ing introduced to strangers; but this time it was only the pain of her own shyness, for could she have over

ly age to believe herself so far inferior to Edward, such characters as Herbert and Mary appeared to her so exalted, that it was quite impossible they could ever think of her; the constant little acts of unobtrusive kindness that her cousin showed her, she attributed to his extreme goodness, not from the most trifling merit in herself. She

e was disliking the latter more than she ought to do, that she never rested till she made an opportunity to conf

thing that exactly sympathizes with our own feelings, or our own ideas of right and wrong, is to try and find out some reason for their being so different; some circumstance that may have exposed them to greater temptations and trials, for you know I have oft

a, her going out s

perhaps thinks a little more of appearance an

f she did not like. Do you think she is quite ri

ame is obliged to be there for several months, and Lady Helen very naturally would not like to be separated either from him or her children. And then she has such a large family, and Annie so many young relations, that yo

nkind thoughts about her, and I am quite sorry now, for I see she can not help them as much as I thought she

should be so, but only to prevent the too great influence of prejudice and dislike. We might think such feelings can do no harm, because only confined to our own minds, but they would be sure gradually to lead us to taking pleasure in listening to their dispraise, and joining in it, and to seeing

e turned to the fifteenth Psalm, and reading it through, particularly pointed out the third verse, and so explained it, as easily and

nk about, and I am sure you will not forget it, so go and play; Ellen must be wondering what has become of you." And again full of glee, the happy child bou

ther, as to give her the delight of his caressing approbation. Learning correctly by rote was always her greatest trial, for her vivid fancy and very versatile powers occasioned her actual lessons to be considered such drudgery, as to require a great effort on her part to retain them. The sense, indeed, if she understood it, she learned quickly enough; but she preferred her own language to an

least expression of unusual approbation caused Caroline to relax in her efforts, thinking she had done quite enough, and perniciously increasing her already too exalted ideas of herself. While to Emmeline it was the most powerful incentive to a continuance in improvement, and determined conquest of her faults. There was consta

to address her. Edward was the only one of the party who moved. He was busily engaged in examining a large Noah's ark, and speculating as to its resemblance to a ship, and its powers of floating, but after a few minutes' apparent thought he left it, and sitting down on Ellen's chair, put his arm round her, and begged her to find a picture of Noah's ark, and see if it were at all like the toy. Cheered by his affection, she conquered with a strong effort the choking in her throat, and turned to the page, and tried to sympathize in his wonder if it really were like the vessel in which Noah was saved, and where he

g, and vainly tried to imagine what at that moment could have caused it. Herb

d so sad? if he thought it was because

pa was often telling me how very much she suffered, and how patiently she bore it; and then, too, she knew I was poor mamma's favorite, (his voice trembled), and

is aunt. "Come here, and tell me all you can about her Edwa

h her father and herself, that all was little enough; adding, however, that after her very dangerous illness, when she was eight years old

as so altered, so pale, and thin, and weak; and then she was very ill after poor papa's death; but since then she has never complained,

nessed the fearful scene of her father's death was still concealed. Edward, as he grew older, though he did n

or so, spite of Percy's determination that it should receive the more learned and refined appellat

thout attending to other people's. It is your idleness, Ellen, no

eply "She is not idle, and I am sure her lesson i

dle to-day, and she must know. I am not going to lose my h

unkind!" began Emmeline; but Ellen'

I am very stupid, but my head does feel confused to-day; pray do not mind me,

ther, who she instantly perceived had heard all she said. With a deep blus

scarcely have believed it possible you should so have spoken, had I not heard it. Go and amuse yourself as you intended; I rather think

it almost disrespect to run across the hall while her mother was speaking; and the thought suddenly crossed her that, as she was quite

for your sake." And Emmeline ran away, quite happy, to try all she could to soothe Caroline, whose self-r

did not perceive her. Her attention was completely absorbed in her book; but after

