and pull you out, the water looks so nice, and the bottom is so soft and muddy.' So, tucking her dress up round her waist, and taking off her shoes and socks, Poddles jumped into the pond, and was soon as wet and dirty as Toddles himself.

Meanwhile Dot had run home to tell nurse that Toddles was 'drownded,' and now she and nurse came running to the pond. Nobody else was in, as their father and mother were at a garden party. When nurse reached the pond she could hardly believe her eyes. Poddles and Toddles were in the middle of the pond fishing for snakes, waving their boots above their heads. 'Miss Poddles and Master Toddles,' gasped poor nurse, come out this minute.' At the sound of that awful voice, Poddles and Toddles looked at each other, then taking hands, walked soberly to the edge of the pond and scrambled out. They looked more like water-rats than children.

In grim silence nurse took their hands and led them solemnly home, where they were undressed and put to bed. When their father came home he gave them both a long scolding, at the end of which Toddles said gravely, 'But, dada, I'm quite sure that if you'd tumbled in, you couldn't have got out without trying to catch some of the little snakeses.'

Although his father could hardly help smiling, he sent both of them back to bed, and there they stayed all the next day, with their grubby little boots hung up opposite them to remind them how naughty they had been.

Moral. When you tumble into a pond, get out at once, and don't stay and fish for 'snakeses' with your boots.

JACK. A STORY FOR THE LITTLE ONES.

It was a cold raw November day, dirty in the extreme, but that was all the better for the little crossing-sweepers, who, broom in hand, made the crossings clean and dry for the foot-passengers to pass over. Jack Sheppard had a

crossing to sweep in one of London's busiest streets, but fortune did not smile on him, he had had no breakfast, and it seemed likely that he would remain supperless also, for not a half-penny had he received that day. Towards the middle of the afternoon, quite tired out with his day's work, he leant his head on the top of his broom-stick, and wistfully scanned the faces of the passers-by to see if one amongst them would remember the sweeper.' His attention was soon attracted by the sight of a tall respectable woman holding by the hand a little girl, apparently about eight years old, dressed in a complete suit of velvet, with the prettiest of rosy cheeks, and the longest of fair hair. She was chattering merrily to her nurse-poor little Jack heard her as they came along— Nursie, dear, you will help me choose, I don't know quite what to get though, because you can buy lots of things for a shilling-a doll's parasol or some tin tea-things or-but we will see when we get to the shop.' So this little girl had a shilling, a whole shilling to spend, when doubtless she had everything she wanted at home, while he was almost starving for want of a penny. Give me a penny, please Miss,' his tone was so very beseeching and his face so very pale that the child stopped to look at him, and the nurse said, 'Yes, Miss Ellice, I'm sure you might give him a penny, such a useful little boy as he is.' 'But, Nurse,' said Ellice lowering her voice, 'I've only a shilling,' and unclosing her little gloved hand she showed a bright silver shilling. Then we must come on,' said nurse, looking at Jack pityingly; 'I would give you a copper myself, my poor boy, but I've not got one here.' It only took nurse a minute to say these words, but during that time a conflict had been going on in Ellice's mind, should she give the poor boy her precious shilling or not. There was no time to lose in thinking, for nurse was already going on; so simply slipping the bright coin into the boy's hand, she ran on, not stopping to hear Jack's grateful thanks. A whole shilling! Jack had never possessed so much money at once in his whole life before. Throwing his ragged

cap up in the air two or three times for very joy, he rushed off to the nearest eating-house, where he invested in a sausage and a steaming hot roll. As he went out once more into the busy streets he saw the nurse standing on the steps of a large shop, looking up and down the street with anxious glances, but the fair-haired Ellice was not by her side. Jack sauntered down a by-street feeling quite a rich man, when walking on in front of him, with quick decided steps, was the very little girl who had given him the shilling-little Ellice. What could she be doing all alone, walking so fast towards the slums? Suddenly a thought struck him, 'Perhaps she's lost herself,' and darting forward he seized her by the sleeve. 'Oh, Miss! have you been and lost your nurse? Because I've just seen her down the other street,' and not waiting to hear if his suspicions were true, he hurried her along, never stopping till he had seen her safe by her nurse's side. Before Ellice had recovered from her surprise, he was gone. The explanation which nurse at last received from her little charge was this: Whilst nurse was busy in the draper's shop, Ellice had walked to the shop-door, and had stood there gazing at a toy-shop across the road. Wishing for a nearer view, she had at last run over, and once across, had wandered on from shop to shop, till thinking she had better return, she discovered that she had lost her way. Poor Ellice, though very frightened, soon plucked up her courage, and hoping to find nurse turned down the very street where she was found by Jack. Nurse was indeed truly thankful to find her charge almost before she had missed her, and this thankfulness was quite shared by Ellice's father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Keith, when they heard her adventures that evening. 'We must be very grateful to God for saving our little daughter from such a fate as "Lost in London," said Mrs Keith, laying her hand fondly on Ellice's fair hair. And under God to the little crossing-sweep,' added Mr. Keith. By the by, Ellice, where does his crossing lie? I must reward him for this.' So the next day Ellice and her father went to the

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crossing where they found Jack at his work. Well, my lad,' said Mr. Keith, after explaining what was his business, 'what would you like to be if you had your choice?' 'A sailor, please your honour,' was the grinning reply. So Mr. Keith sent him to a training ship, where he made in a few years an admirable sailor.

ICE, SNOW, AND WATER.

The ice was thick on the cold dark stream
Without any crack and without any seam,
And every day as thicker it grew
The struggling water tried to get through;
But the thick ice-floor was frozen strong,
And crowds of skaters came before long;
They praise the smooth ice, and so they glide
Backwards and forwards; they skate and slide;
Till it grew quite proud of its beautiful face,
And said it would never give up its place.
The snow fell fast, and the very next day
It covered the ice; so the people say,

'Let us sweep the ice; on one side we'll throw
This interfering, cold, damp snow.

There will be a thaw,' they said that night,
For all the day the sun shone bright.
It certainly seemed less cold and raw,
And before the morning there was a thaw.
The ice, snow, and water had become one,
Melted and joined by the glorious sun.
All rushed onward to the river,

And they will be one for always and ever.
Carried along in the river's train,

Ice and snow are melted again.

At last in the sea they find a home,

There with the waves to toss and foam.

'WOMAN'S WORK.'

NURSING.'

'Oh! woman, in our hours of ease,
Uncertain, coy, and hard to please,
And variable as the shade

By the light quivering aspen made;
When pain and anguish wring the brow
A ministering angel thou.'

PERHAPS some people may think 'Woman's Work' rather an ambitious subject for a School Magazine, but girls will be women some day, so why should they not think a little about their duty in life? Of the many parts into which 'Woman's Work' is divided I am going to take 'Nursing,' and try to say a little about it. It is, we all know, nothing new for a woman to nurse; ever since the world began it has been the part left to her, as the one she is peculiarly fitted for. In olden times she was doctor and nurse combined, and it seems probable that she who is always beside the invalid, and who can watch every turn of the disease, would, if properly trained, be better able to treat that disease, than the person who only sees it from time to time but perhaps in these days, when human life is so much more valued, it would be too great a responsibility for a single person.

Not many years ago the profession of nursing was at its lowest ebb, in fact it could scarcely be called a profession. In the hands of such women as 'Sairey Gamp' or 'Betsy Prig,' who are, I suppose, about as good types as any of nurses at the beginning of this century, could it be anything but degraded? What thanks are due to Dickens, from England's suffering ones, for the reform his life-painting has in a great measure caused. At that time most nurses were paupers or other ignorant women, who appropriated to their own use the