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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microficne, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 • LITTLE PANSY. 4' LITTLE PANSY. LITTLE PANSY: THK MINISTER'S ORPHAN DAUGHTER. c-crNfe<5S*aSt9'e)'5>Ovo TORONTO AND MONTREAL : JAMES CAMPBELL AND SON. n/ <7 ^ ^ i LITTLE PANSY. CHAPTER I. VERY well remember the day of * Little Pansy's' arrival at school, although so many years have passed away since then, and have brought about so many changes— Oh, so many ! She always w^ent by the r^ ^ of 'Little Pansy' — I scarcely know wh^, except, per- haps, that she was modest and retirino-. T to know that it was Elizabeth Johnson who first gave this name to Anna Eennet; and Anna retained it as long as she remained at Mrs Austin's school,— a great deal longer indeed, for even now she has not quite lost it. I shall, therefore, take the liberty of using that name i 6 LITTLE PAXSY. ^ sometimes, instead of the real one, while telling this stoiy. I was saying that I very well remember the clay of Little Pansy's arrival at school. It was a half-holiday; and the scholars, of whom there were about twenty, w^ere employing or amusing themselves in a variety of ways. For instance, two or three were writing letters for home: while at another part of the large schoolroom, four or five girls were gathered around one of their companions, who had a new and interest- ing story-book, which she was reading aloud. I was one of the listeners; and it is because the 'Aory I then heard made a great impression on my mind that 1 recollect that afternoon so well. We had got to a rather exciting part of the book, when the schoolroom door opened, and Mrs Austin came in, leading by the hand a young stranger, and walked up to us. 'Young ladies,' she said, 'I have the pleasure of mtroducing a now comnnnion • her name is am iber the It was )m there amusing nstance, home: )oh'oom, [ one of nterest- ; aloud, because iression noon so of the id, and land a leasure ame is ' LITTLE PANSY. Anna Bennet. You will be kind to her, I sure ; and I trust she will soon be at home in your society.' And then our governess more particularly introduced the little girl to each of us, mentioning our names to her as she did so, and expecting us to shake hands with her, w^hich of course we did. I remember noticii when it came to my turn, that the little stranger's hand was cold, and that it trembled ; also, that a tear or two hung upon her dark eyelashes, though her cheeks were not wet. Poor child ! it was her first time of leaving home ; and I knew, by my own experience, how great a trial it was to her; I had passed through it only a year before. I am ashamed to say, however,— at least, I am ashamed of myself when I say it,— that my sympathy with our new schoolfellow was not very strong or lasting, and that I observed something besides the trembling hand and un- falien tears which produced an unfavourable impression on my mii.'d. 8 LITTLE PANSY. 'What a plain little thing!' whispered Mary Tucker to me presently, when the short bustle was over. 'I do not know whether or not she is plain, and I do not care either,' I replied ; 'but I in- tend not to have much to do with her or to say to her.' 'Dear me! why?' Mary asked. 'Do you not see what common mean stuff her dress is made of?' I rejoined, glancing across the room at the young stranger, who had been kindly taken in hand by Elizabeth Johnson. 'No,' said Mary; 'and if her dress is made of common stuff, is that any reason why you should dislike her ? ' 'It is as good a reason as your dishking her because of her being plain,' I answered, rather triumphantly. ' You silly child ! I did not say that I dis- liked the little chit for being plain ; all I said was- that she is plain.' ■» M littlp: pansy. 9 ' And I did not say I disliked her because of her dress ; I only — ' . 'You only said that you would not have much to say to. her because of it, and I want to know why/ said Maiy, who was my favourite companion at that time, which, however, did not prevent our sometimes having disputes about trifles. 'Because I am sure her friends must be either poor or mean, to send her to school in such clothes as that.' . * Mary laughed at me, ana again called me silly. She told me that she thought I had formed a very hasty opinion, without any very good grounds. 'I dare say Miss Bennet has more than one dress,' she said ; 'and it does not much matter to us if she travelled to school in a common one, does it ? ' 'But there is something else, Maiy. Her dress is old as well as common ; and it is faded, as if it had been worn a long time. It is made of old-fashioned stuff too, for I remember 10 LITTLE PANSY. having a dress just like it three years ago; and—' Mary laughed again when I had got as far as this. < What a knowing little puss you are about such things ! ' she said ; and I was rather gratified, for I thought it was to my credit to be knowing. *And old-fashioned and shabby as it is/ I continued, qt has really been tur^ned; I could tell that in a minute by the old gathers, and by the stuff being made up the wrong side out- ward.' I am afraid I tossed my head a little when I said this, and that I felt still more gratified when Mary Tucker said, 'How funny it is that you should find that out so soon, Kate! I did not notice anything about the girl's dress ; I was looking more at her plain little face, I suppose.' 'Oh,' said I, ne,ahoutheroMturneddr..ri.,tecl.T'^ v-ordya,aos,of„i„e,Wtho.,;.toId« IWbeen,poken„f,Idid„o.W,„,J LITTLE PAN.sV. [() 'No, I (lid not,' was lUirfs reply; and tlien slic explained that she had really been praisint up again while the walk lasted. And I may say here, that it would have been no more than I migl,t have expected, had Mary told me pla„,Iy that my continued friendship on such unreasonable conditions as my words nnphed could not be worth having. She did "ot say this, however; for I believe she was .■eally attached to me, and sorry that anything should happen to disturb our harmony. She -as also, as I have already said, good-tempered, and not so easily offended as I. When she spoke again, therefore, it was to say, mildly and quietJy, -'^ J 'Iea,,not think, ICatc, why you dislike poor Lut e Pansy at all. She is a good little girl, I thmk-as good as any of the rest of us, at any "te; and I am sure there is nothing in her nianners that she, or any one else, need be ashamed of.' *I do not .snv tlioi"^ i" ,^1- t ^r a- - * ••' ^"*-^^ J"? c'u 1, Mary?' i^ WfW LITTLE PANSY. 