The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-17 00:00:00

Tilt, SUN. LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 17, 1863.

LONDON, TUESDAY, NOV. 17, 1863.

To-day the Court Martial upon Colonel CRAWLEY
begins at Aldershott. Upon the proceedings con-
nected with this remarkable investigation the
attention of all England will now, for some time to
come, be fixed very carefully, searchingly, and
continuously. We refer to the Court Martial here
not with any intention of prejudging the case now
about to be sifted before an authoritative profes-
sional tribunal. We allude to it simply in order
tllB4 We may at least be efforded the opportunity
(however briefly we may avail ourselves of it) the
surely
allowable opportunity of expressing
an earnest hop© that the trial begun
to-day, may
than :3-ve prove in its result, no less
snally end corYthing else connected with it,
Heaven s
name:lPic:eusly an exception. Let us, in
'
in this matter for none of that
customary hushing
fish public have come up
glossing over. The Eng-
system. They are
tieok be utterly sick of that as a
routine verdict arrived
atuuto death almost, at that
of this kind—, (formuici)ll,,B the upshot of inquiries
eel's it in his odd, curt esra as CHARLES READE
y' la suddenly
parentheses—that wretched roetine iterated
ably arrived at hitherto—.at
the
tail.verdiet
of these grand
- invari-
otrinium-gatheram investigatihts_st
" It's very bad indeed, but that Noboe wit, that
ey is to blame
Of all pieces of crass stupidity this is
about the
stupidest. And it is, beyond that, 8,
cruel 1 It
gives carte blanche to offenders—by reason
of
this
invariable assuring to them of complete ieohlutiit_
There is something wonderfully beautiful, and
and generous, no doubt, in that old axiom, acted
upon for centuries past in our system of
jurisprudence, that constraining the law to
regard every man as innocent until he is
proved to be guilty. But to treat him as
innocent afterwards, is nothing less than the
conforming to a piece of official idiotcy. It is worse
than that indeed. It is far worse than negatively
wrong and bad, It is so, in the most signal and
express manner, affirmatively. A Routine Verdict
of the kind we have hitherto been so distractingly
accustomed to, amounts to a sort of complicity or
connivarce. In the very feebleness of such a deci-
sion there is something absolutely despicable.
what, in effect, is that old end grander axiom
by far, than the one already particularised. Fiat
justitia i
—t tells the whole world in thundering
accents---s 9 wi- •
th the voice of one of the Titans, as
with the •
hps of
when SAMPSON
he stood stone
blind among the Philistine's
and began to grnpie in the banquetting halt
the two pillars together—
/ ids justitia, runt miton.
l
Of heaven itself should trembles! though the pillars
na
to their foundations
like the realisation of suELLEY, s phantasy about
the water spouts—

see the black trunks of the water spouts r•
And bend as if heaven were in,
let it be done, come what come may, let it be done
—meaning JUSTICE! To have friends in h;gh
places may be all well enough under ordinary cir-
cumstances, Bat in the case where sortie iszienuß

\Tr( )ng has been perpetrated, the application of in-
flui nice of that kind, becomes heinous to the last
de! 3ree, becomes a participation in the infamy
atl aching to the wrong itself. Lord FERRERS,
fill: miserable patrician, who, a hundred years
ago or more, murdered his gardener, was
allowed the privilege of being conveyed to
Tyburn in his own carriage, and the addi-
tion al privilege also of being hung with a
silken rope ! Privileges of that description perhaps
we sb ould hardly be disposed to cavil at. Let the
criminal ride in his carriage, if he prefers it, but,
whither in carriage or in tumbril, let him as surely
fi LAC his way to his doom as the miserablest gaber-
luazie in the land. Let him have his rope of silk or
of tullion, if he wills it, in lieu of hemp, but, silken
or hempen, let him havo it. And so with less
heinous crimes or offences than those the very
blackest of all. With regard to evil deeds of minor
atrocity than actual murder or homicide—when
distinctly brought home to an accused, when clearly
demonstrated—let us not, in Heaven's name, have
the offender shielded from blame, sheltered from
punishment, what though he wears a plumed hat,
a scarlet coat, and glittering epaulettes.

