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Yes," said Mrs. Holmdon, in reply to a remark of Mrs. Wyndham's, "I know your house very well; I know every point in the view; except you have changed the forms of the flower-beds, I know them too. I was not always blind; it has been a thing of late years; and God has spared some senses to a most merciful extent, and my memory is unimpaired. I knew this house in Mr. Harlowe's time. His wife had been an old friend of mine, and I always looked upon her daughter, now Mrs. Selwyn, as an especial charge, after my own children were grown up, and gone out into the world."

happy home with her uncle, she gave up all for me. God bless her."

"He will," said Mrs. Wyndham.

"She has no companions of her own age here, and I am quite hopeful that meeting with your daughters will be a new source of amusement to her; she wants such society sadly."

"I may say much the same for my daughters; it will be sometime before we can be otherwise than strangers here."

"Nevertheless, I think you will like it; the people are very kind and courteous to strangers, as well as to each other, with not more than the usual peculiarities of country society. People who live in small villages are pretty nearly the same all over England, Ireland, and Scotland; their idiosyncrasies are directed pretty much by the habits and customs they have been educated in."

"I daresay, and there is so very little to change these, that in such a place as this the same tone insensibly creeps over a community: the young inherit it from the old, and "Does not Mrs. Selwyn live in this neigh- where, as in this case, the scene lies out of borhood still?" the commercial track, changes come few and far between."

"She does; but her marriage was one I never liked, and though we are good friends, still she is shy of me and no longer the child she used to be to me. May I ask to whom my grand-daughter is talking just now ?"

"To my two daughters." "Are they grown up?

A genial laugh from the three young ladies, at some brilliant sally from Frances, almost covered the reply, "They are."

"I am so glad to hear Annette laugh in that gay way, it is more suitable to her years than the monastic life she leads with me; but she persists that she likes it, and I dread any change so much, that I cannot bear to hear it named between us."

"Will you tell Dr. Wyndham how glad I should be to know him? when he has time, if he would look in on me even for a few minutes. I rarely walk so far as this now, I am not young enough for that; but, if you knew how I missed my dear Mr. Harlowe since his death, and how Dr. Wyndham's earnest words and voice brought him before me yesterday, you would understand the longing which brought me here to-day, to know something more of you all. The words of his sermon were like a gentle shower on parched ground; you could scarcely know how very dearly they came to me."

Soon after they took their leave, and silence fell on the little group in the Rectory draw"It must be a great matter to you to have ing-room. It was abruptly broken by Lucy such a companion?

who called through the window:

"Mamma, mamma, here is a lady coming up the avenue, and a great many children." "Very well, run away, Lucy."

"Yes; during the illness in which I lost my sight, Annette having heard of my calamity came to me, and in spite of remonstrances from uncles and guardians, has been It was Mrs. Simpson, with her interesting my eyes, hands, and comforter ever since. I young family, coming to pay their devoirs. thought I was alone in the world, but God Mrs. Simpson, be it recollected, was a lady sent my little girl in time to show how wrong mentioned in a former chapter, whom Miss my murmurings were. I had sadly neglected Jones found "not at home." She is what all her all her life, but she did not do so by me; theoretic people would term "a fond mothand though she might have had a gay ander;" a genus of which every one forms their

any more spider's invitations to "walk into the parlor."

Mrs. Wyndham's case was not to be an exception to the general rule. Mrs. Simpson seated herself, and they talked of the weather, and ploughing, and the country, and all the usual etceteras of a morning's visit in the country; but all this did not satisfy Mrs. Simpson. Before many more minutes elapsed, she had reached her favorite theme.

"Ah, yes, my dear madam, I quite agree with you; this place is very delightful; air most salubrious, roads good, provisions cheap, society charming, posts regular, the fashions early, good church, attentive sexton, good town-clock, new weathercock, everything to make us healthful and happy; but I find one very great drawback to living in Landeris, though, in consequence of my husband's business, we unfortunately have no choice of places of residence. I find it very backward in opportunities for instruction. really no possibility of procuring means for the education of young people. Indeed, ma'am, you will find it very difficult to get teachers here for your younger daughters." They are still so young," said Mrs. Wynd

ham.