21 'And if her mother is not rich, she cannot help that; she would be if she could, I dare say. And, any way, there is no fault in" Little Pansy because of it.' 'I do not accuse her of it, do I?' said I, stubbornly. at is almost like' it, Kate,' continued Mary, who, now she had begun to speak in Anna's favour, seemed inspired with a more than usual amount of decision, which, however, did not last long. ' Yes,' she repeated, ' it is very much like it, when you seem as though you could not be bitter enough to please yourself against the poor child, and for no reason that I can see, only that she is poor.' ^4nd I say,' I replied very warmly, 'that it is a disgrace to our school, and very insulting to us who have so much money paid for our education, for Mrs Austin to take in paupers to board and teach for nothing. This is not a charity school, is it?' 'Kat^, Oh! Kate,' exclaimed Mary, quite I 99 " LITTLE PANSV. shocked, as indeed sl,e well might be, at such an outbreak of purse-pride. ^ 'You may say "Kate, Oh! Kate," twenty toes if you like, Mary,' I went on; 'but you know very well that Anna Bennet is a pauper, and IS put to sehool by somebody's eharity, and that her mother is gone out as a housekeeper -just a mere servant. You cannot deny it Mary; and if you choose to make a friend of such a g,rl, you are very welcome to do so, but 1 must beg to be excused.' I may here say that our governess had not mentioned all these circumstances about Little lansy; it was the dear child herself who had >v.th great simplicity, spoken of these matters,' as well as of some others,-sueh, for instance, as her having a brother older than herself, who was a sailor, having gone to sea a year before. Sbe had told of her father's death too, which l.ad taken place when she was a very little ch.Id; but she remembered him, and remem- bered also the sad desolation which had fol- LITTLE PANSY. 23 lowed, and tlie removal of her mother from a pretty parsonage in the country to a small dwelling in a town, where she lived on a very straitened income, which was not much im- proved, I am afraid, by a small school which she taught. At length, as Little Pansy re- ported, some friends kindly obtained for her brother a berth in a merchant-ship, and pro- mised to help to pay for her being sent to school, so that her mother was at liberty to take a housekeeper's situation which had been offered her. All this was known ; and it was understood that Little Pans}'' was to remain at Mrs Austin's school until she was fitted to be- come a teacher herself. These matters had been quietly talked of; and of course I had heard them, although I had spoken but very few words to Anna. I shall not relate what further passed between Mary Tucker and myself on this occasion; I need only say that it ended in almost a quarrel, which was healed over, however, by Maiy's 24 KITTLE P.'^rsY a little- ami;* , -i 'lis soothed me 11-. and ,t sootlied me stni "ftervvard that Ifary on.. ™ '" *° "«- toward our ZIs r ""^ "'' ""^ -°'- I -n sure o^r r ""^ """ ^*-Mo-. «»iikiiig that she did not' in "■™"°' '"''P » «iese earl. da. ' ' '''"'^ '''^P^'^*' «"d -"ij Clays, act very ,visei„ j^ . fince, Anna was not quick J ,^' /"' '"' for her age (which w,, ™"'«' ""^ & v'»"J«-Ji was over fwoJ^r^ ^'le first came among us) T , ^'""'^ "''^» some branches of el ™' ^^'''''^"^ "i --'•-. :"e^;r;.?'rr*- sometimes Mrs \,J' ^ ^^^""^'^''^ ^nd h-, in the Larin. of tl f, '"' ""'' '° '^" dependent sitnati™, """-"'*-' of J- 'You onght to remember Af;.<, n ^--'.-aching, anr::;^^'^^^^^^^ - "^^' ^s inore grate- LITTLE P^yS'SY. 25 ful than you appear to be to the kmd friends who take an interest in you and your poor mother, than to give so much trouble in teach- ing you the commonest things. How do you think you will ever be fit for your future occu- pation unless you take more pains to learn?' * Indeed, ma'am, I do try,' faltered Little Pansy, with tears in her eyes. ' If you call this trying,' replied our gover- ness, pointing to a faulty exercise which was the cause of the rebuke, 'I have no more to say, only that it would be better for you to think of some other way of earning a living when you are grown up, for there is little hope of your succeeding as a teacher.' Now, perhaps there was good reason for Mrs Austin to be vexed at the apparent dulness of her scholar; but surely it would have been kinder and wiser to have spoken to her privately respecting her mother's poverty, instead of pro- claiming it so openly to the whole school. At other times, poor Little Pansy was told ll-UltM«[H»*MJ 1 2" LITTLE PANSY. that she was scarcelv fl<- fo k • the otLor youn.ri '^ '" """'""^ "•'"' onV of I J Zs ';?. '"'^"^« °f ''■-"f- o Jiei clothmg was simple and nla,',, .1 was so neat oivl I,„ i ' ' ''''® 'itat, ana had so much good t-ist» *i . «he nn-ght very well have been he M -del for our .-.nitation. An ,17, ", " sometimes was ,vl, ' ^^''' ^''« mes was, when our governess was in » different mood; and then we were told to < I . at Miss Bennet, who, though her cU ' 'f'^-'oesnoteosta^uarterlt^'t^: of any other young lady in ..sehoor" good reason why) alwnvo ^ geuteel and ladylhlt ' '"'°"" '" '""^ ^^ I cannot but suppose that Little Pa„s„ fe,, both eensures and commendations of 2^ I might mention other smill mof. • , . Littlp Pn matters in wh ch i'z::t::r;r--- - ence thei e was between her richer LITTLE P.il'fSY. 27 schoolfellows and herself; but I have written enough, I think, to show that, in these early school-days, she had some trials to bear, which, if they were not very heavy compared with other troubles she had known, or with the ad- vantages she enjoyed, were certainly rather dis- aca-eeable. Indeed, I have known some young people who would have given way under them so as to have become constantly unhappy. But this was not Little Pansy's way. Her counte- nance generally gave all who saw her the im- pression that she had a contented disposition ; and if, at very rare intervals, it was overcast with sorrow, she had a happy power and habit of banishing the uninvited guest by active oc- cupation. When I look back upon these days, I wonder how it w as I continued to feel unkindly toward this dear child. One thing is certain, I did not think of the sinfulness of my conduct, for I had very imperfect ideas respecting the nature of sin in general. I knew, indeed, that some ilk 28 actions wero ^.nM f i "■«" ^--"Me,! :,•»,, "7 ^"';J«»' « all) pretty ^'•^«'"-e, malice and „", *'''''^''^^'■«lW- -pented of and w!" ''"" "^^'i *o be M, .