UNIVERSITY OF 
 flORTH CAROLINA 
 
 School o f Library 
 Science 
 
£ 
 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/whenarewehappiesOOtut 
 
WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST? 
 
 THE LITTLE CAMERONS. 
 
 THE AUTHOR OF "THE BOY OF SPIRIT, "THE BELLE, 
 THE BLUE, AND THE BIGOT," ETC. 
 
 i. '," L ' 
 
 ■ qt\ 
 
 SIXTH EDITION. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 WM. CROSBY AND H. P. NICHOLS, 
 
 111 Washington Street. 
 1848. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by 
 
 Wm, Crosby and H. P. Nichols, 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of 
 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 
 STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY 
 
 METCALF AND COMPANY. 
 
 PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. 
 
TO 
 
 THE MOTHERLESS CHILDREN, 
 
 AT WHOSE REQUEST AND FOR WHOSE INSTRUCTION 
 
 THIS LITTLE WORK WAS WRITTEN, IT IS 
 
 AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED'. 
 
 THAT IT MAY LEAD THEM ONWARD IN THE PATH OF 
 
 TRUE HAPPINESS IS THE EARNEST WISH OF 
 
 THEIR DEVOTED FRIEND, 
 
 CORNELIA. 
 
 
 fO 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Introduction to the Camerons . . 1 
 
 II. The Little Text-books ... 10 
 
 III. A Sunday at Walnut Hill ... 22 
 
 IV. The New School .... 37 
 V. Lizzie's Journey 52 
 
 VI. Lizzie's Letter from New York . 64 
 
 VII. Ghost Stories 78 
 
 VIII. Older Sisters 93 
 
 IX. Poor little Eliza Carter . . . 108 
 
 X. Lizzie's return Home . . . . 118 
 
 XL When are we happiest ? 135 
 
WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST? 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 
 
 Little boys and girls, do you wish to make 
 some new acquaintances ? I dare say that you 
 have a great many friends now, that you think 
 are very near perfection ; but I hope that there 
 is still room in your hearts for some dear little 
 Southern children. Now, try and see if you 
 can't like them, when I tell you who they are, 
 and how they look, and where they live. You 
 will not mind if they are not handsome, when 
 you find what warm hearts they have ; and per- 
 haps, before you get through reading this book, 
 you will be tempted to write me a letter, and 
 ask where such nice little playmates are to be 
 found. 
 
 1 
 
2 INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 
 
 If you have never been at the South, you 
 cannot imagine how different it is from New 
 England. At first, you would not know what 
 the tall plant was, with large leaves, and little 
 tufts of flowers at the top, with which so many 
 fields are covered ; and when told that it was 
 tobacco, you would wonder how it ever changed 
 to the dry brown or yellow stuff which is sold 
 at the North as cigars, snuff, and tobacco. By 
 and by you would see tall log-houses, with no 
 windows, and some one would tell you that the 
 tobacco was hung all around the inside of these 
 houses, and then a fire was kept in the middle, 
 until it was thoroughly smoked and dried. 
 
 You would almost rub your eyes to see if a 
 cloud had not come over them which made 
 every body look dark, for there would be black 
 faces at work in the fields, and black men driv- 
 ing all the/ carts and carriages you would meet, 
 and funny little black babies looking out of the 
 cabin-like houses scattered here and there along 
 the road. 
 
 Have you a dislike to negroes ? Ah, well ! 
 you will get over it before you have been long 
 at the South, and it may be that you will begin 
 to call some of those very black people "aunt " 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 3 
 
 and " uncle " ! You laugh at the very idea, but 
 I can assure you that the little people to whom 
 you are about to be introduced always call the 
 old servants by these titles, and to them it does 
 not seem at all strange. 
 
 "Are you talking about slaves?" my little 
 readers ask, in a tone of surprise. To be sure, 
 but we will not enter into any discussion about 
 the evils of slavery. When you have grown 
 up, you can form your own opinion upon this 
 subject, and I have mine ; but for the present 
 we will forget that it is a disputed point. The 
 servants whom you will become acquainted with 
 here are so kindly treated and so happy, that 
 you will soon forget that they are not perfectly 
 free. 
 
 But if we stop so long on the road, we shall 
 never get to Walnut Hill. Ah, there it is, 
 rising above the woods with which it is sur- 
 rounded. Is that a village in the distance, 
 among the trees ? there is no spire rising from 
 it. Yes ; it is a village, notwithstanding, for 
 the people are all Methodists, and those square 
 brick buildings, of which you can just see the 
 tops, are the New Side and the Old Side 
 churches. 
 
4 INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 
 
 O, only see that little girl on horseback ! 
 Are you not afraid that she will fall off ? Yet 
 she does not seem to have any such fears, for 
 she gives the horse a stroke with the whip, and 
 calling to the black boy who is riding behind 
 her, "Come on, Jack," she dashes forward 
 like a real horsewoman. That is Mary Cam- 
 eron, and the group of little girls who are 
 standing at the gate through which she has just 
 passed are her sisters. You cannot see their 
 faces, because they are almost hidden by their 
 deep sun-bonnets, but you will notice their ani- 
 mated gestures, and hear their laughing voices. 
 What merry children they must be ! 
 
 Now, there is some one at the door of the 
 pleasant-looking house, who is calling to the 
 girls to come in. Is it their mother ? O, no. 
 These poor children have no mother, and a 
 few weeks since the lady who had, in some 
 measure, supplied her place, left them, and 
 now there is no one but the housekeeper to 
 take care of the little orphans ; I mean that 
 there is no lady to fill a parent's place, for their 
 father is very kind in providing for all their 
 wants, but he cannot of course supply a moth- 
 er's loss as fully as he would wish to do. 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 5 
 
 It is Lizzie, the eldest sister, who is standing 
 in the door, and though she looks so tall, she is 
 only just fourteen. The dear girl has a great 
 deal of care now, and does all she can for the 
 younger ones, but still she often feels sadly 
 discouraged. But she looks very happy now, 
 and the reason is that she has just received a 
 letter from their teacher, Miss Fenwick, and 
 she wishes to read it to her sisters. As soon 
 as they understand what she wants, they run 
 eagerly to the house, and cluster around her on 
 the porch. Now you can catch a peep at their 
 faces, as they toss back their sun -bonnets that 
 they may hear the much-wished-for letter more 
 plainly. Let us listen to what Miss Fenwick 
 says. 
 
 miss fenwick's letter. 
 
 u I know that my dear children are impatient 
 to hear from me, but they cannot be more so 
 than I am to write to them. Almost every 
 hour I think of you all, and try and picture to 
 myself how you are employed. 
 
 " Lizzie, I conjecture, is trying her skill in 
 dress-making, and perhaps complaining now and 
 then that Margaret and Jennie are such little 
 1 * 
 
6 INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 
 
 rail- figures that there is no making any thing 
 set to them, while Alice endeavours to obey my 
 parting instructions, and finish those poor aprons 
 which have hung upon her hands so long. 
 
 " As for Mary, in spite of her double advan- 
 tage in being able to sew with both hands, T do 
 not think she has yet completed her tasks, for 
 in all probability those little rag dolls have 
 made great demands upon her attention, and 
 there is no doubt that Meggy and Jennie have 
 devoted themselves to the crack-brained and 
 one-armed ladies who were so miserably in 
 want of clothes when I last saw them. 
 
 u These bright spring days have not been 
 all spent in the house, I know, but you have 
 explored the woods for early flowers and pretty 
 moss, and Lizzie has bent many an hour over 
 her daily rose-bushes, and the pet jessamine, 
 which by this time must reach above the parlour- 
 window. 
 
 cc But though I can fancy how pleasantly you 
 are passing your time, my dear children, there 
 is one hour when I am sure that you miss your 
 absent friend. Do you not think of me at the 
 time which we used to devote to our morning 
 Bible lesson ? 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 7 
 
 "You may remember that you all begged 
 me to write to you about those subjects on 
 which we have so often conversed with so 
 much pleasure, and to give you such advice as 
 you were accustomed to receive during our 
 favorite lesson. I promised to do so, but it is 
 impossible to give you in writing the counsel 
 that you all daily need. I pray that some one 
 may be sent to instruct you, more capable of 
 benefiting you than I could ever be ; but for 
 the present you must learn to depend upon the 
 infallible guide which I left in your hands. 
 
 " The more you search the Scriptures, the 
 more fully will you be convinced that they 
 contain all that is necessary for your instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 u Alice sometimes used to say, that, when 
 she did any thing wrong, she seemed always to 
 find some text which condemned her the very 
 next time that she opened her Bible, and I am 
 sure you must all have had the same expe- 
 rience. 
 
 " Now, what I want you all to do is, to read 
 daily those plainer and more practical portions 
 of Scripture which I pointed out to you, and 
 to select the lessons which they contain before 
 
8 INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 
 
 closing the book, endeavouring to commit as 
 many as you can to memory. When you find 
 any passage which forbids a fault to which you 
 are inclined, the older ones must set down the 
 place where the text is found, if they have not 
 time to copy the text itself, in little blank books, 
 which they must keep for this purpose. 
 
 " Do you understand w T hat I mean ? I will 
 try and explain it to you. Some of you are 
 very quick-tempered, and need every aid in 
 restraining your angry passions. At the head 
 of one page of their blank books, Lizzie, and 
 Alice, and Mary can write " Anger," and 
 when they find any text condemning a hasty 
 spirit, they can put it down under this head. 
 Those who are accustomed to give too free 
 reins to their tongues may have the next head 
 in their books ' Rules for Conversation,' and 
 place under it all the maxims which they can 
 find for prudence, kindness, and consideration 
 in their discourse. You will find in Proverbs 
 a great deal upon this subject, besides a whole 
 chapter in one of the Epistles, which I leave 
 you to discover. 
 
 " I know you all have sufficient quickness 
 of mind to follow out this plan, so I will only 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMERONS. 9 
 
 mention a few more heads under which it would 
 be well to collect passages of warning and ad- 
 vice. These are, ( Respect to Superiors,' 
 c Politeness,' ' Treatment of Servants,' ' Kind- 
 ness to one another,' ' Sin of Selfishness,' 
 4 Right Use of Time.,' 'Encouragement to 
 Prayer,' and ' Parental Care of God.' 
 
 " I shall be delighted to learn that you have 
 added many more to this list, and have not only 
 set them down in your books, but implanted 
 them in your hearts. But you will never be 
 successful, my dear children, in self-govern- 
 ment, unless you have the aid of our Heavenly 
 Father, which you must always implore fer- 
 vently before reading the Sacred Word. I, 
 too, shall never cease to ask that He may guide 
 you into all truth. 
 
 " Give my best respects to your kind father, 
 and write to me very soon. Tell me all that 
 you are doing with the same freedom as if I 
 were still with you, and ever believe me 
 " Your devoted friend, 
 
 "Amelia Fenwick." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 When Lizzie Cameron awoke, the next 
 morning after the receipt of Miss Fenwick's 
 letter, the first thing of which she thought was 
 the plan of putting down texts in a little book, 
 and thus making out a set of regulations for her 
 own conduct. 
 
 Now Lizzie, to own the truth, was not as 
 fond of the Bible as her younger sisters, but 
 she liked any thing new ; and as the nurse 
 shrewdly observed, " it would have been well 
 if her zeal lasted to the end of her undertak- 
 ings." But for a short time there was no 
 checking the industry of the impetuous girl, 
 and on this morning there was but one idea at 
 work in her busy brain. So fully occupied 
 was she with this, that she forgot all Miss Fen- 
 
THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 11 
 
 wick's lessons upon the necessity of doing 
 every thing " decently and in order," and put 
 on one of her stockings wrong side outward, 
 and only half finished her hair. As she was 
 hurrying down stairs, her dress caught upon a 
 nail and tore out the gathering. 
 
 " Confound the old dress !" she exclaimed, 
 half in a passion at her own carelessness, " it is 
 always catching at something "; and she tried to 
 pin up the rent so that it might not be observed. 
 
 " Are you notashamed, Lizzie ?" said Mary, 
 in a very grave tone, for she was rather given 
 to preaching. " You know Miss Fenwick 
 said that we must not say 'confound,' or any 
 such word, lest we fall into condemnation." 
 
 " Silence in the court-room, Mit is going to 
 preach. You think yourself so smart, Miss," 
 retorted Lizzie, in a vexed tone, as she opened 
 the dining-room door, and seated herself at the 
 head of the table. 
 
 Major Cameron was very easy to please 
 about most things, but he was extremely par- 
 ticular with regard to his coffee, and a teaspoon- 
 ful too much of cream or sugar ruined it. 
 Lizzie generally managed to suit him very well, 
 but now her mind was occupied, and she mixed 
 
12 THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 an uninviting cup half full of cream, which her 
 father had no sooner tasted than he pushed it 
 away with evident disgust. 
 
 " Hand another cup to Miss Lizzie," he 
 said, in a somewhat stern tone, to little black 
 Jim, who was at his elbow, "and let her see 
 if she cannot give me some coffee more fit to 
 drink." 
 
 Lizzie's tears unfortunately lay quite too 
 near her eyes, and now two large ones rolled 
 out down her cheeks and fell upon the tray 
 before her. 
 
 ' c Father does not wish salt water in his cof- 
 fee," whispered Alice, playfully. 
 
 " Do n't make a baby of yourself, Lizzie," 
 exclaimed her father, for he had a horror of 
 tears, " only try and be more attentive. An 
 absent-minded woman will never have good 
 manners, and you must endeavour to have your 
 thoughts about you." 
 
 Luckily, the tears which come so readily 
 are easily dried ; and when Major Cameron left 
 the table, his children were full of good-nature 
 and animation. 
 
 " Did you ask father about our books ?" in- 
 quired Alice, eagerly. 
 
THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 13 
 
 " No, I did not dare to, he was so cross 
 this morning," replied Lizzie. 
 
 " How can you say so ?" interposed Mary, 
 " He only told you not to fill his coffee with 
 cream." 
 
 The reentrance of the father put an end to 
 the discussion which might here have followed, 
 for I am sorry to say, that, though Lizzie would 
 not allow any one else to speak unkindly to 
 one of her sisters, she sometimes assumed a 
 dictatorial tone, and provoked them to anger. 
 Miss Fenwick often used to tell her that she 
 would be answerable for the sins that she thus 
 made them commit ; but habits are hard to 
 overcome, and Lizzie often spoke more harshly 
 than she intended or felt. It is difficult for 
 elder sisters to receive advice from younger 
 ones meekly, and Mary was rather too apt to 
 proffer hers, without reflecting whether it would 
 be " a word spoken in season." Alice used 
 to be equally ready in giving her opinion, but 
 of late she had been trying very hard to do 
 what was right, and this made her diffident in 
 condemning others. 
 
 " Was that letter from Miss Fenwick, which 
 you received yesterday, Lizzie ?" asked Major 
 2 
 
14 THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 Cameron, as he came in and seated himself by 
 a window, with an open newspaper in his hand. 
 
 " Yes, Sir, and she wished to be remember- 
 ed kindly to you," answered Lizzie. 
 
 " What else did she say, daughter ? You 
 may as well get the letter and read it to me." 
 
 With this request Lizzie readily complied, 
 and when she had done reading the letter, her 
 father said, — u Well, my children, I only wish 
 that you may profit by such good advice. I 
 am going to the village this morning, and will 
 send you up some blank books to be used as 
 Miss Fen wick proposes. How many do you 
 want ?" 
 
 " Three," said Lizzie, decidedly. 
 
 " Four," interposed Margaret, who had just 
 begun to write fine hand. 
 
 " O, get me one, father, get me one, wont 
 you, wont you ?" interrupted Jennie, eagerly ; 
 " I can write, and sister Alice will fix it for 
 me, wont you, Ally ? " 
 
 " But, Jennie, you don't know how to make 
 all the letters yet," remonstrated Alice, in a 
 kind tone. 
 
 u Jennie is such a tease, father, that we 
 can't do any thing with her," remarked Liz- 
 
THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 15 
 
 zie, in a very reproving manner. " She al- 
 ways wants to do every thing." 
 
 u O, Jennie is a pretty good girl, on the 
 whole, though she is not quite old enough yet 
 to write," remarked the Major, as he stooped 
 down and kissed the little noisy, warm-hearted 
 child, who was, as she herself often trium- 
 phantly asserted, a great favorite with her 
 father. 
 
 About an hour after this discussion, Lizzie 
 might be seen diligently ruling her own and 
 Mary's text-books, while Alice was seated by 
 herself in her little chamber, reading very at- 
 tentively the first chapter of the Epistle of St. 
 James, to which she had just come in the reg- 
 ular course of morning lessons. Before open- 
 ing the sacred volume, she had offered a short 
 prayer that the eyes of her mind might be 
 opened to understand the holy word, and her 
 heart made ready to fulfil its commands. Be- 
 fore closing the book, she marked in the mar- 
 gin those verses which seemed to her to contain 
 practical instruction. As she was on her way 
 down stairs to copy off these texts, Margaret 
 met her, with her light hair flying loose around 
 her neck, and the ribands in her hand. 
 
16 THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 " Please stop, Alice, and braid my hair ; it 
 all came down while I was running across the 
 yard," said Margaret, in an imploring tone. 
 
 "You are so " commenced Alice, in 
 
 a hasty tone ; but one of the texts which she 
 had just read came into her mind, — "If any 
 man among you seem to be religious, and 
 bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is 
 vain " ; so she made an effort, and said, kindly, 
 — u Well, come back up stairs, Meggy, and I 
 will tie it up. I wish you would try and keep 
 it always in a little better order. Where is 
 your new apron ? " 
 
 " You have not yet put the strings upon it, 
 and I could not find those that were washed 
 last week." 
 
 Alice had taken the care of Margaret, who 
 was only three years younger, entirely upon 
 herself, and this duty demanded no small effort 
 upon her part, for she disliked sewing, and it was 
 a real trial for her to sit down and repair all the 
 clothes which Meggy would manage to rip and 
 tear in the course of the week. It is true that 
 she did not make such dire destruction in her 
 wardrobe as the careless little Jennie, but still 
 she kept Alice employed, and sometimes tried 
 
THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 17 
 
 her patience severely. But this morning Alice 
 had read the Bible to some purpose, and it had 
 taught her to be cc a doer of the word, and not 
 a hearer only, deceiving her own soul." She 
 now sat down cheerfully to finish Meggy's 
 apron, singing in a sweet, though uncultivated 
 voice, one of the spirited Methodist hymns, 
 which she had caught from some of cc the 
 people," as the black families are called. 
 
