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when they are finished." Pray how long have you been established here, Miss Humphries?" "Only three weeks, Ma'am." "I should fear you would find business a poor thing here." "Indeed, Ma'am, I

have had as much as I could do ever since I arrived. Mrs. Lascelles is very kind, and I have been working for Mrs. Meredith at the mill." Miss Jennings bit her lips to avoid a smile, and she pronounced the word "Indeed" with a very firm tone.

Things were in this quiet state when Margaret Beal came in; she had been weeding her garden, and bade the young ladies a cordial good morning, hoped their mother was well, said it was fine weather for the harvest, and inquired after farming business, of which they confessed themselves completely ignorant. Margaret, whose simplicity took the short road to mortification, while she really had no intention to mortify them, as they professed. ignorance of one thing, and ignorance of another, said, "Now that's a pity!" She had repeated this several times, when Miss Jennings asked her, What was a pity?" "Why, my dear, that you should know nothing. I wonder your mother don't teach you! It will be strangely awkward for you, please God, you should ever have a house of your own, and married to some

working man.' Miss Jennings could scarcely contain her displeasure, but Margaret did not see it. She is a kind mother, dears, she was always a bustling body, but its time now for you to guide the house, and for her to sit down, and consider her latter end. Let's see how many are there of ye?" And she began to enumerate. "That's a fine saying of the psalmist, Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant, even so are the young children.' That is, ye see dears, the giant sends one arrow to one place, and another to another, all designed for various purposes: so, my dear girls, you may all do different things; one might sweep the house, another might make the butter, and if any of you have a hand at your needle, you could make and mend your father's shirts." This was hardly to be borne, and they were anxious to end it, when Esther asked, "if they had any commands for her?" They said " No, that unless they could see some patterns, it was impossible to fix." Esther curtsied, and the ladies withdrew.

They had scarcely left the garden before they met Mr. Lascelles, with his youngest little girl hanging on his arm. "So, Miss Jennings, you have been to see

that good creature, Margaret Beal?" The condescensions of Mr. Lascelles were never quite understood by Miss J. She always felt a disposition to rise when this excellent man descended; but he was a person of very keen susceptibility, and understood every motion of every mind. Miss Jennings said, "No, Sir, we have been to her niece the mantua-maker." Mr. Lascelles replied, "I am glad of it; suppose your employments at home are pretty numerous, so that you have not leisure to work much for yourselves; and as my wife informs me, this good girl is an acquisition in the village, you may find her very useful, and she may be a nice companion for you, she has read a great deal I find, and her good mother is so respectable." There was nothing to be said, and the Miss Jennings's escaped.

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Poor, vain young creatures," said Mary Humphries, "I am sorry for them, they are neither like gentry nor farmers' daughters." Dear mother, replied Esther, "I thought they were very agreeable young ladies." Well, my dear, that's a very christian spirit of yours, and I wish to my heart I could learn of you in that respect, for I never hear you speak evil of any one." Margaret Beal smiled

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as she walked about her little dwelling, and whispered something softly to herself. What is my aunt smiling at," said Esther. "Never do you mind, dear." Come, sister," said Mary Humphries, "tell us what you be saying." "Why, if you will have it, Mary, I was saying, that neither you nor Esther, had hit the right nail on the head if you had finished your speech, you had been pretty near the truth, if you had said, they were not like what farmers' daughters should be; but they are exactly like what farmers' daughters are, and what they will be, till squires come to live in their own houses. There's that fine hall, with the burning of Troy town over the mantel-piece, with the blue and pink panes of glass all along the windows, and ever so many of the squire's grand relations hanging round the room. Why, its just for all the world like squires' daughters sitting down in their own house, and as they pays the rent, they can't fancy but 'tis their own. Well, there they are, nice fine grown girls have been used to ride, to ride, since they could run alone; and what's so natural, but that when the father sees them grow up, he should mount them on the finest horses in his stable; and its been the talk for many years, what genteel figures they cut on horseback. Well, then, the next

ever

thought is, who knows but they may make their fortunes. And then, the mother, poor thing, told me one day, 'twould be a pity to spoil her Tiny's hand with work; for, when the great lord came there, he noted Tiny's pretty hand and arm. So the father is

proud of their riding, and the mother is proud of their pretty white hands, and there isn't a race round the country, but they are to be seen; and its the talk for a week after, what one said, and another said. All this is very bad for those girls, though its very natural." "But I thought, aunt, the young ladies seemed to come very regularly to church." "Ah, my dear, so I thought, too, and seemed to behave decent; though Betty Smith tells me, that there's been a deep trap laid there, to catch her master." Dear me, aunt, how shocking! Do you believe that? Do you think any body would go to church, for such a wick

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ed purpose as that?" My dear, I don't know; I should be sorry to judge any body wrong; I only tell you what poor Betty said, and she is not given to evil surmises; her heart has been very heavy about it, since she heard her master say, about a fortnight ago, that he was pleased to see the Miss Jennings's more attentive at church than they used to be." Mr. Kemp is a good man, I suppose, aunt?"