossom. sepals.

W. I cannot count them; they are behind the petals.

P. Never mind. You can see that its corolla has also six petals.

Ion. Yes; and inside the corolla are six stamens.