-.gainst. "^'"' ^^ «'^'i as g„a,.ded ' ^-«ng3we,.eind:t;Tr''^'^"«>- --'' 'W she gained ..aw"""-!!'- the inoTfl „ ^^ections of «f] »-^ '>- pi:;^ -^-7 "^^ I become. l' P'-«« ^he obtained, ,w„rS^'''*"^''f">« ''-'^vantages she Uou;;':r'V'^'"'-^'''^ ^ LITTLE TANSY. 29 tJie Almighty; o»5 of whicll ^^ '»^0 pretty ter and coii- o"^'Ji I must fie Jioljr Go^i tents of the J) jealousj, oi'afelJow- ■^^> are alj to be both s guarded a^i these l^inst my ''e I per- ^ others, ome. I of the ^or tile • Little Pansy knew tliat I disliked her ; she could not help knowing that, thougli she little could have guessed how strong my prejudices were. Dear young readers, beware of harbouring in your hearts such feelings as I have described. If you wish to be happy, be loving and humble. And whenever you feel yourselves in danger of giving way to unreasonable prejudices against a young companion, pray for the help of God's Holy Spirit, that you may gain the victory over them. Remember what the Bible says to us : *If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar ; for he that loveth not his brother Avhom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?' And what, in the Bible, is said to men and women, is said to children also. a^ 30 LITTLE PANSr. CHAPTER III. S^0 HAVE now to pass over tv^o whole years in my story. T!".'re had been several changes in IS Irs Aus- tin's school. Some of the pupils had left, — and among these was Elizabeth Johnson, who had always shown much kindness and attention to Little Pansy, — and their places had been taken by fresh pupils. There was a new teacher also, — a young French lady, — who was very smart in many respects. Little Pansy (as I shall continue to call Anna Bennet) was still at school; and in one par- ticular she was very much altered. She was no longer slow in learning, as she had been at first. It seemed as though her mind had awakened ; and, having taken a start, she steadily but very quickly had overcome her past deficiencies, and had already overtaken LITTLE PANSY. 31 many of her schoolfellows who were, as they thought, a long way before her. There was no more occasion now for Mrs Austin to find fault with Anna's dulncss, and to say that she would never be fit for a teacher ; on the contrary, our governess frequently praised her for diligence, and spoke of her as an example to all the other scholars. I cannot tell how this change in Little Pansy Iwas brought about, except that she really made rery strong and constant efforts, and took pains to learn ; for I do not at all imagine that learn- [ing was at any time easy to her. There was one accomplishment, however, in which, by this time, she was found to excel, and in which she took so much delight, that its acquirement was, I think, a positive pleasure. Anna was very fond of music, and our music-master declared that she had a fine ear for harmonv. She cer- tainly had a sweet, musical voice ; and she had already learned to play very nicely on the piano. But tX7 n of OTT'^^ xiiduC in ' I IK i 32 LITTLE PANSY. Little Pansy, slic was uncliaiinred in two par- ticulars. Her poverty was iniclian^rcd, so was her gentleness; and this affectionate and gentle disposition continued to win and also to secure the admiration of all around her. But it did not secure mine. This is a sad confession to make, but it is a true one. Indeed, I had come to dislike Anna more than ever ; for she had not only gained the affections of my former friend and companion, Mary,— and, as I fancied, had taken them away from me,— but she had excited my jealous rivalry by her quick advances in learning. I had one consolation, howevei'; I could open my heart to the new teacher, the young Frenchwoman; and she sympathized with me, for she also had taken a strano-e dis- like to Little Pansy, while she declared that she was very fond of me. Mademoiselle P'errier (this was the teacher's name) was vain, artful, and covetous, and, as was afterward proved, she was dishonest also ; but. for «> t'm" /%..*• /^./>,»^_^- ii 1 i ^iiL, ii_i „ i..n-., -jixT ^uvcxnecjo Luuugnr. very LW-.J_ LITTLE TAXSY. 33 i highly of her; and it is not extraordinary that an inexperienced scliool-girl as I was should have been deceived as well. Indeed, I thought her the most agreeable, open-hearted, generous young person I had ever met with ; and her friendship quite consoled me for Mary Tucker's coldness and indifference. It is needful for me to say this ; but it must not be supposed that I accuse all French teacliers of being like Made- moiselle Ferrier. This would be very incorrect and unjust. One day I was permitted to accompany Ma- demoiselle into the town ; and as I wished to buy something at one of the shops, I went to my desk and took out my purse. I did not look into it then ; but when I took it out of my pocket to pay for what I had bought, I found, to my great astonishment and dismay, that a half-sovereign had disappeared. It was in vain that I quite emptied out the purse on the counter, and turned it inside out,-there was no half-sovereign to be found. 34 LITTLE TANSY. <0h, Mademoiselle!' I said, 'I liave lost—' and I told her of the discovery I had made. ' Eh, my dear,' she said, ' this is very stranrre. Are you quite certain that your purse contained so much money?' « Yes, indeed, I am quite sure,' I said ; for only two days before I had counted my money, and I. knew that then I had the half-sovereign safe ; and now it was gone. My companion was very much concerned— at any rate, she professed to be ; and she helped me to count over my money again as it lay on the counter. She also searched the shop-floor, thinking, perhaps, as she said, that I had dropped the small golden coin there. But the search was useless, and I had to leave the shop with a heavy heart. I must not omit to say, however, that Mademoiselle offered to pay out of her own purse for the few trifles I had purchased, and to make me a present of them. I declined this ; but it gave me a yet higher opinion of her good- nature and generosity. t :ii^k 3 lost — ^ ade. stran£!;e. ^ntaiiied aid; for ' money, overeign ?,erned — le helped it lay on lop-floor, . dropped iarcli was 1 a heavy jver, that her own ased, and ned this ; her good- t I LITTLE PANSY. 35 'I must tell Mrs Austin Of my loss,' I said, as we returned home. 'My dear, do you think you will?' said the teacher. 