people, you would find neither profit to yourself, nor to those whom you desire to instruct."

After some reflection, Mrs. Colton admitted the force of what her uncle said, and requested that her plans might be made known among their friends.

It was some time after this conversation before any thing offered which by any means suited Mrs. Colton, and thus opportunity was given to the widow to recover her spirits, and to prepare herself, by the divine blessing, for those changes in her mode of life, to which it was needful for her to look forward. In the mean time, as often happens to short-sighted man, that which she and her uncle were seeking at a distance, was provided very near at hand, even in the same parish.

Within something more than a mile from the parsonage, was a handsome house occupied by a Mr. Fortescue, who had not long since become a widower, with six young children. Immediately after the death of the mother, Miss Isabella Fortescue, a lively young lady of two-and-twenty, had come to her brother's house, and had declared her resolution to give every thing up for the sake of the children, intending to educate them herself, without requiring the aid of any assistant.

The young lady, it seems, had not doubted but that she should manage even better than their mother would have done, nor had she even expressed any fears, that she should not be able to lead the minds of her little nephews and nieces to all she thought right.

Vast at first was the bustle which she created, and great the confusion and irritation among the little people, who all began in different ways to shew their evil tempers; some turned sullen, others grew flippant, others were terrified, and all cried bitterly for their own dear mamma again.

The spirit of Miss Fortescue for a time rose up against the storm, and she would not own that she was tired of the whole business: neither did she, to the last, suspect that there was any fault in her own management. She was a decidedly clever young lady, and had learned a great deal of the language of religion; it might be harsh to assert that she had as yet none of the spirit, but she had undertaken what she was not able to accomplish.

While considering how she could best extricate herself from her difficulties without owning that she was weary of the enterprise, Mrs. Colton was mentioned to her as desiring

the

to become a governess. It then occurred to young lady, that there could not be a more proper person to take from herself the many cares of which she was now thoroughly weary, and, having consulted her brother, she made her wishes known to Mr. Addison.

It was one morning after having seen Miss Fortescue, that Mr. Addison suddenly entered the parlour, where his niece was sitting at work, and addressing her with much animation, "Dear niece," he said, "I have a proposal to make, which I trust will give you pleasure; I think that I now see the hand of God pointing out a situation for you, precisely suited to your wishes."

Mrs. Colton looked up from her work, but did not speak.

"Have I not," continued her uncle," often heard you speak with interest and compassion of the six motherless children, whom you see constantly at church, their deep mourning contrasting so pitiably with their blooming countenances ?"

"Yes," replied Mrs. Colton eagerly, "I have often felt much for them, poor babes, and I must confess, have often longed to take that little fair-haired girl, the youngest of the family, to my heart, and to bring her up as a

daughter; do not rouse my hopes, dear uncle, unless you really think that there is a possibility of my obtaining the situation."

"I think it highly probable that you may," replied Mr. Addison, "and such being the case, I must give you every information in my power respecting the family.

"I have known them ever since I resided in this place, and visited often at the Hall while the lamented mother lived; and truly I may say, that I have seldom met with a more beautiful exemplification of all Christian graces, than in the late Mrs. Fortescue; but, as I have often remarked, it seldom happens that so lovely an instance of the purifying influences of the Holy Spirit is long permitted to remain among us. She was taken from us about six months since, leaving all who knew her to lament a loss which never can be made up to her husband and children."

Mr. Addison then proceeded to tell his niece, that Miss Fortescue had taken the management of the family ever since the death of her sister-in-law; but that now feeling the burden too heavy for one so young, she had, that very day, proposed to relinquish it to Mrs. Colton, if she were willing to undertake it.

On Mrs. Colton enquiring whether Miss Fortescue had carried on the mother's plans in the management of the children, her uncle replied, that he did not suppose she was capable of so doing; and he then entered more fully into a description of what he had observed of the young lady, whom he described as a person, who, though a professor of religion, was as yet hardly acquainted with the weakness and depravity of her nature. Here the benevolent clergyman and his niece were suddenly interrupted by a double knock at the porched door of the parsonage, so that the little dwelling rang again.

As their sitting-room looked out in a contrary direction, they had not heard the sound of a carriage approaching, though they hesitated not to conclude that the unusual bustle was caused by the arrival of the lady herself, of whom they had been talking. The next instant, Miss Fortescue entered, and was cordially received by Mr. Addison, who lost no time in presenting his niece to her.

After some conversation on indifferent subjects, during which the penetrating eyes of Miss Fortescue were often fixed on the countenance of Mrs. Colton, that young lady