looked so pale, and had spoken so kindly to her, could want her to do for them. Molly Lee was equally puzzled, and it served them as a subject for thought and talk all the rest of the day. Early next morning, Mary Mason, dressed as neat and clean as she could make herself, was to be seen seated on a little wooden stool in the door-way of Mrs. Lee's cottage, working away diligently at her gloves in the fresh open air. Though it was quite too early for the visit she had been promised, if any one had been watching her, they would have seen her head often raised to look down the lane whether any body was coming. But she looked, and looked again, and finished one side of her glove-finger after another, and yet they came not. At last, when to her impatient feelings the day was half worn away, though it was as yet early in the fashionable morning, as the sun had not reached the meridian, she saw the party coming up the lane. Mrs. Kirby walked first, and Dr. Kirby followed, urging on with his stick a beautiful donkey, on which Constance rode. As they came nearer, Mary rose to receive them, her countenance glowing with bashfulness and pleasure; and such was her agitation, that she did not perceive that all her work had fallen off her

knee into the road, till Mrs. Kirby picked it up and returned it to her.

"Well, Mary," said Constance, smiling, "is this your cottage? how neat it looks!"

"It is Mrs. Lee's cottage, please Ma'am, but she lets me sleep in the loft."

"Walk in, Ma'am; pray walk in, Sir," exclaimed Mrs. Lee, bustling forward, and smoothing down a clean apron which she had hastily tied on when she heard that the company was arriving; "pray come in, Miss; it's a poor place, but there's a chair if you will be pleased to sit down."

Dr. Kirby lifted Constance from the donkey, and they all entered the cottage. Poor old Thomas, seated in his accustomed corner by the fire, looked sadly bewildered at the sight of “ SO much quality;" but Dr. Kirby, by his kind and Christian manner of addressing him, soon set him at ease, and led him to talk of all his afflictions and sufferings, to which the good clergyman listened with patient sympathy, while his wife and daughter talked to Molly Lee and Mary. "So you work for some of the Worcester glovers, I suppose, Mary?" said Mrs. Kirby. "Mr. Walker, Ma'am, has let me have these gloves to try."

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Yes, Ma'am," interrupted Molly, "you see these children,-for there are two of them, a boy and this girl,-when their mother died, were to go to the workhouse, the overseer said. But it almost broke their hearts, and mine too, I'm sure, to think of that; for they had been brought up quite differently by their poor mother that's gone a decent, striving woman she always was, and the best of neighbours to me; so Mary said she thought they could do something to keep themselves, if they did not go into the workhouse. It was not in my power, Madam, to do any thing for them, except just to let them have the little place up above to sleep in, and that they were kindly welcome to, I told them."

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'Well, that was very good of you,” said Mrs. Kirby, when Molly paused at last to take breath. "Is the boy here still?"

"No, Madam. She," pointing to Mary, "took him to Worcester on Saturday, and left him there with an uncle, a brother of their father's, who will get him work at the china-manufactory; and she brought back with her a parcel of gloves from Walker's for herself to do. They are two good, industrious children," continued Mrs. Lee, " and I hope, by the blessing of God, they will

do very well, and not be beholden to the parish, nor nobody."

"It is very satisfactory to hear all this," said Mrs. Kirby," and you have shewn yourself a wise and good friend to these poor children, Mrs. Lee; we wish to befriend them too, but I am almost afraid the plan we came to propose, will interfere with your employment for Mr. Walker."

Mary looked as if she wished she knew what Mrs. Kirby's plan was. The latter understood the look, and immediately replied to it.

"I must tell you, Mary," said she, “ that Dr. Kirby has bought the donkey you see at the door for my daughter's use while we remain at Malvern, which will, probably, be for some weeks, or even months; and we are wishing to meet with some steady, well-behaved boy or girl to take charge of it, and to attend my daughter when she rides out. Constance wishes very much to have you, Mary, for her little attendant, if you can spare the time, and if you think sixpence a day sufficient pay for giving up so much of your time, as you must do, for my daughter is ordered to be a great deal in the open air."

Mary's delighted countenance spoke her full approbation of the scheme, and she turned

towards Mrs. Lee for her sanction and approbation; but before any thing was said, Mrs. Kirby added, "Do not decide hastily. Take time to consider of our proposal, and you can bring your answer to me at the Foley Arms some time in the evening. Good morning to you. Good day, Mrs. Lee;" and Dr. Kirby having assisted his daughter to remount, the party returned in the order in which they had arrived, Mrs. Lee and Mary standing curtseying at the door of the cottage. It did not require much deliberation to convince either of them that the offer made to Mary was not one to be refused. Three shillings, or, perhaps, three and sixpence a week was more than such a child could easily earn at sewing gloves; and as the whole of her time would not be occupied, it would be in her power to add to her earnings by devoting her evenings and mornings, and all her leisure time, to working for Mr. Walker. So, early in the afternoon, she tripped lightly down to the Foley Arms, gave her glad consent to Miss Kirby's wishes, and it was fixed that she was to be in attendance the next day at ten o'clock.

From that time for three months, few days passed in which Mary and her sweet young mistress did not spend many hours in rambling