The annual assemblies at Bristol in honour of
ConsTors's anniversary called forth, as usual, some
expressions of opinion on the subjects of the day
from the notabilities of the town. Prominent
among these at the Liberal banquet was, of course,
Mr. BERKELEY, the veteran champion of the ballot,
and member for the city. The indisposition of which
he complained rendered his speech probably shorter
than it otherwise would have been, but brief as it
was, he contrived to touch upon most of the pressing
topics of the time. Mr. BERKELEY proclaims him-
self a supporter of the present Government, though
we should hardly have anticipated such a declara-
tion from so staunch a reformer. He was forced
to admit that Lord PALMERSTON'S Cabinet was
open to objection on the score of reform, but he said,
alluding to the agitated condition of the continent,
that we had at the head of our Government—find
what fault we might with him as a reformer—
s man more likely to steer as clear through the
troubles of Europe than any other man in exist-
ence. Whether such is the general opinion of
the country may very safely be doubted. Lord
PALMERSTON carries into his foreign policy the
same half-hearted resolution, the same time-serving
expediency that has swayed his course as a re-
former at home. Mr. BERKELEY is apparently
thinking of the days when, as Foreign-Secretary,
he won the well-deserved encomium from Earl
RUSSELL, then head of her MAJESTY'S Govern-
ment, that he was not the Minister of France, of
Russia, or of Austria, but of England. Lord
PALMERSTON'S panegyrist of those days appears
to have changed his mind as to the recommenda-
tions of our English Foreign Minister since he
stepped into the same office. Our present chief
of the Foreign-office might have been called in
turn the Minister of one or two other countries.
The fascinations of Vienna exercised, at one time,
a dangerous influence over his mind. The blan-
dishments of Prussia induced him to play the part
of Germany in the contest with Denmark, while at
the present time Mr. SEWARD may fairly claim
him for a colleague in the cause of the Federals.
With east and west alike disturbed and threaten-
ing, with great questions agitating the
public mind in every corner of Europe and
America, with China unsettled, and the clouds
of war darkening over Japan, there are pro •
bably few independent political observers who could
accurately predicate the course which is to be fol-
lowed by our Government. The views they have
condescended to enunciate are hazy and uncertain,
the principles upon which thoy profess to act are
not easy to understand. They feel great sympathy
for the wrongs of Poland, but they give the Cabi-
net of St. Petersburg very plainly to understand
that nothing will induce them to carry the expres-
sion of that sympathy beyond words. The Foreign
Minister quietly intimates to Denmark that she
had better surrender the rights she has been
struggling to maintain for the last fifteen years ;
the Premier declares in his place in Parliament that
he considers the pretensions of Germany to be
mainly inspired by the anxiety of Prussia to be-
come a naval power. All members of the Cabinet
and all their supporters, however, are unanimous in
one thing. They all loudly declare that they in-
tend to maintain a strict neutrality in the Ame-
rican contest. In fulfilment of this intention, they
allow the departure of arms and ammunition direct
North, while the Southerners may not receive an
unarmed vessel through a third party ! This piece
of inconsistency is too much for Mr. BERKELEY'S
approval. " There are circumstances," he says,
" attendant on neutrality, which I do not under-
stand. Why is it a breach of neutrality to let a
ship go forth with a gun in her, and why
is it not a breach of neutrality to send
forth guns, swords, and gunpowder." This
question might be found difficult to answer by Mr.
ADAMS himself, and certainly requires some of Mr.
GLADSTONE'S subtle and ingenuous logic to explain
it. The neutrality of Earl RUSSELL, however, has
lately gone a step further, and it now enables him
to seize a vessel in a private English dockyard as
yet unarmed and unfinished, and professedly ordered
by a Frenchman. If the EMPEROR'S neutrality is
less elastic than ours, and he does not see fit to
forbid his subjects to undertake a commission from
the Confederates, we do not see why we should
trouble ourselves to take care that our neighbours
are as sincere and disinterested in their non-inter-
vention principles as ourselves. The cheers with
which Mr. BERKELEY'S few remarks upon this sub-
ject were received by an audience by no means
unanimous in their sentiments ou the American
question, said a good deal for the provincial feeling
on the subject, and we expect that Earl RUSSELL
or Lord PALMERSTON will find it an awk-
ward matter to meddle with the existing neutrality
"8. Our code may need revision and alteration
in more ways than one, but in this particular it is
better
ulelettlabl.o.ue at the present juncture, and so the
stetestreas
BERKELE will
on
tion of aevocati
and good r
the warm approval prove who tries the popular feeling
i"et• Coming to home questions, Mr.
'Y
Proclaimed his unchanging determine-
epor. ng the Ballot through evil report
that his old friends e
JOHN TRELAWNY andi\dir
valrvveshoilcuhti.oll that was received with
brethren
most important reform
have abandoned their respective
arved, He regretted
in arms, Sir
L. OCEE KING, should
leadership of two
of the
questions of the
day ; but he assured the audience that their views
and sentiments on the Church Rate set Abolition Bill
and the electoral franchise were the
same as of
old. He said, with some truth, that it was al-
ways a pity when ids man gave Dp a
cause be
shook pnblio
eenfi.
had advocated so long, as it B
dence, and damaged its prospects. We are glee to
find Mr. BERKELEY Still firm at his post, and un-
quenchedshare the
LLIERS and the Corn Laws, and one
in spirit. We trust he may
fate of Mr. VI
or two other politicians who,
long years
hroia nsh
ing an almost hopeless battle, t
after valiantly fight-
of ridicule, opposition, and
for become the
see the very reforms they fought
neglect, have lived to
recognised principles of the day.
All honour to
Mr. BERKELEY for his stedfastness and his courage
_only let him not trust too much to the foreign