There is

own conception, but in the present case it is perhaps as well to say no more about what that is, and at once delineate Mrs. Simpson. Never was there such a restless woman as Mrs. Simpson; never was a woman so overworked and so undervalued, all through the indefatigable exertions she made to bring up her family properly and becomingly, as became the children of such parents, as became such children themselves, and as became their position in society. It is not surprising that a mother of such a character should be always encompassed with difficulties, and should be subject to more than the usual portion of trials allotted to human beings on this terrestrial sphere. Many she had, and ceaselessly they worried her. With regard to these annoyances, she never allowed concealment, "like a worm i' the bud," feed upon her damask cheek, for they all came candidly forth in conversation with her friends-none were withheld. This arose partly from the fact that she never talked of anything else but her children: their health, their education, their habits, their manners, their sayings, their doings, were all the fruitful themes for her discourses; she thought of nothing else herself, and so fancied every one else should be as interested as she was in their peculiarities. She bored every one she met with an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes about them, and fancied witticisms, which were the horror of every bachelor, young and old, ay, and many a benedict, too, among the circle of her acquaintance:-long stories, in which her auditor generally missed the point entirely (when there was one), and worse still, often laughed convulsively at the preface to the tale, under the false impression that the story had reached a climax, and only brought to a sense of their mistake by the never-failing recurrence of the words, But, Mr. "Ah, true indeed! Every Christian mother' wait until you hear this;" just as if the un-must know that. It is a troublesome world, fortunate victim had the slightest chance of making his escape. Far from that: he had just to await his fate as the Turks do, and surrender himself with the best grace possible to this species of martyrdom, without even the consolation that, after his death, he would be immortalized by George Fox in a good quarto volume, with harrowing prints to match. There was nothing for it but patient "No, ma'am; I have two more at home resignation; and all that could be gained younger than any you see here. But Belinda from it was a little experience to be more is pretty well grown for her age. Stand up, cautious on another occasion, and not accept | Linda, and let Mrs. Wyndham see what

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"My dear madam," said Mrs. Simpson, we must always be instructing them—from their cradles, I may say; children are never too young to be taught something-system, if it is nothing else. We have Scripture abundantly for that: "Train up a child," etc., and "In the morning sow thy seed." Surely that refers to education,"

"Possibly, but to more than that. I take it in a much wider sense; but I am sure you are right about training children early in what is right. Early efforts are, without doubt, the best thing to keep them from the evil.'"

Mrs. Wyndham. Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards."

"Yes," thought Mrs. Wyndham, “and the grave is not its goal.' I wonder if you would understand me if I said that?" But it was quite evident she decided against saying it, for she asked immediately, "Is this your youngest child, Mrs. Simpson?

height you are. She is just turned five; do you think her tall?"

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'my' 'moih,' and 'London' 'Lawndon,' and gave them such bad habits of all kinds

According to the general standing of Then the teaching of music-she had a syschildren, I should say she was." tem for this (they have each a system for

"She is eight, but she is small. She was never a very strong child. My other little one is nine."

"Now what age is your youngest, Mrs. some one thing or the other;) and like an Wyndham?" idiot I sent to Daublin,' as she termed it for some machine which you screw on the piano, all made of brass and mahogany, which is to teach you quickly; and you get your hands into little places like stocks, only intended for the fingers, and in this way you play; and after all the money I paid, I found you could not make it play 'God Save the Queen,' if you died for it. So there was all

"Now, how are you to have them taught? I am sure I cannot advise you in any way, for I am so badly off myself in that way. I suppose, though, that, coming from a large town, their education is pretty far advanced." "Really," said poor Mrs. Wyndham, look-my money, several guineas, thrown away; ing puzzled, "I do not know. Their sisters for the next teacher I got had never even teach them. I have not thought of asking heard of it. Jeannette, do you remember anything about them for a long time." the name?" "Then you don't superintend their studies yourself?"

"Not I."

"I always do so with my children; and indeed it is well I do, for governesses in general are such a dreadful race, that one requires to be all alive with them, they do worry one so horribly. By the way, could you tell me of one that would suit me just now? The English education of the elder ones is so advanced, I am more anxious about accomplishments." A negative was the answer from Mrs. Wyndham to this query, and the other lady

went on:

"Chyroplast, mamma.'

"Yes, I believe that is it. Well, the next treasure I got professed to teach languages on the Hamiltonian system. So I had to spend such a sum on the books for it; and her successor told me Hamilton was quite exploded, that nothing was taught now but Ollendorff. So Ollendorff's were written for, and a pretty sum they cost me too; and now they are almost useless, for that one is gone, and I do not understand the plan myself. I was educated on De Porquet's method. Pray, what would you advise me to do?"

Mrs. Wyndham looked a little puzzled how to reply, for Mrs. Simpson's experience seemed so far beyond any thing she had ever personally encountered, that she felt but ill qualified to offer any suggestions; so she contented herself by saying, "It is a difficult matter, no doubt."

