child, and let w

, not dream the

life, death, and

nd, swe

GSL

ered the breakfast-room, "can indulge in such late hours as these. Twenty minutes to

med, "I've been up

oing all that time, I sho

!" I exclaimed, throwing a couple of handfuls on the table. "I do wonder, sir, you allow them to commit such trespasses, so near the house too. I would keep at least that grove for my own use. I never saw finer trees, and a week ago they were loaded, Stephen says. Yesterday morning there were two boys up threshing one of the largest trees; I heard them, just as I came under it; the nuts were falling

an imprudent thing again. You should never go into the woods without ta

d have kept them up there till noon, if I

to be aware of the danger of

th two great dogs to back me. And 'if the worst came to the wors

had not appeared to win me any favor from Mr. Rutledge in the unlucky affair of the glo

ot do so again; and when Kitty can't be spare

rry to insist upon your taking her, I shall be

ay I trouble you f

r this morning. Rutle

atisfaction to my breakfast; "and as I have so much

comfortable to think you were sta

minutes following him into the library with a

d, as I sat down before the writing-t

it, sir, and a reasonable prospect

or an hour, without the slightest interm

will give you a general idea, while I look over those accounts with Maurice and Ruthven, to b

g to trust me, I a

y mind the synopsis Mr. Rutledge had briefly given me, I was able to finish them to his satisfaction; added the memoranda he had been mak

said Mr. Rutledge, as for a moment I leaned m

st," I said bra

e out with me. It is too fine

ountered us at the dining-room door. Her greeting to

hold expenses' this morning; Dorothy has got her account with the grocer in a great snarl

her time, I might have helped you, but I have been doing quite as much

s in his account, and I don't like those sort of people to suppose there's any irr

. Roberts?" I asked. "I s

lainly said, "You help me!

e understands the books better th

estion. "The grocer can come to-morrow wit

l she worried Mr. Rutledge into it, so I renewed my offer of assis

might help her reckon it up. She wasn't

ntying my bonnet. But Mr. Rut

two hours already for me; she must have nothing m

ld be glad to oblige an old woman. And duty so plainly pointed that way, that I wavered no longer. I had made up my mind to b

with you, Mr. Rutledge, I will see

sion. "I do not think it best for you to be

twenty-four at school, and this morning's business has been mere play. I shall not think of feeling tired for hours yet, so

ought to do. He naturally, I thought, didn't like to have his wishes interfered with; but that could not alter the right for me, "and he cannot help but see that when he thinks it over." So again su

he tact and acuteness that developed themselves that morning, and which, added to her well-known decision and unalterable devotion to the one idea that happened to be uppermost, formed the elements of a character I had not suffi

ight and day, labored to instill into my unwilling brain the rules and methods it was constitutionally unfitted to receive. Other studies were made to bend before it; favorite pursuits were sacrificed to this one object; passionate tears had washed the distracting figures from the hated slate; high tragedy had been enacted before the blackboard, and stormy scenes in the study had only strengthened Miss Crowen in her determination to enforce obedience, and her pupil in resistance to what she looked upon as tyrannical injustice. The result of this continued struggle was, that after nearly five years of drilling in tha

clear about that last column; would it be asking too much of me to run it over again aloud. I tried to be patient, and again went over it, and explained the case in all its bearings. I resolutely kept my back to the window, and would, if I could, have forgotten that there was such a thing as sunshine in the world; but, however I may have succeeded in that attempt, I could not help hearing Mr. Rutledge's step on the stone walk outside, as he returned from the direction of the stable

ou see the only mistake was in that second figure, and

otters that I had made admiring acquaintance with a few days since at the stable. As their hoofs clattered rapidly down the avenue, I could have thrown the account-books at Mrs. Roberts' head, for in truth it began to dawn upon me that that worthy person had had some ends of her own to serve in keeping me so long at the work of elucidation, and that something besides natural dullness of com

cerity of Mrs. Roberts' rather meagre thanks, nor the truthfulness of her slight commendation of my patience. It was not in her way to flatter, and I knew that for some cause she distrusted me, and that whatever praise she awarded me, was fairly wrung from her by her stubborn s

e. But it proved a miserable failure; I could not enjoy that or anything else; my head ached "splittingly," and the sunshine streaming in at the window made it worse, and playing with Tigre made it worse, and reading, writing, think

place beside me, sat down to reading. It would have been a thrilling book that could have riveted my wandering thoughts that morning; and unluckily the book I had chosen was very far from that stamp; it was a third-rate novel of the highly wrought order, into whose pages characters, incidents, scenes, were crowded in such bewildering profusion, that one's appreciative powers were fagged out and exhausted, before the first chapter was accomplished, and, like a rest

ll; but when I awoke, it was to find Mr. Rutl

h already. Does your head ache still?" he continued, laying his hand on my shoulder

I haven't even thought of repenting, and would do it

" he said, coolly. "I thought yesterday you did

r staying worrying in the house over some tiresome accounts, to going out on such a splendid day; and you must see that there was no way for me to refuse her conscientiously. You yourself say she is old, and

iefly concluded my defence, adding at the end, a concise req

and direct our attention to something else. What, for ins

nything about it. Ta

id, rather wickedly, "would you like to

, only I don't know the way exac

chael can drive you down,

it makes no difference,

utledge, "you don't lik

; my face told fully my enthusiastic

ble that I would venture to let you ride. Madge

ly at home. I had the dearest little pony; but he was spirited enough, and I always ma

ecret admiration ever since I had had the entrée of the stables, and I felt that life offered, at that moment, no more tempting honor than a seat on her

ll be my own fault if anything happens to me. And oh! it will be s

to appreciate the availability of tears as a weapon sufficiently to have used them if they had occurred. Certain it is, however

er, I don't

laimed, "when you see how

e no habit,"

a host in herself; I'll p

y on the subject of the habit. She entered into the plan with great ardor, and racked her brains to devise something feasible. I s

acket that will do,"

ons and all that; and now, if I only had a long eno

, and, after a momen

from the last funeral, upstairs in a trunk I know of. Sylvie

" I exclaimed, between a shudder and a l

th a sudden illumination o

w? Oh, do

o rub off and press out, and it's downstairs this minute; and you see, she always has a wide hem to her dresses, and a great piece turned in at the top; so by letting out

n, Kitty, I'm afraid it woul

," and my conscientious scruples were cut short by the abrupt ex

I rose to leave the table, he asked me if I had succeeded in improvising a habit. I said yes, and that my present perplexity lay only in the matter of a hat. He proposed to see if he could help me, by a review of his chapeaux, past and present; and after trying on at least a dozen caps an

d, as, the last touch bestowed, she

ecorated style of equestrian costume, so popular with our contemporaries. "And that skirt!" she exclaimed, smothering her laughter, "who would think it was the very one Mrs. Roberts had on, day before yesterday, when she wa

itty! Indeed, I've a gre

it. It won't hurt it a bit; I'll have it just as good as wh

oofs struck on the stone walk below, she hurried me off, thrusting my