for the family, it contained several unfurnished apartments, which served the children for play-rooms; while a good garden attached to the house afforded little Jane a place for exercise, and allowed her to indulge in freedom the high spirits which she naturally possessed. She was a child of remarkable vivacity, always ready with an answer to every question addressed to her, and her clever invention of amusements gave early evidence of her talents. Mr and Mrs Taylor educated their children themselves; and growing up thus together from their infancy, sharing alike the sun and shower, and all that heaven had sent them,' the whole family were so much attached to each other that they felt that their home was the happiest place in the world to them. The two sisters especially took their lessons together, and shared each other's recreations, and through life were seldom separated, until the marriage of the elder parted them. Jane loved her sister most fondly, and all her little childish games were so invented by her, as that each might take a part. Even from her earliest years she was not contented with the amusement afforded by others, but composed little dialogues for herself and playfellows; and the Miss Bandboxes, and the Miss Sisters, and Moll and Bet, were little dramas, to which the actors often looked back in after life with pleasant recollections. Although her parents saw with much satisfaction these proofs of Jane's prom pres ising talents, yet they knew very well that a little girl might easily be made vain; they were therefore too judicious to make remarks upon them in her ence. The merry child however found listeners and admirers; for the servants, proud of the skili of their young charge, would sometimes take her to a baker's shop in the neighborhood, and there,seated upon the kneading-board, she would recite poems and tales to the great delight of the persons who came to visit the baker. At a farmhouse too, to which she occasionally went for a short stay, she not only afforded amusement to the children by her playfulness, but used to delight the older persons assembled at the cheerful hearth with numerous tales, which she could repeat from memory, or invent at the moment. The two sisters would, when the elder was not more than six years of age, wander about their garden, and as they wandered hand-in-hand up and down the green walks, they used to repeat little verses which they had jointly composed. This garden was a delightful place to the children. Next it was a green common, and beyond the common was a cornfield; so that they had a good view of the surrounding landscape, and breathed the pure and exhilarating air of the country. It was very pleasant to the little girls to watch the sky-lark on the early morn ings, rising spirally from the corn-field, and singing as if, as the good Jeremy Taylor says, ' he had learned both motion and music from an angel,' and to THE CHILDHOOD OF JANE TAYLOR. stand gazing till the bird seemed only a little speck on the blue sky; and it was pleasant too to saunter about on the warm summer evening, searching under the hedges till they gathered a lapful of wild flowers. The happy hours of childhood spent in this garden perhaps inspired Jane with that love of the country which she had through life, and which would make her when in town long to get away from the brick walls to the green hedges. In this garden she first thought over her childish compositions, which she would go alone and commit to paper. When about ten years of age she used to spend most of her leisure time in whipping a top, and who that looked on the child, earnestly engaged in this sport, would have thought that her mind was already dwelling in a little world of its own, and that while she seemed to observing eyes intent only on keeping up the incessant whirl of her toy, she was really occupied in composition, or that her imagination was employed in a sort of idle musing? During the hours spent at this game, she composed several tales and dramas, and she would put away the top and go into a little room which the two sisters had for their own, and write down her compositions; but she was a modest little girl, and could seldom bear that any one but her sister should see what she had written. It was well for Jane she had wise parents to guide her, for had she been encouraged to indulge in the day-dreams 295 that then occupied her, she would probably soon have become so much absorbed by her own thoughts, as to have neglected the studies so necessary at her age; and if accustomed to display her powers of invention, she might have been, instead of an amiable and modest woman, one who longed continually for admiration. But no pains were spared by her friends to render her well informed, and to train her to good habits. She was constantly impressed with the importance of making right use of her time, and she saw that not one moment was ever wasted by those at the head of the family. Even at meal times her mother generally read aloud, for having a slight deafness Mrs Taylor found that conversation with her interrupted the order of the meal. The books selected were usually such as were suitable to the understanding of the children, and these family readings were very beneficial both to Jane and her sister. Happy are those children whose parents have a good library, or who are able to procure a suitable one for them. Many a child, fond of reading and longing for information, has been almost destitute of books. It has generally been the case that those who in later life have contributed by their writings to enrich literature were, in childhood, remarkable for the eager pleasure they took in reading. Sir Walter Scott used to devour books, especially those containing legends and ballads.—And here we must quit this interesting biography till next month. Furnished for this work by LowELL MASON, Professor in the Boston Academy of Music. 4 1. Fare-well, de- light-ful fa-ther - land, Fare - well, ye friends, who |