my

her, Tom is old enough to follow the plough, and Madge here earns sixpence a week by running of all old Madam Shuffle's errands. Ah! 'tis wonderful, as husband says, to think on the kind Providence of God. Will you please to walk in the garden, and see how finely the strawberry plants are coming on ?" The party complied with the invitation, and gave it as their opinion that Judith might with great confidence expect another excellent strawberry season this year also.

On their return into the cottage they observed the door of a small room open, leading from the kitchen, in which they had been seated. Now, whether this door was opened by accident or design we will not determine; it exhibited to their view six neat rushbottom chairs, a round oaken table, and a neat Scotch carpet. The countenance of Judith certainly beamed unusual satisfaction as she observed the eyes of her guests attracted towards her parlour. "Will you please to step into the strawberry parlour," said she. They entered. "Why, Judith !" exclaimed Mr. Gregory, “I'm astonished at the display of all these fine things in the name of wonder how came your little Jumber room thus metamorphosed ?" "Sir," answerod she, "you shall hear all about it, if you'll please to be seated. You know, Sir, how much the ladies round here like to come and eat strawberries and cream, and I always did my best to make things comfortable; but, to be sure, the best I could do was bad enough for gentlefolks. If more than four came at a time, there was not a chair for them to sit upon, and some of them was sadly afraid of catching cold on the brick floor; so to make short of the story, they agreed among themselves last summer to furnish this

I soon

little room as you see. I could hardly believe my eyes when the furniture came. The lauk! said I to myself, that ever I should have a parlour like the clerk's wife. When James came home he looked and wondered too, but did not talk about it so much as I did. I began to think he did not care much about it; but, ah! when night came for prayer, found he cared about it in the best way, for he could say nothing but praise God for his mercies till the tears ran down his cheeks like drops of rain." "But," observed Mrs. Wilson, "I do not see why you should be so much rejoiced at this circumstance; your parlour is chiefly for the accommodation of your strawberryeaters." "That is true, Ma'am," returned Judith, "but then it makes one's house look so respectable; and, besides, the ladies said the furniture should all be ours, for they would never take it away." "Only see," continued she, turning round her table," what a fine piece of oak this is, all solid; the chairs too are of the best kind; they will be quite a fortune to leave behind us."

It was easy to discover that Judith's strawberry parlour was a favourite theme; and most probably she would have dwelt largely upon it, had she not been interrupted by the cries of her infant. Margery offered to release him from his confinement, but was prevented by her mother; "Let him alone, Madge," said she, "God has seen fit to afflict thee with dim-sightedness, but it would be very wicked in me to spoil thy growth by nursing."

The party now took leave of Judith and her cottage, though not without expressing their satisfaction, and intention of paying her more visits-" EspecialIv," said Miss Wilson, "at strawberry season."

The shabby troop of runners did not forget to waylay Mr. Gregory, in order to obtain their promised halfpence, and with rueful countenances confirmed the truth of Judith's prognostication: for 'Squire Nichols chancing to meet them had sent them all scampering home again before they had effected their intended rolling exploits. Mrs. Wilson gave them a lecture upon industry, which, had her instruction been enforced by good examples at home, might have made some impression. "Ah!" said Mr. Wilson, when they had taken leave of the children, "I cannot help thinking that if we had a little more religion amongst us, all ranks would be the better for it. “Come, come,” returned Mr. Gregory, "let's have none of your gravity." "Brother," rejoined Mr. Wilson, "fifty is not an age for trifling." "Take eare, brother, how you mount this style," said Mr. Gregory, affecting not to hear the remark, and in the same instant springing over it himself, with the agility of five and twenty. "Yes, yes," replied Mr. Wison, with a smile, "I see you have ten years the advantage of me; but I repeat again, fifty is not an age for trifling." "Yonder comes old Madam Shuffle," observed Mr. Gregory, "the greatest gossip and gambler in the village" "Good morning to you, Madam." "The same to you, Sir," replied the lady; "I have just called at your apartments to request the favor of your company to meet a few friends this evening."-"Madam," returned Mr. G. "I am always agreeable." The lady smiled, understood the ambiguous answer to signify a compliance to her wishes, and walked on.

The party soon gained their habitation, where we will leave them for the present, and introduce our

readers to the acquaintance of that gentleman to whom Mr. Gregory had given the honourable title, "the wisest man in the village."

CHAP. II.

TRUE wisdom has been defined to consistin chusing the best end, and pursuing it by the fittest means." Most persons, we presume, will allow the fineness of this definition. Yet, were that important. question to be proposed to numbers, even of professing christians," what is the chief end of man ?" we fear that the suitable answer would not readily be found, "man's chief end is to glorify God." Example is universally acknowledged to be more efficacious than precept, and invective less forcible than argument. Instead, then, of inveighing against follies, we will, in the persons of Mr. Nichols and his daughter, present characters in a great measure exempt from them; and, as there is a near association between admiration and imitation, will not despair of exciting the latter, if we can secure the former.

Mr. Nichols was a gentleman of good family and fortune, and received an education suitable to those advantages. Each of the learned professions was recommended to his choice, as the different tastes and wishes of his connexions influenced their recommendation. His own inclination led him more particularly to the study of divinity, but a delicate state of health, when at the proper age to parsue it, and other unfavourable circumstances, prevented his becoming & candidate for church preferment. He married early

in life. Year after year glided away in the calm sequestered state of domestic happiness, till, at length, Mr. Nichols found himself arrived at the middle stage of life, without the inclination for devoting himself to any fixed study or pursuit. What would be a blameable indolence in one person, may be an allowable indulgence in another, and we conceive that Mr. N. possessing an ample fortune, and no family embarrassments, was justified in thus indulging his peculiar taste and disposition.

Though this gentleman was not disposed to exert his talents in professional or commercial avocations, he was not idle; on the contrary, he was ever on the alert to serve his friends and connexions; and, if any object for public utility was proposed, the neighbourhood commonly pronounced-" Mr. Nichols is at the foundation of this." He had rendered himself extremely useful in society by sustaining an office for which he was eminently well qualified-that of justice of the peace. In this capacity he was literally a terror to evil doers, and the praise of those who did well."

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On the aimable character of Mrs. Nichols it would be unnecessary to enlarge, as she was long before the commencement of this history removed to a better world, and her daughter inherited her virtues and disposition. Upon the death of his wife, Mr. Nichols placed his darling child, then ten years of age, at a boarding-school, where he was convinced the lessons of piety, which in some degree were already impressed on her tender mind, would be enforced by precept and example. Next to the beauty of the heart, the excellence of the understanding may reasonably become the object of parental solicitude. "I ask not