 " Only look," exclaimed Lizzie, when Alice 
 came into the dining-room, u I have got four 
 pages of my book filled already, and Mary is 
 going to copy them. I took my reference 
 Bible, and looked out first all I could find 
 upon anger, and then upon government of the 
 tongue, and right use of time. Don't look at 
 that page. My hand was tired writing, but the 
 rest look quite neatly." 
 
 Alice did not withhold her praise from the 
 well selected texts, but she remarked, — U I 
 thought, Lizzie, that Miss Fenwick meant that 
 we should put down the texts as they occurred 
 in our reading, and not all at once. Would it 
 not be better for Mary to find them out for 
 herself?" 
 . " 0,.no !" said Mary, who had been dressing 
 2* 
 
18 THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 her dolls, forgetting her usual morning lesson. 
 " I will try and practise those that Lizzie has 
 found out." 
 
 Alice remembered that one of the precepts 
 she had read was, to be " slow to speak," so 
 she said no more, but, quietly taking out her 
 new blank book, reopened her Bible, and 
 thought under what heads she should put the 
 passages which she had marked. 
 
 The first verse was, " Let patience have her 
 perfect work," and Alice placed " Patience" 
 at the head of the page, and, as she did so, 
 resolved not to be so easily put out of temper 
 by her younger sisters. Then she came to 
 the passage, " If any man lack wisdom, let 
 him ask it of God," and this she placed under 
 one of the titles which Miss Fen wick had pro- 
 posed, " Encouragement to Prayer." 
 
 But it would take too long to tell all the 
 lessons which may be learned from this one 
 chapter. Let my little readers look through 
 it themselves, and see how many lessons they 
 can obtain, and then they can judge how much 
 may be learned from going through the whole 
 Bible in the same way. It was very fortunate 
 that Alice commenced her text-book with this 
 
THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 19 
 
 portion of Scripture ; for it fixed in her mind 
 the very truths which made the plan proposed 
 so beneficial, — that "Whoso looketh into the 
 perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, 
 he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of 
 the word, this man shall be blessed in the 
 deed." 
 
 Lizzie had made out a most excellent col- 
 lection of texts, but she had neglected to ask 
 that they might be impressed upon her mind, 
 and was too much fatigued, when she had done 
 copying them, to have enough self-command 
 to perform the duties of the day well. A ride 
 on horseback relieved the pain in her chest, 
 but still she felt through the day the languor 
 and irritability which always followed any ex- 
 traordinary exertion. 
 
 The rest of the children passed the day 
 quite merrily, for it was a lovely Saturday, 
 and when at night Major Cameron returned 
 home, he looked around with pleasure on the 
 bright faces which welcomed him. His man- 
 ner to Lizzie was more kind than usual, as he 
 said, — " You must not mind, my daughter, if 
 sometimes I am a little impatient with you. I 
 see the effort that you are making to do right, 
 
20 THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 and give you full credit for the* care that you 
 take to render me comfortable, and your little 
 sisters happy. This coffee is excellent, and 
 I am sure that I shall have a very fine manager 
 before long." 
 
 Lizzie blushed at this praise from her father, 
 for she was very fond of him ; and when she 
 went up stairs to see that the younger children 
 were comfortably established for the night, her 
 manner to them was quite gentle and motherly, 
 and they told her what they had done wrong 
 during the day, as if she had been twice her 
 actual age. 
 
 When Alice and Mary were alone together 
 in their little bedroom that evening, Mary re- 
 gretted that she had not once thought of her 
 texts the whole day, and now, when she wished 
 to think whether she had practised them, she 
 could not remember what half of them were. 
 
 Alice asked again, kindly, if it would not be 
 better to select a few passages for herself every 
 day, which she could keep in mind ; and Mary, 
 who was quicker in acknowledging errors than 
 firm in correcting them, owned that it would 
 be a wiser plan, and promised to commence it 
 the next day. The little girls then talked very 
 
THE LITTLE TEXT-BOOKS. 21 
 
 pleasantly of the happiness which they felt 
 when doing right, and fell asleep, repeating, 
 "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in 
 Christian love," with their arms around each 
 other's necks. Their conversation had given 
 a sweet expression to their young faces, which 
 made them look lovely in spite of their little 
 mob caps and sun-burnt skins. As they lay 
 there so sweet and peaceful, one felt sure that 
 11 angels would watch them while they slept, 
 till morning light appeared." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 u There comes Jennie, I '11 be bound," 
 said Major Cameron, as he heard a child half 
 tumbling down the stairs on Sunday morning. 
 " She always contrives to make more noise 
 than any other six children." 
 
 The Major was not mistaken, for in came 
 Jennie, limping and puffing, but not too much 
 stunned by her fall to give the door a tremen- 
 dous bang as she shut it after her. 
 
 u You certainly are the clumsiest girl that 
 ever lived, Jennie ; if you can't be more quiet, 
 keep out of my sight," exclaimed the Major, 
 whom a tremendous pain in his head had ren- 
 dered somewhat irritable. 
 
 u Have you a pain in your head, father?" 
 asked Jennie, with perfect good-nature, not in 
 the least abashed by this stern reproof. 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 23 
 
 " I have nothing else," he replied, half vex- 
 ed and half amused at the coolness with which 
 his reproof had been received. 
 
 But though Jennie was somewhat indifferent 
 to her own misconduct, she could not bear to 
 see any one she loved in pain, and her plain, 
 frank face immediately wore a sympathizing 
 expression, as she said, in a more gentle tone, 
 — "I am sorry, father. Wont you come and 
 lie on the sofa, and let me hold your head, and 
 bathe it with camphor ?" 
 
 "It is too heavy for you, my darling," re- 
 plied the Major, his momentary anger entirely 
 subdued ; but, to please Jennie, he lay down, 
 and allowed her to bathe his head with her 
 little plump hands. 
 
 The announcement that breakfast was ready 
 obliged Jennie to give up the burden, of which 
 she was so proud, but a good appetite recon- 
 ciled her to the loss, and she was soon seated 
 at the table, with an air of perfect content. 
 
 " Where is Lizzie ?" asked the Major, 
 rather impatiently. 
 
 At this moment Lizzie entered the room, 
 saying, in an apologetic tone, — " Excuse me, 
 father, but I could not find my hair-ribands." 
 
24 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 " You will lose your head some day, if you 
 don't take care. Come, sit down quickly, 
 and give me my breakfast, for perhaps my 
 head will feel better after eating something. " 
 
 In a few seconds all the other little Cam- 
 erons were in their places, and the Major 
 could not help thinking to himself that his 
 children were indeed like " olive-branches 
 around his table." 
 
 And well might a father be proud of five 
 such promising daughters. There was Lizzie, 
 first, — every body said that she would make 
 a fine-looking woman, when she was a little 
 more stout, and had learned to carry her height 
 better. To be sure, it was not becoming to 
 her to have her hair tucked up, as it was this 
 morning, on account of the loss of her hair- 
 ribands ; but then she had brushed it very 
 smooth, and her mousseline-de-laine fitted 
 nicely, although she had cut it herself, and, 
 what was more remarkable, as yet there w T as 
 not a single darn in it. Lizzie made the largest 
 rents in her dresses of any of the family, and 
 the reason was, that, when any of them caught 
 upon a nail or chair, instead of stopping quietly 
 to disentangle herself, she would give such a 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 25 
 
 twitch as even the stoutest material could not 
 bear. She was getting more careful, however, 
 from feeling strongly the necessity of setting a 
 good example to her younger sisters. 
 
 There was no fear that Alice would copy 
 this fault, for she moved about the house with 
 the gravity of an old woman, from a sort of 
 natural indolence, but yet in play she was un- 
 commonly active. Her figure did not promise 
 to be as fine as her elder sister's, for she had 
 a habit of stooping, which made her shoulders 
 look round ; but since she had tried to govern 
 her temper, there was a sweet expression upon 
 her face, and when she smiled, the deep dimples 
 in her smooth cheeks were very pretty. Her 
 skin, too, was quite fair, if she protected it 
 from the sun, and when she felt in a pleasant 
 mood, her voice was so sweet that it was very 
 agreeable to hear her talk. 
 
 Still a great many declared that Mary was 
 the prettiest, for her black eyes sparkled from 
 under their dark lashes, and her figure was so 
 straight and trim that every thing she wore fitted 
 nicely. She was such an obliging child, too, 
 that one could not help loving her, and when 
 Margaret and Jennie had a favor to ask, it was 
 3 
 
26 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 almost always of " sister Maty." Even at the 
 breakfast table Margaret was whispering to her, 
 which was very wrong, and probably she said 
 something funny, for Mary had hard work not 
 to laugh. It might, however, have been Meg- 
 gy's droll way, but still her small, keen face 
 was lighted up with a comical expression, as 
 if some droll thought passed through her active 
 brain. 
 
 " Who preaches to-day, father ?" asked 
 Lizzie, as they rose from the table. 
 
 " No one at either of the churches, except- 
 ing a colored preacher to the people, this even- 
 ing. I shall be away all day, and you must 
 keep the children in order, and try and set 
 them a good example." 
 
 Lizzie always felt a little nattered at having 
 the rest of the family placed under her charge, 
 and, for a girl of her age, she certainly man- 
 aged as well as could have been expected. 
 Nobody, surely, could have formed better plans 
 than entered her mind, but the great trouble 
 was, that she seemed to spend so much thought 
 about how she shoulddo every thing, that she 
 had very little strength left to carry out her plans. 
 
 As soon as Major Cameron had left the 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 27 
 
 house, his eldest daughter said, very soberly, to 
 the rest of the children, — ' ' Now, I will tell you 
 what I think would be the best plan for passing 
 this day. First, I will read, as Miss Fenwick 
 always did, several chapters in the Bible ; then 
 I will give you all your lessons for this after- 
 noon's Sunday-school. When you have learn- 
 ed them, I have a book to read, which I think 
 you will find interesting, if it is not too old for 
 Meggy and Jennie. After dinner I will hear 
 your recitations, and then we will, as usual, 
 devote, each of us, an hour to the instruction 
 of our little black scholars. If any time is left 
 before supper, we can spend it in singing or 
 repeating hymns." 
 
 The children all agreed that this would be a 
 very profitable way of passing the day, but Alice 
 asked her sister if she did not intend to devote 
 any of it to the instruction of the older servants, 
 as Miss Fenwick had requested them to do. 
 
 " Why, I believe not," answered Lizzie, 
 somewhat hesitatingly, <c if you will do it. 
 They don't listen well to me, and I find it so 
 hard to make them understand any of the more 
 interesting portions of Scripture." 
 
 Alice felt some diffidence about taking this 
 
28 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 duty on herself, as she was only twelve years 
 old ; but still she felt its necessity, as, since 
 her mother's death, they had become respon- 
 sible for the instruction of those whom Provi- 
 dence had, in a manner, placed under their 
 care. She promised to try it this once, and 
 asked to be made the means of doing good to 
 those in whom she felt so deep an interest. 
 
 The chapters which Lizzie chose to read 
 never failed to interest the young, for they con- 
 tained the history of Joseph. As Alice saw 
 how interested the little audience were in lis- 
 tening to the oft-repeated tale, she thought, that, 
 if the children could understand it so easily, 
 she might make it plain to the servants, so she 
 resolved to read the same passages to them. 
 
 When Lizzie had finished, the girls selected 
 their lessons for the afternoon. Alice chose 
 the hundred and third Psalm, which she ad- 
 mired, and Mary the twenty-third, as she was 
 not able to commit so many verses to memory. 
 Margaret and Jennie were harder to please, for 
 they had set their hearts upon the same hymn- 
 book, because it was small, and prettily bound ; 
 and when Lizzie showed them that a larger one 
 contained the verses they had chosen, there 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 29 
 
 was some difficulty in persuading either of them 
 to take it. 
 
 At length, all the children were seated at 
 their lessons, and Lizzie, who had a slight 
 toothache, went up stairs for some camphor, 
 and to tie up her hair, as she had found the lost 
 ribands in the pocket of the dress that she had 
 worn the day before. Suddenly, her text-book 
 came into her mind, and she remembered that 
 she had not once thought of it since it was 
 closed the morning before. 
 
 " There is no use in my trying to be good," 
 she said to herself. "lam sure it is not my 
 fault, for I do all I can ; but the more I read 
 the Bible, the worse I grow." 
 
 Yes, there was truth in that, for every com- 
 mand of Scripture may render us better ; but 
 if we do not practise what we read, like other 
 privileges that we abuse, it will increase our 
 condemnation. 
 
 Lizzie neither asked God to bless the Bible 
 to her, nor opened it with a teachable spirit, and 
 a resolution to make it the rule of her life. 
 She often said, "Christians ought to obey it, 
 but I am not a Christian," as if that were any 
 excuse for sinning against a kind Creator ! 
 3* 
 
30 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 Poor Lizzie ! She had been trying this 
 morning to do her duty, but, with all her efforts, 
 she felt what she had often remarked, that 
 " Sunday was a dull day," and this feeling 
 troubled her, because she also remembered 
 that it is mentioned as one of the peculiarities 
 of God's children that they " call the Sabbath 
 a delight." 
 
 Ah ! Lizzie had too much conscience to be 
 happy in doing wrong, and had not yet the 
 resolution or principle to choose firmly the 
 right. There was much work yet for the 
 Holy Spirit in her wilful young heart. 
 
 " Miss Alice, Aunt Beck say the kitchen is 
 ready for you to come read now, if you is will- 
 ing," said a little negro, at about eleven o'clock, 
 as he thrust his head into the door of the dining- 
 room, which opened out upon the yard leading 
 to the kitchen. 
 
 " Is any body there, Jim, but our own fam- 
 ily ?" asked Alice, ready almost to draw back 
 from the duty. 
 
 " Only Mrs. Franklin, Dilly, and old Uncle 
 Bill. Aunt Becky says you need not mind 
 them, Miss Ally." 
 
 " Well, get me a glass of water, and then I 
 will come," said Alice. 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 31 
 
 cc May I go with you ? O, do let me," 
 asked Jennie, jumping up, and letting her 
 hymn-book fall on the floor. 
 
 "And I, too," said Margaret, laying hers 
 upon the chair Jennie had just quitted. 
 
 " Have both of you learned your lessons ? " 
 asked Alice, who much preferred that they 
 should remain where they were. 
 
 " No, but it is no matter," said Jennie ; " I 
 lost the place that Lizzie gave me, and have 
 only just found it, and now it has gone again." 
 
 " Well, then, you must look it up, for you 
 cannot either of you go with me," said Alice, 
 in rather too decided a tone, as she hurried out 
 of the door, with her Bible in hand. 
 
 The kitchen was at such a distance from the 
 house that it was a wonder that any thing warm 
 ever reached the table, and the smoking dishes 
 that were placed upon it did owe their heat to 
 the activity of the servants. They considered 
 themselves as entire mistresses of the little 
 log-house of which the kitchen was a part, and 
 did the honors with as much politeness as many 
 a lady would have done. 
 
 It was certainly a comfortable looking place, 
 as the fresh, sweet spring air came in through 
 
32 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 the open door and windows ; for the floor and 
 the hard wooden chairs had been newly wash- 
 ed, and all the dishes nicely put away, except- 
 ing the few bright tin ones which hung around 
 the fireplace. 
 
 In the most comfortable of the chairs, lean- 
 ing her elbows on the large pine table, sat the 
 oldest servant on the place, Aunt Polly, and a 
 more faithful creature never lived. To be 
 sure, she was rather cross when any one asked 
 her about the "misery" in her back, or her 
 phthisic ; but though she had, as she said, 
 u one foot in the grave," nothing could per- 
 suade her to give up working, or caring for her 
 master's interest. " A servant is in bondage, 
 but she must be obedient," was her motto, 
 and so she had been all her life. If she could 
 only have been induced to take a little rest, her 
 old age would have been made very comfort- 
 able, and now, with her gay handkerchief upon 
 her head, and her clean linsey-woolsey dress, 
 she looked really respectable. Still, Alice 
 could not help smiling, as she looked up from 
 her book in which she was finding the place, 
 at seeing the strange faces which old Aunt 
 Polly was making, to frighten into silence a 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 33 
 
 little black baby, who was seated on the floor 
 beside her, or at the threatening gestures with 
 which she waved a switch over the head of an- 
 other negro child, who was sitting by the little 
 one to amuse it. But Aunt Polly had no idea 
 of hurting either of them, as you might see by 
 the strange smile which played over her large 
 features, at the pitiful faces with which the 
 poor children looked upon the rod. 
 
 Aunt Kitty, the fat, good-humored, motherly 
 woman in the opposite corner, had her own way 
 of stilling the noisy little Brom, and that was 
 feeding him constantly with hoe-cake, which 
 to him was sweeter than gingerbread ; while tall 
 Aunt Becky, whose child he was, settled her- 
 self to hear the good book that she so much 
 loved. 
 
 Alice had only just commenced reading 
 when three or four of the men-servants came 
 in, but they said, very respectfully, " Please 
 read on, Miss Ally," and taking off their 
 hats, leaned against the wall and listened atten- 
 tively. 
 
 The story of Joseph delighted them all, and 
 moved Aunt Kitty almost to tears, while old 
 Uncle Bill declared, that hearing Miss Ally 
 
34 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 read was as good as a preaching, or a funeral, 
 or a class-meeting. 
 
 Having thus interested them in the narratives 
 of the Bible, Alice turned to some passages 
 which she had found, respecting the duties of 
 servants, and explained what was meant by 
 " eye-service," and " rendering obedience 
 willingly, as unto the Lord, and not unto men." 
 
 Before the youthful teacher had finished, 
 Mary came running down to the kitchen, to 
 say that some children had just come to spend 
 the day with them, and wanted her to come 
 and play. 
 
 " But, Mary, it is Sunday, and we must not 
 play," remarked Alice, as they walked towards 
 the house. " Even the stranger that is in our 
 gates, we are told, must keep the Sabbath." 
 
 " I know that, but they '11 be vexed if we 
 don't," said Mary, who could not bear to dis- 
 please any one. " They wont stay long, per- 
 haps, and it wont be so very wrong just to run 
 about a little." 
 
 " Well, then," said Alice, who was sorely 
 puzzled, "let us walk quietly to the woods, 
 for mother used to go there sometimes with us 
 on Sunday evening, because she said that we 
 
A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 35 
 
 were so used to running about that it made us 
 dull to be shut up all day. But we '11 ask 
 Lizzie what to do." 
 
