Duncan's voice, and I woke with a start to find myself back in my Indian home with my husband bending over me.

The next mail brought the news of my brother's death; he had been found dead in the church porch on New Year's morning, it was supposed from heart disease.

CHRISSIE LITTLE.

THE EVERLASTING SHOWERS.

Will summer never come again,

With sunshine and with flowers?

I'm getting tired of this rain,
And everlasting showers.

Patience! Spring is ever nigh.
Underneath that stormy sky
Dwells a host of sunshine bright,
Filling all the earth with light.

The little birds are still that sang
Through bright and sunny hours;
The leaves quite limp and drooping hang,
From everlasting showers.

Birds unto their nests have flown;

Leaves have limp and drooping grown;

Soon birds' songs will rend the air,
Leaves forgetting every care.

But see, the sun begins to shine

And brighten all the flowers,

Then I must no longer whine

At everlasting showers.

Breaking from the clouds of rain,

Sunshine has come back again;
While the merry birds on high
Carol sweetly in the sky.
Good-bye for ever, wind and rain!
Good-bye to cheerless hours!
For summer has come back again
From everlasting showers.

BEATRICE HATCH.

ADVENTURES ON THE THAMES EMBANKMENT IN THE EARLY MORNING.

I LIVE in London, and possess a dog, a collie, of which I am very fond, and which always accompanies me on my walks. There is one uncomfortable thing about the animal, namely, that he evidently agrees strongly with the proverb 'Might is right,' and at one time had me completely under his thumb. When we started for walks in the morning it generally ended by Nero's deciding where we were to go, and my meekly following him. It doesn't go quite so far as this now, though many of my friends still tell me that it is not I who take Nero for a walk, but Nero who takes me.

Well to give you an instance of one of my morning's walks with Nero.

It was a fine spring morning, and that particular day he had chosen to go to the Thames Embankment—a very favourite resort of his. On the way we had to pass a butcher's shop. Now there was nothing particularly attractive about that shop that I know of, the dog had never stopped there before, but on this eventful morning he stalked into the shop, and lay down, contemplating a piece of meat with eager eyes.

Nothing would induce him to move. It must be confessed it was not a particularly pleasant position, nor is it a particularly profitable or interesting employment on a fine spring morning to stand gazing into a butcher's shop. I tried to drag the dog out, the butcher tried, but all to no avail. There I had to remain for upwards of ten minutes hopelessly gazing at the animal. When at last he got tired of waiting and saw that he was going to get nothing he came out of the shop, evidently considering himself the most injured of beings.

But this was only the beginning of that morning's troubles. If you are in the habit of taking early walks in London you will know that there are to be seen lying about in the streets a multitude of Relics' in the shape of old hats, boots, tinkettles, &c. Well Nero is always very tiresome about these things; about five times in the morning I have to go up and tear some grubby article from him, but this morning whether because he was in a bad temper, or had got a fit of utter perversity, I know not; all I know is that that morning I deprived him of six boots, three hats, two battered saucepans, and the remains of an umbrella, over each of which articles we had a pitched battle. When we got home we were both in a bad temper, but Nero was the sulkiest of the two and would hardly speak to me.

JULIA F. ARNOLD.

TOPICS OF THE TERM.

The sewing-class still goes on this term and the hour on Friday still seems to be much appreciated by all.

We here quote an extract from Miss Smith's kind letter to Miss Bishop, when she received our contributions last term:'I must tell you for the information of your Dorcas meeting, how I disposed of your welcome contribution of clothing.

Many of the garments were appropriated to the girls at the Industrial School, also the pretty little frock to our smallest child at Christmas. The remaining garments were most gratefully received by some of the many, many poor children whom I know some to the children of two or three very respectable men, thrown out of work by the bitter weather-the rest to the children of hard working widows. In every case I explained how I came by the articles, that the recipients might have the pleasure of sending their grateful thoughts to the unknown donors. Another time if your children are good enough to work again for mine, I should propose that a deputation of them should go down and give away the things themselves. The givers and receivers would I am sure like to see each other face to face.' Miss Smith also very kindly made an offer of material for our work this term.

The attendance at the Gymnasium is very large this term, and almost all now have our Sunflower badge worked on their gymnasium costumes.

Miss Huckwell has kindly consented to be on the Editing Committee of the Magazine.

As there have been no Examinations lately, we have no Honours to record.

The Drawing Examination will be held on the last two days of term.

The following girls are going in for the Oxford Locals this year ::

Senior-Marion Saunders, Julia Arnold.

Junior-B. Max Müller, M. James, A. Young, E. Arnold.

JULIA ARNOLD.