policy of Lord PALMERSTON, and the reforming
spirit of Earl RUSSELL, else he may chance to
find himself somewhat disagreeably surprised.

The Emperor ALEXANDER seems determined to
lose no opportunity of informing the world that his
motives are humane, his intentions honest, and his
general purpose that of benefiting all people and
nations committed to his care. It is a pity that it
is necessary for him to repeat himself so often ; but
it is to be feared that, with all his trouble, his
efforts will be fruitless, and his labour thrown away.
In the present instance, he has written to his
brother the Grand Duke CONSTANTINE, and this
epistle almost exhausts the language of congratula-
tion for worthy efforts made, and of cimmiseration
for the consequences of over-exertion. Did not the
words appear before one, it would be almost impos
sible to give credence to these asseverations of lofty
purposes, and these declarations of good intended
to be wrought for Poland. Yet it is but too true ;
and in these extravagant assertions we but see
another scene of the drama enacted. Perhaps there
is no sadder phase of the cold and cruel histcry
that tyranny has written in letters of blood and fire
for the nations to scan the wrongs of Poland than
this pretence of kindness and affectation of bene-
volence. It is nearly as difficult to follow the argu-
ments as to comprehend the sentiments of this im-
perial communication ; but it would seem that the
appointment of the Grand Duke was a pledge of
amity and an earnest of grace to the distracted
realm and agitated people of Poland. The selection
of his own brother was a proof of the EMPEROR'S
kindness that should have been at once appreciated,
and the appropriate gratitude appertaining thereto
testified by instant return to order, and complete
restoration of authority on one side, and of obe-
dience on the other. We are now informed that to
" the extreme affliction" of the EMPEROR, these
" hopes have not been realised." On the other hand,
it may be stated that the attractive agency of the
thought, je ne sues pas la rose mans j'ai
vecu Ares d'elle, did not possess sufficient
spell to fulfil its destiny, because the original cha •
ratter was not admired or respected. The unhappy
people only looked upon the near relative of the
CZAR as an enemy of the deepest dye, an agent
eager to carry out the wishes of his principal, an
envoy burning with the fatal zeal inspired by a
master whose cry was no quarter, and whose policy
was to crush or conquer. After such a commence-
ment anything may be expected, but still it is a
severe trial to the patience, and a tax on the reason,
to pursue the course of inquiries in this direction
any further. The institutions that were given for
the benefit of Poland have failed, we are told by
the Autocrat, from no fault or failure of the Go-
vernment, but because the country was untrue to
itself and its interests, and listened to the voice of
conspiracy and bent to the influence of intrigue
abroad. It would be expecting too much to ask an
imperial instruotor to enter into detail, or else it
might have been of special service to have informed
us to which particular institution for the benefit
and blessing of benighted Poland the decree be-
longed that sanctioned the cruel severance of the
ties of home, and uprooted with might and main
the links that bind the patriot to his native land.
It must have been very obtuse or infatuated on the
part of the Poles not to have appreciated the good-
will that wasevidenced towards them in the attempt
to convoy their youths at night to the service of
their SOVEREIGN in distant parts. The compli-
ments which the EMPEROR showers with a lavish
hand on the career of his brother, as his Vicegerent
in Poland, are of no circumscribed character, or
limited extent. Perhaps there is only one statement
that is strictly true in the long catalogue of merits,
and that is the one which declares that the Grand
Duke had always in view the interests cf Russia.
This is very likely, except that it may be questioned
if it is really serving the interests of any country,
great or small, to follow out a course of systematic
cruelty and of deliberate oppression. Bad as the
previous observations are in point of taste, and in
reference to veracity, the concluding remarks seem
to violate all ideas of consistency, and to ignore the
moral responsibility that even Emperors ought to
entertain with respect to notions of right and feel-
ings of reverence. After insulting common sense
by mentioning that the Polish people had wilfully
cast away the chance of favour of which the arrival
of the EMPEROR'S brother was a pledge, the CZAR
actually says that he hopes the Grand Duke will
return to his duties, " when, with the aid of GoD,
the revolt shall be subdued." It is dreadful to find
a man so infatuated or so engrossed by selfish views
as to deceive himself and confuse the minds of others
by such specious pleas and such vain subterfuges.
No war that has devastated kingdoms and laid
waste countries—that has swept races out of exist-
ence, and turned a nation of freemen into a com-
munity of bondsmen—ever exceeded, and hardly
equalled, in virulence or viciousness the conflict
between the Russians and the Poles. These proud
usurpers and exterminating warriors had better
call to mind the lesson afforded them by the sacred
allegory, in which the presence of the LORD came
not in the fire or the whirlwind, but in the still
small voice that spike afterwards. Finally, the
EMPEROR trusts the precious health of his brother
may b 3 restored, and invokes the blessing of Heaven
upon him, asserting that he confides himself " with
unshaken firmness to His infinite mercy." We can
hardly imagine that the EMPEROR considers the
awful meaning of his words, or even he might well
fear to adopt such language. The thought that is
forcibly expressed in these lines—

