a scream of surprise, and the announcement "that it was dreadful to see him a-coming down there." [Illustration: "He sprang out upon the roof of the house, and there, before the chimney stack, beside his pigeon house, sat the vanished one."] That call to tea was the last which the convict's widow gave to her son. In the midst of it stealthy steps were heard upon the stairs, but the youth made no effort to escape. Two policemen in plain clothes entered the room, and one of them, seizing him by the arm, said, "We want you upon a charge of burglary, with violence to the person, committed last night at Hampstead." The prisoner burst into tears, and his mother, throwing her arms around him, gave a deep cry of anguish. There was but short delay, for he was hurried down stairs, and on to the station. Next morning he appeared in the dock at the police court, and a clear case was made out against him. His companions were taken upon the spot, and though he escaped, his face had been seen by the police and two other persons. At his trial he pleaded guilty, and his companions, who were well-known thieves, were sentenced to ten years' transportation, and himself to seven. His teacher visited him at the House of Detention, and then in the cell at Newgate. He appeared to be truly penitent, and promised to send him his first letter; and this accounts for the epistle from the convict establishment. When the Missionary read it to the wretched mother, she acknowledged that her sins had separated her from her God, her husband, and her son; and then, for the first time, she knelt down, and sobbed again while Divine mercy was implored on her behalf. There is some hope in her case and for her son also, as the Chaplain wrote a private note to the Missionary, asking for particulars concerning the convict, and telling him that the prisoner showed contrition, and spoke with feeling about a conversation upon the house-top. We must therefore leave convict 2484 (_a._ 1, 2), to endure the penalty of his crime, and show what kindness we can to his mother. The Book in the Court: ITS AUTHORITY. "'I am going there now!'-- There was light on his brow: Then up to the skies He lifted his eyes, With a bright sweet smile On his face the while. One struggling breath, And the hand of death Had broken the chain Of his grief and pain; And the soul had fled From the silent dead, And free as the lark, And above the dark, And above the cloud And the toiling crowd, Had entered the rest Of the good and blest." _Mrs. Sewell._ CHAPTER IV. A BLACKLEG--MINIATURE ALTAR--THE PEACEMAKER--THE WAFER--AN ANIMATED SANDWICH--SAVED FROM ERROR--THE TRAVELLING TINKER--THE DYING CHILD. THE BOOK IN THE COURT: ITS AUTHORITY. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." ISA. viii. 20.