tion," as my teacher had often told me to do. And yet it was far otherwise. I was thinking only of how it condemned my neighbour; was not taking its lessons home to my own soul. Had I looked at my heart in the faithful mirror of the word, I should have seen how far I was from obeying the precept, "Love your enemies, and pray," not against, but "for them that despitefully use you." It has been well said, that "the bee sucks honey where the spider gathers nothing but poison." When Miss Charlotte heard what had happened, how different her thoughts about it were from mine! and how different the text she showed me from those which I had been looking out! I ought to have gone sooner to see her. If I had, she would have taken me to live with her; for they had needed an extra hand. But I was too late: another girl had been engaged before I went. I lost the place through my delay. I have sometimes thought, too, that if I had gone to her at once, she might have helped me to get my money; for she would have asked her friends how I had best set about it. The reason I had put off going, was because I was ashamed to go. I was afraid she might ask me whether I had been reading my Bible; and I did not like to own the truth about it. Now that I had taken to it again at home, I felt I could give her a better answer, and at last I took courage to call. She was sorry to hear of my 66 sad trouble. She spoke very kindly; she quite understood how annoying and vexing it must have been to me, and how unjust it was on the part of my master. "But," she said, you must not bear him any ill-will; you must pray that he may be forgiven. As for yourself," she added, "I will show you a text that may give you comfort. Look, here it is in Colossians;" and she turned over the leaves of her little Bible, which she always kept on the table close beside her, to be at hand any minute she might want it. Then she held it round towards me; and as I looked on, she read out the verses, laying great strength on some of the words that she wanted me particularly to mind: "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but with singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men: KNOWING that of the Lord ye SHALL receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ." Shutting the book, she went on to say, "Think of that, Nancy; if you have done your work as unto the Lord,' it has not been all in vain. If Christ has been your Master, you will find Him faithful; you need never doubt His power or His kindness; but you may know-know for certain-that the heaven He has promised, will indeed be given to all His faithful followers." 43 CHAPTER III. THE SPIRIT OF CHANGE. It was not for long that I remained at home, as I heard through our neighbour, Mrs. Dawkins, that the family in the house next to where her Mary Ann was in service, were in want of an under-nursemaid. The want of a character from my last place seemed likely to be against me at first; but as Mr. Smith knew my master's uncle, and spoke to him. about me, all went smooth. There was one objection Mrs. Smith had to taking me. Seeing I was so shabbily dressed, she was afraid I had been badly brought up, and should be teaching her children bad words. I told her it was my wish to learn to talk as ladies did, and if she would only be so good as tell me whenever I spoke a word wrong, I would be sure to speak it right another time. I was one who never said "I can't," when there was anything to be learned. I made my mind to succeed; I always said, "I'll try,' and then tried hard. Good speaking is what young girls are often careless about. Indeed, I have known not a few who think there is something smart and off-hand in using slovenly up or vulgar talk. But this never does a person any real credit. If everything we do, ought to be done in the best way,-then surely everything we say, ought to be said as well as can be. Not in a stiff, set, formal way; that is always disagreeable, because it is so unnatural. What I advise is, that young people should keep their ears open to hear how welltaught people speak, and strive to catch their way of sounding words, not for the sake of imitating, or of appearing grand, but for the sake of always trying after what is best. A pleasant house was Mr. Smith's, not far from the White Lead Mills in what had been Finsbury Fields; and many comforts I had there. Though my new mistress was not a titled lady, nor very rich, yet she was a real lady in every sense of the word: ladylike in her manners, and her sayings, and her doings: ah! and in her feelings too. There was "the milk of human kindness" in her;-I was going to say, there was the very "cream" of it; her ways and her words were so smooth, and yet so true-so unmixed-so "genuine, (that is the word for it.) But, though I was well off, I grew restless. I fancied that carrying the child about was bad for my health. Mrs. Smith's doctor did not think there was anything really ailing me. No more there was; but I had made up my mind to go, and go I would. At the end of five months, I gave warning; and before the month's notice was a ended, I had heard of a place in Colebrooke Row, overlooking Watson's Nursery-ground that then was. Here I was engaged as maid-of-all-work under the others, to help the housemaid in the mornings and the cook in the afternoons. In this place I stopped nearly three quarters of a year, after which I left in order to "better myself," as girls say. I was having six pounds, and to find myself. I had managed by this time to get a pretty good stock of clothes compared with what I had been used to; and each quarter I was adding to it little by little, for I wanted to have a comfortable supply of upper and under clothing both for summer and winter. I might have got on very well as I was: no doubt of that. But a situation offered, in which I could have seven pounds, and everything found for me,-tea, sugar, and beer. I had never been used to beer; but most servants took it at that time, and I thought I was old enough to begin. If I had lived in these wiser days, I hope I should have had the good sense to go without. It is no wonder such wages tempted me. But whether I was really "bettering" myself, was quite another thing,—a thing that could not depend on mere pounds, shillings, and pence. Those are wise lines which say:— "If 'better' were better indeed, and not worse,' But many a gain and a joy is a curse, |