SECOND SERIES-—CONTINUOUS PROSE

1.—We are reading this year in our classes a charming little comedy called ‘The Little Birds,” written by Eugène Labiche, and represented for the first time in Paris in 1862. The principal characters are two brothers who are very different. Edmond Blandinet is a man who is naturally kind and who believes in the goodness of others. On the other hand his brother François suspects everybody, and believes that everybody is ungrateful,

IT.—Each of the fathers has a son whom he has brought up according to his own ideas. Edmond’s son, Léonce, is a young lawyer, who does not yet plead. but helps his father to manage his property. His father is generous and gives his son, who respects him as the best and kindest of fathers, the money of which he has need. Léonce loves his father, and his father loves him. François, who lives at Elbouf, sends his s0n, Tiburce, to Paris to study and cuts off his supplies when he is twenty years of age. He tells him to earn his living. When his son writes to him and tells him his difficulties, he replies, ‘I am up to that scheme ! Yourstruly!” The young man borrows money and at last has 12,000 francs of debts.

III. —Before coming to Paris, Edmond Blandinet was in partnership with his brother François, at Elbouf, in the cotton trade, His brother had placed under his superintendence the children’s shop, where the poor little ones used to work ten hours a day. But Edmond had a good heart, and it saddened him to see the children working s0 hard. So he retired from the partnership and returned to Paris. Since that time he had bought houses which he rented to tenants. But his tenants did not pay their rent regularly, and were always asking for repairs, which his kind heart did not allow him to refuse,

IV.—One of his friends named Aubertin is a merchant, who has been expecting for a month a vessel from America, laden with cotton. But the vessel is late, and as there is the war in America, Aubertin is afraid that his ship has been captured by an American cruiser, Expecting to realize on his cargo he has made engagements, and if he has not a large sum of money at once he will perhaps be forced to suspend payinent, Edmond promises to lend the money to his old friend.

V.—Léonce is in love with the daughter of M. Aubertin, and his dearest dream is to see her become his wife. He says 80 to Aubertin, who tells him to wait and to hope, because that circumstances do not permit him to give a reply for a week. That same day François arrives at his brother’s house, Edmond has just received a letter from a poor

man which asks for charity. François makes a bet that there isn't a word of truth in the letter, The two brothers go to the house and find Edmond’s former coachman seated at a table before six empty bottles. It is he who has sent the letter,

VI.—Edmond begins to think that his brother is right, and that everybody is deceiving him, He suspects his servant, his shoemaker, his hatter, and even his family, He makes himself very unhappy, but Laura, the daughter of Aubertin, comforts him a little, She tells him that every mérning in winter she throws out breaë from her balcony for the poor little birds, that she brushes off the snow to protect them from the cok. £he says that the little birds are not grateful to her but fly away as soon as she opens the window. Some even peck her. But she is happy at being able to help these creatures of God which do not show any gratitude. At this time she-did not know that Edmond was going to lend her father the money.

VII. —Edmond decides not to lend the money to his friend. who is in difficulty. He writes à letter to him in which he says that an une-x pected catastrophe prevents him from lending the money which he had promised. He sends the letter by his servant. But before getting it, Aubertin has just recsived word that his vessel has arrived with a magnificent cargo. Edmond wishes to-talse back his-letter, but in vain Aubertin reads it. He had heard of the catastrophe, but he had not dared to speak of it. The bank in which Edmond had invested his money has failed.

VIII. —It is then that Edmond discovers who are his true friends. Aubertin offers him à deed of partuership, Joseph his servant wishes to serve:him without wages, his wife to sell her diamonds, his tenants bring himtheir rent, and even his brother wishes to-remake his fortune. Tiburce, his nephew, whom his-father has delivered from Clichy, where he was imprisoned for his debts, offers to him a diamond pin, which is worth tweive hundred francs, all that he has.

IX.—Imagine if Edmond is happy! “How good men are! how good women are!” he says. He is ashamed that he has doubted his friend or his family.

But his son renders him still more happy. He announces that provided with his power-of-attorney he has withdrawn three hundred thousand francs, and has placed them in the bank of France. The happy father gives his consent willingly to the marriage of Laura and his son. “To be happy,” he says, ‘you must know how to do two things ; to shut your eyes and open your hands.”