" The mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me,"

cannot be too often dwelt on, or too much taken to
heart. It is evident, from the whole tone of the
letter of the Emperor ALEXANDER., that no hope is
to be entertained regarding the amelioration of
Poland, and, therefore, on the departure of the
Grand Duke, there is no doubt that the future
policy of the Empire will be, if possible, still more
arbitrary and aggressive, and strike out the last
chance of the Russians retrieving the past by adopt-
ing a milder course, and allowing a more genial in-
fluence to animate their actions and direct their
counsels.

EXETER HALL.—NATIONAL CHORAL SOCIETY.—
The following noblemen and gentlemen have signi-
fied their intention to become patrons of the society :—The
Duke of Marlborough, the Marquis of Bath, the Marquis of
Salisbury, K.G., Earl Shrewsbury and Talbot, Earl of
Dartmouth, Earl Cowper, Earl of Darnley, Earl of Hard-
wicke, Earl of Craven, Earl of Chichester, Earl of Norman-
ton,Viseount Barrington,Viscount Ilinchinbroke,Viscount
Somerton, Right lieu. Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, M.P., Lieut.-
General Gascoigne, Robert Hanbury, Esq., M.P., and G.
R. Stephenson, Esq. The following ladies and gentlemen
have been elected members :—Mesdames Thomas, Andrea,
Leni, the Misses Eromhall, Cooper, Waters, Baldey,
Broomfield, Smith, Watford, the Rev. W. J. Richardson,
Messrs. White, Brookman, Dalton, L. J. C. Wigg,
Slocombe, Peck, Pige, Mealand, jan., H. Lidington,
Gidden, Thynne, Sillitoe, Coventry, Turner, Slater, Gee,
Kelly, Jones, Herbert, Duun, Bromhall, Froomo, Emerson,
J. Manger, Whittome, F. Seaman.
the
ninagtiotnhaolitiny
ocinueraanada,
TIE INAUGURATION OF A STATUE in honour of
largely
towards
adredssi desire
monument.
English and French soldiers who fell on the
Suchof April, 1760, has just taken place in Quebec. The
e of St. Jean Baptiste, founded to represent French
furtheringva t he t
h origine projectof t ebyidceoanftorri
contributive
Napoleon, when in Quebec,
cries of "Long
iiveThe ceremony took place amidst loud
A
Emperor Napol one!"
for sale in Glasgow.
Queen Victoria!" "Long live the
THE WONDERFUL ORGN MADE
BY ISAAC WATTS
with his
own hands is
announced

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

[REUTER'S TELEGRAM.]

POLAND.

WARSAW, Nov. 13.

The Official Journal publishes various capital
sentences passed in various towns in the provinces
of the kingdom of Po:and. It mentions the names
of the following persons condemned to the gallows
—Joscph Androszch, Commandant of the Polish
Gendarmes at Gioracz, and the gendarmes Joseph
Kieraki, Andre Kryszka, and Anthony Gowinski,
at Kikol, district of Lipno ; Joseph Switalski, Com,.
mandant of Gendarmes at Wloclawek, and the gen-
darmes John Koglowski and Joseph Borkowski, at
Izbica. Sigismand Wary tkewicz, organiser of in-
surgent bands at Konin, and the subalterns Kczy-
mouski and Niedzialkowski, at Lenczica, have been
condemned tobe shot. The two latter had attempted
to go over to the insurgents.

