"Stop at once!" exclaimed Mr. Dermott. "Or we will discontinue the lesson." "Do you understand, Anna," inquired Mrs. Dermott, "what is meant by the fall?" "No, aunt, not exactly." "You know Adam and Eve were created in the image of their Maker, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. By their disobedience they were cast down from their high estate; and this is called the fall. Milton and Beaumont thus graphically describe it:— "'Her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate; Earth felt the wound, and Nature, from her seat Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe That all was lost.' "'Up went her desperate hand, and reached away All the world's bliss, when she the apple took; When, lo, the earth did move, the heavens did stay, Beasts and birds shivered, absent Adam shook.'" "I remember well," remarked Mr. Dermott, "that there was a great excitement about a minister who had for many years been settled in the town adjoining the one where your mother and I lived. For a year he had been absent from his people, soliciting funds from the churches for some charitable object. At length it was ascertained that he had appropriated almost all the money he had raised to his own use, and thus been guilty of breaking the eighth commandment. A council of ministers was called, who took away his license, and deposed him from the pastoral office. This was called his fall; and I remember afterwards hearing my father ask,— "'Where is Mr. Monson?' "The gentleman replied, 'After his fall, he removed his family from town, and for months we have heard nothing from him.'" "By what was the fall of Adam followed?" "By additional sin and misery." "Do these always go together?" "Yes, sir," replied Helen. "How did sin and misery first exhibit themselves?" "I don't know, sir," answered Walter; "but I should think when Cain killed Abel." "It was long before that. Soon after Eve had persuaded her husband to partake with her of the fruit of the forbidden tree, she heard God calling,— "'Adam, hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?' "And he said, 'The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, end I did eat.' "In this reply, he not only endeavored to shield himself from responsibility by throwing the blame upon his wife, but he virtually reproached God—'the woman whom thou gavest me.' 'If I had been alone, I never should have done it; but she tempted me, and I could not resist.' "And the Lord God said unto the woman, 'What is this that thou hast done?' "And the woman said, 'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'