The Daisy Chain, or Aspirations

then eke th

l the flouris

t these flouris

callin daisie

e I so grea

t, when comin

ed there daw

and walking

e agenst the sunn

of the penwiper class, whose constitution her dexterous nee

father, had a sadness of expression, as if any hopes that she might once have entertained were fading away. The years of Alan Ernescliffe's absence that had elapsed had rather taken from her powers

had learned to keep her hair in order, and the more womanly dress, plain though it was, improved her figure more than could have been hoped in the days of her lank, gawky girlhood. No one could call her pretty, but her countenance had som

! I condole

all for your sake;" then, nettled by Margaret's laugh, "Such a nice occupation for

; "but, seriously, Ethel dear, I cannot bear to see you so

moor! As soon as anything is done there, Flora must needs go about im

; Flora does

e has too good taste for that-so she does worse-she tells a little, and makes that go a l

th

too small, with no apparatus! They all run about in despair, as if we had ever asked them to help us. And so Mrs. Hoxton, who cares for poor children no more than for puppy-dogs, but who can't live without useless work, and has filled her house as full of it as it can hold, devises a bazaar-a field for her trumpery, and a show-off for all the young ladies; and Flora treats it like

ettled without our interposition, and I have never been able to

Mrs. Hoxton's nervous attacks. He thinks of it nearly as I do, at the bottom, b

uch strong objections," said Margaret. "I t

said Ethel. "I had better own to what

t tenderly, "considering what Cocksmoor is

how willingly would I work under him! But Mrs. Ledwich and-it is like havi

ret; "but about the fancy fair. We all k

in patience and persever

yours

ou know I was gla

d Margaret. "You need no

ng. We want nothing to make us give money and work to Cocksmoor. We do all we can a

you,

hem; but why must they not give it to Cocksmoor-but for that unnatural butterfly of Bla

be given for C

time in making frocks for Cocksmoor children that she does in cutting out paper, and stuffing glass bottles with it? Let people be honest-alms, or pleasure

onfounded. "Do you think no charity worth having but wh

Schools are not such perfect places that we can build them without fear, and, if the means are to be raised by a bargain for amusement-if they are to come from frivolity

found pleasure by the way. But why

say it was high-flown and visionary. Oh! she wants it for t

, Et

se Norman would not be patronised. Ever since it began, her mind has been full of visitings, an

hat you can take her place, and do not care for going out. One of us must be the representative

tle as I do-nor is it neighbourliness, as a duty to others, for, you may observe, she always gets off any engagement to the Wards, or any of the town folk, to whom it would be a gratificat

cannot say it is not so, and these are so like th

is so unkind, and you will make yourself unhappy too. I ought not to have thought it of her! Think of her e

at she thought the gaining funds for Cocksmoor was the best thing to be done, that

t side, the surfac

Mary and Blanche, poor Mrs. Boulder, and many good ladies who hitherto have not known how to help Cocksmoor, will do

think

eem as if it was the having your dominion muddled with that you dislike. Besides, it is putting y

or. I thought patience would prepare the way, and the means

nd we are the foremost figures in them; but they are taken out of our hands, and we see others putting i

o my utmost against this concern, you

u would not bewilder her by your gloomy looks, and keep her

thought that was b

ns is nearly her greatest delight, it is cruel to make her th

such awe of me. I'll set her free, then. But, Margaret

f your company work-just enough for you not to annoy every one, and

ot tell Meta my mind. I can

er face against what others wish. As papa says of his dear lit

ng the good, and leaving the evil; always sacrifici

acrifice, it is so joyously do

exactly a specimen of that sacrif

e up to the window unobserved, and had be

turning away from vanity that made me respect the l

aid Norman.

eta should not go to all the gaieties; and last year, when Mrs. Larpent was gone, she insisted on her coming to stay with her for the season. Now Meta thought

it right, I did not think we could advise her t

of pretending that her resolution is only spoiled-child wilfulness. None of you quite trusted her, did you, Margaret? Even papa was almost afraid, though he wanted her very much

with her in Lond

e never would promise, and she was always thinking of her positive duty at home. She seemed afterwards to think of her wishes to remain almost as if they had been a sin; but she said-dear little Meta-that nothing had ever helped her so much as that she used to say to herself, whenever she was going out, 'I renounce the world.' It came to a crisis at last, when La

ned the day?"

