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o^r.l ^f.sp ieee t& A Mother's Cai^e jRe-w^airdieg:' 
 
 "One more question, Caroline," said JVP Roberts ," and 
 I have done : tell me 'vrhy yon -^^'lslled to be a AVbman.? ' 
 
A MOTHER'S CARE 
 
 REJVARDED; 
 
 IN 
 
 THE CORRECTION OF THOSE DEFECTS, 
 
 MOST GENERAL IN 
 
 Young people, 
 
 DURING THEIR EDUCATION. 
 
 IlonDon : 
 
 WILLIAM DAllTON, 58, HOLBORN-HILL. 
 
G. Sriallfield, Printery Hackney. 
 

 MOTHER'S CARE REWARDED. 
 
 " I WISH I were a woman/' said Caro- 
 line Roberts, as she sat with a book 
 open before her, out of which she had 
 a lesson to learn. '^ And why are you 
 in such a hurry to be a woman, my 
 dear child?" said her mamma, who at 
 that moment entered the room. " What 
 new fancy have you got in your head ? 
 It was only last night you said you were 
 the happiest girl in the world." " And 
 so I was, mamma ; but a day makes a 
 great difference in one's feelings." " I 
 know that full well, my love ; a ie\Y 
 hours even may occasion a serious 
 change in the affairs of this world : but 
 I cannot think that any thing has oc- 
 curred since last night, to make the 
 wish you have just now uttered at all 
 desirable." " Oh ! but a great deal has 
 occurred since last night ; and what 
 makes it more provoking is, that it 
 
4 
 
 should happen the very morning after 
 a happy day." " My dear child, do 
 tell me what you mean. I begin to 
 fear you really have some cause for un- 
 easiness, and am anxious for you to 
 explain yourself: you know if I can 
 remove it, I will." 
 
 Caroline till this moment had kept 
 her eyes on the book, the leaves of 
 which she had twisted and nearly torn ; 
 but on hearing her mamma say she 
 would remove her trouble, and knowing 
 it was in her power, she flew round the 
 table, and in the most coaxing manner 
 entreated she would promise to grant 
 her request. '^ How unreasonable, my 
 child, to ask me to promise before I 
 know, or can even guess, what you 
 mean to ask! Go to your seat, and 
 then tell me what it is which, in the 
 space of a few hours, has made this 
 great change in your feelings." Caro- 
 line, who felt a little foolish at the 
 thought of telling the cause of her grief, 
 and who, like many silly little girls, 
 
5 
 
 often wished for what she knew was im- 
 possible, hesitated, blushed, and at last 
 said, laughingly, " Oh ! mamma, I will 
 not trouble you with my complaints ; it 
 was only nonsense. Pray don't ask any 
 questions ; I shall soon forget I ever 
 washed any thing about it." " This is 
 triflinp" with me, and is what I do not 
 approve," said her mamma. " I shall 
 leave you for a few minutes, and I trust 
 when I return, you will know how to 
 behave yourself" Having said this, 
 Mrs. Roberts left the room. 
 
 Caroline was a little girl of excellent 
 understanding, and possessed a warm, 
 affectionate heart. Her natural dispo- 
 sition was good ; but the impatience of 
 her temper frequently made her commit 
 faults, for which she v/as afterwards 
 very sorry. Her mamma was extremely 
 kind and indulgent, but had too much 
 good sense to overlook this fault of tem- 
 per, which she knew, if not timely 
 checked, would prove a serious evil. 
 She, therefore, never allowed Caroline 
 a2 
 
6 
 
 to trifle with her^ but expected a ready- 
 compliance with all her commands. 
 Never were surprise and vexation great- 
 er than the little girl's on being left by 
 herself. She felt assured her mamma 
 would be displeased when she heard 
 what she had to say, because impa- 
 tience was the cause of it. However, 
 as she never told a falsehood, she longed 
 for her mamma to return, in order that 
 she might explain all, and ask forgive- 
 ness. When, therefore, Mrs. Roberts 
 opened the door, Caroline ran towards 
 her. '^ Pardon, dear mamma," said she, 
 ^' the trouble I have given you. I see 
 you are displeased with me ; but I hope 
 when I tell you all, you will not be 
 very, very angry. You know how much 
 I dislike grammar. There is no other 
 lesson that I mind learning; but the 
 nasty grammar, — I never can under- 
 stand it ; and this morning, when I 
 expected to begin translating a beauti- 
 ful new book I have got, Mr. F. would 
 ■not let me, until I learned a long piece 
 