 Lizzie, however, was not in a state to give 
 advice, for she had a violent toothache ; so 
 Alice and Mary concluded to take a walk with 
 their visiters, the little Carters, and Jennie and 
 Margaret were permitted to put up their books 
 and accompany them. For a little while they 
 all walked soberly along, and Alice and Mary 
 tried to give the conversation a serious tone, 
 but by and by Jennie and Margaret began to 
 run races, and then they found some smooth 
 stones, which would make such nice Jacks 
 that they must try them, and Mary was tempt- 
 ed to join with Sarah and Eliza Carter in the 
 game. 
 
 Now, Alice particularly excelled in this play, 
 and was sorely tempted when she saw all the 
 rest thus amusing themselves, but she fortu- 
 nately remembered one verse that she had set 
 down in her text-book that morning, " Whoso- 
 ever shall keep the whole law and yet offend 
 in one point, he is guilty of all," so she did not 
 dare to commit even a small sin. She walked 
 courageously away from the rest of the party, 
 
36 A SUNDAY AT WALNUT HILL. 
 
 and, seating herself under the tree, repeated 
 over the psalm she had learned that morning, 
 and several others, before the game was done. 
 On their return to the house, Sarah and 
 Eliza Carter concluded to remain all day. In 
 the afternoon, Alice persuaded them all to lis- 
 ten to a very pretty story, but they were obliged 
 to give up the Sunday school, and at night the 
 children did not feel as happy as they often 
 had done. They all went early to bed, and 
 on reviewing the events of the day before their 
 evening prayers, every one saw that it was the 
 tendency to evil in their own hearts, more than 
 the company of their little companions, which 
 had made them misspend so many hours. They 
 remembered, too, that they should be account- 
 able for the example which they had set to 
 their little visiters, who had not received the 
 same religious instruction, and resolved that 
 another time they would try more earnestly to 
 "remember the Sabbath day and keep it 
 holy." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 What an exciting thing it is for children to 
 go to a new school ! 
 
 Since Miss Fenwick's departure, the little 
 Camerons had had a vacation ; but on Monday 
 morning their father informed them that he had 
 made arrangements for their attending the vil- 
 lage academy. After various expressions of 
 surprise at this unexpected intelligence, and 
 fears lest they should never have courage 
 enough to say their lessons to a gentleman, or 
 dare to ask for an explanation, the older girls 
 concluded that they should really be glad to go 
 back to their studies. 
 
 c< Margaret and Jennie are too little to go 
 to school with us," said Mary, who was in the 
 habit of treating her younger sisters as if they 
 4 
 
38 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 were mere babies, compared with herself; " but 
 I suppose that they will be put in entirely differ- 
 ent classes, so that we shall scarcely know that 
 they are there." 
 
 " You have no time to lose," remarked 
 Lizzie, "for father said that you must be 
 ready at ten o'clock to go with him, and it is 
 now nearly nine." 
 
 " O, fix me first, Lizzie, fix me quick, do," 
 exclaimed Jennie, with habitual impatience. 
 " Must not we put on our new muslin dresses 
 and worked pantalette ? I am sure we ought 
 to wear them the first day, and I want my blue 
 hair-ribands, and the little gloves Aunty gave 
 me, and my bronze shoes." 
 
 " How foolish you are ! " said Mary, in 
 quite a contemptuous tone. " You forget that 
 we are only going to school." 
 
 u Well, I don't want to w T ear that ugly cal- 
 ico, either," said Margaret. "lam afraid all 
 the girls will laugh at me " ; and her eyes actu- 
 ally filled with tears at the bare idea of being 
 ridiculous. 
 
 " Margaret is so afraid of being laughed at, 
 I dare say she '11 cry if Mr. Johnson speaks to 
 her, she's such a baby." 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 39 
 
 Margaret did cry very easily, and excite- 
 ment, together with the fear of going among 
 strangers, now made her rather weak, and her 
 blue eyes began to look decidedly watery at 
 these remarks. 
 
 Mary, although rather severe in condemning 
 the little follies of her sisters, was very kind- 
 hearted, and could not bear really to wound 
 their feelings. " Come, don't cry, Meggy," 
 she said, in a soothing tone, u and I will braid 
 your hair nicely, and see that the girls shall 
 have no cause to laugh at you. Alice wont 
 let them impose upon us, for you know she 
 always takes our part, and they are afraid of 
 her." 
 
 " I hope there will be no need of my aid," 
 said Alice. " I do not mean to be as ready 
 to take offence as when I last went to school. 
 Let us try and see how peaceably we can get 
 along. You know they ' that would have 
 friends must show themselves friendly ' ; and if 
 we are kind to all the girls, I don't believe but 
 what they '11 be kind to us." 
 
 u Come, come," said Lizzie impatiently, 
 " we can't stop to hear you preach, Alice. 
 Susan has put all your clothes in your rooms, 
 
40 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 children, and will get your dinners ready for 
 you to carry." 
 
 " Put in enough for me, Susan," was Jen- 
 nie's warning, as she was running up stairs in 
 her usual boisterous way. 
 
 When the little girls came down, they were 
 all dressed very neatly for school, with the ex- 
 ception of a large string of blue glass beads 
 with which some of the servants had presented 
 Jennie, and which Lizzie had allowed her to 
 wear, to make up for not putting on her bronze 
 shoes, upon which she had set her heart. 
 
 u Who '11 take the dinner-basket?" asked 
 Alice. " I have my large atlas and slate to 
 carry." 
 
 " And I mine," said Mary, " but Margaret 
 can take it, for Jim is going to carry all Jennie's 
 and her books." 
 
 " But I am ashamed to take that old basket. 
 I know all the girls w 7 ill make fun of me," re- 
 plied Margaret, just ready to cry again. 
 
 The dinner-basket was rather shabby, for 
 the straw was broken around the edge, and a 
 piece of twine had replaced the handle, which 
 had been worn off by swinging it constantly 
 backwards and forwards. 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 4t 
 
 CC I don't care how it looks," said Jennie. 
 "I '11 carry it, and then I can take a luncheon 
 by the way." 
 
 " No, it is too heavy for you," replied Mary; 
 adding, after a moment's thought, " I '11 tell 
 you what will be better. You can take my 
 slate, and Margaret my atlas, and I '11 carry 
 the basket. You know we must c bear one # 
 another's burdens.' Is not that what the text 
 which we put down this morning means, 
 Alice ? " 
 
 Mary had not forgotten, this time, that the 
 passages in their text-book were to be prac- 
 tised upon, as well as written neatly. 
 
 Either the bright morning, or the pleasant 
 walk down the hill, or the good resolutions 
 which they had formed, made the children very 
 light-hearted, and when Major Cameron intro- 
 duced them to Mr. Johnson, he thought that 
 he had never seen four happier looking chil- 
 dren. They submitted, without pouting, to 
 being put back in a great many of their lessons, 
 and sat down very quietly to their tasks for the 
 day. 
 
 When Alice and Mary were called up to 
 recite their first lesson, they were able to say it 
 4 # 
 
42 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 without missing a word ; but Alice was a little 
 too much pleased, when, through the inatten- 
 tion of those above her, she gained the head 
 of her class. It was more amiable in Mary 
 to feel pride in her sister's scholarship, and she 
 deserved credit for the frankness with which 
 she owned that Alice always learned more 
 quickly than she herself was able to do. 
 
 When the second class in geography were 
 summoned, Margaret fairly trembled, but Alice 
 whispered to her, as she passed, cc Don't be 
 afraid. I '11 tell you, if you don't know." 
 
 The first question which came to Margaret 
 had such a short, easy answer, that she got 
 over it very well, and began to feel quite reas- 
 sured. Her courage soon fell, when, after two 
 trials, the little girl next above her could not 
 tell what was the capital of Illinois, and the 
 question passed to her. She knew all the 
 capitals perfectly when she came to the class, 
 but now she could not think of one of them. 
 Her head was hung on one side, and her eyes 
 were fast filling with tears, when she heard 
 " Springfield," in a low whisper. She did 
 not wish to bring Alice into difficulty, so she 
 remained silent for a moment longer, and then 
 brought out the answer in a hesitating tone. 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 43 
 
 "Right," said Mr. Johnson. " Go above 
 Eliza Carter." 
 
 Margaret, who knew that Eliza could have 
 answered as well, if she had been told, did not 
 seem willing to execute this command ; and 
 Mr. Johnson, thinking that her reluctance arose 
 from diffidence, said, encouragingly, — "You 
 must not be too modest to take the honor 
 which you deserve. Eliza is very careless 
 about her lessons, and ought to be punished." 
 
 Margaret ought to have had the frankness to 
 have told openly the reason of her hesitation, 
 but she feared to bring blame upon her sister, 
 and had too little independence to do right ; 
 so, with a blush of shame, she moved up in the 
 class. 
 
 As soon as school was out at noon, Alice 
 went to Mr. Johnson, and said, in a low but 
 firm tone, — u You will excuse me, Sir, if 
 I say that I do not think Margaret has any 
 right to be above Eliza Carter. She says she 
 knew her lesson perfectly when she went to the 
 class ; but she would have missed, if I had not 
 whispered the answer behind her. I did not 
 think at the time that I was doing wrong, but 1 
 see now that it was deceiving you, and teach- 
 
44 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 ing her to do what was wrong. I believe that 
 she would have told you the reason why she 
 did not wish to go up, if she had not feared 
 that you would blame me ; so I thought it was 
 my duty to tell you about it." 
 
 Mr. Johnson, who was well aware that this 
 injurious practice was common among his 
 scholars, under the false idea that it was kind, 
 was surprised at this frank confession. He 
 did not praise Alice, but he thought to himself 
 that henceforward he could rely upon her truth- 
 fulness. 
 
 Children become acquainted very quickly, 
 and half an hour after the intermission com- 
 menced, the little Camerons were as much at 
 home as if they had known their schoolmates 
 for years. Alice and Mary had joined a party 
 of the older ones, who were playing Jacks on 
 the large table in the centre of the room, while 
 Margaret was looking at some droll pictures in 
 a book which she had just borrowed of her 
 seatmate, and Jennie was skipping the rope in 
 the yard, managing to trip herself every three 
 minutes, and then regaining her feet with equal 
 dexterity. 
 
 As Alice stood waiting for her turn to per- 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 45 
 
 form the feat of "all-fours," upon which she 
 prided herself, she noticed one poor little girl 
 who stood alone in the corner of the room, 
 looking towards them with a wistful eye, as if 
 she longed to join in the game. u Who is that 
 in the faded black calico and torn apron ?" 
 she asked of Sarah Carter, a lively girl, whom 
 she had known very well previously to com- 
 mencing school. 
 
 " Nobody but little Fanny Martin," replied 
 Sarah, very disdainfully ; " is not she a dirty, 
 disagreeable-looking little thing ? All the girls 
 laugh at her, and we wont any of us play with 
 her. You know who her father is, — old Bill 
 Martin. He gets drunk every day, and they 
 say that 's what killed her mother." 
 
 " Poor child ! " said Alice, sympathizingly ; 
 u no mother ! Then that 's the reason why 
 she looks so neglected. Come here, Meg, I 
 want to speak to you," she added, endeavour- 
 ing to turn Margaret's attention from the pic- 
 ture with which she seemed so much amused. 
 
 Meggy's ear was at length gained ; but when 
 Alice whispered, " Do go and talk to that 
 poor little girl who stands there alone," she 
 did not seem ready to comply with the re- 
 
46 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 quest, but remained in silence, rolling up the 
 corner of her gingham apron, and running her 
 finger through the hem. 
 
 " Why don't you go, Meggy ? Do, that 's 
 a dear, good child," repeated Alice, persua- 
 sively. 
 
 Margaret now found courage to whisper, — 
 " I dare not. None of the girls play with her ; 
 and they will not like me, if I do." 
 
 " How mean you are, to be so afraid of 
 them ! " said Alice, in an impatient tone ; for 
 she was so independent herself, that she had 
 very little consideration for Margaret's failing. 
 
 Alice forgot then that it was as much her 
 duty to support the feebleminded and be pa- 
 tient toward all, as to remember that u whoso 
 despiseth the poor reproacheth his Maker." 
 It is so much easier to perform the duties to 
 which we are naturally inclined, than to view 
 with charity those faults to which we have no 
 temptation. 
 
 A cunning child is very disagreeable, and an 
 artful one still worse ; but even the very young, 
 when they wish to do a kind act, should study 
 the most prudent manner. 
 
 Alice thought for a few moments how she 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 47 
 
 could improve little Fanny Martin's appear- 
 ance, so that she might not be so much de- 
 spised by her companions, and succeeded very 
 well in her effort to effect this object. She 
 gave up playing any longer at her favorite 
 game, and this little act of self-denial filled her 
 heart with peace, and made her tone very 
 sweet, as she said to Fanny, — " Will you not 
 come out in the porch with me, while I wash 
 my hands ? All the rest are busy, and they 
 are so stained with ink, that it will take some 
 time to get it off. Stop a moment, till I get 
 a towel out of our dinner-basket. " 
 
 Fanny Martin really looked pretty, in spite 
 of her dirty face, as her eyes sparkled and her 
 cheek flushed at this unexpected kindness. 
 She chattered away very pleasantly, while 
 Alice tried to remove the ink from her hands, 
 and was not at all offended when her compan- 
 ion remarked, as she finished, — " Now, would 
 you like to wash your hands, Fanny ? The 
 roads are so full of dust, that some of it has 
 settled upon your skin, and if you wish to use 
 my towel, you are welcome. T knew we 
 should need one, and asked Susan to put it 
 up." 
 
48 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 Fanny thankfully accepted this offer ; and 
 then Alice said, as she took a clean little brush 
 out of her ample pocket, — " When I have 
 smoothed my hair, I should like to try and 
 braid yours like Jennie's. She never can 
 do it nicely herself." 
 
 " I have no ribands," replied Fanny, with 
 a slight expression of mortification. 
 
 "Never mind ! I can give you part of mine, 
 and it will look all the better, for it is too 
 long now." 
 
 So saying, Alice took a knife from her 
 pocket and cut her nice brown riband in two, 
 and arranged Fanny's hair so well, that it was 
 no wonder her schoolmates scarcely knew her 
 when she reentered the room. 
 
 When Sarah Carter saw how Alice had 
 been employed, she drew down the corners 
 of her mouth very contemptuously, and whis- 
 pered to Anna Mortimer that she could not 
 see how any gentleman's daughter could touch 
 such a vulgar little thing as Fanny Martin. 
 For her part, she should not play with Alice 
 Cameron any more, if she was going to asso- 
 ciate with such children. 
 
 Mary Cameron overheard this whisper, and 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 49 
 
 her quick temper was instantly aroused. " I 
 am sure Alice will be glad to hear that," she 
 remarked in an angry tone, while her cheeks 
 crimsoned, and her dark eyes sparkled with 
 indignation. " Are you not ashamed to treat 
 that poor little thing so, just because she has 
 a bad father and no mother ? " 
 
 Mary should have read over her texts upon 
 the cc Government of the Tongue " that morn- 
 ing, and then she would have known better 
 how to manage the " unruly member." 
 
 Alice saw from her sister's manner, that 
 some unkind remark had been made about her 
 conduct ; but she was fearless of blame when 
 sure that she was right, so she whispered to 
 Mary, — " Hush, dear, it is not worth mind- 
 ing. I can defend myself, if necessary." 
 
 u Well, if you don't care, I am sure I 
 don't," she replied aloud ; " but I '11 let her 
 know she is not going to speak so of me." 
 
 " Do be quiet," said Alice, in a low voice. 
 " Don't you remember that there is a woe to 
 us, when all men speak well of us ; but i if we 
 do well and suffer for it patiently, this is ac- 
 ceptable ' ? " 
 
 " Did you hear that text ? " whispered Sa- 
 5 
 
50 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 rah Carter ; u Alice must be going to give us 
 a sermon. She 's great at preaching, I dare 
 say. We '11 watch her practice. I could 
 make her so mad in ten minutes, that I bet she 
 would forget all her religion." 
 
 These last words were said aloud, on pur- 
 pose to attract the attention of the person of 
 whom she was speaking ; and Alice, who saw 
 her object, was determined not to be provoked. 
 With a great effort she commanded her rising 
 spirit, and said, in a calm tone, — u Don't try 
 my temper, Sarah, for it is a very bad one, and 
 I might lose it in less than the time you men- 
 tioned, which I should be very sorry to do." 
 
 Sarah Carter was so astonished at this quiet 
 admission on Alice's part of her own irritability, 
 that she had nothing more to say ; so she toss- 
 ed up her marbles in her hand, and changed 
 the subject by observing, that, if they did not 
 make haste and finish their game, they would 
 not have time to get through with their dinner 
 before school commenced. 
 
 When the little Camerons were assembled 
 after tea in the dining-room, telling Lizzie the 
 occurrences of the day, each found that they " 
 had not strictly kept all the good resolutions 
 which they had made in the morning. 
 
THE NEW SCHOOL. 51 
 
 Mary remembered with pleasure that she 
 had consented to carry the old dinner-basket, 
 but regretted that she had lost her temper and 
 said many things in an unchristian spirit. 
 
 Margaret saw her weakness in not liking to 
 talk to little Fanny Martin ; and when both she 
 and Jennie came to ask themselves, "Whom 
 have we made happy to-day ?" which was one 
 of the questions that guided them in the work 
 of self-examination proposed by Miss Fenwick, 
 they were forced to own that they had thought 
 only of themselves. 
 
 Alice then rejoiced that she had denied her- 
 self a little pleasure for the sake of the poor 
 little forsaken Fanny, and resolved to carry a 
 needle and thread to school the next day, to 
 mend the torn apron, if it should again appear. 
 She, however, had much to lament, and de- 
 termined never again to tempt her sisters to 
 deceive by telling them in their recitations, or 
 to feel so much exalted if she excelled in her 
 own studies. u I must encourage Mary more 
 in her studies," she thought, " and not forget 
 that humility is of great price in the sight of 
 God, and it is he that hath made us to differ." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 lizzie's journey. 
 
 What a commotion there is to-day at Wal- 
 nut Hill ! 
 
 Lizzie is opening and shutting her bureau- 
 drawers without appearing to know for what 
 she is seeking, and Jim is helping Susan to 
 bring down a large trunk from the garret, 
 while Becky is out in the yard hanging out 
 all her young mistress's nice dresses, which 
 she has just washed with special care. 
 
 " Where are you going, Lizzie ? where are 
 you going ?" exclaimed Jennie, quite out of 
 breath, for she had run half the way from the 
 village, where she had met one of the servants, 
 who informed her, " Miss Lizzie was a going 
 to leave Ameriky." 
 