lf on the Saturday she had fixed, and spend Sunday at Abbotstoke. Oh! he was perfectly won by her sweet ways. Was not it lucky? for before this Lady Leonora had written to Mr. Rivers, and obtained from him a letter, which Meta had the next d

Rivers would be only

having her back, hardly able to keep from fondling her every minute, and coming again into the room after they had taken leave, to tell me that his little girl had preferred her home, and her poor old father, to all the pleasures in London

er losing something through her going to Mrs. Hoxto

with Lord Cosham, while Mr. Rivers went to sleep after dinner, and I had such a delightful wandering

e question of her goi

ing, whether she had packed up to return with him, Mr. Rivers was q

. "Her wishes for substantial use

said

y. "I should call her present position

and is very valuable, to be the mistress of a great luxurious house l

lgence; kind certainly, but never so as to endure any disagreeables, or make any exertion. But as soon as she entered into the true spirit of our calling, did she not begin to seek to live the s

not pleasant to her

, and confidence that they are right, which one could n

ture always made psalms and hymns sing in her ears, and so with her music and her beautiful copies from the old Ital

garet; "getting up early, to be sure of time for reading

nt on learning plain needlework and doing it for her poor p

e; so she asked me about it, and proposed to her father that the new one should come to her for orders, and that she should pay the wages and have the accounts in her hands. Mr. Rivers

ficulties about sending the maids to church, and in dealing with the cook, who did harm to the other servants, and yet sent up dinne

iskly through all. She never was afraid to speak to any one," said Margaret, "that is one thing; I believe every

oes it well and winningly. I have seen her give a reproof in so

s those disagreeable things as

ing things well does not s

ils more than almost any one-the-'Whatso

rman suddenly, "the de

pretty meanings, the pearl

light," said Norman; and, with a sudden f

," said Margaret. "I feel in better tune for a whole

in tune," said Ethel fondly-

n old faded daisy,"

r moon, la gran Mar

open face, fresh red and white complexion, and innocent looks, had so much likeness to the flower, as to promote the use of the pet name, though protests were often made in

osal from a widowed sister to keep house with her; and Ethel had reason to rejoice that Margaret had

self and Flora; while Flora was very anxious for a finishing governess, who might

een qualifying herself for a governess, and needed nothing but age and finish; and in ten minutes after

tive Miss Winter was so delightful, that unedifying contrasts were continually being drawn. Blanche struck up a great friendship for her at once; Mary, always docile, ceased to be piteous a

which Margaret Rivers had made by her advice, on the departure of Mrs. Larpent, who had been called away by the ill-health of her son. Met

ous occupations, and always had a great number of letters to write, or songs to copy and practise, which, together with her frequent visits to Mrs. Hoxton, made her gla

uld not always attend to them, and suffered from them when she did; and he was bandied about

rements. She made herself responsible for Aubrey, and, after a few battles with his desultory habits, made him a very promising pupil, inspiring so much of herself into him, that he was, if anything, overfull o

t of "Cobwebs to catch Flies," or of the venerated "Little Charles," were the most ser

of life, and then sent up for her sleep, while Aubrey's two hours were spent in more agreeable work, such

Margaret until Gertrude's descent from the nursery, when the only means of preventing a dire confusion in Aubrey's camp was for her elder sisters to become her playfe

zaar, and Ethel would fain have taken refuge in puzzling out her

ing at anything she thought creditable, and thus the Stoneborough public

ich made her hope to direct the whole. As she had once declared, with truth, it only had depended on themselves, whether she and her sisters should sink to the level of the Andersons and their set, or belong to t

and exultation in the kindness that his daughter met with. As to the bazaar, if it had been started in his own family, he might have weighed the objections,

t; Lady Leonora was to chaperon Miss Rivers; and a third, to Flora's regret, had been allotted to Miss Cleveland, a good-natured, merry, elderly heiress, who would, Flora feared, bring on them the whole "Stonebo

" said Ethel, heaving

ly the original performance in the corner, which

only thought you might have no more scruple

will buy it as your

l tell me wha

? Well done! Then, Ethel, we will get some pretty batiste, and you and Mary

d. People may have something worth buying," said Ethel, wh

I have been looking over Mrs. Hoxton's stores, where I see quite enough for mere decoration. There

said Ethel. "Her two phials, stuffed with chintz pat

d Flora, "but it

of Vanity Fai

," said Flora. "You won't get on witho

want to

at least, I want-C

, I don't mean to say any more about it. I see it can't be helped, and you all think you in

views are very pretty, but very impracticable, and it is a work-a-day world after all-even papa wou