true party or profession; at length it appeared two sisters had taken it with the idea of speculating in a school. Now, Elmstead was already in possession of "Holly-house Establishment for Young Ladies;" but the terms of the proprietress having grown with her success, while her attention had proportionably diminished, a falling-off of her pupils had ensued, and with the parents of those who remained great dissatisfaction existed. These circumstances had given a show of probability to Mrs. Toms' plan for the Misses Lawson; and, ready to snatch at any scheme that offered a prospect of a livelihood, they had at once ventured on the attempt, not indeed without some absolute promises of support, but these the ladies of Elmstead kept sub rosa. The house in question was situated in the centre of the village, and differed from its tile-roofed, rough-dashed compeers, in taking a perpendicular form instead of the lateral one that predominated; and in having two glazed sash-windows in front, instead of the primitive diamond-paned lattices that generally prevailed. In this matter, however, the landlord had taken care to turn the best side outwards; for in the rear the original casements remained, and in the bedroom as well as kitchen the old leaden framework gaped and shook, till the driving half-frozen showers and gusty winds of mid-winter made themselves felt in every part of the old tenement; but hope kept the hearts of its young occupants warm, and with the bustle of putting their own house in order, and their

anticipations with regard to their projected enterprise, created a present and expectant excitement that made them indifferent to such trifling discomforts. Days, alas! weeks passed away, and not a single inquiry had been made touching the intended school; circulars had been duly dispensed throughout the village and its vicinity, yet no result ensued; the very parties who had promised their patronage (through Mrs. Toms) recanted their dissatisfaction of Holly-house and its proprietress, and owned to an error of judgment in conceiving another school necessary; and the meaning of this change only slowly made its way to the victims of it. Poor girls in the guilelessness of simple honesty they had been injudicious enough to make choice of a habitation more in keeping with their present means and uncertain expectations, than a competition establishment to Holly-house. Who, then, could think of sending girls who had begun their education at this high-sounding seminary, to continue at a mere cottage in its neighbourhood? Pshaw! it was preposterous; the Misses Lawson might understand teaching, but, really, this was not the way to get supported; they should have taken "Ivy-house,” at the other end of the street-erected a rival showboard

gone in debt for furniture, and hired servants; and not have allowed people to see that necessity, instead of that bland love of "devoting oneself to the education of a select number of young ladies” (that occasionally poetizes those otherwise dry affairs,

newspaper advertisements), had engendered the idea. To be sure, the rich brewer's wife had told the blacksmith's daughter that she had no objection to allow the Misses Lawson to become the a, b, c darians (as that individual reported it) of her younger children; but it was impossible she could think of creating a laugh against the elder ones amongst their old schoolfellows, by sending them to such a place as the Lawsons had taken; she was by no means pleased with her daughters' progress at Hollyhouse; indeed, had determined to remove them; but she would rather send them miles away, than have the other girls crow over them.

In the meantime, now that the arrangements of the Lawsons' four rooms were completed,-the furniture placed and replaced, till there was no possibility of improving its effect-not another tack required to make the carpet fit exactly—not a variety of position in which the chairs could be placed to greater advantage the couch drawn up to the very azimuth of fireside comfort the curtains falling in the prettiest folds--not even the situation of a picture or the place of a book to alter for the better-and all looking so clean and neat that, in spite of the stilted chimneypiece and the beam across the ceiling, it really did look snug and home-like; not, indeed like the home of their better fortune-their father's home; but, like the home of exigence, self-made, and with a feeling about it of present shelter, and even comfort, that made the sisters draw close to the clea

evening hearth, with a feeling almost like that with which we used to sit with Crusoe in his warm, wellmatted cave. But, as I was saying, when everything was in its place, the last touch effected, and the domestic economy of their little household proceeding regularly and calmly, then came long hours of wearing incertitude, of fruitless expectation, and, finally, the bursting of the bubble hope, and for a time the inaction of despair. But the elastic spirit of youth soon rebounds from such depression; and, after calling on such of the inhabitants as had withdrawn their children from Holly-house, either from real dissatisfaction, or with solely (I have known it done) the economical motive of saving the short quarter, it became apparent that without altering their plans, and making themselves answerable for expenses which they had no present means of meeting, they must lay aside all hopes of succeeding in a school. The Elmstead people had their prejudices; and a large house, and full-grown brass plate, were indispensably connected with their ideas of a respectable "ludus literarius." What was to be done? They had taken their house for so many months certain-an agreement which their landlord had fully made up his mind not to cancel. Why should he? If they had not money they had money's worth; therefore, he would not particularly press them the first quarter; even if the rent was not forthcoming to the day, it would be easy at any time to distrain. It was very sad to be sure, for the poor young people to have attempted so unfor

tunate a speculation; but if they did not succeed, that was their look-out, not his.

In the meanwhile his friendless tenants resolved, between themselves, how to escape the waste of their small capital. If they continued to live upon it, by the time they would be free to leave Elmstead, they would be without the means of entering upon anything else, or probably the power of removing. In this dilemma, the idea of business-of profit-of turning shillings into pounds, by the seemingly simple process of passing them across a counter-occurred to them; and though without the least practical knowledge of trade, and (if the truth must be told) an absolute aversion to it, they were willing to try any scheme that appeared to promise the means of support. When I say an aversion to trade, I do not allude to any sickly prejudices of false pride, that would rather cling a burden on the cold, shameextorted bounty of relatives and friends, than turn to such a means of independence. Sorrow and poverty had sifted their hearts of affectation: it was the natural reluctance of women brought up without the contemplation of such a possibility, and whose habits and education opposed themselves to the necessary sacrifice of that reserve and seclusion that are the sweet privileges of sufficiency and a private home; but necessity is too stern a compeller to be intimidated by the ghosts of mere distastes; and yet, having curbed each upstart repugnance, and humbled themselves (as they believed) to her uncompromising ex