'I must,' I said. 'If I were not to fell, and she were to find it out, she would be angr,,.' 'I think she will be angry if you tell her, my 'lear,' she replied; 'she will say it was your carelessness.' 'I cFare say she will; but she will be more angry if I do not.' ^But the good lady will not discover that you have lost your money,' said Mademoiselle, quickly. 'I will be sure to keep the secret.' 'But I cannot think how I can have lost the half-sovereign,' I said; and then, after a little time and thought, I added, 'Somebody must have-' I stopped here, for I did not like to say what was in my mind. Mademoiselle said It for me, however. ^ 'Yes, my dear; somebody must have stolen It. That is what I h^ve been saying to myself.' 3G LITTLE TANSY. ' Then I am sure Mrs Austin ought to know it,' I said. But the French teacher said, ' No ; it would . be better not to tell Mrs Austin, but to keep a sharp look-out for the thief, whoever it was. You and I know that there must be one dis- honest person in the house, my dear,' she added, « and it will be very good sport to find out that person by ourselves;' and Mademoiselle laughed. Now I confess I was too vexed by m^ loss to share in my companion's mirth, but I agreed that it was not to be mentioned, and there the matter ended for that time. An incident which happened the next day rather diverted my mind to another subject. Mrs Austin had an unexpected visitor. I well remember Little Pansy's being called out of the schoolroom, and her returning afterward with a face quite flushed with happiness, and such glad tears in her eyes, and then soon vanisliin"- no-ain. I remember, too, how soon the whisper spread through the room that Little know t would 1 keep a it was. me dis- } added, out that auglied. f loss to '. agreed liere tlie lext day- subject. . I well 1 out of ifterward less, and lien soon low soon bat Little LITTLE PAXSY. 37 Pans/s sailor brother, Frederick, was come to see her. I know that I pretended to care "otbng for this piece of intelhgence; but it was only pretence, for I was as curious as most girls are, and I wondered whether we should see him before he went away. We did see him, for Mrs Austin kindly in- vited him to be her guest for two or three days • and thougli, of course, the young sailor never entereci either our school or dining-room, he was not quite liiddcn from sight; and all the other girls agreed that Little Pansy had a handsome, manly brother. I thought so too but I would not say so. I dishked Anna so mucli that I would not speak kindly even of her brother. Frederick Bennet had been at sea several months, and he was shortly going again ; so no wonder his sister made much of him while she could. And Mrs Austin was very considerate and released Anna from all her school duties while Frederick remained near her, tliat she r-' 38 LITTLE PANSY. might walk out with him and enjoy his society. It was rather a sorrowful parting at last, no doubt ; but Little Pansy strove very hard to overcome her natui-al regret, and she succeeded. A few davs after this visit, and when Little Pansy had quite recovered her usual spirits, and her schoolfellows had almost ceased to talk of her brother, the school was thrown into con- fusion by two or three of the girls complaining that they had missed money out of their desks. They were only small amounts of silver that were lost, but it was not the less mysterious and strange. ISIademoiselle Ferrier looked at me very slyly when we heard these complaints, and whispered in my ear, ., XJilUU J. k ans V 41 LITTLE PANSY. ^JYea, my dea,, Liulo Pansy. Is „ot til There was no doubt of the truth. I have -d that Anna Lennet was very fond of music; ^he was a so anxious to improve in her practice so as to be able to teach it, and JIrs Austin had very Icmdlypennitted her to have access to he music-room before the regular duties of the day commenced. Anna had availed herself of this permission, and, during the summer months, had often risen an hour before any of her fellow- pupiis to practise on the piano. 'But Anna Bennet does not come into the schoolroom,' I said, doubtingly. 'How do you know that, my dear! The musicroom is not so far off; and the little thing can very quickly skip along the hall, and nobody could know.' ' I had never thought of this before; and if it had not been put into my mind, I never should W thought of accusing, or even suspecting, Little Pansy of dishonesty. MU^tUkJi 42 LITTLE PANSY. should never have thought of this ; for, much as I dishked her, I had many reasons for behov- ing the dear chikl to be above doing anything wicked or mean. But as soon as Mademoiselle had hinted at this, I caught at the suspicion very eagerly, and the more I thought about it, the more did I try to persuade myself of its truth. What could be more likely, I argued, than that Little Pansy had made her fondness for music and her desire to learn only an excuse, and that the true reason of her rising so early was that she might do what she pleased un- noticed and unwatched? Was she not poor also? And did not poverty lead people into dishonesty ? To be sure, while Anna was play- ing the piano in the music-room, she could not be opening desks in the schoolroom ; but some- times she rested, and then — I will not, however, repeat all the uncharit- able thoughts which passed through my mind. I am ashamed now, as I have said before, when LITTLE PANSV. 43 „.1 I remember how strong my dislike to my un- offending schoolfellow was, and into what in- justice it led me. And I am more ashamed and confounded, when I think that my proud little heart seemed to swell with exultation when I had persuaded myself to believe that Little Pansy was a tliief, and that she would soon be exposed in the face of all tlie school. These were dreadful feelings; and I mention them now, not only to show how children may en- courage malice and hatred to take possession of their souls, but to guard my young readers against them. It was our custom to repeat a very simple and beautiful petition every evening as we knelt together in prayer ; it is this : ' Let the words of our mouths, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer !' If I had thought of these words, and of their true meaning, when I so frequently uttered them, and had sincerely de- sired that which I asked for, and had kept my 1 9 ^^ LiTTLE PANSY. heart .ith all cliligcnee, Fayi"!? f "/"Vorf S of GcVs Holy Spirit through the Lod i Christ, the rnedUations of my heart would W been viry different fro. what tey we. But mv prayers at that time «ere only formal Iyer , and wlven I knelt More God, I . ^ r, TTim with a solemn sound upon a reeked Him with a ^^ „„, j.