charming solitudes, though certain bounds were set to us which we were not to pass without leave. We never went to school, but our dear parents instructed us, and we were very happy.

I had no companion through all the days of my childhood but my Sophia. Any one who looked at my sister in those happy days would have thought that she was like one of those redeemed ones who shall enjoy the pleasures of the last millenium, when the Shepherd King shall reign in person upon earth, and when all tears shall be wiped from every eye.

One day generally passed with us as another; in the morning we learned lessons with our dear mamma -then came the hours of play, and in the evening our papa read to us, and instructed us, and we were allowed one hour each afternoon to work for our dolls.

We had our common dolls for every day, and our superior dolls for holidays; these last were locked up in our mamma's Indian cabinet. I shall never forget that cabinet; it stood in our mother's dressing-room -it was inlaid with woods of different colours there was a flower-pot, with a bird sitting among tulips, and roses on each door. The drawers were full of curious things; it was a great treat to us to be shewn what was in those drawers. In that dressing-room there was a canary bird in a cage, and many pictures of old buildings in Rome, with other wonderful things, as we thought them then, and from the windows of this room we could see the sun setting behind the groves which arose in the west of the house.

I remember wondering how the sun, which went to bed on one side of the house, should get up exactly on the other—but I was a very little girl when I had that thought.

I was speaking of our best dolls-we used to call them our blue-eyed babies, for they had beautiful

blue glass eyes, and they had also auburn hair curling on each side their cherry cheeks, and they were quite large, like babies; we were allowed to have them on every birth-day, and when they were to be replaced in the cabinet, we had to fold up their clothes, and to arrange every thing in the neatest order, against another happy day, in two little trunks, which were also kept in the cabinet.

We very seldom had any visitors to stay with us in the house, or to put us out of our quiet happy way; but it happened, when I was in my twelfth year, that a letter came from a lady-a relation of my father-saying, that if agreeable she would come and spend a few weeks at the parsonage. This lady was a widow, and had spent many years in France, and when my father spoke of her he called her Madame, and so every one else took up the title, and every body called her Madame.

Children, however happy they may be, love a change, and I was vastly pleased to hear that Madame was coming, and I was delighted to see the best bed-room being put in order for her on the morning she was expected; and after I had done my lessons, I watched for the carriage which was to bring her, from my play-room window, for an hour or more, before I could see any sign of it. At length something black, and moving at a great rate, appeared coming down the opposite hills, and then I could see it no more for a little time, because it must needs descend into a valley, and not be seen for some time; but at length it appeared again, at the bottom of the hill on which our house stood, and it was a post chaise, and I knew it was Madame's. I waited a little while, and then I ran down out upon the lawn, and stood where I could see Madame get out of the carriage; I had never before seen a person I had thought so grand. She was a very portly lady, about 40 years of age,

and had cheeks as red as mine, (and I was remarked at that time as the very image of rude health,) and then her hair was frizzed and powdered, and she had large curls, fastened with black pins, hanging on each side her cheeks, and she wore what we then called a balloon hat made of tiffany, with feathers, and spangles, and roses-how I did admire her as she stepped out from amongst the band boxes with which the post chaise was filled and covered; and how filled with awe was I, when my papa, who spied me sculking behind the shrubs, called me to pay my compliments to her; how ashamed I was then of my brown holland pinafore, which had been put on to preserve my clean frock, and my garden bonnet, on which there was only a green band, and that even was much faded.

But Madame said I looked very pretty, and had bright eyes, and lips of coral and vermillion, and this comforted me a little, for I had never heard such fine words as these spoken to me before that time.

So I followed the lady into the house, and was sent back again to fetch her canary bird, and her little French lap dog.

Now I do not remember much of what this lady did or said when she was in the parlour, with my papa and mamma; but I remember very well many things which passed when I and my sister visited her, which we often did in her sleeping-room; she never got up till after breakfast, and we were often employed to carry up her tea and chocolate, and we used to go to her again after we had done our lessons, at 12 o'clock, and then we generally found her sitting at her dressing-table doing her hair, which was a long piece of work, and we were of use then to do the back of it for her, as we had been accustomed to do for our mamma, for dressing hair was a great business in those days.

On these occasions she used to shew us all her fine French dresses, silks of all colours, with painted and embroidered trimmings, and feathers, and flowers, and gauzes, and spangles, and foil, and tinsels-Oh! how very grand I thought them! and there was a large band box of old chiffons, as she called them I remember the word very well-and when she heard that we had dolls, she turned out this box, and filled our aprons with bits of what she called rubbish ; bidding us, at the same time, divide them in our own room, for we screamed and jumped, and were so glad when these things were given us, that we disturbed her nerves, she said, and brought on an insufferable agitation of her heart.

We only waited to beg pardon for this offence, and then running to our mother's dressing-room, emptied all the rubbish at her feet.

May we have these things, mamma; may we have them?" we said, for we were not often allowed to receive presents; and when we had got leave, we proceeded to divide them, by casing lots for the first choice, and then choosing turn by turn.

Oh! how delighted were we then! And our dear mamma looked down upon us as if she felt that we could not have a joy in which she had not a share.

Amongst all this mass of rubbish we presently found out that there were two grand prizes, namely, two large pieces of silk-one was blue, with violet and pink stripes, all the colours being very bright, though the silk was somewhat slashed and much rumpled and the other was a dark green, with very little rose buds wrought into the texture; there was more of the blue than of the green, the blue was therefore considered the first prize, and we both wished for it, but I thought myself fortunate in getting the first chance, and I immediately seized the prize. Sophia took the second, and then all went on smooth