' You seem very tired, sir!' I said. ' I am
tired,' he replied; ' leg weary, and brain weary.
You see I'm not quite the man I was before I
had that fever, Clem, my boy!'

"' Why do you work so hard, sir? You wear
yourself out.'

"' Better that, than rusting out, surely.'

"' But I don't see what you gain by it. It
don't seem to make you any richer.'

"He smiled one of his own radiant smiles.
' No,' he cried, still trying to collect the
scattered embers, ' not in one sense, certainly. I'm
poor enough; so poor that I don't dare to use
any more of those coals, for fear we should run
short to-morrow. But we'll have a little warmth,
nevertheless.' And going out briskly, he
presently returned with a few pieces of an old
hamper, with glass painted on it in large letters.
' That'll do!' lhe exclaimed, with quite a boyish
pleasure, as after a while a bright flame sprang
up, over which he spread his thin hands, shivering,
but cheery as ever. ' That's capital! Now,
Clem, you asked me why I worked so hard,
when it don't seem to make me any richer. Tell
me why did you give up all thought of thieving
lately?'

"I shuddered. Scarcely could I bear an
allusion to that horror, even from him. I hung
my head, and answered, ' Out of love to you, sir.
And out of gratitude.'

"' Exactly— to your master. And I work
hard for the same reason— out of love and
gratitude to mine. And my pay is what no other
master gives— not gold," better than that— '

"'What then, sir?'

"' Happiness! peace! hope! love! all those!
"Real riches.'

"Sir, you can no more imagine the expression
of his face as he uttered those words, than I
can describe it. When he spoke of his Master,
he glanced upwards, as though seeing Him, and
his countenance became rapt, solemn, full of
adoration. I had beheld something of the same
look in him before; when excited by the subject
on which he was preaching, he carried all hearts
with him, and drew tears from many eyes. But
in a few minutes he was his own cheery self
again, full of interest about me, whom he had
in a manner forgotten before.

"' Clem, I have a question to put to you.'

"'Yes, sir.'

"' Have you forgiven Phil?'

"I paused a moment before I replied. Then
I said boldly, ' No, sir; and never shall.'

"I ought to mention, that he had often put
this question to me before, and I had always
returned the same answer.

"' I thought you would do anything for my
sake.'

"' So I would— anything but that, sir. I shall
never forgive Philip Steele. I have promised
you to give up the revenge I once thought of,
and that should be enougli.'

"'No, it is not enough. I must have the
forgiveness too.'

' ' Sir, the other day you asked me the same
question, and I nearly made a vow that I would
never forgive Philip.'

"' Clem, you tell me that— '

"'I didn't make it, sir; but I could have
done so. You see I don't wish to forgive him.
He is base, ungrateful, cowardly. He returned my
mother evil for good. I never will forgive him.'

"There was a pause. He sat looking at the
fire in silence. 'Clem,' said he, after some
time, ' I shall speak of this no more; at least,
not now. Perhaps it was too soon to do so at
all. But mark my words— we sitting watching
that flame— you must forgive Phil.'

"As if to give additional effect to his words,
the flame went suddenly out.

"I felt miserable. I believed in him
implicitly; but I could not give up my
resentment. It seemed to me unjust to ask it. It
was my right. I clung to it. I cherished it. I
would keep it, in spite of him.

"No more was said at that time; but some
days later, as I was ' minding the baby,' he
paused to watch us both, and said, ' It's pleasant,
isn't it, Clem, to serve those one loves?'

"I looked up, all my heart in my eyes. ' It
is indeed, sir.'

"' But it is a better pleasure to serve those one
hates; for then we must cease to hate them.
No one can go on hating those they benefit; it
is not in our human nature. So, if a man who
harboured resentment against another for some
great injury, were to ask me how he should set
about getting rid of that resentment, I should
say, " Do good to him, serve him, pray for him.
You'll find you have forgiven him after that." '

"He spoke with a great earnestness, a
solemnity even, that impressed his words upon
my mind. But they didn't convince me. Do
good to Phil Steele! pray for him! I would
die sooner. Rather, I would give the world to
crush him, as he had crushed me.

NEW WORK BY MR. DICKENS.
In Monthly Parts, uniform with the Original Editions of
"Pickwick," "Copperfleld," &c.
Now publishing, PART X., price 1s., of
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND.
BY CHARLES DICKENS.
IN TWENTY MONTHLY PARTS.
With Illustrations by MARCUS STONE.
London: CHAPMAN and HALL, 193, Piccadilly.

Stitched in a cover, price Fourpence, the
NEW CHRISTMAS NUMBER,
MRS. LIRRIPER'S LEGACY,
I. MRS. LIRRIPER RELATES
HOW SHE WENT ON, AND WENT OVER.
II. A PAST LODGER RELATES
A WILD LEGEND OF A DOCTOR.
III. ANOTHER PAST LODGER RELATES
HIS EXPERIENCE AS A POOR RELATION.
IV. ANOTHER PAST LODGER RELATES
WHAT LOT HE DREW AT GLUMPER HOUSE.
V. ANOTHER PAST LODGER RELATES
HIS OWN GHOST STORY.
VI. ANOTHER PAST LODGER RELATES
CERTAIN PASSAGES TO HER HUSBAND.
VII. MRS. LIRRIPER RELATES
HOW JEMMY TOPPED UP.