;

I dare say I should have liked it, if I had.” "No doubt, child," said her mother as face answereth to face, so doth the heart of man to man."

66

We will leave these good people, and follow the Miss Jennings's to their dwelling. They had talked a little by the way, and but little; for the sight of Mr. Lascelles -his cool, yet happy method, of putting folly in its place, without leaving one painful impression by a harsh word ;-the love of the soul, which bore down every angry feeling against lightness and folly, beamed through his eye, even while his voice censured ;-all this made its impression; and the Miss Jennings's were sobered, they knew not how: yet, no sooner did they enter the paternal abode, than they began. Their sisters were full of enquiries.

Well; and what says the new lady of the mode?" "Oh, very humble-very much obliged-very willing to execute all our commands." "No doubt." Their father was sitting by the fire-side, his temper somewhat ruffled by the disappointment of the morning-some bad success in the sale of his cheese-low price of corn-and the failure of his factor;-and, as he saw his idle daughters playing with parasols, which his own folly had purchased-"Pair of soles!" said he, "I wonder what it means!-Does

it mean, that the poor old father shall walk his shoes off his feet, to put idle girls on horseback? Pair of soles ?-does it mean, that the poor old father and mother shall slave, and almost sell their souls, to send their mincing, idle girls, about the village, when they ought to be churning;-dressing them up, when they ought to be washing shirts and sheets?" "La, Pa! what's the matter, pa?" said Miss Tiny, making up to him. "Get away, you lazy slut; what will you ever be good for ?" and then he muttered something between his teeth, about Mr. Kemp.-"No; he has more sense."

Miss

Louisa, thinking to divert her father's anger, by making him laugh, said, "she supposed Mr. Kemp would marry Betty Smith; and indeed it would be a very good match for him; she would take care nothing should be wasted."-"A good thing, too; there's no need to sneer at Betty Smith; she was a much prettier girl than any of you." They stared at one another, and were silent." And, that you may learn not to turn up your noses, and give yourselves airs, your mother's father was carter to Betty Smith's father." This was no time for Mrs. Jennings to offend her husband; indeed, she was not a woman to offend any one; but she was hurt that he should let her down, as she thought, before her

own children, and the tears sprang to her eyes, and she looked vexed and pained. Her husband was sorry; for she had been a good wife so he said, "Come, come, Mary; you and I have travelled comfortably, don't let you and I fall out for a trifle; but do set these idle girls to work; for work they must, or they must starve. I never see them do one earthly thing of use. They seem very busy, and what is it all about? They can't even make their own clothes. I heard them talk this morning about a new dress-maker. Well, thinks I, to buy them and pay for them, that's enough -sure they might tack them together." La, pa!" said Miss Antoinette, (who thought she would try once again)“La, pa! why, didn't you know that the dressmaking was quite a business of itself?" In vain mamma frowned, to make her child understand that this was not the right time, and that papa could not bear it. The foolish girl proceeded, till her father's choler became ungovernable. They should go out, he declared they should go out, and get their living some how; and he pulled

at the harmless curtain. "And what's this good for, but to make the people laugh at ye?-No; if they won't dairy at my house, they shall dairy some where else. Now, ye know mind; ye shall get your

my

living-ye shall, I say!"-The girls were terrified. The thing he said, he stood to, right or wrong; and not all their mother's nods and smiles could cheer them; they anticipated all the degradation, in the eyes of those whom they had often despised, and treated insolently; and they judged by themselves, that it would be a triumph to their inferiors. Even poor Esther, whom they had that morning visited with the air of patronage, they concluded would be among their enemies. Little did they know the heart of this excellent girl.

But time developed it; and, the being on whom they had looked down, became, in the strictest sense of the word, their benefactress.

Mr. Jennings had always been considered a thriving man; but he, like many others, had lived up to his gains, and was now experiencing the inconvenience; the daughters had judged their father's property as commensurate with his expenditure. This was by no means the case. He entirely depended on the times; and, as his property was sinking every year in value, so he was getting poorer; and, seeing no probable means of providing for his expensive family, "poverty was coming upon him like an armed man;" and his highblown hopes, breaking suddenly beneath

him, soured his temper; and, in the midst. of these mortifications, he became unjust, and cast the whole blame of his own errors

on his family. They, unused to controul, high spirited and vain; systematically determined to oppose the necessary changes; and seemed ready to prefer any expedient, to that which good sense and necessity pointed out. The brother, too, had been accustomed to the life of a gentleman. The few farming orders he gave, were soon expedited; and considered as a burden that must be borne, to keep father in temper. Such was the state of things in Mr. Jennings's family, when Michael, coolly declining the honour of the alliance, had seemed to open the old man's eyes more clearly to their real situation. Mrs. Jennings was, in fact, the most to be pitied of the party. She was an ignorant, goodtempered woman, who had worked very hard to exalt her children; and, though it was misguided zeal, one cannot but pity the parents, whose blind fondness hath led them to spend their labour for that which satisfieth not. And surely, it will touch every mother with sympathy, to see any one thus disappointed in hopes cherished for so many years, and to find herself surrounded by a set of listless, indolent beings, awake to no exertion, but that of