7 
 of French grammar. This I could not 
 do ; and so he went away without let- 
 ting me translate at all. Was it not 
 very ill-natured of him ? He knows I 
 cannot learn it ; and I am sure it is 
 that which makes him insist upon it." 
 Caroline stopped, expecting to hear her 
 mamma's answer, but she told her to 
 let her know now what favour she had 
 to ask. " Only, only, mamma," stam- 
 mered out Caroline, " that you would 
 allow me to leave oif grammar. I know 
 I could learn French very well without 
 it." ^^ One more question, Caroline," 
 said Mrs. Roberts, " and I have done : 
 tell me why you wished to be a wo- 
 man ?" " Oh ! cannot you guess that, 
 mamma? Why, then I should^ have 
 no lessons to learn, neither French nor 
 English ; but should have only to dress 
 and pay visits !" Caroline stopped, and 
 looked in her mamma's face, expecting 
 to see her smile at what she had said ; 
 for she had uttered the last part of her 
 speech in a playful manner, in order to 
 
9 
 
 excite a smile. But great was her dis- 
 appointment^ when, instead of a smile, 
 she saw an unusual gravity in the coun- 
 tenance she watched, and which gravity 
 she knew proceeded from the displeasure 
 she had excited. She therefore rather 
 timorously added, " You do not an- 
 swer me, mamma !" 
 
 " I am at a loss, my dear child, how 
 to address you," said Mrs. Roberts, 
 *^ how to tell you, that your conduct 
 has both disappointed and wounded me. 
 The impatience you have often betray- 
 ed, and which was at one time evinced 
 on every trifling occasion, I flattered 
 myself was nearly conquered, as you 
 have conducted yourself for some time 
 past in a very becoming manner; and 
 it was to shew I approved of your con- 
 duct, that I allowed you to have visitors 
 yesterday. I was pleased to see the 
 attention you paid them. The polite 
 manner in which you allowed them to 
 make choice of the different plays, and 
 the readiness with which you gave up 
 
9 
 your own opinion, in order to please 
 the whole party, made me hope that 
 my child had entirely conquered that 
 impatient spirit I have so often, with 
 pain, seen her indulge. But, by the 
 behaviour you have this day shewn to- 
 wards your French master, and by the 
 very flippant, trifling way in which you 
 speak of spending your time when a 
 woman, you have awakened all my 
 fears. You may think that what you 
 have said, and the way in which you 
 have behaved to Mr. F., do not deserve 
 a serious rebuke. Alas ! my child, every 
 trifle becomes a source of joy or sorrow 
 to a fond mother. Therefore, to think 
 for a moment that, after all my care and 
 love, you are in a fair way to make a 
 disobedient child, an ignorant, conceited 
 woman, must give me a pang — a i^ang 
 which none but a mother can feel." 
 
 " My dear, dear mamma," cried Ca- 
 roline, " indeed you think too much of 
 what I said. I only meant to say, that 
 when I was a woman, I should have 
 
10 
 
 no lessons to learn; but believe me, I 
 should not like to be an ignorant wo- 
 man. I should like to know as much 
 as you do, and in every respect to be 
 like you, and then I am sure I should 
 be neither ignorant nor conceited. Pray 
 do not think any more of my childish, 
 foolish behaviour; and indeed I will, 
 from this moment, attend to all you, 
 and Mr. F., and all my teachers, say." 
 
