Year: 1873

~ mySell III ilttle tOWD OF on. DrlOpct
where it happened, and 1 know the whole
tory from beginning to end, and the be.
ginning was this


was paying morning visit to dear
I'D Mrs. Ambrose, our wears wife, when
he vicar himself marched into the room
With his wideawake on. and said
Bother !"


will do him the justice to say that he
ook off hiH wideawake as soon as he saw
ne, and met the requirements of the oc-
'asion by addressing me.


Mrs. Action, here's q bother =


What " we exclaimed hurricdly, for
so saw there was something serious.


'That-that 'prig' of an inspector says
We must have certified Mistress re.
,lied the vicar; and then he sat down,
md We all looked at each other in solemn
silence for full three minutes.


A certified mistress at st Bridgets !
That meant turning out the dear old wo.
nan who had kept the school for the last
years, and had taught
our girls to hem and stitch and darn SO
beautifully that they got places as work
women far and wide And she had
taught both girls and boys the best man
ners of any children in Southshire, and
had trained them up TO be honest, God.
fearing men and women, besides teaching
them some reading and writing, and the
frst four rules of arithmetic. Nearly all
the children who had stayed long enough
at the school could read easy words in
large print, and several of the clever ones
had been known to write out the Lord g
Prayer from memory, and to say the null
tiplication table quite perfectly. What
could anybody want more2 No wonder
Mr.. Ambrose called the inspector rrig.
called him something much worse, but
but as my thoughts were not put into
words they need not be repeated.


oh, dear . dear = cried Mrs. Ambrose
as the full meaning of the inspectors de.
cision broke upon her what shall we do ?
Poor Mrs Toxins it will break he rheart.


There was no little difficulty in secur-
ing the certified mistress.


I'll write to Dobson.' said Mr.. Am
brose to his wife.


And he wrote to Mr.. Dobson the next
morning as soon as he went into his
study.


Mr.. Dobson was the principal of the
great training college at Hatley, and an
old friend Of the wears, so he might just
as well have written to him sooner, only
none of US think of all the right things tc
be done just at the right time.


IF you want to get mistress, Offer
seventy pounds, said the principal by re.
turn of post.


And the vicar did offer seventy ponnds
though where the money was to come from
| could not tell. and | don't think he
could either.


Back came another letter from Mr.
Dobson, to say that he had q mistres
who had just finished training widow
exactly the person to suit St. Bridget's
and she would accept the situation OIL
certain conditions. | don't know wha
the conditions were. except that her eve
nings were to be at her own disposal, ,onl.
l know that it seemed to me very odd t.
hear Of the schoolmistress making condi
tians, and accepting such an enormou
salary, as if she were conferring favor.


The vicar said it was the result of com
potion, the supply not being equal to th
demand but l thought it might be indi
rectly referred to strikes and unions
though l did not exactly see how; bu
when there are so many dreadful thing
going on in the country, they work int
each other in wonderful manner


1T is comfort that we are to have
widow l remarked to Mr.. Ambrose
she will be staid and respectable, and nc
such responsibility as young girl


oh, | don't know, sighed Mrs. An
brose piteously i think 1 would rathe
have young person, even if she did we'
chignons and feathers. Widows are s
-


She stopped suddenly, remcmberin
that l was a widow, and went on to
fresh sentence but I wondered what sh
was going to say.


4 know | shall be afraid Of her. sb
said. And she is going to play the o.
gan ana manage the choir she will
sure to want her own way in cverythin,
and i, won't be nice and comfortable as
used to be. And then my dear, she
certain to be quite young; no middl
aged person would have taken the troub
to train herself,even if she had the cleve
ness, which isn't likely. Depend upon
she will be young and pretty, and all Il
shopmen will be falling in love with he
and the people will talk scandal, n
there will be unpleasantness.


Il don't see that it follows l sa
rather sharply but did not like the W
she spoke of widows. 1t is very od'


but women whose husbands are alive ,
ways give themselves airs about us.
{ think it is because they are jealous of @


power Of marrying again, having as


were, two chances to their one at leas
cannot discover any other reason, but


course, there may be one that do
know Of





In fortnight Mrs. Henry arrived.


was long journey from Hatley to


Bridget's, and the last four miles had


be done by road, in an omnibus that jo'


a good deal, so that people, were apt


be tired when they were reached


town. Mr.. Ambrose, like the cour


old gentleman he was, went down to m


the new mistress at the Silver Fish,wh


the omnibus always stopped.


Now they are coming cried the p


lady, as we heard the garden door op


1 shan't know what to say to her N


Action; | wish | hadn't asked hel


come


Its no matter. for the vicar is alo
:. replied, looking out of the wind
5 whence | could see that gentleman l


idly approaching the house.


fIe came straight into us, bat his