^ tUese thought ess tongue. 13ut i mu Sul reflectious keep me from my story ' The next day Mademoisaie Ferrier took me '''fir.U you one other little seeret,- she '"'^About Little Pansy r I asked, eagerly. .t;; you shall hear, my dear. You remem- ,er tha; beautiful little breastpin you 10^- one day in the shop,-the, what you call. Forget Trt-Lwed it very well. It was the same day on which I discovered my loss. I remem- tld the breastpin, too,--a small «.^<^«; shape of a flower, with golden leaves and h-.- |i f LITTLE PANSY. 45 blue blossoms. I had wished to buy it, and per- iiaps I sliould have done so but for my loss. 'It is not in the shop-window now,' said lila- demoiselle. ^ It is not in the shop ; it is sold.' ' But that is not your secret ? ' I said. 'Yon shall hear once more, my dear,' my companion went on. ^low much money was that breastpin?' 'Eight shillings,' I replied. 'Ah I Do you know where that beautiful httle breastpin is now, my dear?' ' Of course I do not, Mademoiselle,' I said still wondering what her secret could be. The young Frenchwoman laughed in a way that was not pleasant to hear. It was not a bearty, joyous laugh, but mischievous and sly 'There is just such a little pin as that safely locked up, what you call, tight in her desk,- the Little Pansy,' whispered she. ' Oh, she is very cunning,' she added. ' What can Anna Bennet want with a breast- pm ? She never wenrs such ±1^:. Liiiiigs, 1 saiti shouW I telWl,y Little Pansy Veej_ ;:;Ua,nev...o«nitto»y-^^ ,^^ '^n;;n;rr:'iuuest-ana X .ccoUccted aft-wan, <^^;S^^^^^^„,„,, Ferrier ««» » l'""- " j^„ i^ed again a3 by the qucHtion; ^"' '^' J /yrf, she sai.l, before. There was one httle b. .Wch«on.eUme'Jvh.^:;;^.,.toasU ti>i»X-''-»'°^'tw"r knowledge was oV „o question, as to 1 o ^^^^ ^ ^„ tained. A"''' '"'''""'' ^, 1" ion. an at onee ,,,,(„,™ytho„g1*a«-" F,e„ch- into the new channel w^chthe^,^^^^^^^^^ woman had opened H ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^,^^ ^^^^ obtain I«s.ess.on of n ^^^ „„„,y, bought it, wl>ence d-d h ^^^^i„„g3, .. she was known to h^ ■ K ^^^^ ^ ,^^ i^'"' ~ " 1 . »imn the sum i"=" - Why, thU was less than tn so close, IS it, ^la- stion, and I tliougbt ideinolsclle II confused 1 again as Ij she said, jr car. By I Ns,^ to ask 3c\cTe was ob- ,sposed to do ran at once 3ung Frencli- ^nna Bennet ? If slie had in the money, iight shillings^ xv«+ T had LITTLE TAXSV. 47 lost; and the trinket must Iiave been purchased .^i"ce I lost it, though perhaps immediately afterward. ^Oh; said I to myself, 'Little Pansy, Little Pansy, you are a thief, and I will prove it tool' I ^-H ITTLE PASSY. . CHAPTEB IV. 1 • \. Uunff over poor Uttle Pansy bv.^'^^^.^, en our governess first ^ea ^.^^_ ^^^^ ^^ teacWs Bps- -; *;^„ afterward tV-e story of our ^o^^^^^ „„« by one, and other girls were -^^J-^J^^ ,ad, at diSerent spote of the ""-y^fdesks. 1 bave not or- tLes, missed fro»*«" ^„,tVn «as that gotten, either, how an^y^^^,„,e,,„d also te had not revealed th ^^^^^^^^ ^^ leave *^-»"^^:u:ciaesl.,as--l.o.- our money m uni ledged to having don • .^ ,^e scene But what 1 more ^.d^ ^^ittle Pansy ..lchtookpiace«hon\:^^^^^^^^,,„,et, and other things LITTLE PANSY. 49 true, for she had very recently bouglit a pair of gloves and a few trifles of that sort • and I said that I thought she ought to be made to account for her possession f so much money. I should explain Here that I was put forward to do this by Mademoiselle Ferrier, who told me that it would be better that the accusation should come from me. And though I could not understand why she thought so, I was not unwilling to be the chief accuser. 'Do you know what you are saying. Miss Foster?' said oiir governess, who was very much agitated. ^Do you know that by bring- ing such a charge against a schoolfellow y^u are inflicting a serious injury upon her, especi- ally when that schoolfellow is a poor child like Anna Bennet, a fatherless and almost friendless child, whose future prospects depend so much upon her fair reputation?' Mrs Austin said . alUhis with much feeling; but I did not care. * Ah,' I thought to myself, ^Little Pansy is a favourite, and you do not like to hear anything M eo«U,thatI«as-e2\ „^„etWs>vas ..K to injure any one, Mis ^, you «isl>.' And Aen L- ^^^^^„i,dle and myself, and our gov . ^ ^1.o/l..t^ePansyt..e --;»:; spread over l>ev f a « --^ filled l,a became deadly jlc.^^^^ ^^ .^„, ^ eon- ^HU tears too; ='"\,„^ „{ conscious guiU- «iaercdatoncetobes.gn^ ^^.^^^^^^„,,„ e the .'hole truth^ ^^., j^,,, ;l can easily do that, ^^^_^^^j^ Pansy, gently. H^X .^ ^^^ "^^^ .hhongh the --™;j\,,„ ,V>e went on to from her cheeks. And ^^^ ^^^^^^ ,^,^, explain, very s.mpy an ^^^^ ^^^,„ ber to during her ^^-^^f;"* ;„g the forget-e- U,e shop and lns^stedon^^nJ^g^^^J„^, keep- not breastpin, and gmng ^^ ^^^^„,ae sake. Anna sa.d that *e ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ,^ Hm not to spend ns»oney^^^^^^^^„,^,er ,0 useless to her, for *a^;^^.^^,,,o„; but hta without sueh a toK ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ,,„„. he ■would not listen, and :„ed to reeeive the pr<=^» ; __, ,^a Made- VtUs is a very pretty "i---^ LITTLE TANSY. 53 moiselle, when Anna liad so far cxi^lainecl ; ' it is only a pity that the liandsome young sailor is not here to, what you call, confirm— to make it strong. And who shall tell where he is at this timer. *He is at sea. Mademoiselle,' said Little Pansy, very quietly. 'I know that he is at sea, ma'am,' she added, turning to Mrs Austin, 'because I had a letter from my mother only yesterday, to say that he had sailed.' Mademoiselle laughed contemptuously. 'This is very unfortunate,' she said, and was going on, when Mrs Austin stopped her. [ I do not ask for your remarks. Mademoiselle,' she said. ' Anna cannot help her brother being at sea, and that ought, not to be charged agains't her. But,' she added, 'you have not accounted for your having all this silver, Anna.' She was alout to do so. Little Pansy said, when she was interrupted ; and then she ex- plained that her brother had put it into her hand at parting. She had dissuaded him. he >!' ^* V „ it on presents for to-, but saia, from s,e„cl>n > J^^ ^^ ^.^ p„,,„e-, he did not mean to be .^ ^^^^ ,,^y, and if Anna would n--^^„,^,aded she should in -^'^'^^^.