Our Gentleman Boarder 



baby in her arms, accosted a clergyman of 

 our town as he was leavino^ the church 

 after morning service, and looking up at 

 him with o-lowino- face, asked him in a 

 voice trembling betwixt shyness and ex- 

 pectation, if he would be so very kind as 

 to lend her a book to read. She wanted 

 very much to read, she said, and indeed 

 could find time to do so when she had put 

 the children to bed of a night ; but they had 

 no books at home save the Bible and 

 Prayer Book, and Pilgrim's Progress, all 

 of which, she said naively, she knew quite 

 well ; and he mi^ht rest assured his book 

 would be taken good care of, because her 

 father was Mr. Hyde the coachmaster. 



The heart of the gentle old student was 

 greatly touched, and before long the bright- 

 eyed, hardworking child, with her hunger 

 and thirst after learning, was admitted to 

 his library, and enjoyed the run of it in 

 such spare time as she had until his death, 

 when he left her as a parting gift a charm- 

 ing handful of old poets and dramatists. 



Now I am quite prepared for my readers, 

 when they find the simple narrative bloom- 

 ing into a love tale, to cry out upon me for 

 a precocious imp, that could so comprehend 

 and remember the deeds and words of his 

 elders in such a matter ; or to accuse me 



