NOVEMBKR. 261 



The night Miss Laura came to our cottage so wet, she had been 

 sent to a house a good bit off, to get her out of the way, because 

 some young hidies were coming to the Grange ; and vi.sitors hked 

 her company more than they did her betters'. She did not have a 

 great deal of money given her, though she could talk a many strange 

 languages ; and has made us stare many a time to hear her sing to 

 our children songs of people that live over the seas, and so natural 

 too, it seemed no trouble at all to her. But it was not want of 

 money she complained of, when she was talking free and easy to my 

 wife ; but the being looked down upon, and the way the servants 

 treated her, copying like after their mistress. My wife, who knew a 

 little about these things, when she could do so and not give offence, 

 used to recommend her to wait on herself all she could, and shew a 

 kind way to them ; and when she tried it, she said she found there 

 was nothing she couldn't do for herself. We missed her a great 

 deal when we lived in the village ; for when the children were ill, 

 she was forbid to come and see us, for fear of carrying home the 

 complaint ; though it was all an excuse, for it wasn't at all catching. 

 About two months before I went back to the squire's, she went into 

 his family, after their governess married, and then we saw her again, 

 and times were better with her ; and to shew she hadn't forgot my 

 wife's kindness in former days, she had made her the present of the 

 shawl and shoes ; and, unknown to us, had told the squire how glad 

 I should be to go back to my old place again ; and begged my master 

 to take me on, as soon as ever she heard the other gardener was 

 going. Nobody seemed happier than she was when she came late 

 in the evening, and saw us all settled in comfortably again ; and 

 then she told us how it was the gardener left. He was a very re- 

 spectable young man, and came from a good place ; but he had mar- 

 ried a fine-looking young woman, who had been brought up to the 

 dress-making. Her mother, like a foolish woman, instead of teaching 

 her how to clean house, cook, and so on, and getting her into a re- 

 spectable family, said her daughter should never be a slave, and gave 

 her too much her own way. Well, when she was married, and had 

 two or three children, she made a poor slovenly housekeeper, and 

 was very untidy in herself. On Sundays she made a good show, but 

 on week-days she was down at heel, and her clothes hung about 

 her as if she had been dragged through the bushes ; and so you may 

 guess how the garden-room was kept. A good deal of fault was 

 found at its being so dirty and dusty ; but she wouldn't bear speaking 

 to, and at last persuaded her husband to give up his place, and take 

 a bit of land near a neighbouring town, and turn master for himself, 

 — a kind of market-gardener. 



Poor Miss Laura ! trouble did her and all of us good ; it was just 

 like a heavy fall of snow over the spring flowers, it kept us in our 

 right places ; and when it melted away, we never enjoyed the sun- 

 shine more. She afterwards married very well, to a young farmer ; 

 but she soon died, in childbed, and lies in our village churchyard. 

 He's gone away over the seas, so I've heard say ; but wherever he is 

 he'll never forget her, nor I either, the generous young lady : I wish 

 there were more like her. 



