When all this was accomplished, those who could read with comparative ease were gathered about a table for a sort of Bible reading, which I proposed to give them, in the fifteenth chapter of Luke. This was the manner of it: One of them read the first verse, being helped over the hard words, then I explained it in as simple English as I could command; then the reader translated both it and my explanation into Chinese, each other pupil keeping watch to see whether what was said expressed the ideas which he had received from me. At this time, we were much aided by the co-operation of Yong Jin, our missionary helper, whose translations I could depend upon quite confidently, but I often give these readings without such help, feeling quite sure that if six or eight have received the _same_ idea, they have received the one I meant to give. When we had finished the first verse, a second pupil read the second verse with the same method, and so on. Some felt unequal to the task of translating, but most were willing to try, and most who tried succeeded strangely well. I had intended to follow this with a few words of exhortation, but just as we read the last verse, Yong Ack arrived. This is a brother who was converted about a year ago. His daily work is that of a cook in a way-side inn, about six (some said eight) miles from Oroville. He has been accustomed to walk this distance, over a rough and dusty road, to attend, not often the school, but the religious services of our mission. He can seldom reach the Mission House before nine, but the meetings begin when he arrives and continue till he is ready to start away. As this brother was to be baptized on the following evening, the Bible reading was suspended with a promise from me that I would speak from these words the next evening, and we all addressed ourselves to a study of the Confession and Covenant of our little Chinese Church at Oroville. It was taken up clause by clause, read in English, explained, translated into Chinese, and still further explained, till Yong Ack in particular, and in a general way all the rest of them, professed to understand and believe it all. When this was finished, we were well on towards 11 P.M., and we closed the meeting with song and prayer.