ther's wishes, she has shown great want of gratitude and respect for the friend who has been catering for her amusement, and has probably fussed and hurried herself into a fever ; perhaps, too, she has forfeited any renewal of this same kind friend's offer. And why? Because she chose to put off a positive duty, and to waste the time of others as well as her own.

This last evil, arising from want of punctuality, is too serious to be overlooked in our discussion on the value of time. I remember being much struck with the reproof given by a lady of the Society of Friends to one of the members of a charitable committee, who entered the meeting-room a quarter of an hour after the time appointed. “Dost thou know how much time thou hast lost?” asked the Friend. “I am but a few minutes behindhand-not a quarter of an hour," said the delinquent, looking at her watch. “I beg thy pardon,” replied the other; “thou hast not only lost thine own quarter of an hour,—which is an affair between thee and thy God, but thou hast robbed each of us twelve of the same time. And what right

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hadst thou to take from us what thou canst not restore?”

It is indeed true, that the unpunctual person not only squanders the time in

rusted to herself, but wastes that of others also.

If you would really improve your time, be very careful to be always doing something. It is not enough to be intending to do. "The fool,” it is said, “talks of what he is going to do.” The wise man will hardly mention what he has done. It is astonishing what a number of hours may be daily wasted in dreaming of setting about something. The only plan that will insure no waste of time is to assign a certain hour for every employment, and to go directly from one to another at that hour, without one moment's hesitation, taking, however, into that new occupation, all our thoughts, and energies, and heart.

But when we speak of putting all our heart and energies into our employment, let us also be sure that the occupation itself is one which is worthy of our destinies as responsible and immortal beings Whatever can contribute

any way. It is for them to take care they are not the cause of the household regulations being infringed; and by a very little careful management and forethought, they may maintain a certain exactitude themselves. Supposing, for example's sake, that the breakfast hour is not absolutely certain : that one of the principal members of the family is occasionally a quarter or half an hour late. How easy for the young ladies to have some small neat piece of work about, not easily spoiled by being kept in hand, to take up at the appointed breakfast hour, and put in their work-bags when the meal commences. Indeed, there are so many occasions when we are compelled to wait for some thing or person, that it is always wise to have some piece of work ready to take up at a moment's notice. None but those who have tried it can imagine how much may be done in this way.

But this, of course, is 'but the filling up of odd moments: the hours should be regularly portioned out for the more serious occupations. It will be found a golden rule to devote large portions of time to long works, and keep the

smaller spaces for that which can be performed in them. Now the reverse of this is the rule usually adopted by those who have not made it a study to put their time to the best use. A long rainy day comes; it is impossible to go out, and indoor exercise is not dreamed of (more of that by-and-by); so it is thought a piece of wise economy to devote the long morning to a “multitude of odd jobs,” of which one, two, or three might have easily been completed in the odd half hours of ordinary days. So the time passes, and there is absolutely nothing to show for it: had it been steadily occupied in some one more important undertaking, there would, on the contrary, have been a visible progress made and the habit of close and lengthened attention would have been strengthened.

If it were a question of money instead of time, we should see the folly of the popular practice at once. The man who, having to pay one bill of £60, and a multitude of small items, should change his fifty-pound note to pay the trifles, and settle the large bill in small coin, would very justly be thought to have taken leave

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of his senses; nor would the excuse that the fifty would not entirely pay the bill, be held a sufficient reason for his folly. Yet this is practically what nine out of ten do with what is infinitely more valuable than money, with time itself: the folly is to the full as great, but we do not think of it in that light. However, she who desires to make the most of her time will appropriate it on the same principle as she would her cash; she will keep long periods for the tedious or serious labours of life, and fill up with the lighter matters all the spare minutes or quarters of an hour.

In this way, too, many valuable works may be read, and progress made in many branches of study, during intervals which many young people utterly waste. We have only to ask ourselves at the end of a day, “What have I done since I rose this morning ?” and to put down the time for which we can account, to find out how many hours of each day are entirely lost. It is an excellent check upon ourselves, to put down in the morning before leaving our bedroom what we intend to do during the day; and