When Mr. W. returned to the kitchen, where the stranger had seated himself before the fire, he informed him that he had decided to let him stay all night. The man expressed in few words his grateful sense of their kindness, and then became silent and thoughtful. Soon after the farmer's wife, giving up all hope of Mr. N.'s arrival, had supper taken up, which consisted of coffee, warm short-cake, and broiled chicken. After all was on the table, a short conference was held as to whether it would do not to invite the stranger to take supper. It was true they had given him as much bread and bacon as he could eat, but then, as long as he was going to stay all night, it looked too inhospitable to sit down to the table and not ask him to join them. So, making a virtue of necessity, he was kindly asked to come to supper--an invitation which he did not decline. Grace was said over the meal by Mr. W., and the coffee poured, and the bread helped, and the meat carved. There was a fine little boy, six years old, at the table, who had been brightened up and dressed in his best, in order to grace the minister's reception. Charles was full of talk, and the parents felt a mutual pride in showing him off, even before their humble guest, who noticed him particularly, though he had not much to say. "Come, Charley," said Mr. W., after the meal was over, and he sat leaning in his chair, "can't you repeat the pretty hymn mamma taught you last Sabbath?" Charley started off without any further invitation, and repeated very accurately two or three verses of a camp-meeting hymn, that was then popular. "Now let us hear you say the commandments, Charley," spoke up the mother, well pleased with her son's performance. And Charley repeated them with a little prompting. "How many commandments are there?" asked the father. The child hesitated, and then looking at the stranger, near whom he sat, said innocently:-- "How many are there?" The man thought for some moments, and said, as if in doubt, "Eleven, are there not?" "Eleven!" ejaculated Mrs. W. in unfeigned surprise. "Eleven?" said her husband with more rebuke than astonishment in his voice. "Is it possible, sir, that you do not know how many commandments there are? How many are there, Charley? Come, tell me--you know, of course." "Ten," replied the child. "Right, my son," returned Mr. W., looking with a smile of approval on the child. "Right, there isn't a child of his age in ten miles who can't tell you there are ten commandments." "Did you ever read the Bible, sir?" addressing the stranger. "When I was a boy I used to read it sometimes. But I am sure I thought that there were eleven commandments. Are you not mistaken about there being ten?" Sister W. lifted her hands in unfeigned astonishment, and exclaimed:-- "Could any one believe it? such ignorance of the Bible!"