 There was nothing, however, so startling as 
 
lizzie's journey. 53 
 
 this about to take place, for Lizzie was going 
 no farther than New York ; but the servants, 
 who knew very little about geography, thought 
 that New York was too far off to be reached 
 without crossing the " big water," as they 
 called the ocean. 
 
 " I am going to the North, with Uncle 
 James," Lizzie answered, in quite a cool tone, 
 trying to appear as if she thought it only an 
 every-day excursion. It was queer what a 
 dislike she had to appearing ignorant of the 
 world, and how fond she was of astonishing 
 her sisters with her calmness, when mentioning 
 what seemed to them perfectly wonderful. 
 
 " O, let me go with you, let me go," ex- 
 claimed Jennie, of course. 
 
 " Wait till Uncle James invites you," re- 
 plied Lizzie, with great dignity. 
 
 Uncle James Cameron, a kind-hearted old 
 bachelor, had been passing a week at Walnut 
 Hill, and discovered what had escaped the no- 
 tice of the rest of the family, namely, that 
 his oldest niece was quite out of health and 
 spirits. 
 
 If Lizzie could only have learned a little 
 moderation, she might have been perfectly well 
 5* 
 
54 lizzie's journey. 
 
 at this time ; but she was always tiring herself 
 by doing every thing in just half the time that 
 was needed for its execution. Since Miss 
 Fenwick's departure, she had taken every kind 
 of duty upon herself, and had made great ex- 
 ertions for the good of the family. She felt 
 especial pride in being able to say, that, with 
 Susan's help, she had done nearly all the sew- 
 ing that was necessary for herself and the child- 
 ren. In order to make this boast, she had 
 been constantly occupied, taking very little 
 time for the exercise which her rapid growth 
 required. The consequence of this impru- 
 dence was, that her chest became very weak, 
 and she was attacked with an incessant pain in 
 her side. Her indisposition depressed her 
 spirits ; and while the children were all gone 
 to school, she felt so lonely and miserable, 
 that she would often come out with the wicked 
 speech which always seemed so near her lips, 
 — " I wish I was dead." 
 
 Perhaps it was because Lizzie remembered 
 that she had so often said this, that she was 
 so frightened about herself now ; and no won- 
 der ; for He who has the power of life in his 
 hands had heard her wish, and might be about 
 
lizzie's journey. 55 
 
 to punish her by fulfilling it. She certainly 
 grew worse, and, as her family was consump- 
 tive, there was every reason to fear that her 
 illness might end in a decline, unless speedily 
 cured. 
 
 But Lizzie did not tell her father either that 
 she was not well, or of her loneliness, for she 
 thought to herself, — " Poor man ! He has 
 enough of trouble already ; and if I am taken 
 away, he will only have one less to provide 
 for and to cause him anxiety." Major Came- 
 ron noticed that she was a little pale ; but he 
 had settled it in his mind, that, because his 
 children always had been healthy, they would 
 always continue so, and therefore considered 
 little about them. 
 
 When Mr. James Cameron mentioned his 
 opinion with regard to Lizzie to her father, 
 and remarked how lonely and wearing such a 
 life of care must be to so young a girl, Major 
 Cameron was aroused to a sense of the danger 
 which threatened his child, and eagerly asked 
 how it could be remedied. As soon as his 
 brother proposed that she should return with 
 him to New York, and pay her Aunt Mary 
 Ludlow a visit, the offer was accepted with 
 
56 lizzie's journey. 
 
 thankfulness, and Lizzie was immediately told 
 of the plan. At first she declared that it was 
 impossible for her to leave home, but Major 
 Cameron would listen to no objections, and 
 Alice willingly promised to fill her sister's 
 place as far as lay in her power. 
 
 It was pleasant to see with what readiness 
 all the children declared that they would be as 
 good as they possibly could, if Lizzie would 
 only go to New York ; and the moment that 
 she commenced her preparations, all their little 
 hands were busy in assisting her. Each one, 
 too, offered what they considered most valu- 
 able among their own clothing to add to her 
 wardrobe, and declared that they should have 
 no manner of use for it until she returned. 
 
 u You must take my shawl, which was 
 mother's, for it is prettier than yours," said 
 Alice, who sat upon the trunk which Jim 
 and Susan had placed in the middle of the 
 room, sewing some lace upon a pack of knit 
 night-caps, which the housekeeper had just 
 sent up, with a variety of other things, from 
 the village. 
 
 " And you must have my linen cambric ruf- 
 fles, which I have never worn," remarked 
 
57 
 
 Mary ; " and do give me some work. I can't 
 sew up seams very well, but I can hem quite 
 nicely. Here, Alice, take my thimble, for 
 you know I never use it." 
 
 " I only wish you could wear my clothes, 
 Lizzie," exclaimed Margaret, who was seated 
 on the floor by the bureau, from which her sis- 
 ter was taking out various articles, to see if they 
 needed any mending. " There, let me darn 
 those stockings. You know I only draw up 
 the holes a very little. O, I have just thought 
 of something nice ! You can wear the ring 
 Aunt Margaret gave me, on your little finger." 
 
 Before Lizzie had time to decline this offer, 
 Jennie was seen flying out of the room, and 
 returning in triumph with a small box which 
 she always kept hidden. She drew forth from 
 it the blue beads to which she was so fondly 
 attached, and, displaying them with great glee, 
 exclaimed, "You shall take my beads, Lizzie, 
 if you will be careful and not break the string." 
 
 The children all burst into a loud laugh at 
 the idea of their sister's appearing in New 
 York thus ornamented ; at which Jennie was 
 so wounded, that she immediately fell to weep- 
 ing in the most heart-broken manner. 
 
58 
 
 Mary tried to soothe the poor child by tell- 
 ing her that such large girls as Lizzie did not 
 look pretty in beads, no matter how handsome 
 they were ; but her tears were not dried till 
 her sister promised to bring her a beautiful 
 wax doll, which should open and shut its eyes, 
 and then peace was restored. 
 
 The idea that Lizzy w T as really ill had 
 driven all selfishness from the hearts of the lit- 
 tle girls ; but as in the excitement of prepara- 
 tion they forgot why she was about to leave 
 them, less generous ideas entered into their 
 minds. As Alice sat working diligently at her 
 caps, and looking at the many new things 
 which had been bought for her sister, she 
 thought how much care would soon come up- 
 on her, and how very lonely she should feel. 
 She had neard of this new plan just as she was 
 sitting down to her morning reading lesson, 
 which, as it was Saturday, had been deferred 
 to a later hour, than usual ; and in her confusion 
 her Bible was hastily closed and never once 
 thought of again, so that her devotions were 
 entirely omitted. 
 
 It is a proof of the weakness of our nature, 
 that we are sure to do wrong if w T e omit ask- 
 
lizzie's journey. 59 
 
 ing strength from on high for a single day. 
 Alice began to feel peevish and fretful, and 
 there was a very ugly frown settled upon her 
 fair countenance. 
 
 " O, is not this pink muslin beautiful ?" ex- 
 claimed Lizzie, as she held up one of the new 
 dresses which Major Cameron had just sent 
 up for her inspection. u I only wish it was 
 made up, for I do so long to see how it will 
 look on me ; but Uncle James says that he 
 can only wait until Tuesday for me, and I 
 must have a dress-maker when I get to New 
 York. I will write all the new fashions to you, 
 Alice, and then Miss Penniman can make your 
 dresses exactly like mine." 
 
 " Thank you ! there is no need of your 
 troubling yourself, for I shall have no new 
 things to make up ; your old clothes will, I 
 suppose, be good enough for me," replied 
 Alice, with the look and tone of a person who 
 was suffering some great injustice patiently. 
 
 " Why, what ails you, Alice ?" asked Liz- 
 zie, in surprise. " Are you not glad that I 
 am going ? " 
 
 Before Alice could reply, Mitty interrupted 
 the conversation by saying, in a tone of re- 
 
60 lizzie's journey. 
 
 proof, — " Are you not ashamed, iVlice, to be 
 mad because Lizzie has to go away and have 
 a few new things, when you know it is be- 
 cause she has made herself sick sewing for us ? 
 I '11 tell you what 's the matter with her, Liz- 
 zie,, if you '11 come here." As Mary whis- 
 pered to her sister, she turned a very indignant 
 glance at Alice, who tried to put on an ex 
 pression of scornful indifference. 
 
 " O, she can't be so mean !" exclaimed 
 Lizzie. 
 
 Mary did not think that it was as much of a 
 sin for her to dwell upon the error of her sis- 
 ter, and provoke her by whispering about it, 
 as it was to encourage such envious thoughts. 
 
 Alice was all ready to lose her temper ; and 
 when Margaret said, — "I know what Mary 
 whispered to Lizzie ; — she said that Alice 
 wanted to go with Uncle James too, and is mad 
 because she can't have so many pretty things ; 
 — I should think she would be ashamed," — 
 the evil spirit was fully roused, and Alice ex- 
 claimed passionately, " It is no such thing." 
 
 She thought that this was the truth, for when 
 people are angry they never know if they are 
 saying what is correct. " I was trying to do 
 
lizzie's journey. 61 
 
 all I could," she added, " to help Lizzie ; but 
 if she 's so cross, she may finish her old night- 
 caps herself. I wont touch them again." 
 
 So saying, she threw her work upon the 
 floor, and, leaving the room, slammed the door 
 after her in a most improper manner. As she 
 flung herself into a chair, her eyes happened to 
 fall on the Bible and text-book, upon the bu- 
 reau opposite, and she remembered that they 
 had not been used that morning. She was too 
 deeply conscience-stricken to open them now, 
 and sat for some time indulging in wicked 
 thoughts, till she heard her sister cough, and 
 then she remembered that she was ill. 
 
 a O, if Lizzie should die ! " she said to her- 
 self with horror, and then she knew how sinful 
 she had been. 
 
 As soon as she was convinced of her own 
 wickedness, Alice knelt down and asked God 
 to forgive her, and then she took her Bible 
 and read a chapter. One of the first verses in 
 it was, — " He that doeth not righteousness is 
 not of God, neither he that loveth not his 
 brother ; for this is the message that we had 
 from the beginning, that we should love one 
 another." 
 
 6 
 
02 LIZZIE'S JOURNEY". 
 
 This verse Alice put down in her text-book, 
 with several others, under the head of " Fam- 
 ily AfTection," and resolved that she would 
 show her love to God more by acts of kind- 
 ness to those whom he had placed immediately 
 around her. She was so high-spirited, that it 
 was a great trial to her to return into the room 
 where her sisters were, and Mary was so 
 thoughtless as to cry out, when she entered, — 
 " Ally looks quite meek now. She has got a 
 little cooled down." But this was no more 
 than the passionate little girl deserved. 
 
 u Sister Lizzie," she said, with a deep blush, 
 " I have done wrong. If you will give me 
 back the work I was sewing, I should be hap- 
 py to finish it." 
 
 " I don't wish your aid," replied Lizzie, 
 coldly ; " I can do it myself, though my side 
 does ache so badly." 
 
 " Please let me have it, Lizzie," said Alice, 
 in a supplicating tone ; " you know we must 
 forgive one another our trespasses"; and she 
 kissed her sister so affectionately, and acknowl- 
 edged her fault so humbly, that Lizzie was 
 completely overcome, and let her do as she 
 chose. 
 
lizzie's journey. 63 
 
 The rest of the day went on very smoothly, 
 and by the next Tuesday every thing was in 
 readiness for the departure of the young travel- 
 ler. Although she expected so much pleasure, 
 Lizzie could not leave home without many 
 tears ; and it was amusing to hear how many 
 cautions she gave Alice, and what wise in- 
 structions for the management of the family. 
 
 "I am sure I don't know how I shall get 
 along without you, my daughter," said the 
 Major, "for I find you are at the bottom of 
 every thing. You have been a great comfort 
 to me, darling, and I hope that God will bless 
 you and restore your health. Take good care 
 of her, James." 
 
 How small Alice looked at the head of the 
 table ! Yet she made her father's coffee very 
 nicely, and sat up quite straight. The little 
 ones could not help smiling, when they said, 
 u Please excuse me, Alice," as they left the 
 table to look over their lessons ; but she bore 
 her new honors with great dignity, and the 
 novelty soon wore away. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 LIZZIE'S LETTER FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 A letter from Lizzie ! How delightful ! 
 It was so lucky, too, that all the children had 
 just returned from school, when Major Came- 
 ron brought it from the post-office, so that they 
 were all right on the spot, when Alice opened 
 it. She did not even stop to see what the 
 seal was, but commenced immediately reading 
 it aloud. 
 
 " New York, June 18, 1840. 
 u Dear Father and Sisters : 
 
 " I have so much to say, that I can hardly 
 wait to write it down. Before I had been 
 gone a single day, I had enough in my mind 
 to fill a whole letter ; but so many things have 
 happened since, that all that is driven out of 
 my brain, and I scarcely remember now any- 
 
lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 65 
 
 thing about my journey, excepting that we 
 hurried from steamboats to cars, and were de- 
 tained a night on the road by some accident 
 happening to the engine. We spent two days 
 in Philadelphia, but it rained all the time, so 
 that I did not go out of the house, but sat in 
 the parlour of the hotel alone, reading a book 
 which I had picked up on the table, as quietly 
 as if I were at home. 
 
 " It was Saturday evening when we arrived 
 at New York, and I was so tired, that I 
 scarcely noticed anything, except how beauti- 
 fully the shops looked by gas-light, and how 
 many carriages and omnibuses we passed. 
 
 " The next morning, however, I woke fresh 
 as a lark, and free from pain in my side or 
 chest. The brick walls opposite my window 
 did not look quite as pretty as the green fields 
 and oak woods which I can see from my room 
 at home ; and I could not think how the people 
 ever knew when the sun rose, for it must be 
 mid-day before he shows his face above those 
 tall houses. 
 
 " Aunt Mary came into my room before I 
 was dressed, and seemed just as she used to, 
 and very much like father and Uncle James. 
 6* 
 
66 LIZZIE'S LETTER FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 She still keeps her warm Southern manners, 
 but Mr. Ludlow is so quiet and so cold, that 
 I am afraid of him. He has two children near 
 my age, for you know he was a widower when 
 Aunt Mary married him, and at first I did not 
 like them at all. Aunt Mary says they are 
 very glad to see me ; but they called me Miss 
 Elizabeth ; and when I opened my trunk, Jane 
 stood looking at some of my prettiest things 
 with such a contemptuous expression that I 
 was just ready to cry. When she saw my 
 new dresses, she said that she was glad that 
 they were not made up, for they would not 
 look so countrified as things always do that 
 come from anywhere but New York. 
 
 " When I came down dressed for church, 
 she told me, that, if she were in my place, she 
 would not go out till my dresses were made. 
 I had on my best white frock, which you know 
 is very pretty, excepting that it is a little short- 
 waisted ; and I was vexed at her manner. 
 
 " c I always wear this at home,' I replied ; 
 ' and I do not think it right to stay from church 
 for such a reason.' 
 
 " i But that is in the country, where any- 
 thing will do,' said Cousin Jane ; c but it is 
 
quite a different thing here, as you will very 
 soon discover.' 
 
 " c Do you not go here to worship the same 
 God ? ' I asked, in quite a reproving tone. 
 c If so, what will not dishonor his house in 
 one place is quite suitable for it in another.' 
 
 " At this grave speech, Jane looked very 
 queerly, and I saw, as Cousin Tom turned his 
 head towards the window, that he was laugh 
 ing. I began to be really angry, and was sure 
 that I should never like such rude people ; 
 but now I see that they meant to be kind, for 
 they knew how much all the New-Yorkers 
 thought of dress, and wanted their acquaint- 
 ances to think well of me. When I got to 
 church, I did not wonder so much at what 
 Jane had said ; for every body was dressed so 
 much, that it was no wonder that they did not 
 kneel down, lest they should soil such beautiful 
 clothes. I tried to forget where I was, and 
 join in the prayers, but I could think of noth- 
 ing proper for the place. Perhaps the reason 
 was, that Aunt Mary came into my room in 
 the morning, before I had said my prayers, 
 and I omitted them, because I did not like to 
 kneel down before her, and did not ask, as we 
 
68 lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 always do on Sunday morning, to be kept from 
 wandering thoughts. I kept thinking how I 
 should have my new dresses made, and look- 
 ing to see which of the fashions I liked best ; 
 and when I saw that nobody, that pretended to 
 be anything, wore fixed-over straw bonnets like 
 mine, I thought whether father could afford to 
 give me a new white one, such as Cousin Jane 
 and the other girls of my age here wear. I sup- 
 pose that is the reason why, when I put mine 
 on, Jane asked me if it was my best bonnet, 
 and then said that I did very well to put off 
 getting one till I arrived in New York, for 
 every thing is so much prettier and cheaper 
 here. 
 
 "When we came home from church, I took 
 out my little Bible, and was beginning to read, 
 when Cousin Tom called to me to come to 
 the window and see the ' real Bowery cut.' 
 And so I hurried there, but only saw some 
 plainly dressed people. By and by, some re- 
 ally ridiculous objects passed, and I began to 
 laugh too. The house is in Broadway, and a 
 constant stream of people went up and down, 
 and so many queer-looking ones, that we got 
 into a frolic and made fun of every body. All 
 
lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 69 
 
 at once Tom exclaimed, in the midst of our 
 sport, — ' Why, Miss Elizabeth, we thought 
 that you were quite a little Methodist this 
 morning. What did you mean by making that 
 solemn speech about going to church, when 
 you are as full of the old one as any of us ? ' 
 
 " This remark quite sobered me, and I 
 thought that it was very true that I had no right 
 to blame others so severely, when so liable to 
 fall into error myself. Tom saw how soberly 
 I looked, but he only laughed again and said, 
 — c You need not trouble yourself to put on 
 that face, for we see very well, in spite of it, 
 what a witch you are.' I could not help smil- 
 ing at his funny way, and concluded, that, when 
 people were visiting, there was no use in their 
 trying to spend Sunday properly, for they 
 could not do it, and therefore would not be to 
 blame. 
 