 Mrs. Roberts knew the goodness of 
 Caroline's heart ; she could therefore 
 rely on her word as to the attempt to 
 amend her conduct ; nor would she 
 have been so serious in her address, but 
 that she also knew, that to awaken 
 Caroline's love for herself, was the only 
 way to make an impression on her. 
 Two years before this period, she had 
 had cause to find great fault with her 
 impatient temper, which had shewn it- 
 self not only to those who taught her, 
 but likewise towards her mamma and 
 little sister. On this occasion, Mrs. 
 Roberts had threatened to send her to 
 
11 
 
 school. The idea of separating from 
 her mamma and the dear httle Agnes^ 
 had frightened Caroline extremely; she 
 had promised amendment, and, except 
 on some trifling occasions, had not 
 shewn any symptoms of rebellion. Her 
 mamma had been her instructress, and 
 anxiously watched her child's improve- 
 ment, not only in knowledge, but in 
 temper. When beginning to learn En- 
 glish grammar, she had expressed a 
 great dishke to it, and, had not her 
 mamma been very firm in her resolu- 
 tion to make her learn it, would have 
 relinquished it altogether. She had 
 made tolerable progress in this, and 
 likewise in geography, history, &c. In 
 music she had made great proficiency. 
 She had been taught by an excellent 
 master, and, having a fine ear, and a 
 good natural taste, her performance was 
 much praised by all who heard her. 
 Mrs. Roberts had perceived, with pain, 
 that the praises bestowed on her music, 
 made her somewhat conceited. She 
 
12 
 
 was always willing to practise, but not 
 so ready to go to her other studies. 
 
 The day which Caroline had called ^^ a 
 happy day/' had been passed very plea- 
 santly with her companions, and Mrs. 
 Roberts had been very well pleased with 
 her behaviour. Her mamma's disap- 
 pointment was, therefore, very great to 
 find her the next day wasting her time 
 in idle wishes, and to hear that she had 
 behaved rudely to her French master. 
 However, on her promising not to re- 
 lapse, and that she would be very at- 
 tentive to all her lessons, her French 
 grammar in particular^ she was pro- 
 mised forgiveness. 
 
 " Remember, my child," said Mrs. 
 Roberts, " I never expect a repetition 
 of this conduct. You know I have now 
 engaged masters at a great expense, and 
 I expect that you will profit by their 
 instructions. I have taken great pains 
 with you myself, and know what you 
 are capable of. If I find your improve- 
 ment equal to my expectations, I shall 
 
13 
 
 continue this method, that I may have 
 the gratification of witnessing your pro- 
 gress and enjoying your society ; but if 
 I have reason to find fault with you, 
 particularly if you fail in duty and re- 
 spect to your teachers, I shall send you 
 to school, where you will be treated 
 properly, but certainly with a greater 
 degree of severity than I can exercise 
 towards you." Alarmed at hearing this 
 threat repeated, Caroline melted into 
 tears, expressed her sorrow, and, having 
 been allowed to seal her pardon with a 
 kiss, went to prepare for a walk. 
 
 My young readers may be at a loss 
 to find out the age of my little heroine. 
 I acknowledge it appears rather diffi- 
 cult ; as, when first introduced, she 
 wasted her time in idle wishes, ex- 
 tremely like a child of six years old : 
 again, from the knowledge she had at- 
 tained, she appears rather older. To 
 set you right, then, I will proceed to 
 inform you, that Caroline Roberts was 
 twelve years old; and, for a child of 
 
14 
 
 that age, was not ignorant. She had 
 an excellent capacity, and, as I have 
 before told you, her mamma had de- 
 voted much time to her improvement. 
 Caroline had gone on very well since 
 her masters had been engaged, until 
 the last few weeks, when she had be- 
 haved rudely to Mr. F. To account for 
 this, I must tell you, that she had lately 
 become acquainted with the daughters 
 of a Mrs. Felton, who had come to 
 reside near them. These young ladies 
 had been in France two years, where 
 they had visited about with their mam- 
 ma, in order to learn to speak the French 
 language. They certainly did speak it, 
 and very fluently too, but neither gram- 
 matically nor with a good accent. They 
 had mixed in diiferent parties, and had 
 engaged a French maid, but had never 
 looked into a French hook, Mrs. Felton 
 had never learned the French tongue, 
 therefore she could not be a judge of the 
 language ; and as her situation in life 
 had not always been very genteel, she, of 
 
15 
 
 course, had not been very choice in the 
 society she had formed. To say her 
 daughters had been in France, would, 
 she thought, be to say, they were French 
 scholars. They could dance quadrilles, 
 and make bead purses, therefore they 
 miist be thought accomplished — and 
 this was all Mrs. Felton desired. She 
 was a very rich widow, kept a band- 
 some house and equipage, and, as ^he 
 was a well-behaved woman, had con- 
 trived to become acquainted with most 
 of the genteel people in her neighbour- 
 hood. This she could more easily do 
 in England than in France. She was 
 a better judge of what was genteel in 
 her own country, and therefore not so 
 likely to be imposed on, as in a country 
 where every person was a stranger, the 
 language they spoke unknown to her, 
 and their manners as little understood. 
 
