Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-07-17

tress in Hatley to his old friend; that he
would answer for her passing eighty per
cent. of the children under her care; and
that as to her social position it was a mat
ter entirely beyond the question; but many
ladies were qualifying for certificates, pre-
| ferring the life Of schoolmistress
to that of governess, in which they show
ed their sense. He did not know whether
Mrs. Henry was lady or not, but he
knew she was first-rate mistress, and st.
Bridget's ought to think itself very lucky
to have her
We all felt rebuked after that, and as
| time went on we began to value our mis-
tress as much as Mr.. Dobson could wish
At first Mrs Ambrose made little doubt
full overtures to her, but Mrs Henry show
ed every one whom it might concern that
| she knew her position and intended to
| keep it. Once and again, at long inter
walls, she would accept an invitation to tea
| at the vicarage, or at my house: but she
never told us anything about herself Who
was she, where she came from, we had no
idea. When the holidays arrived, she
went away and left no address, but was
back again at st. Bridget's the day before
the school opened.
How we did miss her during the holi-
| days! not on week. days, but in the church
on Sundays; for the organ behaved as diff
ferntly under her hands as the children
did, and her splendid contralto voice had
brought strangers to our church from far
and wide The choir was content to be
taught by such mistress, but they wan
dered out of the way dreadfully when she
was absent, and got lost in the TIE Deum so
hopelessly that it only reached a conclu-
sion by some one of more sense than the
rest beginning to sing the concluding
verse.
Weused to wonder, Mrs. Ambrose and
I, what Mrs. Henry did in the evenings.
Her dress was SO simple that needlework
for herself could not occupy her time
yet she was seldom out of doors, even in
| the sweet. summer evenings, until it was
almost dark, and then she used to walk up
and down the little garden that divided
her house from the school for an hour at a
| time, more for the sake of exercise than
enjoyment, it would seem by the rapid,
steady pace at which she moved. One
| night, when / was coming home late, /
stopped and spoke to her.
"You walk late, Mrs. Henry; but per-
haps it is the pleasantest time during the
| hot weather."
at is the cheapest, Mrs. Acton. 1t
saves an hour OF daylight to come out now
| instead Of earlier"
1t struck me all in heap, as the people
say, to hear this woman, who was earning
seventy pounds per annum and appeared
to have no one but herself to care for,
talk of saving daylight" as if the cost of
candle were something to be avoided. l
felt very sorry for her. don't know why
it came over me all at once, as it did, that
| her life was a very hard one. But | put
| my wrinkled old hand on the little firm
white fingers which rested on the gate,
and said My dear, you must not work
| too hard"
/ was frightened when had done it,
| She was so selfpOssessed and reserved,
| that | thought she would be angry; but,
instead of that, the steady little fingers be-
| gan to tremble and twined themselves
round mine with clinging grasp, and
then found she was crying. / didn't say
word more to her. When people are as
old as | am, and have gone through a
great deal of trouble, they know what
poor weak things words are, and how
often they do more harm than good. So
l held her hand without speaking, and
presently she stopped crying
Sometimes feel SO lonely" she whis-
pered, land you were so kind please for
get it, Mrs. Acton"
eyes," for / quite understood her.
"But is not your life too hard? Can't you
let an old woman help you, my dear?"
She took up my hand and kissed it.
| "NO, it is not too hard, and no one can
help me; but 1t will be easier by and by.
Goodnight"
And then she slipped away, as if afraid
of saying more, and | went home and
thought my thoughts in silence.
CHAPTER III.
St. Bridget's was all alive, for the Bishop
| was coming to hold visitation in the
| town No Bishop had ever come there
| before within the memory Of man; for the
last one had been old and i'll for years be-
| fore his death, and the shepherds of those
| DAYS had not thought it needful to 90
about among their flock so much as is
| considered right in the present time, and
| sheep living in remote towns had to make
| long journeys when they attended Epis-
copal gatherings.
But that was all to be changed under
the new reign; for our Bishop was not
| only great scholar and great divine,
but strong man also, who would 60 into
every corner Of his diocese, and see with
his own eyes how matters were going on.
He had only filled the throne for two
years, and this was his primary visitation,
and it was to be held in twelve towns in
stead Of two.
ST. Bridget's was one among the twelve,
and Mrs Ambrose had been thinking
about her luncheon for weeks, when it oc-
Cured to the Vicar that the Bishop might
find it convenient to sleep at st. Bridget's
for night, either before or after the visi-
tation.
He was asked, and accepted by return
of post He would be glad to stay at st.
Bridget's Vicarage on the night of the
26th, which was the date Of the vista
ton.