Year: 1860




r teri


: II began with the interesting details of Mr.
r Dawsons convalescence, and thus went OIL :
II am so delighted TO be with dear Eliza, VIII
) says ! am most useful to her, that ] can nevt
: thank you enough for letting me coma an
f we both hope you will consent to my stayin
n fortnight longer. We spend our time S
happily II am great deal in her room, read
ing to her and nurse the baby very often
and when am down stairs | have the tw
cider children, for their own nurse is gon
home III, and Eliza does not like them truste,
entirely TO Lncy, though she is very steady
and they are so good, they are no trouble
And go to her school once or twice week
and have been very busy in the grcen-hous,
with the gardener; and ! order the dinner
and keep the accounts. But, with all this,
have found time for riding and have beer
out most days with Mr.. Dawson, on the nices
pony; and he shows me n beautiful country
and have made some sketches near home
and now Eliza and both go out in the open
carriage, which we enjoy very much. We have
not lad any company, of course only some oil
Mr. Dawson's family for a day or two and
when his sisters were here We had great deal
of music together. Eliza desires me TO tell
you she has had the toothache these last few
days, and so she thinks she is entitled to keep
me till it is gone; as you promised not to re-
call me till she was quite well again"


Mr.. Morgan laid down the letter. and Isabella
exclaimed


"There, papal don't you see the diiferece
that mean between my sisters and those two
women in the lane y


al do see great difference between them, y
replied her father, greater, think, than you
yourself perceive but, as you have been all
day in an investigating mood, now has it es-
capped your penetration, that the difference o.
their situations is so entire as scarcely to af-
ford any room for comparison between them
Both are staying from home, grant you, with
a married sister, but all the other circumstan-
ces of the case are so totally opposite, that /
cannot imagine them TO have one feeling in
common


III seems they have not" replied Isabella ;
but really, papa, don't think the two cases
can be so very different. know Susan Par
ker and her sister have not the same luxuries
that my sisters are enjoying, and they cannot
spend their time in the same way they have
no carriage and no greenhouse, and they can't
read such interesting books as we do, but
then their own occupations suppose, are the
same interest to them as ours are to ourselves;
and don't understand why the pleasure of
being together again ought not to be as great
in every rank of life. Then was always told,
that what we have never been accustomed to,
we don't miss; and have never ptied the
poor for not having carriage, and servants,
and other comfortable things, any more than |
have thought ofpitying ourselves because we
have not a ladys maid and a house-keeper, ms
many people have


"Nor would wish you, rejoned her.father
g to expcnd your pity on either case. Those
who have never enjoyed luXuries cannot, GER
tainly, feel the want of them rs much as those
who lose them. The same may be said with
respect TO what we call common comforts, of
which the cottagers have, at all times, very
scanty allowance; but there are privations
and hardships which must be felt alike by all
who are made of flesh and blood and under
these trials, grantyou that the patience and
temper of the poor generally give way; and
their good offices, in lingering illness, lose
much of their value in our eyes, by the ungra-
cious manner in which they are often rendered; I;
but these trials never fall with their full weight
on the rich, as we have agreed to call ourselves
and we can claim no merit for carrying our
small burdens more gracefully than they drag
along their heavy load. Sally told me nearly
everything that you heard with so much dis
pleasure and allowing for Jrasquerie of man
ner, thought it all very reasonable and was
pleased with her as sensible, active young
woman; but, at your age, perhaps, I should
have felt as you do. Her mother takes in
washing, and the two women support them
selves and their father entirely by it, Now
Sally is the main-stay, for the mother has bad
health and, whilst she is away, they must
hire woman twice week to help. Mrs.
Mills works very hard to get on with that and
both the daughters agreed she could not stand
it long. Susan Parker only pays her sister as
much as they are obliged TO give the washer
woman, but they may not lose every way. !
am sure you will be glad to hear that she
makes no profit from her nursing. Now what
was Sally doing when you were there2'


" She was hard at work washing and l
have always seen her busy about something


I" Just consider my dear Isabella, what sort
of visit hers has been. She has sat up, night
after night and, at the best, has slept with her
sister, and had her rest constantly broken by
the sick woman, or the poor baby Who do
you think has dressed and looked after the
other children-mended their clothes and their
father's-got through their Washing cooked
their victuals, and attended besides to the
whims and hncics of a poor, half-delrious
creature? She seems to have soothed her in
rough way, to be sure; but what time had
she for gentle humorng and management with
which one lady might wait upon another? ?
Besides all this, think of the constant attention
to economy that is necessary-not to waste a
spoonful of tea or handful of coals-feeling,
most likely, feverish and poorly herself, want
ing better food than common, and knowing
that her broiher-in-aw could hardly afford to
keep her at ALL Surely it is no disgrace to the
poor girl, that she is quite tired ont, and anx-
ious to get away Now, as you insist on COM
pairing them, let us consider what Maria has
been doing at the same time


Won will say | know - iniprrnnfpd Isahpl-