"Perhaps I may soon leave you," said she. Her young acquaintance took the hint, and guessed rightly that some matrimonial scheme was in contemplation by Miss Charlotte. She soon communicated the particulars of her prospects, which in reality were very fair and promising, for she was on the eve of uniting herself to an amiable young farmer in a neighbouring town. “Our schemes of happiness," said she," are delightfully planned, for our fathers will give us good fortunes, and we shall take a house detached from the farm, so that we can entertain our friends without their being constantly reminded, by whe lowing of cows and the grunting of pigs, who they are visiting. I expect to be honoured by the company of the first gentry." Miss Charlotte now enumerated a thousand particulars of her intended method of furnishing and conducting her house, till her sister impatiently reproved her for her volubility, and reminded her of the possibility of disappointment, "Many persons having been," she said, " apparently as near marrying as herself, yet single at this moment." For this hint to prepare for disappointment, Miss Charlotte was less indebted to sisterly affection than chagrin and envy, which was deeply experienced by the elder Miss Jones on the present occasion. For having accustomed herself to consider happiness more attached to outward stations than mental acquirements, and centered her view of it in the state of matrimony, she naturally became impatient to enter it. After congratulating Miss Charlotte on her prospects, Miss Nichols resumed the subject of benevolent exertion. Turning to Miss Jones, "We must yield," said she, "to Charlotte's plea of departure from our neighbourhood; but you”

-Miss Jones guessed the remainder of the intended address, and suddenly recollected what she considered an insurmountable objection. "You are so strict, Nichols," said she, " in your ideas of spending Sundays, or I would propose devoting a part of it to this writing scheme you seem to have set your mind upon. For really, to confess the truth, I find the time hang heavily on that day." "Alas!" exclaimed Miss Nichols," the best of us have too much reason to make a similar complaint. This being the case, social intercourse, and especially works of charity, are allowable on the Sabbath-day; yet I should scruple the propriety of teaching any mechanical art. Instead, then, of accepting your offer of supplying the office of writing-mistress on Sundays, I will retain you in my service as reading-mistress to a Sunday's school, which is soon to be established in this village." Miss Jones blushed with surprise and chagrin at being thus caught in a trap of her own making, and from which she could find no means of escape. "You may have heard," continued Miss Nichols, "of the great utility of these institutions, and my father is of opinion no populous village should be without one." "I should suppose," said Miss Jones, "that our large charity-school was sufficient for the purpose of instruction here." "You are greatly mistaken;" replied Miss Nichols. "Many poor persons cannot spare their children on week days. And you must allow that we have some dissolute, poor neighbours, who neglect taking their children to church, and suffer them to idle about the whole Sunday in lanes and fields. 'Tis not merely teaching them to read their Bibles, but the moral and religious instruction they

receive, we hope, will render them blessings to soeiety."

The entrance of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, and tea preparations, changed the subject of conversation. The former began questioning the farmer's daughters about dairy business, and very gallantly wished to partake of a cheese from their fair hands. Observing the apathy with which all his well-meant compliments was received, he soon desisted, but ascribed it less to the subject he had chosen than his own powers of pleasing. Mrs. Wilson next assumed the reins of conversation. She related several cases of distress amongst the cottagers, commended the management of honest James's family, and dropped many hints upon the unnecessary expenditures on dress and style of living. The Misses Jones seemed affected only by that part of her discourse which related to James's family. They implicated every member in the offence they had received from poor Margery, declared their resolution that the strawberry-eaters should no longer be supplied by cream from their farm. Miss Nichols and Miss Wilson advocated the cause of Margery very warmly, but without effect, when Mr. Wilson closed the debate, by cooly observing, "There were more cows in the world than what belonged to the farm, and he would soon put one to graze in his meadows for the use of Judith's visitors." His daughter's eyes glistened with delight at this generous resolution, and Mrs. Wilson and Miss Nichols expressed equal satisfaction. In the worst humour imaginable the farmer's daughters took leave of the amiable party. Miss Charlotte's temper was improved on her return home by the sight of her admirer, who was

impatiently waiting her return. Miss Jones sat wrapped in gloomy silence, while to the question of "How they had passed the day ?" her lively sister replied, "I must begin with the dinner-there was the good lady with a face like a turkey cock, shoving into our plates great spoonfuls of hash, and staring at us for not eating it-there was Nichols, scraping her plate as clean as though there was not another morsel in the world—there was the old gentleman in his best wig, praising his wife's best cookery, and mistaking us for creatures of the last century, who were too bashful to eat in company-then all the saving knowledge he had acquired, while selling hats and stockings, was poured forth for our edification, interspersed with sage animadversions from his notable partner, and acquiescent smiles from his pretty daughter then the young folks are left alone to discuss the art of school-keeping, and talk of morals— in the course of an hour poor sister was metamorphosed into a reading dame, and myself narrowly escaped a similar honour. Enter Master and Mistress once more, the former with her silver tea caddie and sugarbason in her hand, to attract our admiration, and secure their contents from the maids; the latter to talk gallantly about butter and cheese. The most tragical anecdotes ensued; Goody Perkins lay ill of a fever; her eldest daughter had scalded her foot, and her youngest run away with a soldier. Poor Tom Partridge had lost his last week's wages, by trusting a neighbour to receive it; and the widow, his mother's only pig was pounded. Then followed a dissertation on fashionable expenses, and rules for the choice of new bonnets. Thank our stars we are at length es

caped, and the history of our next visit shall be told you more at large.”

Leaving Miss Charlotte to receive the applause of her auditors for her voluble caricature of the day's entertainment, we return to the more pleasing occupation of reviewing Miss Wilson's moral essays.

6

CHAP. X.

THE next essay to be reviewed by Miss Nichols was-on Sensibility. "You must not be offended,” said she, "if I say this essay abounds with error. You assert that man being the subject of passions and feelings, implanted within him for wise and good purposes, should be chiefly guided by them.' A little more acquaintance with the world would have taught you the fallacy of this conclusion; for we may observe that most of the follies, and even vices common in society, are the result of this pernicious principle. Were the passions and feelings always under the influence of reason, we might yield them uncontrouled sway: but, alas! the best of men lament their wayward impulses, and in fact the whole of practical religion consists in maintaining a warfare against them. In your invocation to this supposed divinity, sensibilty, you do not discriminate between feminine softness of manners, and weakness of mind, for you say"Come gentle power, congenial to the tender frame of body I possess, infuse a delicacy of sentiment over all my actions. Teach me not only to feel another's woe, but that graceful timidity which from the smallest