 M When the bells rang for service in the 
 afternoon, Jane said that she was too tired to 
 go, though I had not seen anything of her fa- 
 tigue before ; and Tom went out to take a ride, 
 excusing himself by remarking that he was so 
 busy with school every other day, that he had 
 no time for exercise. I was afraid that no one 
 
70 lizzie's LETTER FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 was going to church, and I did not want to 
 stay at home, for there was so much to be 
 seen there ; but Uncle James, who you know 
 is really a good man, came in prepared to go, 
 and so Aunt Mary concluded to accompany 
 him. All the afternoon I was so full of laugh- 
 ter, that I could scarcely control myself, for I 
 saw some of the most ridiculous-looking peo- 
 ple, and could not help thinking of some of 
 Cousin Tom's funny speeches. I do not know 
 that I could have tried harder to be serious 
 when there, but I remembered what Miss 
 Fenwick so often said about going to church 
 in a proper frame of mind, if we wished to be 
 so after our arrival there. 
 
 "When we were coming home, who should 
 we see but Miss Fenwick herself, walking 
 soberly down Broadway, accompanied by an- 
 other lady ? The moment that I saw her, I be- 
 gan to run, forgetting all about the day and the 
 place, and when I met her I could not speak, 
 but burst right into tears. She received me 
 with a great deal of affection, but quieted me 
 in her usual calm way ; and then turning to 
 Aunt Mary, who with Uncle James had just 
 come up with us, she said, — ' Mrs. Ludlow, 
 
lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 71 
 
 I believe. Will you allow your warm-hearted 
 little niece to go home with me, and pass the 
 rest of the day ? She seems almost like my 
 own child ; and as I leave town to-morrow, 
 I shall not again have a chance of seeing 
 her.' 
 
 " e Who is it ? ' asked Aunt Mary of me, 
 in a low tone. 
 
 " ' Our dear Miss Fenwick,' I replied, so 
 loud that I am sure she must have heard me. 
 
 " ' Ah, a sister of William Fenwick ; a very 
 proper acquaintance,' murmured Aunt Mary 
 to Uncle James ; and then turning to her, she 
 very politely accepted the invitation for me. 
 I was so excited at the meeting, that I saw 
 nothing more of the people whom we passed 
 in going down Broadway, and could scarcely 
 give a connected answer to Miss Fenwick's 
 various inquiries. To relieve me, she com- 
 menced talking to the lady with her, whom I 
 found to be Mrs William Fenwick, her sister- 
 in-law. We stopped at a beautiful house on 
 the Battery, for the family are very rich, al- 
 though I never heard Miss Fenwick say any- 
 thing about it, when she was with us. As 
 soon as we entered the drawing-room, she said 
 
72 lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 to her sister, — ( Excuse me, Louisa, if I 
 take ray little guest directly to my room. I 
 should not have violated your rule against Sun- 
 day visiting, if I had not known that you would 
 be willing to make an exception in Lizzie's 
 favor.' 
 
 " When we were seated alone, I could al- 
 most imagine myself at home. By and by, Miss 
 Fenwick gave the conversation a serious tone, 
 by asking me how we got on with our text- 
 books. I told her that I thought that Alice 
 and Mary must have continued them, for they 
 had improved very much, and had always some 
 good reason from Scripture to give, for every- 
 thing they did. She suspected from my an- 
 swer that I had given up mine, and talked so 
 kindly about it, that I made up my mind to 
 begin it again, as soon as I got home. I told 
 her so, but she asked why I delayed till then. 
 I answered, £ Because it w T as impossible for 
 me to be good in New York.' 
 
 "At this she looked ver} serious, and said, 
 — c My dear Lizzie, I fear you will never do 
 right, if you wait till it is entirely convenient. 
 Wherever you are, God is with you ; and he 
 knows, that, if your first wish is to serve him, 
 
lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 73 
 
 you will find the means of doing so. There 
 are many temptations, it is true, in a city, 
 especially to a stranger ; but remember, that, 
 though only here for a visit, you will have to 
 give an account for every day. Many persons 
 seem to think, that, when they go away from 
 home, they have got beyond the sphere of 
 God's government, and may sin with impunity. 
 Instead of neglecting reading and prayer, my 
 dear child, you should rise earlier every day, 
 that you may be more upon your guard against 
 the temptations that beset you.' 
 
 u It seemed so like old times, to hear Miss 
 Fenwick talking to me thus, that I could not 
 help crying, and exclaimed in my hasty way, 
 — ' I wish I could go home now, and take 
 you with me, and then I am sure I should be 
 better than I have ever been.' 
 
 " c Ah, Lizzie !' she replied, shaking her 
 head, c I shall have no hope of you, till you 
 resolve to do right in your present place and 
 condition, without any ifs about it.' 
 
 " We were so engaged in talking, that it did 
 
 not seem an hour when Mrs. Fenwick sent 
 
 for us to come down to tea. Her children, 
 
 though dressed very prettily and extremely 
 
 7 
 
74 lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 polished in their manners, were perfectly sim- 
 ple and unaffected. I began to perceive that 
 living in New York did not necessarily make 
 people worldly, or think of nothing but dress. 
 The tea had been ordered early, that all the 
 family might go to a children's missionary 
 meeting, as the oldest of the little girls be- 
 longed to the society. She is about Alice's 
 age, and looks something like her. Although 
 so much younger than I am, I could not help 
 being pleased at her efforts to entertain me, 
 and was really interested in some anecdotes 
 which she told me, of the good which had been 
 effected by the Juvenile Missionary Society. 
 
 cc I did not, at first, wish to go to the meet- 
 ing, and told Miss Fenwick that I never liked 
 to hear about the heathen, or poor people, for 
 it always made me feel badly, because I had 
 nothing of my own to give away. She an- 
 swered, that the prayers of the young were al- 
 ways acceptable, and if their interest was early 
 excited in benevolent objects, they were likely 
 to use more profitably the means which should 
 afterwards be placed at their disposal. 
 
 " The sermon was upon the same subject, 
 and I was almost persuaded to lay up all my 
 
75 
 
 spending-money, while I remain in New York, 
 to give to the mission school in China. How 
 Alice and Mary would have liked to have 
 been there ! I did not once think of my new 
 dresses or my shabby bonnet, and Miss Fen- 
 wick did not seem to see but that I was per- 
 fectly well dressed. She had on herself the 
 same lawn dress which she used to wear so 
 often last summer to the village church. 
 
 u But here I am, almost at the end of my let- 
 ter, and have only told you about the first day 
 that I spent in the city, and here it is Tues- 
 day, just a week since I left home. I shall 
 have to write soon again, for I was so inter- 
 ested in telling about Miss Fenwick, — and I 
 knew the children would be so anxious to hear 
 just what she said, — that I forgot how much 
 more there was to be told. Uncle James con- 
 tinues exceedingly kind, and so are all my 
 relations. Aunt Mary says that she cannot 
 spare me for these two months, and Mr. Lud- 
 low assures me, in his quiet way, that he con- 
 siders me quite as his own niece. If he would 
 only take off those shell-rimmed spectacles, 
 which make him look so sharp, and smile a 
 little, he would be very pleasant after all. 
 
76 lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 
 
 " Jane is waiting for me to go to the mu- 
 seum, and then to have my pink dress tried on. 
 By the way, the mantua-maker wanted two 
 more yards of it, but by good luck I matched 
 it, or she would not have touched the dress. 
 
 " Alice must write me a long letter, and tell 
 me all about father, for I know how he hates 
 letter-writing himself. I miss Susan constant- 
 ly, and find that I am quite helpless compared 
 with Jane, from having had so many always to 
 wait upon me ; still, she knows nothing about 
 sewing, and prides herself upon her ignorance. 
 I think she would be happier, if she was more 
 fond of her needle ; for now she spends a great 
 deal of time in looking out of the window, till 
 she gets listless and tired of all the world. 
 
 " Remember me to everybody, by no means 
 forgetting the black people. I dare say I shall 
 long very often to be at home, for it seems as 
 if you were all so good and quiet there. I 
 laughed out loud, the other night, after I was in 
 bed, thinking what Jane would have said to 
 have seen me with dear little Jennie's blue 
 beads round my neck. I think the very sight 
 of them would have killed her. 
 
 u Alice must try and make father comfort 
 
lizzie's letter FROM NEW YORK. 77 
 
 able ; and see if those preserves that I made 
 have enough sugar in them to keep them. I 
 could write for ever, but here I am at the end 
 of my paper, though I have crossed it so that it 
 is scarcely legible. Miss Fenwick is going to 
 write to the children herself, but sent her love, 
 as do all Aunt Mary's family; while I remain, 
 dear father and sisters, though absent, 
 " Your ever affectionate 
 
 " Lizzie. 
 u P. S. I forgot that you would be anxious 
 to know about my health. I am apparently 
 well, and cough but little. I am only troubled 
 with my feet, which are blistered from walking 
 about the city in tight shoes. A little rest 
 will soon cure them, but I don't know how 
 to stop." 
 
 7* 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 GHOST STORIES, 
 t 
 
 While Lizzie was at home, Margaret and 
 Jennie had always slept in her room ; but after 
 she was gone, they removed to a chamber in 
 the attic, next to that occupied by Susan, the 
 nurse. Major Cameron had a little bed-room 
 upon the lower floor, that he might protect the 
 house more effectually ; so Alice and Mary 
 were left quite alone in the second story. 
 They did not mind this, however, for their 
 mother had early taken care to free them from 
 all silly fears, and would never allow them to 
 be frightened by the ridiculous stories which 
 the ignorant black children were so fond of 
 telling them. But though not afraid of any 
 harm, Alice often felt lonely when she awoke 
 in the night and thought that Lizzie was far 
 away. 
 
GHOST STORIES. 79 
 
 One night, in particular, our little friend was 
 very restless, and could scarcely banish the 
 mournful reflections that forced themselves up- 
 on her mind ; and the wind, which whistled 
 around the house very loudly on account of 
 its elevated situation, filled her with sadness. 
 She whispered to Mary softly, to see if she 
 was awake ; but finding that she slept soundly, 
 resolved not to be so selfish as to disturb her. 
 " I will repeat some hymns," she said to her- 
 self, and commenced her favorite : — 
 
 " Thou, to whose all-searching sight 
 The .darkness shineth as the light, 
 Search, prove my heart, it looks to thee ! 
 O, burst its bonds and set it free ! " 
 
 It is singular how easily, in the silence of 
 the night, we can remember words which we 
 were scarcely conscious before that we knew. 
 Alice found that she could repeat a great many 
 more hymns than she supposed when she be- 
 gan, and then she tried to remember the ninety- 
 first Psalm. It is a very sweet one, and she 
 commenced feeling a delightful sense of God's 
 protecting presence, as she said to herself, — 
 
 "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under 
 his wings shalt thou trust. 
 
80 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 " Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, 
 nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; 
 
 " Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, 
 nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday." 
 
 No children can repeat this sweet Psalm and 
 understand it, without feeling sure, that, if they 
 love God, he will keep them from all harm, 
 and that they have nothing else to dread in this 
 world, but the sins which offend their Almighty 
 Creator. Alice loved to think of the goodness 
 of God, and exclaimed now, — 
 
 " If thou art my shield and my sun, 
 The night is no darkness to me, 
 And fast as my moments roll on, 
 
 They but bring me the nearer to thee." 
 
 There are some persons who do not con- 
 sider the thought contained in the last line of 
 this pretty verse a pleasant one, for they do 
 not wish to be reminded that every moment 
 of time brings them closer to another world 
 and to their Heavenly Father. But Alice 
 hoped that this great Being was her friend and 
 had forgiven all her sins for Christ's sake, so 
 she longed for the time to come when she 
 could see him face to face. Often, in praying 
 to him, and thinking of the joy which he was 
 
GHOST STORIES. 81 
 
 preparing for his children when they should be 
 with him and free from sin and temptation, she 
 forgot all about this world and seemed to catch 
 a glimpse of heaven. She could say the last 
 chapters of Revelation by heart, and she was 
 very fond of them, because they gave her a 
 description of the place in which she hoped 
 that her departed mother now was, and where 
 she expected one day to meet her again. If 
 troubled, she was soothed by the thought that 
 " there shall be no more sorrow or pain"; if 
 she wept, she remembered that God would 
 " there wipe away all tears"; and when the 
 night filled her heart with solemnity, she re- 
 called the promise that u there should be no 
 night there, and they need no candle, neither 
 the light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth 
 them light." 
 
 If Alice could always have kept in her mind 
 these blessed promises and refrained from sin, 
 she would have found a heaven upon earth ; 
 but, alas ! such seasons of peace were only 
 given her to cheer her on in the warfare with 
 her own evil heart. 
 
 While indulging in these sweet thoughts, 
 Alice was startled by a scream which seemed 
 
82 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 to proceed from the apartment occupied by 
 the younger children. Without thinking for a 
 moment whether there could be any danger 
 to herself, she jumped up hastily and felt her 
 way in the dark to the foot of the stairs. The 
 screaming continued constant while she as- 
 cended, until she stepped upon a spool of cot- 
 ton, which rolled under her foot and came 
 near throwing her down the whole flight of 
 stairs. By catching hold of the railing she 
 saved herself, but in doing so came down up- 
 on her foot in so awkward a position, that her 
 ancle was turned, and she found it almost im- 
 possible to rise. But she thought only of her 
 sisters, and, without calling for assistance, man- 
 aged with extreme difficulty to stand, and hop- 
 ping upon one foot reached the children's 
 room. 
 
 " Who is it ? who is it ? " shrieked Jennie, 
 in a wild manner, as she heard her sister's 
 irregular step. 
 
 " No one but me, your sister Alice," she 
 replied. " Has anything hurt you, darling ? 
 are you sick ? what makes you scream so ?" 
 
 " O, I am so frightened ! " whispered Jen- 
 nie, between her sobs, as Alice sat down upon 
 
GHOST STORIES. 83 
 
 the bed beside her ; Cl there has been a ghost 
 in the room ; there ! there ! I see it now ! " 
 and again she hid her face under the bed-quilt, 
 uttering terrible shrieks. 
 
 " Tell me where it is, and let me see what 
 has alarmed you," said Alice, calmly. 
 
 " There ! there ! in the corner by the clos- 
 et," she answered, without uncovering her 
 head. 
 
 Although Alice could not move without 
 great pain, she hobbled across the room to the 
 spot pointed out, and discovered a white dress 
 hanging against the wall, which the moonlight 
 had made visible. 
 
 " Why, Jennie ! are you so afraid of Liz- 
 zie's old dress ? " she asked, laughing in spite 
 of the agony which she was suffering. " There 
 are no such things as ghosts ; and if there were, 
 why should you be afraid of them ? Nothing 
 can hurt you without God's permission ; and 
 if you pray to him, he will always take care of 
 you." 
 
 "Yes, there are ghosts," said Jennie, some- 
 what encouraged by this discovery, so that she 
 dared to peep from under the bed-quilt ; 
 u James saw one all in white, with eyes like 
 
84 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 fire, and Dick saw one just before he died. 
 Nobody lives long after they have seen a 
 ghost." 
 
 " What foolish ideas ! But if that were 
 the truth, Jennie, what reason is there for be- 
 ing so frightened ? We must all die, some time 
 or other ; and if God chooses to call us away 
 when we are young, it may be because he sees 
 that we should become bad, if he were to leave 
 us to grow up. To die is only to go where 
 we can see Christ, and be always happy and 
 holy. Ask him now to quiet your mind, and 
 then go to sleep, and his angels will be around 
 you till morning." 
 
 " But you must stay with me, — don't go," 
 — exclaimed Jennie, catching hold of her sister, 
 and beginning to scream again. Margaret, who 
 had slept very soundly, from some paregoric 
 which she had taken to quiet a violent tooth- 
 ache, now awoke and asked what was the mat- 
 ter. Alice told her quietly that Jennie had 
 got a little frightened, and she soon fell fast 
 asleep again. 
 
 " Now I must go down, Jennie, for my foot 
 pains me so badly that I can scarcely move. 
 I am no protection to you, because anything 
 
GHOST STORIES. 85 
 
 that would hurt you could injure me quite as 
 easily." 
 
 As Alice said this she tried to rise, but 
 found it impossible. " Jennie, you must go 
 and call Susan to carry me down," she said, 
 quite faint from the effort that she had made to 
 stand. 
 
 " Susan is away, Alice, and that is the rea- 
 son why I was so frightened. Perhaps it wont 
 hurt you so much, if you sit still a little longer," 
 replied Jennie. 
 
 cc Then I fear you will have to go and call 
 father up," said Alice ; " take fast hold of the 
 baluster, and then you will not fall." 
 
 " O, I dare not ! I could not to save my 
 life, Alice, stir a step in the dark " ; and Jen- 
 nie began to cry at the thought. 
 
 Alice was just going to wake Margaret, 
 when she saw that her little flushed cheek was 
 badly swollen with the toothache, from which 
 she had been suffering, and which would prob- 
 ably come on again, if she should get up and 
 go down stairs. The generous sister thought 
 that it would be better for her to bear pain 
 herself, than to run the chance of giving it to 
 another ; so she gave up all idea of disturbing 
 8 
 
86 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 Margaret, and resolved to make one more ef- 
 fort to move Jennie. 
 
 "Now, my child, listen to me," she said ; 
 " there is no possibility of there being any one 
 in the house, as the dog is at the door, and 
 they must pass by father to come to us. If 
 you go down and call him, something may be 
 done for me to-night, so that I may soon use 
 my foot again ; but if it is left till to-morrow, 
 it will probably be so swelled, that I shall not 
 be able *o step upon it for weeks. It was in 
 coming to your assistance that it was sprained, 
 and you will feel very sorry if it is worse, be- 
 cause you did not try and conquer your fears. 
 I shall hear you, if you make the slightest 
 noise, and it will only be half a minute before 
 you are in father's room." 
 
 No persuasions, however, could induce Jen- 
 nie to go, though she was very sorry for her 
 sister, but she kept repeating, — "I am so 
 frightened, that I could not if I was to die for 
 it." 
 
 Poor Alice gave up the attempt in despair, 
 and lay down beside Jennie, where she re- 
 mained till morning, trying not to groan, but 
 she was in such distress that it was almost im- 
 
GHOST STORIES. 87 
 
 possible to help it. She had not closed her 
 eyes since the accident happened, when Susan 
 came into the room in the morning and was 
 much surprised at finding her there. The 
 faithful nurse was distressed at her sad con- 
 dition, and taking her up in her arms carried 
 her down to her own bed, and called Major 
 Cameron to see her swollen ankle. He sent 
 immediately for the doctor, and blamed Jennie 
 very severely for not having called him in the 
 night. Alice interceded in her behalf, and 
 told him that it was not so much her fault as 
 that of the servants, who had filled her mind 
 with the silly superstitions, which, if her mother 
 had been living, she would never have heard. 
 