EGYPT.
ALEXANDRIA, Nov. 13.

The following official statement has been pub-
lished here in reply to a letter of M. de Lesseps
" M. de Lesseps, who came from Suez to Cairo to
see his Highness the Viceroy, did not proceed to
Tantals where the railroad is interrupted. After
having seen the Viceroy, M. de Lesseps left Cairo
for Alexandria, by way of the Nile, without stopping
en route at Nadir, where 4,800 soldiers, not forced
labourers, arc at work repairing the dyke. He
was unable to see the damage done to the line at
Karfzaiar, since he was eight miles distant from
the railway station, and afterwards took the train
for Alexandria. Besides he could not have found
any labourer there, as the country, being covered
by water, could only be crossed in boats, and the
repairs could not commence until the 28th October,
after. the stopping of the breach in the dyke at
Nadir. Up to that point there was no labo.urer on
the railway works beyond the guards and the road
menders.

" The English Consul took no steps whatever.
These facts are public in Egypt.
(Signed) ct EMAM BEY,
First Secretary of the Viceroy."

LITERATURE,

Janet's Home. Two Vols. Macmillan.

Is it not Lamartine who has said that the history
of every family is a poem ? Such is evidently the
belief of the author of this new novel, as with a
reverent and tender hand she has revealed to us
the sacred joys and borrows of Janet's Home.
Never did a more charming family appear upon the
canvas ; and most skilfully and felicitous►y have
their characters been portrayed. Each individual
of that fireside group is a finished portrait,
distinct and lifelike. Janet Scott, the eldest
daughter is the narrator of the history :
and very simply, very naturally, and very
delightfully has she fulfilled her task. Janet
is not a beauty, like her churning sister Ernestine,
or Nest, as she is generally called ; neither has she
Neste's happy facility for homely and housewifely
duties—that graceful gift with which some fair
hands seem endowed by a fairy godmother. Very
grievous are poor Janet's lamentations over her ow❑
shortcomings. She has, however, other merits with
which the lapse of time makes us acquainted. But,
before entering further into Janet's troubles, we
must introduce the elder members of the family :

My father was the head master of B— School, where
my brothers were pupils. He was also professor of history
at one of the London colleges; and the duties consequent
on his position were so engrossing that, during the greater
part of every day, and for three evenings of each week,
Nesta and I hardly saw him. Even when he was in the
house, it was not his habit to address many words to any
of us children, or to appear as if he were in any way occu-
pied with our proceedings; and yet he was, more empha-
tically than any other person I ever saw, "the head of the
house"—the one who occupied the chief place in the thoughts
of every dweller in it, and who gave the character to the
life lived there.

In evidence of which good governance and " admo-
nition due," on the part of the father of the family,
let us quote the following little scene ;

After many changes of pur?osa, my mother fixed a day
for going to see Rosamond Lester at Lady Helen Carr's
house. It had been settled from the first that Charlie and
Nesta were to accompany my mother on this occasion.
Charlie, because there would have been no peace for anyone if
he had been left at home, and Nesta, because my mother
said she never made her nervous as I did. I Irak, generally
glad enough that Nesta should take my place when our
mother visited her fi ienda, but my curiosity about the Carrs
made me regret for once the effect my presence produced
on my mother's visiting nerves.
Nesta took my disappointment and the preference shown
to herself very much to heart. Her sweet face looked so
wistful when she came down, dressed, into the hall,
that my father, who happened to be just turning into his
den, noticed it, and paused, with a book under each arm, to
observe us.

"What is the matter with Charlie?" he asked, as the
result of the scrutinizing glance he cast from one to
another.

