cathedral at Prato. And there were present at the death of the Virgin Mary, besides the twelve Apostles, Dionysius the Areopagite, Timotheus, and Hierotheus; and of the women, Mary Salome, Mary Cleophas, and a faithful handmaid whose name was Savia. When Thomas went as an apostle to the East, he entrusted the precious girdle to one of his disciples. After the lapse of a thousand years, one Michael, a crusader, fell in love with the daughter of a Greek priest, who had the custody of the girdle, and she got it as a dowry, and brought it with Michael, whom she married. It was thus that it came to be deposited in the cathedral at Prato, where it still remains. CHRIST LEARNING THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET. There is a legend in the "Gospel of the Infancy" to this effect. When the Holy Family had returned from Egypt, our Lord being then about seven or eight years old, Mary was exhorted to send her Son to school. And although she knew perfectly that He required no human teaching, she complied. She brought Him to a certain schoolmaster whose name was Zaccheus, and the schoolmaster wrote out the alphabet for Him, and began with the first Hebrew letter, saying, "Aleph." And Jesus pronounced after him "Aleph." Then the master went on to the second letter, saying, "Beth"; but Jesus said, "Tell me first what means this letter 'Aleph,' and then afterwards I will say 'Beth.'" But the schoolmaster could not tell Him. And Jesus began to teach him and to explain the meaning and the use of all the letters--how they were distinguished, why some were crooked and some were straight--until Zaccheus the schoolmaster stood in astonishment, and exclaimed, "Was this Child born before Noah? for, behold, He is wiser than the wisest man, and needs no teaching." HOW JESUS RAISED A BOY TO LIFE. The "Apocryphal Gospel of Thomas" has the following (chapter vii.): "One day, when Jesus went up on a certain housetop with some children, He began to play with them. But one of the boys fell through the back door, and immediately died. And when the children saw it, they all fled; but Jesus remained on the housetop. And when the parents of the boy that was dead had come, they said to Jesus, 'Truly thou didst make him fall.' And they laid wait for Him. But Jesus, going down from the housetop, stood over the dead child, and called with a loud voice the name of the child: 'Sinoo, Sinoo! arise, and say if I made thee fall.' And suddenly he arose and said, 'No, Lord.' Now, when his parents saw so great a miracle which Jesus did, they glorified God and adored Jesus." JOSEPH AND JESUS AS CARPENTERS.