them; she therefore kindly put down her work, while she talked to the little lady.

"You will want three skeins of netting silk, Miss," she said, "and you cannot get them for less than ten-pence a-piece in Kendal, and then you will want a needle, and a mesh beside, and they will cost some money;" and nurse shook her head, fearing that she must think of something else that was not so expensive.

"Three ten-pences are half-a-crown," said Caroline, speaking low, as if to herself, "that is just exactly what papa gave me this morning, and he said I might do what I liked with it; and then I have got a needle, I know, up stairs, that dear mamma gave me, and also some netting-pins, and perhaps one of those will suit, and I have also some rings, and then I can make tassels of silk."

Nurse had overheard what the little girl had said, and she replied, "Well, then, Miss Caroline, what should hinder your buying the silk, and setting to work, and making a nice little purse, to send to your dear grandmamma in Derbyshire ?"

Caroline hesitated for a moment: first, she remembered that her papa had given her the money to spend as she pleased; then she

thought how glad poor Jane Thomas would be, if she had the money; and last of all, how very indulgent her papa was, and that if she told him, when her purse was finished, how she had spent the money, he would then be pleased with her work, and give her another half-crown, which she could immedately take to the cottage. The little girl therefore hesitated no longer, but, running up stairs, she presently returned with her netting-box, and the half-crown, and placing them both in the hands of her nurse, she asked her what she must do next.

"John is going to Kendal to-morrow," said nurse, " and I will tell him to call upon my sister, and she shall buy you the nettingsilk, Miss Caroline, and here is a needle that will just suit you; but I am very much afraid we must buy a mesh, for all these are either so large, or so small, that the purse will be spoiled."

"But how much will it cost, nurse?" enquired Caroline, half doubting whether or no to undertake the affair, or whether she should wait till she had spoken to her papa. Why, Miss, I think that my sister can get a common one for a penny, and that will do very well this time; and if you want to

net again, perhaps you will have more money then."

Caroline scarce knew how to act; she wished to net a purse, and send it to her grandmamma, but then the money would be so valuable to Jane; what was to be done? Nurse, however, had no idea but that her papa had given the half-crown to Caroline for her to do exactly as she liked with it, never guessing it was to teach the child to be charitable to the poor; she therefore put it into her pocket quietly, as she said, "I will tell John what he must do at Kendal to-morrow, so that he shall make no mistake; but as to the mesh, I am sure I do not know what we must do."

"Will you give John the money for it, nurse?" asked Caroline," and I will pay you to-morrow, for I shall have sixpence tomorrow, for we always have our allowance on Thursday."

"O how pleased grandmamma will be, when she sees the purse, Miss!" said the old woman," and more so, when she knows that it was your own work, every stitch of it."

"But I cannot make the tassels of silk, nurse," she answered," and I cannot afford to buy any other."

"Then I must do them for you," said John's mother, "but then the netting will be your own."

At that moment John himself appeared, to tell his young lady that the children were waiting dinner for her in the nursery.

"Promise me, dear, dear nurse," exclaimed Caroline, hastily, "that you will tell nobody but John what I am going to do."

"Not even Mrs. Colton, Miss Caroline?" said the footman; "I think it would be the best thing for you, if you told every thing to the lady, your governess, or to Miss Emma."

"No, no, John," she answered, "this is to be a great secret, and you must not tell any one, not even William;" and Caroline ran up stairs, and in another moment she had taken her place at the dinner-table.

When John heard the secret from his mother, he promised not to mention it to any one, though he said that Master William had obtained permission of his papa to ride with him next morning to Kendal, and he was afraid his sharp eyes would discover what was passing; so that he thought it would be much better for the young lady to let her brother into the secret, and then he

would be quiet, and ask no troublesome questions.

After dinner the children went out walking, and in the evening they came to see their papa in the drawing-room, as was their

custom.

Caroline was, however, very uneasy lest William should tease her; she wished to speak to her papa alone, and ask him for another half-crown; but the others kept so close to him, and Aunt Isabella's eye was so constantly on her, that she did not venture to ask him to go into another room with her for one moment.

In truth, Caroline was ashamed of what she had done, yet she could not summon courage to tell nurse, and at once own that she had declared her intention of giving the money to Jane Thomas, who wanted it; but what annoyed her most was, that she remembered how she had boasted of her charity to her papa and her brother, when, in truth, she had no charity at all, and had only taken up the thing because it was new.

Thus the evening passed away happily to all but Caroline, and yet she could not make up her mind even to tell Emma how silly she had been.