There was nothing the matter with Charlie but a new
necktie, with a crimson stripe in it and fringed ends. My
father, who was usually supposed not to know one article
of dress from another, showed great curiosity about this,
looking at it closely, and even touching it—while Charlie's
cheeks rivalled the colour of the silk—and apologizing,
finally, by remarking that it struck him, because he thought
he had seen a thiog like it before in a hairdresser's shop.
Then turning round, he remarked, "Nests looks pale.
You do right to take lser for a drive. But how is it that
you are not ready, Janet? You ought not to keep your
mother waiting."
"Janet is not going," interposed my mother, rather
nervously.
" Why not ?" (in a low voice) " Janet is tho elder."
"Yes, I know; but indeed, my dear, it is easy enough
for you to say Janet is the elder, but it you did but under-
stand the state my nerves are in, and the trial it is to me to
see Janet's bonnet strings, you would be more considerate.
It is quite too much for me to have to think of Janet's dress
while I am paying a visit."
" Janet is old enough to think of her own dress, and she
will never learn to do it, if you don't accustom her to go
out with you. She were a bonnet on Sunday, I believe; if
it was fit to wear at church, it is fit for Lady Helen Can to
see-. Janet, go and put on your bonnet."

The character of Janet's father is one of the hap-
piest delineations in the book, To be appreciated
rightly, it must be studied as a whole, as
it is here, tenderly and truthfully portrayed
by his daughter'b loving hand. The mother of the
family is the graceful prototype of Neste, with
a tender yearning for her Welshancestry ; for
although a penniless orphan at the time of her
marriage Mrs. Scott, as we learn, had been the only
daughter of the wealthy owner of Morfa, a princely
estate in Wales. "My mother loved talking as
much as my father loved silence," says Janet, " and
she had a singularly happy way of bringing the
persons and things she described vividly before her
auditors. Listening to her tales of her early days
was better than reading a story book to me, fond as
I was of story books." The Father and Mother are
a perfect contrast, bat each, in their different ways,
most attractive. Now let us revert, however, to the
children of the home. Janet has been assisting her
mother in some household duties" before the sacred
linen closet" when she is for the first time made, to
a certain extent, the confident of her mother's cares.

JANET'S RIDE AND PERPLEXITIES.

I listened to all this, and to much more of the same kind
with the vague feeling of elation that very young people
have when their elders first talk to them on an equal
tooting.
When I was dismissed at last with the six Wynne dinner
napkins to darn, I sat down to my work with the convic-
tion that I too, as well as Hilary, had taken a step forward
in life that day. As I sat at the window, straining my
eyes, weak-sighted like my father's, with most elaborately
careful darning, I built a castle in the air, in which I
saw myself the central figure of the family, the confidant
of my mother, the guide of my worshipping sister, the
helper of father and brothers, the mainspring of the house.
I was to be very humble all the time, and people were to
wonder at my goodness and usefulness. During the last
darn, I settled that my personal appearance should prove
by no means so plain as my mother Mrs. Wilton antici-
pated.
Just as I had finished, Neste, who had been following
my mother through the house, came in to help me to fold
the napkins, and discovered that I had darned them on the
right, or rather on the wrong side. I had taken extreme
pains with the darning, and done it, as Neeta affectionately
pointed out, beautifully, but it had not occurred to me that
it signified on which side of the cloth I put my work. It
nad, of course, all to 'come out again, and I never shall
forget the expression on my poor mother's face when she
found us pulling far larger holes in her beloved damask
than those I had originally offered to mend. For the mo-
ment, I think she despaired of me, and seriously in her
heart wondered what bad end I should come to. I know I
was thoroughly frightened about myself, and suffered for
an hour or two such remorse as I have heard mur-
derers described as feeling. I sat all the afternoon in
the window-seat, my eyes too much inflamed with crying
to be capable of accomplishing any more fine darning; while
Neste sat at my feet, swiftly with her deft fingers repairing
the mischief I had done. She was almost as full of re-
morse as I was. "It was all my fault, Janet," she said
again and again. " I wonder how I could leave you for so
long, when you had such difficult work to do. I ought to
have run backwards and forwards between mamma and
you, to look after you both. It was so very thoughtless of
me. I might so easily have put the work into your hands
the right way, and then you would have done it beautifully;
better than any one else could. You do everything beauti-
fully, dear, only you want me just to look after you a little
at the beginning and at the end. Why should you cry
about that, Janet? I shall always be near to do the
little easy things that it would be a waste of time for
you to do."
Nesta's longing to be useful was certainly of a different
kind from mine; it never occurred to her to make a pic-
ture about it.

I allowed myself to be comforted at last by her praise and
fondness, and the work was finished and put away. As
the evening closed in, my mother joined us in the window,
to watch for my father and brother's return from the
schoolhouse.

There is a cause for their anxious watching. It
is the day of the groat school examination, and all
the family have one wish that Hilary, the eldest
son, shall gain the scholarship. We'cannot do bet-
ter than give another passage from this same chap-
ter :—.