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fort of your room depends upon it. Now mind me, child, find out all his peculiarities ; observe them, attend to them. Mind, I don't mean, if he does any thing wrong, that you should encourage that; no, I am talking of trifles, child, immaterial things ;” and he lengthened out the word. “Observe, always to have your dinner ready at the time-perhaps he may not be in time, that is not your fault; do you be ready, and mind to let him have always, a clean table-cloth, Peggy, there are many contrivances for keeping it clean;

l and be sure you never let him find you dirty or negligent. Oh, apropos of that, some girls, some very smart girls, do think when they are married that there is an end of the business, that they have no reason to be smart any longer. Why, child, that is the very time to begin ; it is far more difficult to keep us than to win us; be sure, you are always very neat, very clean, and mind one thing, very good-tempered. Never meet him with a frown on your brow on any consideration ; a man goes out and calls on his neighbour, sees a neat wife and some smart daughters, comes home to his own dowdy. Why, you see he must make comparisons, and pity himself perhaps, poor fellow! No, you be advised, my nice child,

and if there are any comparisons to be made, let them be all to your own advantage. Mind me, now I don't expect you to be perfect, Peggy, and if you fail in any instance, observe always to be the first to notice it, and say, you are sorry; and if by chance he should notice it, never defend it, for it is that which provokes a man. You see it is adding one fault to another, it is what no man can bear, it is not to be supposed they can. By the way, it is no use talking about children before they are born, but if ever it should please God to give you any, mind and look at Fanny Meredith, she manages her children remarkably well, and they are not easy to manage, for they have a great deal of spirit in them : the boy's a prince, he seems born to command, and he has had a royal will. Now she does not contradict them every moment, and chide them, and scold them, but if they want any thing which they are not to have, she settles the business directly, takes the thing from them, and looks at them firmly but kindly. Now though she only keeps a girl, and has plenty of work besides, I never was disturbed by the squalling of her brats, though I have had many a comfortable dish of tea there. No, the thing is understood, she governs them, not they her; and now,

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Peggy, you may wonder that I have said nothing to you upon the subject of religion, child, but,” and he looked up solemnly“ I am sorry to say it is a subject I have so lately understood, that I feel as though it would be presumption in me; but my dear good Peggy, if to own that I regret I have not sooner turned my thoughts to this most delightful, most important subject; if to own, that when I ought to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, I am blind, and see men as trees walking; if to own this to you, Margaret Macdonald, would be of any use to you, whilst I do it with sorrow of heart“Oh, my dear master,” said Peggy, “you have been so kind, so good, you could not have been kinder, you could not have been better, if you had been my own father ; and now, sir, I do hope that Kitty will make you a very good servant: she is very handy, and she knows your ways now, but if you should be ill, if ever you have one of your violent headaches, my dear master,

. I could not be happy that you should have any body to attend you but myself, because I know what to do. Now, promise me never to do without me, if

No, child, I cannot make such a promise, I shall want you every day, my good Peggy, I do not expect ever to sup

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you want ply your place. You know I am an odd old fellow, and like nothing new, not even a new shoe-horn."

me.”

- Oh sir, I hope you will be happy; I am sure, if you are not, I cannot be—it would grieve me sadly to see you put out of your way, and made uncomfortable.'

Just at this point of the question, Rose Meredith called in to see her friend, and neither Brownrigg nor Peggy could quite recover themselves so as to appear with their usual composure.“ Is any thing the

“ matter, Peggy ?” said Rose, with a voice of sympathy.

“ Nothing at all, child, only we are both blockheads together, both want a whipping.” When Rose understood the state of the case, she said, “I wish, sir, you would have me, I am sure my mistress would spare me, if you liked to have me." It was a thought Brownrigg had often had, but he could not bear to deprive Esther of a good servant to accommodate himself. Rose was so prepossessed with this idea, that she slipped out, and went to the Brow immediately; and while she was gone, Brownrigg said, “Oh, Peggy, there was thought, I had one thing more I meant to speak to you about; I had nearly forgotten it till you talked about my being ill, and that made me remember it.

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child, some women are very fond of being pitied, and they never have the least complaint, but they are sure to cry out and make a very great fuss about it. Now, though a man may pity you a little, and go on perhaps two or three years, being sorry and sorry, yet it is not in human nature to like it always, no creature can love an hospital; no, child, 'tis impossible to avoid being tired of saying, · Poor dear,' all day long : I never hear a man say it, but I doubt not, he must think, that when a door keeps creak, creak, he could almost wish it shut.” Peggy hardly understood her master; he saw she did not, and he explained. see, child, if I had such a wife threatening me every day to go, I should be apt to think she had better be gone at once. Peggy shook her head incredulously. Of all the qualities for which Brownrigg was eminent, his kindness in illness was most so: he never appeared wearied of remedies. When Peggy had the tooth-ache, he was always bringing her some new nostrum. “ I think this would do you good; and why wont you try that ? and did I not bid you not to sit in your wet shoes?" and he would follow her about with the most provoking kindness. “ No, child, you may talk as you will about tenderness and feel

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