Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1850-05-30
VOL. ".


have swept away SO many ancient hebits
customs. and prejudices.
Breakfast passed very uncomfortably to MI
three present. The real culprit had to as
sumo calmness she did not feel, and to ca,
without an appetite to conceal her embar.
rassment. MIR. Churchill was ALWAYS an
noyed by any displays Of temper, in the
wife he loved and admired, which he vainly
endeavored to convince her was a defect
that marred alike her beauty and happiness
The lady OF the house was nursing her wrath
till she could give il vent on Saily's head
for good scolding she deserved, at any rate.
for disobedience and carelessnees. Accord
ingly, no sooner had her husband departed
and Matilda gone TO her music lesson, than
| Sally was summoned to the parlor.
How came you to touch this cup ? began
the angry mistress, to her astonished domes-
| tic.
Me, maiam sure never laid finger on
it this blessed day.
Then how came it on the carpet, broken
You are the only person comes into this
room before We are up, and it could not be
done without hands, you know very well.'
AS sure as death, this is the first knowel
OF its being broke at ALL replied The girl ea.
gerly may be the cat there, knocked it off
the table, sure, and the saucer is half over
the edge Of it, and itself is not far Of coming
down, you see, maam.'
'Fie for shame, Sally? wonder at your
bodness, TO try to deceive me so. The cat
could not place the saucer there-and now
You have called my attention to it, remem-
Der that il stood inside of that vase last night,
so that it has been moved from its place since
| supposed you would have been sorry for
the accident. and not denied your fault, and
lay the blame on an innocent animal. 1t
was bad enough to meddle with these dc Ii
cate things which was afraid to trust TO your
rough usage-but to tell lie to hide it, is
what did not expect from you.'
The lady was angry, and had resolved to
scold the supposed offender. whatever excuse
she might make, notwithstanding but she
had not anticipated denial of the act. The
servant, also, now became angry in her turn,
for she was conscious that she had not COM
mtled the fault of which she was accused,
as, in reality she had not touched any Of the
fragile ornaments at all. She answered
therefore, rather saucily.
y ou NAV believe me or not, as you please,
but did not touch the cup al ALL
How could it have happened then ? per-
sisted Mrs. Churchill. angrily.
Did not tell you, myself does not know,
barring it was the cat?'
That story will not impose on me. You
may leave the room, and | shall tell Mr..
Churchill when he comes home TO dinner,
for he cannot bear any one 10 tell lies.'
Deuce of lie I've told any way-and its
hard on me if you'll not behave the truth :
Och hone !? and afraid of losing her good
place, besides being yexed at getting blamed
wrongfully, the poor girl began to cry vehe-
mently.
Ifyou confess how you did it, and say that
you are sorry, l will overlook your denying
it, for once, but remember, my husband is
very strict; he says that scarcely anything
angers him SO much as persons laying the
blame on another, to save themselves, or
telling untruths TO hide a fault, so If tell
him, you will be discharged at the end of the
month; say no more now said Mrs. Church
i'll, seeing that the weeping girl was about to
reiterate a denial, but think better of it before
dinner.'
BY this time the breakage of the cup was
lost sight OF, in Satly's supposed obstinacy,
and it was with deep regret that the mis-
lress heard the same story persisted in, when
the domestic was again questioned.
MIR. and Mrs. Churchill had been mar
ried little more than year. They were in
the enjoyment of health, wealth, and all that
might De imagined necessary TO give zest 10
lite, the vcissitndes of which they had not
experienced. The current Of existence might
have passed smoothly with them, but for the
temper OF the young wife, which would oc-
casionally make trouble, where none would
otherwise have rufflcd their domestic felic-
ity.
Mr.. Churchill was an upright, honorable
citizen, deeply impressed with sense of the
duty and importance of making use of his
influential standing in society, to promote
the good of others. In his household he
was strict in enforcing order and principle /;
he considered himself morally responsible
for ordering It Alright.
great improvement had taken place in
the department Of Matilda, the younges; sis
ter Of his wife, during the lime she had re-
sided under his roof, and he took pride in
| her happy progress. When Sally affirmed
her ignorance of how the accident occurred,
neither MIR. or Mrs. Churchill thought of
questioning the young Miss, who was pres
ent, for they believed she had not come down
stairs until alter they themselves had en-
tered the breakfast parlor: neither would
they have imagined that she would have re-
NAMED silent, when another person was
thus suffering for her fault.
Unfortunately, Matilda stood greatly in
awe of her sisters husband; and she OBJ
served that the affair of the Broken tea-cup
was likely to be viewed in a much more Sc.
rious manner than she had anticipated. To
speak then, she had not the courage, it would
involve confession of premediated deceit.
Her conduct looked so much worse 10 herself
when the consequences were perceptible,
that she feared 10 acknowledge herself guilty
Of such an aggravated fault; for, if il were
bad in Sally, what was j, in her who had en-
joyed such superior advantages
So Matilda decided TO be SILENT and lei
Sally get out Of the scrape, as best might be.
She could easily get another place at the
worst, and that seemed better to the erring
girl, than TO expose herself to the censure
which she felt that she deserved.
Sally was kindly expostulated with, told
the sinfulness and folly of lying to hide fault
and urged to confess; but she was obdurate
lit seemed) and persisted in declaring her in
nocence. At length she was informed, in
consequence, that her services would be nc
longer needed, when her time expired.
AT first, the innocent servant had shed
tears, but when her indignation was fully
aroused, she said she was ready to go al
once, if they thought so bad of her as that
came to, and if she had go, to suffer for the
nasty beast of a cat. For she too, never sus
pected any one of the disaster, and believed il
to have been caused by the cat as she af'
flrmec, for she alone had all the work TO do
OF the room in question.
Pay her, her wages then, and let her &C
s,See SS she prefers that course, said Mr.
! onurchiit TO his wife-for he Was deceived by
: appearances, and took an unfavorable inn