^.a to pu.t «itU that her brother was so det ^^^ ^^^^^^^ „emoney,«bicbamound .^^^^^^,3, sblffing.,tbatsberecaved.tt hta- ^ ,,. countenance bad gradu.Uy Ife Austms '=°".,.. i^Htle Pansy was giving these -"f ^^^^^.^ .fc, as 1 know I ■ tto French teacher obser ^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^^ did, for she again spok- ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^p,,^, lesson for a young P^"^^"" ^,, ,,fe to make she said ; and the young ay ^^^^^^^^^^^_^^^ ,,er story S""*';'"^'^.; ,,„ Ukely tell the though indeed he m.gUe^^^^^^^^,,,„, samestoryifkewe P^ese^^.^^. it might be -^^ ''I 1 ,dded, passionately, 'Andlw-htoknow ^^^^^^^„f„,, ■ whether our money IS to be desks, and—' LITTLE PANSY. 55 J You must be respectful, if you please, Miss Foster,' said our governess, very firmly. And then she added, 'No; your money is not to be stolen without efforts being made to discover the dishonest person; but you must leave it with me to make those efforts, and we must take care to speak and act justly. Now, with- out saying anything about Anna Bennet's ex- planations, there is one circumstance which I do not understand. It seems that some of the young Ijxlies who have lost money had locked it up in their desks, and that their desks were still locked, though the shillings and sixpences had disai^peared. Can you account for that, Mademoiselle?' Mademoiselle could account for it very easily. She said, ' If any little thief—' ' We need not say little thief, Mademoiselle,' interposed Mrs Austin. 'Pardon, madame; it was a little slip. If any thief have false keys, what you call, pick- lock keys — ' ^^ - t nf tl at, Mademoiselle. session f , ^^-^j the French .Madame m«st exc- , _^^^^ ^^^^ teacher, rather haugh..^,_, you can, -— f^:;MaLoiselle; I wiU 'Do not say any mor ,^^^^^^^ excuse you, certainly, -"^^ ^ ^^^^^^^ And then she went on to say th »„st rest for the T--"^ ^„ j .^.^ged-' , and to walk before tl.om, she con- ducted her strange visitor into the music-room. How we sat and wondered at the strange thing that had happened, and then whispered out thoughts and conjectures to one another, „.ay very well be imagined. Our curios.ty was not gratified that evening, however, for nether oj. the French teacher, nor the iVll'S ii ustili LITTLE PANSY. ' (JJ little elderly woman reappeared ; and the ser- vant who handed in our supper on a tray as usual, and afterward brought in our lights, could tell us nothing, moio than that the three persons I have just (nitionc ^, after being shut up in the music-room ^,r -.me time, had gone out together, Mademoiselle appearing in great distress. We never saw the little eldorlv woman or IMademoiselle Ferrier again ; and Mrs Austin was very silent, when we met her the next day, respecting the events of the previous evening! She merely told us that something the French teacher had said caused her to suspect that Mademoiselle herself was the guilty person, and had led her to make secretly some particular inquiries about her former history, which had led to the sudden visit of the stranger; but who that stranger was, or whence she came, we were not told. Then, again, Mrs Austin told us that the French tfnplinr hr>,\ or>«;^- — .1 4.1-1 •■ — ^„^. ,,„.,. wiiiCoacu that 11 was aiie 62 LITTLE PANSY. alone who robbed our desks, and had given up some curious keys, with whicli she could lock and unlock them at her pleasure. She had done this after we were in bed, when she sat sometimes in the schoolroom alone. And she had contrived that suspicion should fall upon Anna Bennet, partly because the poor child was disagreeable to her, and partly be- cause she knew it would please one of the young ladies who professed great friendship for herself. ^And now, young ladies,' ■ said Mrs Austin, * I have told you all that you need know about this unhappy young person, who had the art to deceive me, as I suppose she deceived others also, for a time ; but you see her sin has found her out. And if we think of her at all after this, I hop^ it will be to receive the lesson which her conduct teaches. But there is one act of justice which remains to be done,' con- tinued our governess, and she looked particu- larly at me, I tliought ; ' here is a dear child, re IS one LITTLE PANSV. go one of yourselve,,, who has been suffering cruel .nj«st,ce Ah, I see you know whom an' what mean, she said, looking round on us all. Now, what amends can we make to her for the unjust suspicions which have been whis- pered about her?' There was no need for Mrs Austin to say more In another moment dear Little Pansy «mbh„ganda,mostfrightened:wassurrou„d«; by her schoolfellows, who vied with each other as o who should give her the warmest, heartiest r'T''; ."""'■- ™-' fervent kisses. It I a^od thn,g that she was not quite smothered w. h caresses, and it is no wonder that she could only say — 'Oh, thank you all very, very much indeed fo your k.„dness. And, indeed, I did not ™ d t so much, when I fdt tluat you were a r..tltV..r/'''' .•oconciliation was made """"'" ""^'^ ^''"'y and I'er former friends. • 1 8» 1 Wl 64 LITTLE P.VNSY. But amid it all was one envious, discontented heart, and that heart was mine. I did not refuse, certainly, to shake hands with Anna, though I did it coldly and ungraciously, and to tell her that it was a good thing her character was cleai-ed ; but I was angry in my secret mind that my accusations had been proved so ground- less. I was angry, also, about Mademoiselle,— more angry, I am afraid, that she h£^ been found out in her wrong-doing, and that she had deceived me so much, than grieved that she had committed so very shocking a sin— the double sin of dishonesty and of bearing false witness against an innocent child. LITTLE PANSY. 65 CHAPTER V. ,0 any of my young readers fenow what it is to be ill, very ill indeeJ? to lie in bed with very little strenn-th to move? to have an aching head for days and nights together, and eyes which cannot bear the hght? to feel that the mind is as ™k as the body, so as to be nnable to 15. ■tself on any subject, although it wanders very pamfully over a gi-eat many of which it had scarcely ever thought before? If they know th.s by experience, and have been graciously ™sed up again from their beds of sickness to remember those days and nights of weariness, they wdl, I hope, sympathize with me, for I was very ill. J, ,,,,, .