ornaments.

I could shew you many places. in the Bible, where we are exhorted not to Jove the world, nor the things that are in the world. It becomes every one of us to dress decently, and with the utmost cleanliness; but surely, whatever the rich may think it right to do, it becomes not a poor servant to spend her little pittance on needless finery.

Certainly not, said my mistress; I would not have you spend all you have on a hat. But if you were a little better dressed, Susan, perhaps some young tradesman or farmer might be taken with you, for you are a good-looking girl, and might choose you for his wife. And do you think, child, that if you could get a good husband by spending a few extraordinary shillings, that the money would be thrown away? And then the wicked woman laughed; for indeed I must call her a wicked woman.

If God sees fit, I answered, that I should marry, in his due time he will provide me with a worthy husband. But this is at

present no concern of mine; I trust in God, and leave him to do what he pleases with me. I will not be so bold as to take any measures to ensnare young men, or to please them with my fine dressing, or to put myself in their way. Besides, to tell you the truth, I have no notion of that kind of men who can be pleased with a young woman, and

E

choose her for a wife, because she is extravagant and selfish, because she spends all the money she can earn or get possession of by any means in adorning herself.

You always have a mighty deal to say for yourself, Susan,' said my mistress: but come now, think better of it; here I offer you the half crown again. Have you a mind to take it towards buying the hat?

If you will give it to me towards a pair of shoes, or a coloured apron, I will thank you, I said; and held out my hand to receive it.

No, no, said my mistress, that will not do; you shall have it, if you please, for the hat, but for nothing else: for I want to see you with something smarter on your head than that old fashioned black hat.

Ah! why, said I, should you tempt me to these vanities? If for God's sake you do not forbear trying to draw me aside, yet for your own you should rejoice that I am not fond of the fine things of this world, rather than endeavour to fill my mind with the love

of them.

Now suppose, my dear mistress, added I, coming nearer to her, and smiling, to shew that all I said was in the greatest good humour, I were all at once to become vain, and to prefer fine clothes, and to be admired by men, rather than to be loved by God; immediately for the sake of getting these

things which were become so dear to me, I should pilfer you in a thousand little ways; nothing that you have in the house would be safe; but I should be changing your bread for a ribbon, your cheese for a bit of lace, a candle for a fine pin, a piece of soap for a pair of buckles, and I know not what; and then as it would be no use to shew my fine clothes to the owls and the bats, the the horses and the cows, whenever you were safe out of the way, instead of doing your work well, I should hurry it over in a slo venly manner, and fly off to town to shew myself at the fairs and markets; and instead of being a clean, diligent servant, as you have been once or twice so good as to call me, I should be an idle, slovenly, good-for-nothing, saucy hussey. Sol will not, if you please, buy the hat; lest when I have got one fine thing, I should wish for another to wear with it, and so by degrees become a vain bad girl.

My mistress made no answer, for at that moment Charlotte Owen made her appearance; and they sat down together to breakfast.

After breakfast they both left the cottage; my mistress having given me a task to do, and told me she should not return till night.

I continued to work very hard all the day long, and had finished my task before sun

set; when just as it was getting dusk, and the moon began to shew her face above the tops of the hills, I took a walk in the garden to enjoy the fresh air; it was a most pleasant evening, and the viòlets and other pretty flowers of spring, filled the breezes with their most sweet smell. A nightingale was sitting among the branches of the trees at the top of the hill, and her voice sounded very melodious in the cottage garden.

As I walked up and down, I thought of the many snares and dangers to which those young persons are exposed, who have not the happiness to have good parents. I had not one friend in the world; I was daily tempted to evil by those who surrounded me; those whose duty it was to guard and protect me, seemed to take a pleasure in exposing me to danger. I feared much also from my own corrupt nature; for although I tried to fight against them, yet evil thoughts often came into my mind; sometimes I felt weary of living shut up in the cottage, without having any one to speak to except bad persons, who constantly made a mockery of me; and sometimes I could scarcely help fretting and repining, and thinking that I was dealt hardly by,

I prayed God to forgive me if ever I had murmured, or forgot to trust in his mercy. I prayed him to help me in keeping my

heart pure from evil thoughts, and vain wishes, and above all things, I besought him to preserve me from the snares and temptations, which evil persons might spread in my way.

Ah! what does it signify, I said, as I looked up to the skies, all bright and sparkling with thousands and thousands of stars, whether I am happy or miserable, for the few short years which I am to spend in this world! I am now young, it is true; but when I am thrice my present age, I shall be an old woman, and must soon expect to lay me down in the grave. It will then be all one to me, whether I have been high or low, rich or poor, handsome or ugly; but it will be of the greatest importance to me, whether I have been patient and gentle, whether I have served my God, loved my fellow-creatures, and prepared myself to dwell with angels and holy men.

O my dear father and mother! and my beloved Mrs. Neale! you are now happy in heaven, in the presence of your God and Saviour; you are no longer poor weak human creatures, but immortal and glorious spirits; all tears are wiped from your eyes, the Lord Jesus has changed your vile bodies, that they may be fashioned like his glorious body. Phil. iii. 20, 21. God Almighty grant, added I, while the tears ran down my cheeks,