 Margaret, when questioned about the stories 
 which Jennie said that black Jim had told 
 them, gave an account of the manner in which 
 the evening previous had been spent, and Alice 
 no longer wondered that the little timid girl 
 had allowed herself to become so frightened 
 while lying awake alone in the night, when she 
 remembered her own gloomy feelings, at first, 
 in listening to the sighing of the wind. 
 
 Major Cameron, the night before, had 
 brought home an amusing story, which he 
 
88 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 wished Alice and Mary by turns to read aloud 
 to him, as much for their own improvement as 
 for his pleasure. While they were thus em- 
 ployed, Margaret and Jennie had been up 
 stairs, helping Susan to piece her quilt, and 
 telling her all about their school and one of the 
 girls, with whose bad behaviour they were 
 quite disgusted. It was fortunate that Susan 
 was such a prudent servant, or she might have 
 made a world of mischief, for the children did 
 not always remember, that " he who repeateth 
 a matter separateth very friends " ; and their 
 strong imaginations often made them give such 
 descriptions of things that daily happened, as 
 bordered upon untruth. They did not mean 
 to say anything which was not strictly correct, 
 but they were too apt to give their own ideas 
 as to what they were telling, or about the mo- 
 tives of others, and this is always a bad habit. 
 
 About eight o'clock, Susan put up her 
 pieces, and told the children that she had her 
 master's permission to go and sit up with Mrs. 
 Franklin's Sally, a black woman who lived 
 near them and had been very ill. 
 
 Before leaving them, she gave Margaret 
 some paregoric for her tooth, which had com- 
 
GHOST STORIES. 89 
 
 menced aching badly, and stopped at the kitch- 
 en to make a mustard plaster to put on her 
 face, which she sent up to her by little black 
 Jim, of whom all the children were very fond. 
 Margaret and Jennie now begged him to stay 
 a little while, for they had been telling each 
 other foolish stories which they had heard at 
 school, until they were almost afraid of the 
 sound of their own voices. Jim, who saw how 
 frightened they were, liked to add to his own 
 consequence by increasing their fears, and re- 
 plied to Jennie's entreaties, — " O, I dares 
 not, Missie. Don't you hear that sound ? " 
 
 " What, what ? " asked Jennie, drawing 
 nearer to him. 
 
 " Why, coming down the chimney," he re- 
 plied, shrugging his shoulders and looking to- 
 wards the fireplace with a very timid air. 
 
 " O, that 's only the wind," answered Mar- 
 garet, in quite a brave tone. 
 
 " I does not mean that, Miss Meggy. Does 
 you hear that moaning up there, something 
 like old Tray's yell, when he died ? " 
 
 " O, yes ! it is awful ! " said Jennie and 
 Margaret, in a breath ; " what makes it ? " 
 8* 
 
90 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 " I dares n't tell ; I 's feared you '11 tell 
 Mass Frank on me." 
 
 " O, no ! we wont," said the little girls, — 
 their eyes wide open with eager expectation. 
 
 " Then say, { Indeed and double,' and clench 
 hands." 
 
 " We must not," replied Margaret ; " for 
 Miss Fenwick told us it would lead to swear- 
 ing, and nobody would believe us with it who 
 would not without it." 
 
 " Then I can't tell you," said Jim, sullen- 
 ly, pretending that he was going to leave the 
 room. 
 
 " I '11 say it, Jim, I '11 say it," cried Jen- 
 nie, in great distress. 
 
 " Well, then, Missy," began Jim, crouch- 
 ing down en the floor in his own peculiar man- 
 ner ; " them howlings is the cries of folks what 
 have come to their death by violence. They 
 always lives around the places where they was 
 murdered." 
 
 " But surely nobody has been killed here," 
 almost shrieked the children. 
 
 u I don't know," replied Jim, shaking his 
 head very mysteriously ; " there is a man 
 buried in the field opposite, and there never 
 
GHOST STORIES. 91 
 
 has no grass grown on his grave ; and that 's 
 the way they says it always does, when a man 
 has been murdered." 
 
 " O, I shall never dare to look that way 
 again ! " exclaimed Jennie. " Did you ever 
 go that way in the night ? " 
 
 u Once, and I shall never dare go again," 
 said Jim, showing all his teeth in a ghastly 
 grin. 
 
 u What did you see ? " asked Jennie, dread- 
 ing yet longing for the answer. 
 
 " You remember, if you tell after you have 
 clenched hands, the Old One will have you, 
 Missie," said Jim, soberly. 
 
 " Yes, yes ! " said Jennie, impatiently. 
 
 " Well, then, I seen a ghost, with eyes of 
 fire, a dancing right on the grave, and it kept 
 a screaming out, * Come and jine me ! come 
 and jine me ! ' and I never have been well 
 since." 
 
 It is no wonder that Major Cameron was 
 very much displeased, when he heard these 
 ridiculous stories. He was for whipping Jim 
 immediately for telling such falsehoods, till 
 Mary reminded him that the boy perhaps did 
 not know any better himself, and had only been 
 
92 GHOST STORIES. 
 
 trying to amuse the children in the best way 
 that he knew, by repeating what some of the 
 other servants might have made him believe. 
 
 The Major then requested Alice not to for- 
 get, in teaching the little black children, to 
 show them the folly and wickedness of such 
 notions ; and she promised to do all in her 
 power to teach them to fear nothing but the 
 great Creator, and the sins which would offend 
 him. 
 
 "When the physician arrived, he pronounced 
 the sprain a very bad one ; but Alice did not 
 murmur, when he said that it was probable that 
 she would be obliged to give up going to school 
 for several weeks. 
 
 Her pleasant thoughts during the night had 
 prepared the little sufferer to bear her misfor- 
 tune patiently, and she had already learned to 
 rely upon the promise of her Heavenly Father, 
 that " all should work together for good to 
 those who love him." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 " I shall get all fours to-day, in my be- 
 naviour book," said Mary Cameron, in a very 
 decided tone, as she walked towards school 
 with her sisters on Monday morning. 
 
 Ah ! Mary has forgotten that " he who 
 rhinketh he standeth must take heed lest he 
 fall." 
 
 " I shall try not to get any threes this week, 
 too," said Margaret, in a more modest tone. 
 
 " I don't care how many I get," said Jen- 
 nie, tossing up her bonnet in the air, instead 
 of keeping it upon her head. " If I can only 
 have a nice play-time at noon, I don't mind 
 much what happens in school." 
 
 Mary seemed, for the first two hours after 
 school commenced, in a fair way to have noth- 
 
94 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 ing but the highest number upon her book ; for 
 she recited her geography lesson perfectly, and 
 did not miss one word in her spelling. Her 
 writing, too, looked uncommonly well, and she 
 was just finishing the last line, when Sarah 
 Carter asked Mr. Johnson if she might go out 
 in the porch to wash her slate, and, as she did 
 so, beckoned to Mary to make some excuse to 
 follow her. In her hurry to get through her 
 writing, Mary filled her pen too full of ink, and 
 a great blot was the consequence. She tried 
 in vain to rub it out, for she was too impatient 
 to get a penknife, and the little wet paper with 
 which she tried to remove it only made a 
 larger spot around the first. She was in de- 
 spair, but happening to remember how she 
 had seen some of the girls manage to hide 
 blots when they handed their books to the 
 teacher, and as this one was on the corner of 
 the page, she tried their plan of holding it up 
 to Mr. Johnson with her thumb over the unfor- 
 tunate place. He was quite busy in correcting 
 a composition, and, looking at it only a mo- 
 ment, said, " O, very neat ! That page cer- 
 tainly deserves four." 
 
 Mary returned to her desk, delighted with 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 95 
 
 the success of her plan, for she did not think 
 that the deception which she had just practised 
 had been written down above, and would one 
 day be brought out against her by Him in 
 whose pure sight an acted untruth is as sinful 
 as if it were spoken out in the plainest words. 
 If she had remembered that his all-seeing eye 
 was upon her, she would not have asked, as 
 she did a moment afterwards, to be allowed to 
 go and get a block to put under her desk to 
 prevent it from moving ; for, although it was 
 unsteady, this was only an excuse to join her 
 companion in the porch. 
 
 As soon as Mary appeared, Sarah, who had 
 been impatiently waiting for her with her hands 
 filled with toys, which she exhibited with great 
 glee, said, — u I have brought all my doll 
 things in my dinner-basket, besides these which 
 I kept in my pocket." 
 
 " So have I," said Mary ; " and we can 
 have a nice baby-house together, can't we ? " 
 
 " Yes ! " answered Sarah ; " and all the 
 rest of the girls have their playthings too, and 
 we are going to fix the school-room this noon 
 like a village, with the desks in two rows 
 through it, for a street, and each one of them is 
 
96 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 to be a house ; and you and I will keep ours 
 together." 
 
 " How delightful ! " exclaimed Mary ; " but 
 then Jennie and Margaret will be coming to it, 
 and they always put every thing out of order." 
 
 " No, indeed ! they must not," replied Sa- 
 rah, in a very dictatorial tone ; " the little girls 
 always play in the yard at noon, and we are 
 going to keep them all out there to-day. 
 Hark ! I hear Mr. Johnson coming ! 
 
 At the approach of her teacher, Sarah thrust 
 all her playthings into her pocket, and com- 
 menced washing her slate ; while Mary search- 
 ed for a block, which she soon found, and car- 
 rying it into the school, she seemed very much 
 in earnest in making her desk stand even. She 
 was, however, so much occupied in thinking 
 of the play-spell at noon, that, when she sat 
 down to write her composition, she hurried 
 over it, without thinking whether the words 
 were spelt correctly, and was very impatient to 
 have it looked over. 
 
 " Mary Cameron," said Mr. Johnson, as 
 he finished reading the ill- written sentences, 
 61 you can have only two marks for this com- 
 position. It is very poorly composed, and 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 97 
 
 you have spelt any twice e-n-n-y, and I told 
 you that I should mark you for that mistake, 
 if you ever made it again." 
 
 Mary took back her slate in a very passion- 
 ate manner, and returned to her seat, where 
 she sat for some moments doing nothing, till 
 Mr. Johnson noticed her idleness and said, 
 quite sternly, — " Mary, you have wasted 
 nearly a quarter of an hour, and had better do 
 something quickly, or you will have a cipher 
 for Attention, for you have already lost one 
 mark for it." 
 
 At this information, Mary was very angry 
 and burst into tears, which was the worst 
 thing she could do, as thereby she lost another 
 mark for Deportment, and unfitted herself for 
 the rest of her studies. When school was out, 
 she had missed two more lessons, from being 
 so much out of temper ; and was in such 
 wretched ill-humor, that she even refused to 
 join in the play which she had anticipated with 
 so much pleasure. When, however, she saw 
 all the other girls arranging their baby-houses, 
 her sad feelings were in part dispelled, and 
 she assisted Sarah Carter in arranging theirs. 
 
 u Come, Eliza Carter," said Jennie to Sa- 
 9 
 
98 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 rah's younger sister, who was about her age ; 
 " let us look at Mary and Sarah's baby -house, 
 for I suppose it will be ours too. Is not this 
 a pretty little thing for their bed-room ? " she 
 asked, as she took up a little bureau of painted 
 pasteboard, which was the pride of Mary's 
 heart. 
 
 " Let that alone, wont you ? " said Mary, 
 in a cross tone. 
 
 cc You can touch this table, for it is Sarah's," 
 remarked Eliza Carter, as she handed out a 
 little wooden table from the desk to her com- 
 panion. 
 
 " No she can't either," said Sarah, in an 
 equally cross tone with that which Mary had 
 just used. " You always stay on the play- 
 ground at noon, and you would be there now, 
 if you did not think that you must be hanging 
 around to see what we big girls are about. 
 Out of the school-room, every one of you ! " 
 
 "lam not going to mind you ! " said Jen- 
 nie, looking very resolute and very ugly. 
 
 " But you must me," said Mary; " for you 
 know father says that he shall punish you and 
 Margaret, if you don't do all that I tell you, 
 while Alice has to stay away from school ; 
 and I say you must not stay here." 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 99 
 
 Major Cameron had really told the younger 
 children to mind Mary while they were away 
 from home, so they did not now dare to dis- 
 obey her, but walked sullenly towards the door. 
 
 Eliza Carter still remained by the desk, in- 
 specting its contents, till Sarah twitched a doll, 
 which she was looking at, out of her hand, and 
 said, — "If you don't go this moment with 
 Jennie out of the room, I '11 put you out." 
 
 " But mother would not like to have me 
 stand on the ground with my sore throat to- 
 day, for you know there has been a shower, 
 and my shoes are thin," answered Eliza. 
 
 She did not, indeed, look well, for she was 
 very thin and pale, and her throat was bound 
 round with a flannel. Mary began to feel sorry 
 for her, and to see very plainly, in Sarah's 
 case, how wrong it was for her to be so un- 
 kind to her little sister, though she had not 
 thought of it in her own, when she sent Mar- 
 garet and Jennie away. 
 
 u O, let Eliza stay," she said in a pleas- 
 anter tone ; " for she wont do any hurt. She 
 is not troublesome, as my sisters are." 
 
 u But then they '11 think that they ought to 
 be here too, if Eliza stays," replied Sarah ; 
 
100 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 u and it wont hurt her to play out this warm 
 day. Run away, and I '11 give you some- 
 thing that you will like," she added, not ex- 
 actly liking to execute her threat of putting her 
 sister out by force. 
 
 Eliza was more easily coaxed than scolded 
 into obedience, and, though somewhat reluct- 
 antly, followed the little Camerons to the play- 
 ground, where they stood for some time look- 
 ing wistfully in at the windows, until they oc- 
 cupied themselves in trying to find some way 
 of fixing a baby-house out-doors, after the plan 
 which the older girls were carrying on in the 
 school-room. The ground was very damp, 
 and Eliza coughed several times during the 
 afternoon ; but Sarah thought it was only to 
 frighten her, and looked at Mary and laughed 
 contemptuously, every time that she did it. 
 
 When the school closed, Mary Cameron 
 found that she had a worse report than she had 
 ever had before, and was heartily ashamed 
 when she remembered the boast which she had 
 made upon her way to school in the morning. 
 There was some truth in the remark which 
 Margaret made when they were going home ; 
 but she should not have made it then, for it 
 only provoked her sister. 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 101 
 
 "Do you know, Mary," she asked, " the 
 reason that you have lost so many marks to- 
 day ? Don't you remember that Miss Fen- 
 wick always told us, 'a bad Sabbath would 
 make a bad week ' ? You played a great deal 
 yesterday, and when you came down late to 
 breakfast this morning, I could not help think- 
 ing of it." 
 
 Margaret found it rather easier to detect the 
 causes of her sister's errors than to cure her 
 own. She had, however, succeeded very well 
 in her studies, from diffidence of herself, which 
 placed her upon her guard, and had lately con- 
 quered some of her worst habits. We cannot 
 expect children to get over faults all at once, 
 which many do not cure during a long life ; 
 and a want of charity for others is one of those 
 which even the old find it hard to overcome. 
 
 But have you forgotten, all this while, that 
 Alice sprained her foot ? She, poor child ! 
 has had reason enough to remember it ; for 
 although it is nearly a month since it hap- 
 pened, she has not yet been able to walk 
 across her room. Tt seems almost a year 
 since she went to school, although the children 
 
 told her all that happened every day, and 
 9# 
 
102 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 many of her schoolmates had been to see her. 
 Fanny Martin was the very first that called 
 after the accident, for she had a grateful heart, 
 and, owing to the good example which Alice 
 set, the girls treated her much more kindly. 
 Alice was glad to see them all, but sometimes 
 her confinement was tiresome ; and when Ma- 
 ry brought fresh flowers to place on her bu- 
 reau, she longed to see them once more upon 
 their stems, especially Lizzie's roses and jes- 
 samine, which she had promised to watch dur- 
 ing her absence. Sometimes, too, when her 
 foot gave her pain, she would be quite irrita- 
 ble, and then Mary would remark, — " You 
 used to say that you could be good if you 
 were alone, but I don't see that you grow any 
 better by being so much by yourself, and read- 
 ing the Bible so many hours every day." 
 
 Mary had never been confined to her room 
 for long weeks, and did not know how hard it 
 is to preserve a kind and cheerful spirit, when 
 suffering from weakness and pain. 
 
 If Alice had complained more, all the fam- 
 ily would have pitied her ; but she was so pa- 
 tient, and made so light of her misfortune, that 
 they forgot how serious a one it really was. 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 103 
 
 All the children, it is true, missed her at 
 school, where she had been their pride ; and 
 sometimes in the morning, when Mary had 
 placed the cushions under her foot and put 
 every thing she would want on the little table 
 beside her, the tears would come into her dark 
 eyes, as she kissed her, saying, "Dear Alice, 
 I do indeed wish you were well enough to go 
 with us." 
 
 But when the children were away, they had 
 little time to think of their suffering sister ; and 
 Major Cameron himself, after he had seen that 
 Alice was made comfortable for the day, went 
 about his business without thinking how she 
 employed the time of his absence. He was 
 surprised, one day, on returning home at an 
 earlier hour than usual, to find his daughter with 
 her head resting upon her hands in an attitude 
 of deep dejection. 
 
 u What ails you, Ally ? " he asked affec- 
 tionately. " Have you the headache, or does 
 your foot pain you ? " 
 
 " No, father ; I am only a little weak to- 
 day," she replied, without raising her head ; 
 but the sound of her voice showed that she 
 had been weeping. 
 
104 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 11 My poor child ! " said Major Cameron, 
 sorrowfully, as he raised her head and kissed 
 her affectionately ; " you have been sad and 
 lonely, and I have never thought of it before. 
 Forgive me, my daughter, for being so incon- 
 siderate, for I scarcely deserve the name of a 
 father." 
 
 Alice could not bear to see her father un- 
 happy, and therefore attempted to reply cheer- 
 fully, — "O, I am not often so very lonely, 
 for Susan sits with me all the time that *she 
 can spare, and I have had plenty of good 
 books to read, so that much of my time has 
 passed very pleasantly. My eyes have not 
 been weak till the last few days, and I have 
 been able still to repeat over a great many 
 hymns and verses to myself, so I have no rea- 
 son to complain." 
 
 Major Cameron loved his daughter for this 
 effort to make the best of her solitary condi- 
 tion, but he saw, nevertheless, how much she 
 needed occupation and amusements. " One 
 of your sisters must stay at home with you," 
 he said, "till you are better, to read to you 
 and prevent you from taxing your eyes so con- 
 stantly. Which would you prefer ? " 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 105 
 
 " O, that would not be at all worth while," 
 exclaimed Alice. u They are so fond of go- 
 ing to school, that it would be a pity to keep 
 them at home for me. I am very sorry that 
 I was so silly as to give way to my feelings, 
 but I will try for the future to have more pa- 
 tience and self-command." 
 