^^^^^j ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ events happened which I have written about '" "" P'''^"'"'^ <=l'aPter, that mv health and strength almost suddenly left m'e, and I was if. p -H" 66 LITTLE PANSY. obliged to keep to my own little room, and then to my bed. The doctor who was sent for shook his head very doubtfully, as I was afterward told, when he first saw me, and had felt my pulse, examined my tongue, and inquired about all the symptoms of my illness. He said that he hoped I should recover, but that I required very careful nursin^ and constant attendance. No one could be kinder than Mrs Austin was ; but school is not home, and perhaps this is never more felt than when a young erson is really ill. I am sure I felt it very muc'i indeed then. And I felt it the more tliat I had no hope of being removed to my home, nor of having any kind, loving relative to nurse and comfort me. To account for this, I must inform my readers that my mother died when I was a very little child,— so young, indeed, that I cannot re- member her,— and that I had neither brother nor sister, nor any very near re^ '^^i - excepting my dear father. And my hJ.'^b. , iself, who LITTLE IMNSV. gy was a very affectionate and indulsont parent was travelling far away Aon. honTe when n^y .llness commenced. It was .n this way that I was left so entirely to the care and kindness of Mrs Ansfn, who lost no time in procuring an expenenced and attentive nurse, and neglected nothmg that could be done, not only tor mv recovery, but for my comfort. ^ I was not aware at the time how very danger- ously .1 I ™s, and I do not remember feehn. at all alarmed. I did not think of death, or of being prepared to meet my ?T,ker. I had no more thought or feeling about religion then than when I was in full health and strength I mention this because I am aware that many young people fancy that a bed of sickness is " - d pam the b..t time, for repentance, and • taith, and conversion to God. This is a verv great and sad mistake. It is ve.y true tha= "Tis religion must supply Solid comfort when we die ;' 1^, 1^ i-i' ';:i^H •t' , 08 IJTTLE TANSY. f it i ' I but you must not expect to have that soHd com- fort unless you are al»le to say from experiencQ in the time of health, ' 'Tia religion that can ,■ 've Sweetest pleasure vbilo we live.' Oh, do not think, while you neglect the Saviour und his blessed gospel, becau ;e you are young, and you fancy that a more convenient season will arrive for your going to II nn, that you may have everlasting life, — do not think, I entreat you, that you will be more disposed to seek his grace, and his Holy Spirit, and the pardon of your sins, and fitness for death and heaven, when you are ill and perhaps dying. Still you w^ill be disposed to say in your heart, ^To- morrow, to-morrow; I will do it to-morrow." This is what you are saying or thinking now ; but God says to us all in his holy word, 'To- day if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts;' for 'now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.' To return to my own littl tory. I lay solid com- experienao e. lie Saviour are young, lent season it you may ;, I entreat to seek his pardon of id heaven, Still you eart, ^To- o-morrow/ king now; vord, ^To- i not your [lie, now is ry. I lay LITTLE PAXSY. (J9 almost helplessly in bed for two or three weeks; and^ as I said just now, my thoughts wandered over a variety of different subjects. Sometimes the past came before me quite strongly, as though it were present, and then I went over all the story of the lost money, and my accusa- tion of Little Pansy, and Mademoiselle Ferrier's sudden disgrace; but my feelings toward Little Pansy, so far as I can recollect them, were not softened at all by my illness. Then suddenly my mmd would dart off toward the future • and my vanity and pride would be gratified by fancy pictures of wealth and greatness, and all sorts of enjoyments and triumphs when I should become a woman. And in the midst of these foolish thoughts and self-flatterings, I used to drop off to sleep uneasily for a few minutes at a time; but even in my sleep the same fancies presented themselves to me in dreams. And this, I think, is all the history I can give "^most a month of my illness, only that mv governess used to come and see me, and of kind .■r\' I f- 70 LITTLE PANSY. sit by my bedside every day, and many times a day, and frequently in the night too, and spoke comforting and encouraging words to me, telling me that I should soon be better, and that I should then get up my strength and good looks again. These visits were pleasant to me, for I had a regard for Mrs Austin, and they broke the monotony of my condition ; for, be- sides the nurse, who was generally with me, and the doctor who came to see me every day, I saw no other person in all that time. One day, however, when I was really getting better, and Mi-s Austin had told me, with great gladness on her countenance, that I was out of all danger, though I was still very weak indeed, I awoke out of a gentle sleep, and turning to- ward the light, I saw Little Pansy sitting near me. I was very much surprised; but I was not glad to see her well-remembered, gentle face, which, though it might be plain, as Mary Tucker had said. w as certainly pleasant to look upon. P^ ■MM ny times too, and ds to me, tter, and and good it to me, and they ; for, be- tvith me, i^ery day, y getting ith great as out of k indeed, ming to- ting near was not itle face, Y Tucker )k upon. LITTLE PANSY. 71 But no— not to me ; I was not glad to see her, altliough I was not sorry to see a fresh face, and to hear a fresh voice. And I sc. n heard Anna's ; for when she saw that my eyes were open, and that I had turned them inquisitively toward her, she bent over me, and kissing my forehead, said how glad, how very glad she was that I was better. 'What are you come for?' I asked, rather ungraciously, I am afraid; but Anna did not take notice of my manner. ' The doctor has given leave for you to have a httle society now,' said Anna; , .-egular lioUdays; so I have more time to spare.' This was indeed true ; for, though I have for- gotten to mention it before, Anna Bennet had been accustomed to remain with Mrs Austin the gi-eater part of tlie hoHdays. The reason of this was very plain,— she had no home to go to, poor child. Little Pansy did not tell me, however,— w^at I afterward suspecto • .yas an- otlier part of the truflj,— that she was the only one who offered to go and amuse a sick scliool- fellow. I should add here, that though my ill- ness was so very severe, it was not infectious or contagious ; so there would have been no danger to ;my op- in bef ^ with me a little while; but perhaps my schoolfellows thought there would have Ik n. ^ You do not mind r:y staying .vith you a httle, do you, Kate? Anna asked, rather niourn- fuily. 