And, in truth, a very pretty sight it was--enough to make any one's old bachelor coat sit very uneasily on him. Indeed, there is nothing that gives one such a startling idea of the tricks that old Father Time has been playing on us, as to meet some boyish or girlish companions with half a dozen or so of thriving children about them. My old friend, I found, was in essence just what the boy had been. There was the same upright bearing, the same confident, cheerful tone to his voice, and the same fire in his eye; only that the hand of manhood had slightly touched some of the lines of his face, giving them a staidness of expression becoming the man and the father. "Very well, my children," said Mrs. Fletcher, as, after tea, William and Susan finished recounting to her the various matters that they had set in order that afternoon; "I believe now we can say that our week's work is finished, and that we have nothing to do but rest and enjoy ourselves." "O, and papa will show us the pictures in those great books that he brought home for us last Monday, will he not?" said little Robert. "And, mother, you will tell us some more about Solomon's temple and his palaces, won't you?" said Susan. "And I should like to know if father has found out the answer to that hard question I gave him last Sunday?" said Willie. "All will come in good time," said Mrs. Fletcher. "But tell me, my dear children, are you sure that you are quite ready for the Sabbath? You say you have put away the books and the playthings; have you put away, too, all wrong and unkind feelings? Do you feel kindly and pleasantly towards every body?" "Yes, mother," said Willie, who appeared to have taken a great part of this speech to himself; "I went over to Tom Walter's this very morning to ask him about that chicken of mine, and he said that he did not mean to hit it, and did not know he had till I told him of it; and so we made all up again, and I am glad I went." "I am inclined to think, Willie," said his father, "that if every body would make it a rule to settle up all their differences _before Sunday_, there would be very few long quarrels and lawsuits. In about half the cases, a quarrel is founded on some misunderstanding that would be got over in five minutes if one would go directly to the person for explanation." "I suppose I need not ask you," said Mrs. Fletcher, "whether you have fully learned your Sunday school lessons." "O, to be sure," said William. "You know, mother, that Susan and I were busy about them through Monday and Tuesday, and then this afternoon we looked them over again, and wrote down some questions." "And I heard Robert say his all through, and showed him all the places on the Bible Atlas," said Susan. "Well, then," said my friend, "if every thing is done, let us begin Sunday with some music."