"With all my anxiety, and the most indefatigable efforts, they do not get on as I would wish them. Whether it is that there are so many in the schoolroom, or the children slow, or the governesses want mind,' I cannot tell. I am greatly inclined to think the last has a great deal to do with it. Such trials as I have undergone from them I really cannot describe to you. I get one after another, but there is always some fault I am obliged to part with them for. For instance, I had one who professed to teach on the Pestalozzian system, and to this day I have not the slightest idea what she meant by it; but she corrected the exercises by the keys, and was such an awkward young woman, that I vow Jane was becoming quite sheepish. I was anxious to counteract this, if possible; and as I heard the Irish were a lively people, with rather a sprightly manner, I got over a Miss O'Dowd, and I never was badly off until then. Such a low, vulgar wretch, that called | knows Sunday morning, too, quite well, and

"Ah yes,” replied the afflicted lady; I am miserable about the matter. I assure you I lose my sleep at night thinking about it. What is to become of my seven children who are old enough for the schoolroom, to say nothing of the two in the nursery, who will not be ready for some years yet for a regular course of lesson-books, though I am sure I teach them all I can? The baby is a very clever child; he can tell all the animals as I name them in the illustrated account of the Deluge that hangs on the nursery-wall; for instance when I say 'ass' or' dog,' he will point towards them, and more than once he has been heard both to bray and bark. He

CHAPTER V.-"COMING EVENTS," OR AN EVENING PARTY FORESHADOWED.

Her voice was ever soft,

Gentle and low; an excellent thing in woman."-SHAKSPERE.

"The world is the book of women; whatever knowledge they possess is more commonly acquired by observation than by reading."BOSSEAU.

Were she to live a hundred years, she could never fail to turn with interest to the old home. Even occupied by strangers, it was dear to her; every tree, every flower, seemed to have sprung up with her own growth, so interwoven were they with the past, with every glad and happy thought she had ever had; and always with the mention of the Wyndhams' names came a sort of longing to know if they were such as she could look at with pleasure, enjoying the dear old haunts

any one is so set beyond sin in this world as to be entitled to hurl the first stone. Mrs. Selwyn had a most unconquerable dread of both brother and sister; the latter, because her rule through life always was, "to speak the truth at all times," which, though a good theory, requires judiciousness in reducing to

"MY DEAR MRS. SELWYN,- Mamma has invited Dr. Wyndham and his family to spend Thursday evening with us, and they have promised to come. Now, though we all know your retired habits, we cannot but hope that, on an occasion like the present, if they would prize them as she had done. you might be induced to break through your As she sat before the desk, she thought of rule, and give us the pleasure of your company; and since little Nannie is so far con- its last occupants, how she had hoped for valescent that you could leave her for a few some of the sympathy her own experience hours without anxiety, there would be noth- of the sacred calling led her to expect when ing to detain you at home. Like a good they came, and how bitterly she had been creature, pray stretch a point for once, to disappointed in them. That dry, stern, unoblige my mother, and yours most affection-bending Mr. Cooper, and his still drier, ately, MATILDA JONES." more unbending sister, who never in all her "Yours most affectionately, Matilda life had ever taken any plea in palliation of Jones," repeated the widow mechanically, an offence from any poor, erring mortal, as if and she pondered a moment as she read to the end of the note. She was not thinking should she go or not; the contingency had not crossed her mind; she was merely considering should she write a note, or call and explain her intentions to the kind, old lady, who had more than once stood her friend in trifles. She decided at length on answer-practice, for who knows if their truth, as they ing the note in a polite manner, and then paying her devoirs to Mrs. Jones, at the hour she knew her daughters generally selected as their walking one. So she wrote an apology, and despatched the little maid with it, while she still sat musing before the desk. It was not that she wished to go to the party; not that; but she had a great desire to see these Wyndhams. Confined to the house by her little girl's illness, she had never met with them anywhere; and being rather a shy little woman in her manners, she did not like to call before they knew something of her, in order that she might not feel obliged to throw in little hints as to who she was, &c., which the poor, innocent body fancied would be quite necessary; and yet she wanted to know them. It was not To her even his sermons wanted the glad, to her as to many people a mere matter of joyous tidings that her father's ever seemed gossip, seeing and knowing the Wyndhams. to bring; the change might be in herself, but There was a tie linking her to them that no still she did not like the Coopers; and very others had-memory; memory of the hap-glad she was when Mr. Cooper's exchange piest period of her life-childhood-spent was made, and a course of events arose which within the walls they now called theirs. ended in Dr. Wyndham being settled in Lan

are pleased to call it, is the same truth held by others, and that in fancied zeal for the truth you do not in reality become impertinent? Mrs. Selwyn's dislike extended also to this lady's brother, though he had paid to her the highest compliment a man can pay a woman. Something in his manner of proffering it utterly completed her sentiments of repugnance, and from that time it had been her quiet study to avoid meeting them as much as possible. He had come to Landeris fresh from the classics of a many-yeared cloister life; the formality of a college tutor still imbued every thought and word of his present life. True, in his own stiff, cold way, he loved her, but not she him, and is not that a true woman's argument?