 Miss Felton was seventeen, and her 
 sister Ann fifteen years old. Caroline 
 had met them at two or three parties, 
 and was highly delighted with them. 
 
16 
 They were dressed so elegantly^ and 
 danced so gracefully^ that she could 
 think of nothing but the Misses Felton. 
 They spoke French almost all the time 
 she was in company with them ; many 
 of the young party were able to answer 
 them, and to enter into conversation 
 with them. Not so Caroline ; she had 
 learned French, it is true, but had not 
 been used to converse. And why had 
 she not been used to converse ? Because 
 she did not like French^ and would not 
 take the trouble to learn to speak it. 
 She could read and translate, and with 
 that was content. However, the supe- 
 riority the Misses Felton gained by their 
 French, made Caroline resolve to take 
 more pains. But then she had heard 
 Miss Felton say, she never learned 
 grammar, and that it was reckoned quite 
 nonsense now. No one learned French 
 grammar ! All you had to do was, to 
 hire a French maid, and to go to France 
 for a short time. " This is the way I 
 should like to learn French," thought 
 
17 
 
 Caroline. But, as she knew she should 
 neither go to France, nor have a French 
 maid, she was undetermined how to act. 
 At last she resolved to try her French 
 master. He, of course, persisted in the 
 absolute necessity of learning grammar. 
 This made Caroline in a very bad hu- 
 mour ; and she answered Mr. F. so 
 rudely, that he left the young lady 
 rather abruptly — telling her, that if the 
 lessons were not learned correctly, he 
 should complain to her mamma. She 
 had not recovered from her ill-humour^ 
 when her mamma entered, and the con- 
 versation already related took place. 
 
 Mrs. Roberts had heard much of the 
 Misses Felton, but had not seen them 
 except at church, where she admired 
 neither their appearance nor manners ; 
 nor had she heard from Caroline that 
 they were such favourites with her. 
 But, from some hints she gave, and 
 some new airs she had acquired, Mrs. 
 Roberts guessed that these young ladies 
 were in some degree the cause of the 
 b2 
 
18 
 
 alteration in her little girl. She, there- 
 fore, resolved to call on Mrs. Felton, 
 ask to see her daughters, and judge for 
 herself. She thought it illiberal to con- 
 demn without having seen them, yet as 
 the change in Caroline was rather sud- 
 den, she could not account for it in any 
 other way. 
 
 Before I introduce the ladies to Mrs. 
 Roberts, it may be as well to account 
 for her not having seen them before. 
 Mrs. Roberts also was a widow, of gen- 
 teel, but not large fortune ; and she, 
 therefore, could not mix in very gay 
 circles. Since the death of her hus- 
 band, which happened about four years 
 before, she had resided in a small, re- 
 spectable house, situated in the village 
 of D , in Shropshire. The neigh- 
 bourhood was genteel, the country beau- 
 tiful, and, being but a few miles from 
 the county-town, the best masters were 
 readily procured. This consideration 
 alone was a sufficient reason for Mrs. 
 Roberts' residing there, as her childi^en's 
 
19 
 
 improvement and advantage were to her 
 objects of the greatest interest : but, 
 added to this, the clergyman of the 
 village had been the dearest friend of 
 her lamented husband. They had been 
 school-fellows, and had kept up an in- 
 timacy ever since, though their pro- 
 fessions were very different. Captain 
 Roberts had distinguished himself by his 
 exemplary conduct in all the previous 
 gradations of service, had been raised to 
 the command of an East Indiaman, and 
 had every prospect of accumulating a 
 large fortune, when a sudden illness ter- 
 minated his life. Mr. Stuart, the cler- 
 gyman already mentioned, was the first 
 to offer comfort and consolation to the 
 widow. He stayed in London till the 
 last rites were paid his friend, and would 
 not leave Mrs. Roberts till he obtained 
 her promise to spend the summer with 
 him and his wife. As soon as her affairs 
 were settled, Mrs. Roberts set off for 
 