be so very, very angry"-and she gave way, for the first tim

inquired her aunt, kindly taking one hand from her face. "T

Miss Harcourt has explained it to me twice, an

much better some days than others, you know; and I

e it without her permission," replied the sobbing girl, longing, but not daring, t

ery unhappy, Ellen. I am afraid it is not only your lesson, but that you are ill, or unhappy

nk I am unhappy, when you are so good and so kind. My head ached to-day, and that always makes me feel a wish to cry; but indeed I am not unhappy, and never whe

r into her lap, and kis

ter a pause, "and when you are feeling ill or in pain, you must not be

len, as uncle Hamilton did Emmeline last Sunday; and when I was ill, so ill they said I should die, he never left me, except when his military duties called him away; and he used to nurse me, and try t

ting whether or not it would be better for Ellen to pursue such an evidently painfu

covered with blood and limbs and heads that had been shot off; and there were such cries and groans of pain-I see it, I hear it all again so often before I go to sleep, and when my he

ene, my poor Ellen? who could have perm

ath she had ever felt before. From her mother not being able to bear the subject even partially alluded to, and from having no one to whom she could speak of it, it had taken a still stronger hold of her imagination; and whenever she was unusually weak, and her head aching and confused, it became still more vivid. The very visible sympathy and interest of her aunt, and the gentle words in which she tried to turn the child's thoughts from that scene of horror to the happiness of her father in Heaven, and an assurance that, if she tried to do her duty, and to love

le, he was quite sure Mrs. Hamilton would not have refused the charge, anxious as it might have been. And earnestly, not only on account of the child's physical but mental health, did Mrs. Hamilton wish that such had been the case, and that she had had the care of her niece from earliest infancy; and how much more would she have wished this, had she known that Mrs. Fortescue had really been advised to do with Ellen as Mr. Maitland had said, but that believing it merely an idle fancy, and persisting, too, in her own headstrong idea, that it was ill-temper, not illness, which rendered Ellen so disagreeable, she would not stoop so to conquer her unfortunate pride as to ask such a favor of her relatives, and to whom else could she appeal? Colonel Fortescue had none but distant cousins. She did satisfy a qualm of

petting, and presents so often lavished on a brief decided illness: but that is a very different thing to that kind of suffering which only so affects them as to be dull and heavy, they do not know why, and to make it such a very difficult task to learn the lessons others find so easy; and such a pain sometimes to move, that they are tho

urt, though in general free from any thing like prejudice, and ardently desirous to follow up her own and Mrs. Hamilton's ideas of right and wrong, could not so govern her affections as to feel the same toward Ellen as she did toward Edward and the children she had liv

s, and of such a warm, generous, frank, and seemingly unselfish nature, so open to conviction and to all good impressions, that, except occasional fits of violent passion, there really was, as far as his aunt and uncle could perceive, nothing to complain of. They did not know that he stood in such awe of Mr. Hamilton, from his mother's lessons of his exceeding sternness, that he exercised the greatest control over himself; and he was so excessively fond of Mr. Howard, and his days glided by in such varied and delightful employment, that there was no temptation to do wrong, except certain acts of trifling disobedience, of more consequence from the self-will they betrayed than the acts themselves, but which might have been sources

any thing like principle. The quickness and apparent fervor with which he received the religious impressions they and Mr. Howard sought so earnestly to instill in the short time that was allowed them be

ry timid character required the inculcation of a high, firm principle, to enable her so to conquer herself as to speak the truth, even if she suffered from it. It was only, indeed, in extreme cases of fear-and never to her father that she had ever spoken falsely; but to Mrs. Hamilton's high principles, which by extreme diligence and care she had so successfully imparted to her own children, even concealment was often an acted untruth, and of this fault and equivocation Ellen was but too often guilty; exciting Miss Harcourt'

s correct, Mrs. Hamilton believed there was a great deal more in her niece than was discernible. She seemed to possess a strength, almost an intensity, of feeling and warmth of affection, which, if properly guided, would effectually aid in removing the childish errors engendered by neglect; and it was this belief