What, Sir, said my mother! 4001. a year! Do you mean so? I do, madam And, Sir, to be so generously paid me my 1001. of it, as if I received it not from my child, but from my husband! Good God! How you overpower me, Sir! What shame, what remorse, do you strike into my heart!

And my poor mother’s tears ran down as fast as mine.

O madam, said the dear girl to me, clasping her arms about me, how your tender heart is touched! It is well you were not there!

Dr. Bartlett came in to tea. My guardian would not permit Antony, who offered himself, to wait. Antony had been my own papa’s servant, when my mother was not so good.

Nothing but blessings, nothing but looks and words of admiration and gratitude, passed all the tea-time. How their hearts rejoiced, I warrant! Is it not a charming thing, madam, to make people’s hearts glad? To be sure it is! How many hearts has my guardian rejoiced! You must bid him be cross to me, or I shall not know what to do with myself! But then, if he were, I should only get b) myself, and cry, and be angry with myself, and think he could not be to blame.

O my love, my Emily! said I, take care of your gratitude: that drew in your true friend.

Well, but how can it be helped, madam? Can a right heart be ungrateful? Dr. Bartlett says, there is no such thing as true happiness in this life: and is it not better to be unhappy from good men and women, than from bad? Dear madam, why you have often made me unhappy, because of your goodness to me; and because 1 knew, that I neither could deserve nor return it.

The dear prater went on My guardian called me aside, when tea was over: My Emily, said he [1 do love he should call me his Emily! But all the world is his Emily, I think] Let me see what you will do with these two notes; giving me two bank-notes of c 25\. each. Present pin-money and cash may be wanted. We will suppose that your mother has been married a quarter of a year. Her pin-money and the additional annuity may commence from the 25th of December last. Let me, Emily, when they go away, see the graceful manner in which you will dispose of the notes: and from Mr. O’Hara’s behaviour upon it, we shall observe whether he is a man with whom your mother, if it be not her own fault (now you have made it their interest to be kind to each other) may live well: but let the motion be all your own.

How rrood this was! I could have kissed the hand that gave me the notes, if I thought it would not have looked too free.

I understand you, Sir, said I.