 D . She was so much pleased with 
 
 Mrs. and Mr. Stuart, and the place 
 
20 
 
 where they lived, that she took a house? 
 near them, in which she had hved ever 
 since. She had found the good sense 
 and kind attentions of Mr. Stuart of 
 great service to her, both in calming 
 her grief for the loss of her husband^ 
 and in directing her m her daughter*^ 
 education. Mrs. Stuart, likewise, had 
 proved a valuable friend. She had been 
 introduced to most of the gentry in the^ 
 place, and had found them, in general^ 
 intelligent, agreeable people. Many of 
 them had children, with whom Caroline 
 became intimate. She had not any par- 
 ticular favourite among the young peo- • 
 pie, but was on good terms with all ; 
 nor had any spirit of rivalry or jealousy 
 arisen among them till the Misses Fel- 
 
 ton came to reside in D . Then, 
 
 all were desirous of being intimate with 
 them ; for they gave dances and treats 
 in a manner so different from what they 
 had been accustomed to, that nothing 
 else was talked of. Caroline had met 
 them several times ; they had noticed 
 
21 
 
 her very much, and had invited her to 
 two dances. This had turned the Httle 
 girl's head ; for though she could not 
 speak French very well, she could play 
 the piano-forte and dance ; nay, she 
 had overheard the eldest Miss Felton 
 say, that if Caroline had but been taught 
 quadrilles, she would have been an ex- 
 cellent dancer, and that she played the 
 piano better than any one in D. During 
 the time that the young lady had been 
 thus visiting, Mrs. Roberts had been in 
 London, settling some law business. 
 On her return, she heard much talk of 
 the new-comers ; but having only paid 
 her respects to Mrs. Felton the week 
 before she left home, she knew little of 
 them. Since her return, therefore, she 
 had only seen the young ladies at church, 
 but the next day she paid Mrs. Felton 
 a visit. 
 
 The young ladies were in the room 
 when Mrs. Roberts was announced. 
 After the usual compliments were over, 
 Mrs. Roberts begged to thank them for 
 
22 
 
 the attention they had paid her Httle 
 girl. " She is a most dehghtful httle 
 creature/' said Miss F. ; "I am charmed 
 with her. I do think I shall be able to 
 teach her quadrilles myself, ma'am, if 
 you will allow her to come to me every 
 day, for an hour or two." " And I," 
 said her sister, '^ will teach her to make 
 bead purses and paper ornaments. Do, 
 ma'am, let her spend every morning 
 with us." "Pray do, Mrs. Roberts," 
 said Mrs. Felton ; " it will be a great 
 advantage to her, for my girls speak 
 French elegantly — every body says so. 
 I don't much understand it myself, but 
 every body says they do, and that they 
 are very accomplished. I know they 
 ought to be, for they have cost me a 
 great deal of money. I'm frightened 
 when I think Jiow much'^ The young 
 ladies looked displeased, and seemed 
 going to speak, when Mrs. Roberts, who 
 had been wishing to address them in 
 reply to what they had said concerning 
 Caroline, turned to Miss Felton, and 
 
23 
 
 politely declined her offer of teaching 
 her quadrilles. ^^ My Caroline," said 
 she, " has so many lessons to attend to, 
 that I am obliged to give up her learning 
 to dance for this year." '^ Let her leave 
 off dancing ! Oh, ma'am, how cruel ! 
 Why she will not be able to mix in 
 society !" 
 
 ^' You forget. Miss Felton," said Mrs. 
 Roberts, " the age of my daughter ; 
 she will not be fit to mix in society 
 these four or five years. I intend she 
 shall pursue her studies closely for that 
 time, and then, I trust, she will be a sen- 
 sible, intelligent girl — an accomplished 
 one I can hardly expect her to be : not 
 that I object to accomphshments ; but 
 as her fortune will be very small, I 
 think it would not be right to expend 
 too much in acquiring a knowledge of 
 dancing and drawing, for neither of 
 which she shews much taste. To gain 
 a perfect knowledge of her own lan- 
 guage and the French tongue, with 
 history, geography, writing, and arith- 
 
24 
 
 metic, willj I think, fully occupy her 
 time. These things I have resolved on 
 her learning. She is fond of music ; 
 therefore, as a reward for the progress 
 she had made in her other studies, I 
 allowed her to begin it about four years 
 since ; determined that, as long as she 
 took pains, she should continue to learn." 
 " Then I am sure, ma'am," cried Miss 
 Ann, '^ she must have taken pains, for 
 she is the sweetest performer I ever 
 heard of her age." " She certainly has 
 made some progress/' said Mrs. Roberts, 
 ^^ and often amuses my winter evenings." 
 " But as her ear is so good, why not let 
 her learn dancing ?" said Miss F. " Do 
 you dislike dancing, ma'am ? For my 
 part, I think all the accomplishments in 
 the world are nothing without it." 
 
