"But no one can go to heaven who is not first made holy. The Bible bids us follow 'holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.' And Jesus is a Saviour from sin. 'Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.' Shall we kneel down now and ask Him to save you from yours?" "Yes, mamma," sobbed the child. Violet's prayer was short and to the point. Then she held Gracie for some time in her arms, while they mingled their tears together. At length, "Gracie dear," she said, "I believe God has heard our prayer and forgiven you. I am sure He has if you are truly sorry in your heart and asked with it, and not only with your lips, for forgiveness; but I want you to stay here alone for an hour and think it all over quietly, I mean about your wrongdoing and God's willingness to forgive for Jesus' sake, and that we could not have been forgiven and saved from sin and hell if the dear Saviour had not died for us the cruel death of the cross. "Oh, think what a dreadful thing sin must be that it could not be blotted out except by Jesus suffering and dying in our stead! And think how great was His love for us, when He was willing to lay down His own life that we might live!" Then with a kiss of tender motherly love, she went out and left the child alone. Gracie was sincerely penitent. She had always been taught that lying was a dreadful sin, and had never before told a direct falsehood; but while in her former home, Mrs. Scrimp's faulty management, joined to her own natural timidity, had tempted her to occasional slyness and deceit, and from these the descent to positive untruth was easy. Violet's faithful dealing, and even more her evident deep distress because of the sin against God of which her darling had been guilty, had so convinced the child of the heinousness of her conduct that she was sorely distressed because of it, and on being left alone, knelt down again and pleaded for pardon with many bitter tears and sobs. She had risen from her knees and was lying on a couch, still weeping, when Lulu came into the room. "Why, Gracie, what is the matter?" she asked, running to the couch and bending over her little sister in tender concern. "Don't ask me, Lulu, I don't want to tell you," sobbed Gracie, turning away her blushing, tear-stained face. "Mamma Vi has been scolding or punishing you for some little naughtiness, I suppose," said Lulu, frowning. "No, she hasn't!" cried Gracie indignantly; then hastily correcting herself, "except that she said she wanted me to stay here alone for a while. So you must go and leave me." "I won't till you tell me what it was all about. What did you do? or was it something you didn't do?" "I don't want to tell you, 'cause you wouldn't ever do such a wicked thing, and you--you'd despise me if you knew I'd done it," sobbed Gracie. "No, I wouldn't. You are better than I am. Papa said I was worse than you and Max both put together. So you needn't mind my knowing."