66

66

"To be

ye wouldn't blame Esther for that," said Margaret, "wasn't it right the girl should ask leave of Madam; how should she know what to do if she did not?" "That is true," said Mary. Yes it is," said Margaret; "but you have got such a way of telling the child her faults, that I think you blame her sometimes where there's no occasion." Well, that's like enough; but then she knows I love her; don't ye, Hetty?" "Ah, mother, there's no doubt of that.' sure 'twas best ye should tell Madam Lascelles, who could know how she would take it." "Oh mother, don't you mistake, she didn't take it amiss; but I understand now that those ladies are not so rich, and they can't so well afford to put their clothes out, and I suppose Madam Lascelles thought it was rather extravagant to think of it, and I suppose they are friends of hers." (Margaret, laughing,) Esther, child, ye have got a strange fancy to put them girls out of their places." Mrs. H. "Now, Margaret, that's not like you; we shall sin if we don't mind." "Well, thank ye for that good counsel; so I'll stop before I go any further. How true it is, Mary, that man is not only born to trouble, but born to sin. I'm sure when I would do right, evil is present with me.”

66

66

Margaret, do you remember, when we

were girls, how we did hate that saying we didn't think we had as much sin as that good Mr. Bartlett used to say we had. Many a time have I thought to myself, what a wicked heart that man must have, he seems always to be judging us by himself. Well, there we were wrong indeed; he was a saint if ever there was one on this earth; he was so humble that I've heard his own maid say, if he had contradicted her or said any thing at all sharp in the day he was sure to beg her pardon before he went to bed at night, and she said she used to go about almost ready to knock her head against the wall to see his humility." "Dear me, aunt, wasn't that very odd ?" Why, my dear, she was a good woman, and she had an uncommon respect for her master, and so couldn't bear that he should humble himself to her." "Well that was becoming, too, I think, aunt, was it not, because I have seen some servants who fancied their religion made them equal to their masters." Ah, child, that's the pride of the corrupt heart, that's not true Christianity." "I don't know what pleasure people can take in going out of their station." "If that's quite true, Esther, you may thank God for it, for it is not your own nature, child, but a new nature that he has given you, so do ye be thankful, I

66

66

66

say." "Yes, mother, I am, I can say I do feel that, and I am quite contented in my happy station.

Thus did these good cottagers converse together, and their lives passed in simple faith and christian obedience; and which best loved Esther, the aunt or the mother, was difficult to say. There was this difference in their mode of showing it; the mother never thought it necessary to gild the truths she delivered, the aunt thought her little niece the most perfect being she had ever met; if she saw any thing particularly pretty, it was just like my Esther; if she heard of a good action, ah, that's just what my Esther would have done; if any one was bold and forward, how different is my Esther! and the mother would reply," If Esther Humphries is not spoiled it won't be Margaret Beal's fault."

Every morning, during Stephen's absence, Michael had wandered to the Mill to breakfast, for he said, Fanny must be lonely; she must miss that boy, I miss him myself. "How very kind this is of you, my dear brother," and she would place her little girl upon his knee while she poured out his breakfast, and the meek baby would look up in his face with a doubtful expression; this intercourse ended well, and the little girl was soon in fa

vour with her kind uncle. But the day arrived when the travellers returned, and all things were again in their wonted channel, and the whole family group were united in the evening under the walnuttrees. "My dear brother has been so kind, he begins I believe now to like the baby. "My dear Fanny, I always liked her, as I always must like every thing connected. with you, but you would not have me forsake my old friends." "Oh, by no means, I feel the happiness of my boy having such a friend," and Stephen looked on with delight. But there was that gravity and decision in Michael's character which, without designing it, always held an upper place. Stephen, though he loved him as a brother, continued to reverence him as a master, and things were in this train when the talk of the Miss Jennings's being "quite come down," as the village people called it, reached the Brow. Betty Smith came in with a look half piteous, and yet with the air of one who had foreseen the evil and thought it was no more than was to be expected, she said, "Master, have ye heard the news? "I've heard nothing particular, what news do you mean?" "About the Miss Jennings's." "No, Betty, I've heard nothing of the Miss Jennings's, at least nothing particular." "I can't say but I'm

sorry for 'em though, poor things, they hav'nt been so humble as they should have been." "Well, but Betty, what is the matter, what have you heard?" "That they are going to take in plain work, and make gowns and such like." "Well, Betty, is there anything so very unfortunate in that? depend upon it, the man or woman who is most busy, provided he is innocently busy is the happiest person." "Then, Sir, the Miss Jennings's are not of that mind; they never did like work, 'tis clean contrary to what they've been used to, they were fond of reading, Sir." "I am very glad to hear that," said her master." "Oh, Sir, I don't believe it's the sort of reading as you like; it's about great lords, how they married farmers' daughters, and how young ladies had lost their parents, as they thought, and been brought up in distress, and all at once, when nobody expected any such thing, they found their parents and such quantities of money, and those who had had nothing to help 'em were found out to be dukes and such like.' "Why, Betty, you are perfectly right, this is not the reading I approve, and this is what has filled these poor young women's heads with such foolish notions." "Yes, Sir, I dare say it is, and instead of the Miss Jennings's fortunes being so grand as