 Major Cameron, however, would not listen 
 to Alice's urgent request, that her sisters might 
 not any of them be kept at home on her ac- 
 count, but asked if she would not prefer Mary. 
 
 "O, do!" she said ; "for the little ones 
 could not do as well without her. If one must 
 stay, let it be Jennie, for I might hear her les- 
 sons, and then she would not lose as much 
 from being absent from school." 
 
 " That will be a good plan," said the Ma- 
 jor, who thought that the occupation of teach- 
 ing her sister might amuse Alice. " On the 
 whole, I am glad to have some excuse for re- 
 moving Jennie, for she is getting quite rude 
 from being at a public school, and you always 
 have a happy influence over her." 
 
 This arrangement being made, Alice found 
 ample occupation for the rest of the day in de- 
 vising plans for the instruction of her pupil. 
 
106 OLDER SISTERS. 
 
 She made up her mind to go on as regularly u 
 as if there were a whole school, and was really 
 impatient to look over her lessons, that she 
 might explain them with more ease. The first 
 thing that she did was to fold up some paper 
 for a behaviour-book, and rule it for several 
 weeks ; and then her father wrote down the 
 different studies that Jennie would pursue, and 
 the days of the week. This was hardly com- 
 pleted before the children returned from school. 
 Mary came home somewhat out of humor 
 from her unfortunate day at school, but Jennie 
 and Margaret were quite lively. When Alice 
 informed her little sister that she was to re- 
 main at home, she began to object very strong- 
 ly to the arrangement ; but the moment that 
 Alice said, in a sorrowful tone, — "It is fa- 
 ther's plan, not mine, Jennie ; I should never 
 have wished you to stay at home for my com- 
 fort," her warm heart was touched, and she 
 threw her arms around Alice's neck, saying, 
 — "I did not mean to be cross about it, Ally, 
 for I am sure I shall be happier at home with 
 you than at school. Mary and the big girls 
 wont let me play with them, but here I can do 
 just as I choose." 
 
OLDER SISTERS. 107 
 
 Jennie then entered into a recital of the 
 grievances of the day, to which Alice listened 
 very attentively till the bell for tea put an end 
 to the conversation. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 
 
 The next morning two seats were empty m 
 Mr. Johnson's school, one of which had been 
 occupied by Eliza Carter, and the other by 
 Jennie Cameron. Sarah Carter informed her 
 teacher that her little sister was not well 
 enough to venture out ; but she told Mary 
 Cameron, in confidence, that she did not be- 
 lieve there was anything the matter with Eliza, 
 only she had persuaded her mother to let her 
 stay at home, by talking so much about her 
 sore throat. A few days afterwards, however, 
 Sarah came to school with her eyes very much 
 swollen, as if she had been crying all night ; 
 and then she informed the girls that Eliza had 
 the scarlet fever, and the physician thought it 
 was doubtful whether she would ever get well. 
 
POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 109 
 
 The children were of course all struck with 
 horror at this news, but still none of them could 
 realize that it was possible for Eliza to die. 
 They knew that children were sometimes taken 
 away, and they had heard it said that some 
 whom they had seen were now dead ; but they 
 could not believe it possible for one from 
 among themselves, who was a few days before 
 so full of life, to be carried to the silent grave. 
 Even when told that Eliza was worse, they con- 
 tinued to talk about what they should do when 
 she was well ; and were as much shocked 
 when at last the tidings came that she was 
 dead, as if they had never even known of her 
 being sick. 
 
 The whole of Mr. Johnson's school attend- 
 ed Eliza Carter's funeral, dressed in white, with 
 black ribands upon their arms ; and there were 
 many wet eyes, as they went up, one by one, 
 to take a last look of the little pale face in the 
 narrow coffin. Neither could any of them keep 
 from weeping at the grave, when they heard 
 poor Sarah's sobs, for it seemed as if her heart 
 was broken. Even after the last prayer was 
 said, she could not be persuaded to leave the 
 spot ; and when some one said that the ground 
 10 
 
110 POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 
 
 was too damp for her to remain longer upon it, 
 she almost shrieked out, — " So it was damp 
 when I made Eliza stay out upon it. I put 
 her in the grave by my unkindness, and now 1 
 want to lie down beside her." 
 
 Mr. Carter was obliged at last to take the 
 poor girl up in his arms and place her in the 
 carriage, from which she was lifted out and 
 carried into the house almost insensible. 
 
 It was no wonder, if, after seeing such a 
 distressing scene, the girls at Mr. Johnson's 
 school were not as lively as usual. For many 
 days, instead of playing together at noon, they 
 would assemble in little groups, and talk about 
 Eliza, and wonder where she now was. None 
 of the children could remember ever having 
 heard her speak of dying, or of another world ; 
 and now it seemed strange that nothing had 
 been said of it before, and they thought it im- 
 possible that they should ever forget how sud- 
 denly they too might be taken out of this life. 
 
 Mary Cameron and her little sisters were 
 made even more serious than the rest by this 
 sad event, for they had been taught what a 
 fearful thing it is to go out of this world with- 
 out being prepared for heaven, and they could 
 
POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. Ill 
 
 not help asking themselves if their example 
 and conversation had been such as to fit their 
 little companion for eternal happiness. Jennie 
 remembered that she had encouraged Eliza 
 in speaking unkindly of her sister on the day 
 when Sarah would not permit her to remain 
 in the school-room ; and Margaret could not 
 forget touching her foot to prevent her from 
 telling Mr. Johnson about something that she 
 had done, thus leading her to deceive their kind 
 teacher. 
 
 When Alice heard, some weeks after this 
 melancholy event, that Sarah Carter remained 
 in very poor health, and was so miserable that 
 nothing could cheer her, she regretted much 
 that her foot still continued too lame to pay 
 her a visit. She begged Mary and Margaret 
 to go and see if they could not do her some 
 good, and carry her a bouquet of their prettiest 
 flowers, which she used to admire. 
 
 " O, I can't, indeed," said Mary, at first ; 
 " she feels so badly, and the house will remind 
 me so of the day that we went there to poor 
 Eliza's funeral, that I am sure that I shall do 
 nothing but cry." 
 
 " Never mind that," replied Alice ; " you 
 
112 POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 
 
 will only be fulfilling the command, to weep 
 with those that weep ; and it is sometimes very- 
 good for us to see suffering, that we may be 
 thankful for our own blessings. I have thought 
 sometimes that it was hard for me to be shut 
 up here ; but when I think now how much 
 worse it would be to lose one of my sisters, I 
 feel that I have no right to complain." 
 
 u Can't you go alone, Mary ? " asked Mar- 
 garet ; "I am so much younger than Sarah, 
 that she wont want to see me, and I can't bear 
 to go where people feel badly." 
 
 " O, let me go," said Jennie, who scarcely 
 thought where her sisters were going, from the 
 habit of always begging to accompany them 
 the moment that they stirred from home. As 
 Margaret was very quick to feel, it did seem 
 a pity to take her where she would be too 
 much affected to give any consolation, and so 
 Mary, for the sake of company, granted Jen- 
 nie's request, on condition that she should 
 behave herself, and be very sober. 
 
 It was Saturday afternoon when Mary and 
 Jennie rang at Mr. Carter's door, and were 
 shown up stairs into the little bed-room which 
 the sisters used to occupy together. Mrs. 
 
POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 113 
 
 Carter was still ill from the fatigue and sorrow 
 which she had undergone, and her husband 
 was absent on necessary business, so that Sa- 
 rah felt doubly sad. She looked very miser- 
 able, and was occupied in putting away, in 
 one of the bureau-drawers, all the playthings 
 which had belonged to Eliza. The moment 
 that she saw Mary and Jennie Cameron, she 
 burst into tears, and continued weeping so bit- 
 terly, that the children did not know what to 
 say to her. 
 
 At length Mary put her arm around the 
 neck of the little mourner, and whispered in a 
 faltering voice, — "Don't cry, Sarah, for per- 
 haps Eliza is in heaven. Alice says that she 
 has heard, that, while she was sick, she asked 
 if God would forgive little girls who had never 
 thought anything about him ; and all the while 
 she did not speak, she might have been pre- 
 paring to die." 
 
 " O, it is not that, it is not that that troubles 
 me," replied .Sarah, sobbing bitterly. " Don't 
 you remember how I made her stand out- 
 doors the last day she went to school, and how 
 cross I was to her ? " 
 
 " But you did not think," said Mary, sooth- 
 10* 
 
114 POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 
 
 ingly, " that it would hurt her, and you know 
 that her throat was sore before, so that she 
 would probably have had the scarlet fever at 
 any rate." 
 
 " Perhaps so," replied Sarah, sadly ; "but 
 I would give the world if I had never spoken 
 so cross to her. I remember now every un- 
 kind word that I ever said, and you cannot 
 think how wretchedly it makes me feel." 
 
 Mary did not wonder that such remembran- 
 ces should make her friend miserable, and, 
 after trying in vain to comfort her, she began 
 to cry too. Jennie, who always liked to do 
 as her sisters did, looked at them for a moment 
 with wondering, tearful eyes, and then burst 
 into such a fit of sympathetic weeping, that 
 Mary could with difficulty put a stop to her 
 noisy sorrow. 
 
 After leaving Mr. Carter's, the children 
 walked some distance upon their way home 
 without uttering a single word, till at length 
 Mary said, very soberly, — " lam sorry, Jen- 
 nie, that I made you go out of the school- 
 room that day when we were fixing our baby- 
 houses. I have been thinking how often I have 
 been unkind to my sisters, and how wretchedly 
 
POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 115 
 
 it would make me feel if one of them were to 
 die, like poor Eliza. I hope I shall do better 
 for the future." 
 
 Mary had truly profited by her visit, if she 
 had learned that we ought always to live as if 
 we were one day ourselves to die, and to treat 
 others as if they were liable soon to be taken 
 from us. 
 
 Margaret was sitting with Alice when her 
 sisters returned, in her little chamber, which 
 she was not yet able to leave, although her 
 foot was so much better, that she could walk 
 across the room without pain. Both of the 
 little girls saw from Mary's countenance that 
 she had had a very sad visit, and asked her to 
 tell them all about it. Alice could not hear 
 without tears of the mournful condition of her 
 former schoolmate, and how bitterly she re- 
 proached herself for her treatment of her sis- 
 ter ; and the same thought came into her mind 
 which had weighed so heavily upon Mary. 
 
 " While we live," said Mary, as she fin- 
 ished her sad story, " do let us try and act 
 more as if we loved one another. I have re- 
 solved never again to say an unkind word to 
 one of my sisters." 
 
116 POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 
 
 Alice had made the same resolution in her 
 own heart, but she had become so convinced 
 of her weakness, that she had lost the self- 
 reliance which formerly had made her so liable 
 to err. She now said, humbly, — ct I will try, 
 too, to be more patient with you all ; but you 
 must bear with me, if I forget my resolution. 
 I fear we shall all be apt to break it, unless 
 we ask strength from God. Let us each of 
 us remember in our prayers to-night to beg 
 that he will grant us the spirit of peace, and 
 make us £ take heed to our ways, that we 
 offend not with our tongues.' " 
 
 Although the conversation had been a very 
 sad one, the children felt more happy after 
 making this resolution than they had done for 
 a great many nights, as they sat in the twilight 
 listening to a story, which Alice told them she 
 had read that day, of a very bad-tempered 
 child, who by self-control became so amiable 
 that every body loved her. 
 
 When Major Cameron came up to see his 
 little daughter, she had not yet finished the 
 narrative, so he told her to go on, while he 
 himself took up a newspaper. He did not 
 read, however, but listened to the kind way in 
 
POOR LITTLE ELIZA CARTER. 117 
 
 which Alice was instructing her sisters, and 
 felt thankful to the providence of God which 
 was guiding his children onward in that path 
 of peace which he had not yet sought to enter. 
 
 When the story was finished, and they be- 
 gan to talk about Lizzie, he dropped his paper, 
 and, taking Jennie upon his knee, joined in 
 the conversation. 
 
 They all wondered why they had not heard 
 lately from her ; but they were not over-anx 
 ious about her welfare, for Alice had taught 
 them that it was a duty not to be afraid of 
 evil tidings, and they were naturally too full 
 of hope to stand much in need of this good 
 counsel. 
 
 That night the little girls kissed each other 
 with more affection than they had ever done 
 before, and not one of them forgot to pray 
 that they might live more as the children of 
 the same Heavenly Father. This petition was 
 made in sincerity and truth, and with a firm 
 belief that God would be more willing to 
 grant than they to ask such a blessing. Their 
 faith was not vain, for the spirit of love and 
 peace descended into all their hearts. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 lizzie's return home. 
 
 A few days only had elapsed since the 
 events recorded in the last chapter, when Ma- 
 jor Cameron came home with the welcome in- 
 telligence, that he had received a letter from 
 Lizzie, containing the joyful tidings of her 
 speedy return. He also insinuated that there 
 was some other very good news, which he 
 would not tell them till they had all guessed 
 what it was to be. 
 
 " I know ! " exclaimed Jennie ; <c it is that 
 Lizzie has bought the wax doll that she prom- 
 ised me." 
 
 " What an idea ! " said Mary, rather con- 
 temptuously, for the moment either forgetting 
 her good resolutions, or not knowing that her 
 manner was unkind. " Father means that it is 
 
lizzie's return home. 119 
 
 something that will please us all ; I guess it is 
 that Lizzie has regained her health." 
 
 " Is that all ? " said Margaret, in a tone of 
 disappointment. 
 
 c< That is true," replied the Major, smiling ; 
 but he still held the letter closed in his hands, 
 as he said, 6< One more guess, and then I will 
 tell you." 
 
 Alice, who had come down stairs that morn- 
 ing for the first time since her fall, and was 
 lying on the sofa to rest after the exertion, 
 now started up, and, clasping her hands, eager- 
 ly exclaimed, — " Can it be ? Miss Fenwick ! 
 Can it be that she is coming back ? " 
 
 " Ah ! your little warm heart is the prophet, 
 after all, my darling," replied Major Cameron, 
 with a smile that made Alice sure that she was 
 correct ; cc here, take the letter and read it to 
 your sisters, as you have come nearest to the 
 truth." 
 
 Alice's hands trembled so that she could 
 scarcely unfold the epistle ; and she was so 
 agitated with joyful anticipation, that the chil- 
 dren declared that they could not hear a word 
 that she read ; so Major Cameron took back 
 the letter and commenced it again. 
 
120 lizzie's return home. 
 
 " Dear father, dear sisters, — I never loved 
 you all so well before in the world as I do 
 now ; and I can scarcely contain my joy, when 
 I tell you that in two weeks more I expect to 
 be at home. I have some other news, too, 
 which will be very delightful to the children, 
 but I will put it off a little while, as I am sure 
 that I have told you enough already to make 
 you all as happy as I am. 
 
 " I wrote two long letters some time since, 
 to be sent with a package which a friend 
 of Uncle James was going to carry to the 
 South ; but he discovered that it had been 
 left through mistake ; so you must have been 
 wondering what had become of me. I cannot 
 go over now the account which I gave in them 
 of my employments for the last two months ; 
 but I shall have such a budget to tell, as will 
 keep the children amused through many of the 
 long evenings next winter ; and I know even 
 father will smile at some of my adventures in 
 the city. 
 
 " You remember that I did not much like 
 Jane, at first, and before I had been here long, 
 we had a right-down quarrel about country 
 people and the South. She made fun of me, 
 
lizzie's return home. 121 
 
 because I talked so much about the servants, 
 and spoke of them so familiarly, and said she 
 should think that they were my intimate friends. 
 I could not stand this, and so I told her that 
 Susan had more sense than half the ladies 
 whom I had seen in New York. She seemed 
 to think, after I had made this speech, that I 
 was a perfect goose ; but Cousin Tom took 
 my part, though this only made the matter 
 worse. Aunt Mary blamed her before me, 
 but then she talked about < hot Southern blood,' 
 and I saw that it troubled her because her 
 own niece and her husband's daughter did not 
 agree better, and I began to feel very unhappy 
 and homesick. 
 
 cc I was sitting alone in the parlour one 
 morning, in one of my very worst moods, 
 when the door opened and our dear Miss Fen- 
 wick came in. I did not know that she was 
 in the city, so you may imagine how delighted 
 I was. Before she hardly had time to ask 
 about you all, I had told her the whole story 
 of my grievances, — how Jane and I quar- 
 relled, and how heartless New York people 
 were, and what a pity it was that I ever left 
 home. 
 
 11 
 
122 lizzie's return home. 
 
 " She listened to my story as patiently as 
 she always used to do to our complaints, and 
 after compassionating me very kindly, she be- 
 gan to show me wherein I had been myself 
 to blame. She then asked what I had been 
 doing since she left, and at first I found it hard 
 to tell, as I had wasted so much of my time 
 in looking out of the window, and walking up 
 and down Broadway shopping for things I did 
 not want. 
 
 " I could not think of a single book that I 
 had read, or any sewing that I had done ; and 
 for the first time remembered what she had 
 told me before, of my being as much account- 
 able for the days I spent while visiting, as if 
 they were passed at home. When I had 
 scraped together all that I had done or seen 
 which could possibly be of any benefit to me, 
 she replied with that sorrowful smile which she 
 always used to have when we had done wrong 
 and she did not want to blame us severely. 
 
 " ' I see, Lizzie, what is the matter with 
 you. This constant dissipation has put your 
 mind into a very bad state, and it was impos- 
 sible that you should be otherwise than unhap- 
 py. I should be sorry if it were not so, for 
 
lizzie's return home. 123 
 
 our Creator has kindly ordered this uneasiness 
 of mind when we are not living according to 
 his will, for the same reason that we are made 
 uncomfortable by food which is not good for 
 us. Nothing will ever content you, my child, 
 until you obey his commands ; and when you 
 seek pleasure in constant excitement and for- 
 getfulness of serious things, you will always 
 become unhappy.' 
 
 " c But it is all the fault of this hateful New 
 York,' I exclaimed ; c and I wish that I was 
 out of it, or that Cousin Jane was not such a 
 provoking girl.' 
 
 " Miss Fenwick blamed me very much for 
 speaking so hastily ; and after a long conver- 
 sation, I promised to try if I could not enjoy 
 the remainder of my visit here by living more 
 as if I must account for the manner in which 
 my time was passed. 
 
