come to pass again, for my part, I am resolved to pluck up the heart of a man, and to try my utmost to get from under his hand. I was a fool that I did not try to do it before; but, however, my brother, let us be patient and endure a while. "The time may come that may give us a happy release. But let us not be our own murderers." With these words Hopeful at present did moderate the mind of his brother. So they continued together in the dark that day in their sad and doleful condition. -John Bunyan. ESCAPE FROM DOUBTING CASTLE. Well, toward evening the giant goes down into the dungeon again to see if his prisoners had taken his counsel. But when he came there, he found them alive; and, truly, alive was all; for now, what for want of bread and water, and by reason of the wounds they received when he beat them, they could do little but breathe. But, I say, he found them alive, at which he fell into a grievous rage, and told them that, seeing that they had disobeyed his counsel, it ་ should be worse with them than if they had never been born. At this they trembled greatly, and I think that Christian fell into a swoon. But, coming a little to himself again, they renewed their discourse about the giant's counsel, and whether yet they had best take it or no. Now Christian again seemed to be for doing it, but Hopeful made his second reply as fol loweth: "My brother, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee; nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. "What hardships, terror, and amazement hast thou already gone through! and art thou now nothing but fear? Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee-a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also this giant has wounded me as well as thee, and has also cut off the bread and water from my mouth; and with thee I mourn without the light. "But let us exercise a little more patience. Remember how thou playedst the man at Vanity Fair, and wast neither afraid of the chain nor cage, nor yet of bloody death. Wherefore let us, at least to avoid the shame that becomes not a Christian to be found in, with patience as well as we can." Now, night being come again, and the giant bear up and his wife being in bed, she asked him concerning the prisoners, and if they had taken his counsel; to which he replied: "They are sturdy rogues; they choose rather to bear all hardships, than to make away with themselves." Then said she: "Take them into the castleyard to-morrow, and show them the bones and skulls of those that thou hast already dispatched, and make them believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou wilt also tear them in pieces as thou hast done their fellows before them." So, when morning was come, the giant goes to them again, and takes them into the castleyard, and shows them as his wife had bidden him. "These," said he, "were pilgrims as you are, once; and they trespassed on my grounds as you have done, and when I thought fit, I tore them in pieces; and so within ten days I will do you. Go! Get you down to your den again!" And with that he beat them all the way thither. They lay, therefore, all day on Saturday in lamentable case, as before. Now, when night was come, and Mrs. Diffidence and her husband, the giant, had gone to bed, they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners; and withal the old giant wondered that he could neither by his blows nor counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied: "I fear that they live in hopes that some one will come to relieve them, or that they have picklocks about them, by means of which they hope to escape." "And sayest thou so, my dear?" said the giant. "I will therefore search them in the morning." Well, on Saturday night they began to pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of day. Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, broke out in this passionate speech: "What a fool," quoth he, "am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle." Then said Hopeful: "That is good news, good brother! Pluck it out of thy bosom, and try." Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that leads into the castle yard, and with his key opened that door also. After, he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went very hard, yet the key did open it. Then they thrust open the door to make their escape with speed; but that gate, as it opened, made such a creaking that it waked Giant De spair, who, hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on and came to the king's highway, and were safe, because they were out of the giant's jurisdiction. Now, when they were gone over the stile, they began to contrive with themselves what they should do at the stile to prevent those that should come after from falling into the hands of Giant Despair. So they consented to erect there a pillar, and to engrave upon the side thereof this sentence: "Over this stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the king of the celestial country, and seeks to destroy his holy pilgrims." Many, therefore, that followed after, read what was written, and escaped the danger. —John Bunyan. THE FRINGED GENTIAN. Thou blossom, bright with autumn dew, |