A. L. O. E.'s picture story book.

by A. L. O. E.

The wife uttered a loud exclamation of pleasure.

"Nay, more than this," continued Seek, "he has not only allowed me to stay in my home, but has offered to advance me money sufficient to start me in business again!"

Seele's wife threw her arms round his neck, and cried and sobbed with delight. The children, who had crowded round their parents to hear the news, jumped and clapped their hands. Past sorrows seemed at once to be almost forgotten; Seele and his wife thought now of nothing but pleasant plans for the future.

But little Grace thought of something besides. Her heart was indeed very full of joy, but there was in it room for gratitude also. She went to her own little chamber, and there on her knees returned thanks to the Giver of good. Grace then went and threw open her window to let in Heartslove, who was tapping on the glass with her bill.

"Have you come, my pretty one," said Grace, "to share in our pleasure! I shall not have to part with you now, my darling." Tenderly the little girl kissed and fondled her pet. "Oh, that dear, dear lord, that most generous friend, how good he has been to us all! I do love him, though I never have seen him. Oh, how I wish that I could do something, were it ever so little, to show him how very, very thankful I am."

The desire to show her gratitude in something more than words had taken strong hold of the loving heart of the child. Grace sat for more than an hour thinking and thinking what she—even she—could do for the merciful lord of the manor.

"I should like to make him a nosegay of all the best flowers in my garden; I would strip off every blossom," said the child to herself. "But flowers die so soon; and then the gardens round the Castle hold flowers a hundred times prettier than mine. I am afraid that the rich master would scarcely look at my nosegay. I should like to work from morning till night to make something fit to give him; but I am little, and cannot work well;—I do not see what I could make. But oh, I must find some way of letting the generous lord know how grateful I am for his goodness!"

In the midst of her perplexity, the eye of little Grace rested on her white dove. This was her greatest treasure, the one thing which she valued beyond all others.

"I wonder if the great lord would accept Heartslove," murmured the child. "I should not indeed like to lose my dear dove; but I have nothing else worth offering to the friend who has saved my father. The bird is my own, my very own; I may give it to any one that I please; and shall I grudge it to him to whom we owe everything that we have?"

There was a little struggle in the mind of the child, but it ended in her resolving to offer her pet bird to the lord of the manor.