 " The next morning I reopened my neg- 
 lected Bible, and read in it nearly an hour be- 
 fore breakfast ; and when Cousin Jane came 
 down into the dining-room, and said some very 
 provoking things, I did not feel in the least in- 
 clined to reply to them. After breakfast, I 
 went out shopping for Aunt Mary, though at 
 
124 lizzie's return home. 
 
 first I disliked the idea of walking so early in 
 the morning ; but the effort did me good, and 
 I bought some white plaid muslin to make 
 some aprons for Jennie and Margaret, which 
 Aunt showed me how to cut out. Jane began 
 to laugh at me for being so suddenly industri- 
 ous ; but she soon got tired of sitting by the 
 window by herself, and finally said she would 
 try and hem the strings for me. T knew that 
 she did not sew nicely, and was on the point 
 of refusing her offer ; but I remembered my 
 good resolutions, and turned down the hems 
 for her the width that I wanted them. When 
 Cousin Tom came in from school, he said that 
 we looked like a sewing society, and he would 
 be the minister and read to us ; and though he 
 began in fun, he found the book more interest- 
 ing than he expected, and kept on reading for 
 as much as an hour. 
 
 " But I shall never get to the end of my 
 letter, if I am so particular in telling you every 
 thing that I did. I know, in writing home, I 
 ought to try and amuse you all with accounts 
 of what I see ; but it seems so good to have 
 some one to write to about my own little pri- 
 vate feelings and trials, which it is not the cus- 
 
lizzie's return home. 125 
 
 torn to tell to every body in New York, as I 
 used to do at home, that I forget how selfish 
 I am. 
 
 " O dear ! Cousin Jane has just been in my 
 room, and says that Tom will go with us on 
 board a ship-of-war with the officers of which 
 he is acquainted, if I will be ready in ten 
 minutes. I shall only have time to say that 
 the last few weeks of my visit here have been 
 very pleasant, and it was my own fault that I 
 did not enjoy it before. 
 
 " Now for the good news ! Who do you 
 think is coming home with me to stay all win- 
 ter ? Miss Fenwick. 
 
 " Don't be too much delighted. I am afraid, 
 in your joy at meeting her again, you will 
 scarcely have a welcome for your poor Lizzie. 
 Her health is not very good, and she does not 
 like to remain at the North during the cold 
 weather ; and on this account her relations 
 have at last consented to let her return to 
 Walnut Hill. She was delighted to hear that 
 we had not yet procured a teacher, for I be- 
 lieve she does love us as well as if we were 
 her own children. I do hope that Ally's foot 
 is well. 
 
 11 * 
 
126 lizzie's return home. 
 
 "I am myself in perfect health, and only- 
 sorry that I am obliged in such haste to sign 
 myself your own loving 
 
 " Lizzie." 
 
 In an hour after the reception of this letter, 
 every thing at Walnut Hill seemed to have 
 been moved out of its ordinary place, and 
 every body to have forsaken their usual occu- 
 pation. Even down in the kitchen there was 
 universal commotion ; for as soon as the fami- 
 ly had finished Lizzie's letter, Mary had car- 
 ried it down to read to the servants, who shared 
 fully in the delight of the children. 
 
 " Well ! well ! " said old Aunt Polly ; " I 
 never thought that I should live to seen Miss 
 Amely again, poor old woman that I am, with 
 such a misery in my back, and a wheezing all 
 day ; the very sight on her will do me good." 
 
 " Bless Miss Lizzie's good heart ! Lord 
 help the child !" exclaimed Aunt Becky, who 
 in her way was a pious Methodist. " The 
 dear critter is fond of home as ever, and an't 
 coming home with no big notions arter all. 
 She allers was monstrous warm-hearted ; but 
 to think of her gettin mad with her city cousin, 
 
lizzie's return home. 127 
 
 over the water, about us poor black people, 
 just like my old mistress, for all the world ! " 
 
 There was no end to the capers that James 
 cut on the occasion ; and when sent to the 
 pump to fill a pitcher with water, he brought 
 it back to the house as empty as it went, en- 
 tirely forgetting, in his confusion, what he was 
 sent for. Susan was such a sensible servant, 
 that, no matter what was the matter, she went 
 quietly on with her work, and before the rest 
 had finished their exclamations of surprise and 
 joy, she had commenced putting Miss Fen- 
 wick's room in order for her reception. 
 
 Poor Alice did long so to fly around with 
 the children, and do something to prepare for 
 the new-comers ; but her foot confined her to 
 the sofa, where she was left alone to her 
 pleasant thoughts. 
 
 The next day, the little Camerons pleaded 
 for a vacation, as children always do when 
 there is anything unusual going on at home ; 
 but Major Cameron thought that it would be 
 perfect folly for them to waste so much time ; 
 and he knew, besides, that the weeks would 
 seem much shorter if they were occupied. 
 
 Alice also went on regularly with her little 
 
128 
 
 LIZZIE'S RETURN HOME. 
 
 scholar, and was more engaged than ever in 
 making her perfect in her recitations, that she 
 might pass a good examination in her studies 
 when Miss Fenwick arrived. The little teach- 
 er had had her trials while instructing Jennie, 
 and was convinced how many times she must 
 have wearied Miss Fenwick, when not aware 
 that she was taxing her patience. Now, espe- 
 cially, she had need of all her self-command ; 
 for Jennie's mind, from being at home, was 
 constantly distracted by something that was 
 going on, and it was almost impossible to fix 
 her attention. By dint of hard labor, how- 
 ever, she recited every day till that fixed for 
 Lizzie's arrival, and then Alice was herself 
 too full of other thoughts to be very strict m 
 requiring perfect attention. 
 
 Hew nicely the little Camerons looked, as 
 they all stood together in the porch, watching 
 to catch the first glimpse of the travellers ! 
 
 There was Alice, who had been able to 
 walk to the door, now seated in a rocking- 
 chair, in a pretty pink gingham dress, with her 
 hair braided very nicely, and tied with ribands 
 of the same color. She was a little pale, it is 
 true, from her long confinement, but joy had 
 
129 
 
 given her eyes unusual brightness, and lent a 
 delicate rose-color to her fair cheek. She sat 
 straight, too, and this made her figure look 
 almost as well as Mary's, whose new purple 
 lawn was very becoming. Jennie and Mar- 
 garet were not too much occupied with the 
 thoughts of their sister and Miss Fenwick, to 
 smooth their white aprons complacently down 
 over their blue muslin dresses, and give an ad- 
 miring glance at their new bronze boots. 
 
 u There comes a carriage ! It is turning up 
 this way ! It must be they ! O, delightful ! 
 O, yes ! we all know that straw bonnet with 
 the green riband and veil, which Lizzie wore 
 away, and now we can see her smiling face." 
 
 The Major is riding up beside them on 
 horseback, and the love of the fond father re- 
 ally makes him look handsome, as he lifts Liz- 
 zie from the carriage, and imprints the warm 
 kiss of paternal affection upon her glowing 
 cheek. 
 
 " Don't smother your sister, children," he 
 cries, while he hands Miss Fenwick from the 
 carriage. 
 
 O, those were happy faces, but still there 
 was a tear in Alice's eye ; for she had suffered 
 
130 lizzie's return home. 
 
 so much since she parted from Miss Fenwick, 
 that she could not keep from weeping, as she 
 threw her arms once more around her dear 
 teacher's neck. 
 
 Lizzie did not wait to take off her bonnet 
 before she flew down to the kitchen to see all 
 the servants ; and then she must go out imme- 
 diately to the barn to see a little colt which 
 was to be hers ; and then the roses and jessa- 
 mines were duly visited, before she could be 
 induced to sit down for a moment. 
 
 Mary, and Margaret, and Jennie all accom- 
 panied her in these excursions, and then seated 
 themselves around her trunk, while she opened 
 it and drew forth the various presents that she 
 had procured for the family. 
 
 In the mean time, Alice had walked into the 
 parlour with her father and Miss Fenwick, 
 where she was listening to an account of their 
 journey, the picture of joy. She was too 
 much occupied to hardly notice a very pretty 
 dress which Mary came to display, but her 
 attention was arrested when Jennie ran in ex- 
 claiming, — " Only see, Ally, what a beautiful 
 Bible sister Lizzie has brought you ! She says 
 you will like it, because it is a Poly — some- 
 
lizzie's return home. 131 
 
 thing. I don't know what she means, but 
 has n't it a pretty cover ; and, see ! there 's 
 your own name in gilt letters on this side, — 
 c Alice Cameron.' " 
 
 This gift was truly acceptable to Alice, who 
 had longed for a reference Bible, and in her 
 excitement she was getting up to go and thank 
 Lizzie, without thinking of her foot, when her 
 father reminded her of her infirmity. 
 
 Lizzie had not forgotten a human being in 
 the whole house ; Jennie had as pretty a wax 
 doll as she could desire, and Margaret one ex- 
 actly like it, while Major Cameron was pre- 
 sented with a pair of slippers which his daugh- 
 ter had worked during her stay in the city. 
 Every one of the women-servants received a 
 new handkerchief for their heads, and the men 
 and boys nice tippets for the next winter. 
 
 In the evening, Major Cameron was obliged 
 to go out for an hour or two, and Miss Fen- 
 wick called the children up into her room, 
 where she had been occupied since tea in un- 
 packing one of her trunks, that she might be 
 in readiness for the Sabbath. 
 
 " Will you let me see your text-books 
 now ? " she asked ; "for I can tell by them 
 something of your improvement." 
 
132 lizzie's return home. 
 
 il Will you go, Mary, into our room and get 
 them ? " said Alice. " You must not think," 
 she added, turning to Miss Fenwick, " that I 
 have obeyed all that I have written down. I 
 have found that it is much easier to know what 
 is right than to practise it." 
 
 " But you have not, I hope, forgotten, my 
 child, that He who gave you these rules for 
 your conduct also bestows the strength to 
 obey them," said Miss Fenwick. 
 
 " O, no ! " said Alice, warmly ; " I know 
 that God never requires of us what we are not 
 able to perform." 
 
 Miss Fenwick now occupied herself in look- 
 ing at the selections which Alice and Mary 
 had made from the Bible, and expressed her 
 gratification at their choice of texts. Mary 
 had of late written but a few, but these were 
 appropriate ones, and were put down with great 
 care. 
 
 Alice had had time, during her long confine- 
 ment, to write a great many, and, though she 
 did not tell Miss Fenwick, she had learned 
 them all, so that they were constantly in her 
 mind. 
 
 After looking through the text-books, Miss 
 
lizzie's return home. 133 
 
 Fenwick went to her trunk, and took from it 
 two singularly-shaped boxes, covered with mo- 
 rocco, and, opening them, showed the girls that 
 they contained all that was necessary for writ- 
 ing, — ink, sand, wafers, seals, pens, &c. 
 
 " You will find these very convenient, my 
 dear children," she said, " in carrying out our 
 plan ; and I hope these new pens will write 
 many more texts, as excellent as those I have 
 just read. And here, dear Lizzie," she add- 
 ed, taking out a large writing-case, u is some- 
 thing of a similar kind, which I hope may be 
 acceptable to you ; and which, I trust, you will 
 sometimes devote to the same purpose." 
 
 Margaret and Jennie now began to look 
 towards the trunk, full of eager expectation, 
 and were soon delighted with two beautiful lit- 
 tle books, filled with pictures, which they felt 
 like sitting down to read immediately. 
 
 u And now, good night, my darling chil- 
 dren," said Miss Fenwick ; u for I am very 
 tired, and must go to rest early, that I may be 
 prepared to enjoy to-morrow, which you know 
 is Sunday. We can then have as much more 
 conversation as we wish, and shall, I hope, 
 enjoy another of those delightful days to which 
 12 
 
134 lizzie's return home. 
 
 I have looked back with so much pleasure. 
 Lizzie shall sleep with me to-night, and we 
 can afterwards see what arrangements will be 
 best for the future." 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST f 
 
 It was a sweet Sunday evening, and the 
 Camerons were delighted once more to gather 
 around their dear teacher and receive her affec- 
 tionate counsels. The lamps were not lighted 
 as twilight came on, for it was still too lovely 
 without to close the shutters, and the children 
 loved to watch for the appearing of the stars. 
 
 " O, see that large one, low down in the 
 sky ! " said Jennie, as she pointed out Venus, 
 which was just above the horizon. 
 
 " And there is another sweet one," said 
 Alice, as she looked admiringly at Lyra, which 
 had now appeared in the blue sky, nearly over 
 her head. "It is not so large as Venus, and 
 yet I like it quite as well." 
 
 <c What makes the stars so different ? " 
 
136 WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST ? 
 
 asked Margaret. " They are not all of the 
 same size, and some are so much prettier than 
 others." 
 
 c< They are, indeed, very unlike," replied 
 Miss Fen wick, " for such was the will of 
 Him who formed them ; but not one has rea- 
 son to complain, for all are clothed in glory, 
 and have their place in heaven. So it shall 
 be with us in the world to come, if we are 
 God's children here. We may differ, c as one 
 star differeth from another,' but each shall w T ear 
 a shining robe of light, and have a full share 
 of eternal happiness." 
 
 " O, tell us more about that ! " said Alice. 
 " Since you have been gone, I have often 
 longed to ask you more about heaven, and 
 how we could tell if we were prepared to en- 
 joy it." 
 
 " Do you remember, dearest," Miss Fen- 
 wick replied, as she placed her hand fondly 
 upon the head of the eager questioner, and 
 looked into her soft eyes, — "do you remem- 
 ber that I told you once, unless you could 
 catch a glimpse of heaven here, you would not 
 be contented there ? Now tell me, my children, 
 what has made you most happy since I have 
 
WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST ? 137 
 
 been gone, and see what kind of a heaven that 
 would make, if you should always enjoy the 
 same thing. By this means you may tell 
 whether you are prepared for the bliss that 
 God has in store for those who love him. If 
 your greatest earthly enjoyment resembles the 
 descriptions in the Bible of the pleasures of 
 the world to come, you must be in some meas- 
 ure prepared for the society of angels and 
 just men made perfect. Come, Lizzie, it is 
 your turn to speak first. What has made you 
 most happy, since I left ? " 
 
 Lizzie had been standing by the window for 
 some moments in silence, and now that she 
 turned round, Miss Fenwick saw that her eyes 
 were filled with tears, for she had been think- 
 ing of her own unworthiness, and the great 
 goodness of her Heavenly Father in restoring 
 her to her dear home. " I think," she re- 
 plied, in a faltering voice, " that the happiest 
 hour I have ever known was on the Sunday 
 before I left New York, when, after asking 
 God to forgive me for all my sinfulness there, 
 I felt the full value of that Saviour through 
 whom the most sinful may hope for pardon. " 
 
 " My dear child," said Miss Fenwick, as 
 12* 
 
138 WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST ? 
 
 she rose from her seat, and, putting her arm 
 around Lizzie's waist, drew her tenderly to- 
 wards her, — " such feelings prolonged would 
 indeed be heaven, for it is the employment of 
 all the spirits in glory to sing the praises of a 
 Saviour's love. And you, my darling Alice," 
 she asked, "when have you been happiest?" 
 
 The color came and went quickly in Alice's 
 cheek, and a tear stood in her eye, but still 
 her whole face was radiant with joy, as she 
 answered, — "I have never been so happy as 
 a moment since, when I heard Lizzie say, that 
 she had learned to value the love of Christ, 
 and to hope for pardon through him." 
 
 " My precious children ! " exclaimed Miss 
 Fenwick, deeply moved, as she placed her 
 other arm around Alice's waist, and drew her, 
 too, more near to the heart which was filling 
 fast with emotions of thankfulness. " It would, 
 indeed, be a world of joy in which our whole 
 time was spent in rejoicing in the tidings of 
 the salvation of those we love, for such news 
 fills the hearts of angels with gladness. And 
 you, my Mary, when have you been hap- 
 piest ? " 
 
 Mary paused for a moment, and thought of 
 
WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST ? 139 
 
 all the holydays which she had enjoyed during 
 the summer. Suddenly the evening rose in 
 her memory, on which they had all resolved 
 to cherish the spirit of peace, and she felt that 
 it was worth all the hours of gayety that she 
 had ever known. 
 
 " I do not know," she replied, " when I 
 have been more truly happy, than after I had 
 resolved to love my sisters better, and never 
 again to say to them a hasty or unkind word. 
 I have sometimes broken the resolution since, 
 but it always makes me miserable now, when 
 there is any disturbance among us." 
 
 " I cannot tell you, Mary, how much pleas- 
 ure your answer gives me," said Miss Fen- 
 wick, affectionately ; " for I know you too 
 well to suppose that it is not the real language 
 of your heart. c Peace on earth and good- 
 will to man ' were the blessings that were 
 promised at the Saviour's birth, and peace 
 is also among the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 
 But I see that my little Margaret is all ready 
 to tell me what makes her most happy." 
 
 " Seeing you," said Margaret, eagerly, be- 
 fore the question was hardly asked. 
 
 Miss Fenwick smiled, as she replied, — " I 
 
140 WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST ? 
 
 am not sure, my child, that such an enjoyment 
 would please you for ever ; yet I trust that 
 even in heaven it might add to your happiness 
 to meet one whose dearest wish has been to 
 prepare you for that l home of the blest.' You 
 must not forget how much more you owe to 
 your kind Creator than to her whom he has 
 sent to train you up for his service." 
 
 " O, that is the reason why I love you," 
 said Margaret, earnestly; " it is because you 
 teach us how to be good." 
 
 " Well, that is better, Meggy ; for to grow 
 in goodness will be the work of eternity. 
 Does my little Jennie know when' she is hap- 
 piest ? " asked Miss Fenwick, turning to the 
 youngest child, who sat on a footstool waiting 
 eagerly for her turn to answer. 
 
 But now the question had come, Jennie 
 hesitated, and then said, blushing and hanging 
 her head down on one side, — "I don't know 
 whether I was the happiest yesterday, when 
 Lizzie brought me home that big doll, or one 
 day that I did not get out of temper or say an 
 unkind word to anybody." 
 
 " I think you will find, my dear," said Miss 
 Fenwick, " that you had more true enjoyment 
 
WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST ? 141 
 
 upon the day that you mention, and as you 
 grow older, you will learn that every sin which 
 you can conquer will prepare you for heaven. 
 
 u And now, my children,'' added their kind 
 teacher, as Major Cameron approached the 
 house, and the last stars came twinkling out, 
 ' l you have given a better answer than I ex- 
 pected to the question, c When are we hap- 
 piest ? ' May God enable you all to enjoy 
 many such hours of happiness on earth, and 
 thus prepare you for heaven." 
 
 THE END.