Esther

ifles v

it was too grave, too full of meaning for such an insignificant person. Some one who was le

m and good in countenance, that Hadassah, who was brought to the palace of Shushan, the beautiful J

able, without a scornful protest, dumbly uttered, against so shining a name. There was such a choice, and I would rather have been Deborah or Leah, or even pl

d hinted rather too strongly at my plainness. Dear soul, she was anxious to appease the pangs of injured vanity, and was full of such sweet, balmy spe

and feelings work; but all the same, I hold strongly to diversity of gifts. I believe beauty is a gift, one of the good things of God; a very special talent, for whi

usion to a certain "liebe Anna," who lived at Heidelberg. As Fraulein had taken several of us into confidence, we had heard a great deal of this Anna von Hummel, a little round-faced German, with flaxen plaits and china-blue eyes, like a doll; and Jessie and I had often wondered at this strong Teuto

with a thoroughly English face, a neat compact figure, and manners which every one pr

eaves seemed to thrill and shiver with life: a lazy breeze kept up a faint soughing, a white butterfly was hovering over the pink may, the girls' shrill v

she was always amiable; she had that rare unselfishness of giving up her own will ungrudgingly; I th

smile; "but then," she added, quickly, as though she were afraid tha

self. I was indulging in a little bit of philosophy while you were dee

asp any new idea; our conversations were generally rather one-sided. Emma Hardy, who was our school wag, once observed that I used

ople who did such great things and lived such wonderful lives-may be said to have had great minds; but I am not thinking about them. I want t

-your s

I mean, but Carrie, my own dear sister, who was two years older than I, and who was as good as she was pretty, and who set us all such an example of unworldliness and self-denial; and Jessi

w girls of nineteen would deprive themselves of half their dress allowance, that they might devote it to the poor; she has given up parties because she thinks them frivolous and a waste of time; and though s

-assorted they might be. "Do you know, Esther, I fancy your mother is a little sorry that Carrie is so unlike other girls; she told

ern young lady in the parish, and declares that he should not know what to do without her. She plays the organ at all the week-day services, and teaches at the Sunday school, and she has a district now, and a Bible-class for the younger girls. No wo

he is very sweet, and pretty, and good, and we should all be better if we were more li

Jessie took no notice of my manner, she was such a wise little creature; and I cannot help thinking that the less importance we attach to

good, and done something very wonderful, as I thought, and nursie said to me in her dry way, 'Well, Miss Jessie, my dear, duty is not a hedgehog, that you should be bristling all over in that way. There is no getting at you to-day, you are too fully armed at all po

ow does this a

s her duty sometimes. I remember one evening your mother look

parish work all the day, and she came in looking so pale and fagged? I thought

have been better to have done a little less to-day, and reserved yourself

at; she said in her last letter that mother did not sympathize entirely in her work, an

ow-minded sort of person, with manners that must have been singularly uncongenial to my affectionate, simple-minded Jessie. Poor Jessie! I could not help giving her one of my bear-like hugs at this, so well did I know the meaning of that sigh; and there is no telling into what channel our talk wou

lmost before she reached us. "Miss Majoribanks has sent me

le Geoff!" I exclaimed, joyfully

re I was a yard away, and I thought I heard an exclamation in Jessie's voice; but I only said to myself, "Oh, my dear Uncle Geoff!" in a tone of suppr

ooking rather like a feminine mute; but on this occasion I took no notice of her. I actually forgot my courtesy, and I am

me in front of him, and laying his heavy hand on my shoulder. "B

tood the reference to Carrie; and was I not the ugly duckling?-but I wo

looked like a silver cap. He was a little restless and fidgety in his movements, too, and had ways that appeared singular to strangers, but I always regarded his habits respectfully. Clever men, I thought

still held my hand and looked at me thoughtfully.

nd are they all quite well at home?" I asked, r

y your mother's express desire to fetch you home. Frank-your father, I mean-is not well, and they w

ill!" I exclaimed, passionately. "Oh, uncle, do speak out! he is-"

ill-I dare not deny that there is much ground for fear; but Esther, we ought to lose no time in getting away from he

his patients did what he told them, so I drank the wine, an

ory, there was Belle emptying my drawers, with Jessie helping her. Even in my bewildered state of wretchedness I wond

s a little vague, I understood it; she meant the time for me to display my greatness of mind-ah, me! my greatness of mind-where was it? I was of no use at all; the girls did it all between them, while I sat on the edge of my little bed and watc

hen. I think the reason why schoolmistresses are not often beloved by their pupils-though t

her. "God bless you my dear child! we shall all miss you; you have worked well and been a credit to the establishmen

hands, gathered in the front garden, and little Susie Pierrepoint, the baby of the school, carrying

Susie; and then they all c

orry to lose you; write to us

I shall be thinking of you!" cried the affectionate creatu

said, as we drove off, and Redmayne House became los

to comfort me; but for some t