'No: you . J with me if you like/ i lat I have ays; so I have for- 3nnet had L's Austin lie reason )me to jxo i tell me, 1 vvas an- the only k school- ;h my ill- jctious or 10 danger lile; but re would h yon a 1* mourn- llKC, i LITTLE PANSY. 73 said. And having thus received my permission, Little Pansy remained with mo an hour or more, telling me of various little circumstances which had happened in the schoolroom during my absence, and reading to me. And this was 80 far agreeable, that when she said the hour had expired, I was sm-prised at its having passed so rapidly. * ^lay I come again to-morrow ? ' Little Pansy asked softly, as she kissed me and said good-bye. ' Yes, if you like,' I said. She came to see mo again the next day there- fore, and every day after that, through two or th weeks, until at last I began to look for her coming as a pleasurable excitement. And she did not confine her visits to once a day, and for an hour at a time ; because the doctor, find- ing me daily impro\ang, encouraged these visits, until at length ]\Irs Austin permitted Anna to be with jne several hours every day. Little Pansy had always somethino pleasant to talk about when I chose to let her talk ; and ^^ MTTLK PANSY. wlien I preferred bein^ silent, she sat quietly by my bedside. If I said, ' Have you notliing to read to mo?' she had always a book at hand , and if I wanted anything, she was ready to run and fetch it for me. And yet, all this time, though I made use of her in this manner, I do not remember that J had any very kindly feel- ings toward Little Pansy. I looked upon her only as a sort of servant, wlio was bound to do all that I required ; and I am sure I must some- times have put her patience to the test by my unreasonable whims. But I got better daily ; and by the time the school broke up for the mid-summer holidays, I was so much stronger as to be able to walk with a little assistance, not only across my own little room, but into our governess's drawing- room. There I received the ^good-byes' of my schoolfellows ; and after that, Mrs Austin, Anna Bennet, myself, and the servants, had the large house all to ourselves. A fevv days after the breaking-up, a letter mmsm t quietly nothing at liand , \y to run his time, ner, I do d\y feel- ipon her nd to do st some- it by my ime tlie [idays, I to walk my own rawing;- ' of mv 1, Anna le large I letter LITTLE PANSY. 75 came from my father; and in consequence of what he wrote, our governess resolved on taking not only mo, but Anna Bennet also, to the sea*^ side. The doctor had recommended this change for me, and also that I should have a companion near my own ago. As soon as we could, there- fore, we journeyed to a pleasant little town on the sea-side, and remained there a month. Little Pansy thus became my constant com- panion. Until I was strong enough to walk out, she accompanied me in my drives, or sat with me at our lodgings, which overlooked the beautiful sea. She read to me, played and sang to me, talked with me, sat by me in silence,— did anything, in short, that I chose to require of her. And this is saying a gi^eat deal, for I was selfish and exacting, and my sinful pride and fancied superiority were gratified by having these constant services rendered. If any one had said to rao then that I imposed too much on Anna's kindiiess and good-nature, I should most likely have replied That Anna was * ^ LITTLE PANSY. only a poor girl, and tliat it was only right and proper for her to wait upon me, because my father was rich. And, perhaps, I might have added that she was honoiu'ed in being permitted to be my comnanion. One dav, after I had %ained sufficient strength to walk out, we went upon the smooth, hard sands, and there I sat upon a camp-stool which Little Pansy had carried for me, and she stood by my side watching the little waves as they rippled toward us, though at some distance off. I cannot tell how it was, but I felt at that time more kindly disposed toward my companion than T had ever before felt, and I was prompted to tell her, with more feeling than I had ever before shown, that I was very nmch obliged to her for all her kind attentions. ^Dear Miss Foster,' she began; but I inter- rupted her. ' You very often call me Miss Foster; why do you not call me Kate ? ' 'I will, if you wish it,' she said; e>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) < y ^ jff ^ /^, 1.0 ^ I.I "!M if 1^ us I 40 L25 III 1.4 A" 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4\^ V \\ ^9) V o Ua ss? ^ 88 LITTLE PANSY. companion, dear lattle Pansy, had a liiglier and more enduring source than natural dis- pos*^*on,— that she was indeed taught of God, and that by the influences of the Holy Spirit, and constant communion with God througli Jesus Christ, she had been enabled to manifest those graces of meekness, kindness, love, and unselfishness which had endeared her to her schoolfellows generally, and which had at length almost conquered even my prejudices. I have said that I made the discovery at that time, but I did not think much about it until long after we had parted. For we did part. I did not return to Mrs Austin's school. At the expiration of the month my dear father arrived, and I went home with him. LITTLE P.iNSY. 89 CHAPTER VI. ^) OURTEEN or fifteen years passed away. All the vr.in hopes of my gI:'lhood had passed away also. Instead of being a rich lady, the mis- tress of a fine house and the head of a large establishment, as I had once fondly pic- tured to myself that I was certain to be, I was poor, solitary, and dependent on my own exer- tions for support. I need not explain how this came to pass; The Bible tells us that * riches take to them- selves wings, and fly away as an eagle toward heaven,' and so it had been in my experience. I may say, however, that my father had been many years dead, and that soon after his death the knowledge and experience of poverty had been brought home to me. I had not many friends j but there were two 90 LITTLE P/VNSY. or three who had known me in prosperity who were kind to me in adversity. % their assist- ance and recommendation I obtained several situations as a private