 Mrs. Roberts smiled, and was going 
 to reply, when Mrs. Felton expressed 
 her surprise that Mrs. Roberts should 
 not like dancing. For her part, she 
 would rather her daughters were good 
 dancers than good performers on the 
 
25 
 
 piano. " You mistake me, madam/* said 
 Mrs. Roberts : " I do not dislike dan- 
 cing ; on the contrary, I think it essen- 
 tial to a gentlewoman ; but as Caroline 
 can dance tolerably well, I think she 
 may leave it off for a year. We are 
 obliged to go to Shrewsbury to take the 
 lessons, and it occupies at least three 
 hours twice in a week ; therefore I 
 think it is much better to lay it aside 
 for the present." The young ladies 
 were silent, but their looks betrayed 
 the poor opinion they had of Mrs. Ro- 
 berts' judgment. After some common- 
 place conversation, in which the two 
 Misses Felton took their part, Mrs. Ro- 
 berts rose to take leave. The young 
 people again expressed their wish to 
 see Caroline very often, to which Mrs. 
 Roberts answered, she should certainly 
 call on them. 
 
 On her way home, she recalled to 
 herself all they had said, and determined 
 that Caroline should mix with them as 
 little as possible, as she thought they 
 
26 
 
 were very trifling, conceited girls^ and 
 by far too high in their notions for her 
 daughter. She plainly saw that it was 
 their example which had influenced Ca- 
 roline to behave as she had done ; and 
 it gave her no small pain to perceive 
 how easily her little girl could be led 
 astray. However^ she resolved to break 
 off the acquaintance in such a manner 
 that Caroline should not discover it was 
 done intentionally. On entering her 
 own house^ she found Caroline sitting 
 at a table, with a number of papers 
 before her, each of which, upon looking 
 into them, she discovered contained co- 
 loured beads. " Oh ! mamma, I am 
 glad you are returned," said Caroline. 
 " I am in such confusion, that I know 
 not what to do ! I think you can assist 
 me, though." " What is the matter, 
 my love ?" 
 
 '•^ Why, I have been these two hours 
 endeavouring to make a bead purse^ 
 and just as I thought I had finished it, 
 I find I have done it wrong, from the 
 
?7 
 
 third row ; so now if you cannot assist 
 me^ I must begin it all again^ and shall 
 not be able to stir this hour or two, for 
 I am determined to finish it before I do 
 any thing else." '^ A pretty determina- 
 tion, Caroline ! But of course you have 
 nothing else to do, or you would not 
 have spoken in so resolute a manner !" 
 " Indeed you are mistaken, mamma ; I 
 have my French exercise to write, and 
 two nasty sums to do before 5 o'clock. 
 It is this that makes me in such con- 
 fusion ; if I had only had the purse to 
 make, I should have got on very well. 
 How I do hate arithmetic !" '^ How 
 shocked I am, Caroline, to hear you 
 speak in this way ! The last conversa- 
 tion I had with you, you were expressing 
 your dislike to grammar, and now your 
 hatred to arithmetic ; you surely do not 
 speak what you feel^ but think, that 
 this pettish manner, these consequential 
 airs, make you appear womanly. The 
 reverse is quite the case, I assure you. 
 You never appeared so little in my eyes. 
 
28 
 as since you have behaved in this man- 
 ner. I am disappointed and vexed. 
 Instead of treating you henceforth as 
 my companion, I must consider you as 
 a mere babe. Latterly I have not seen 
 to the preparing of your exercises or 
 sums ; your masters have not made any 
 complaint; and I flattered myself that 
 all w^as going on well. The silly argu- 
 ment you held the other day about 
 grammar, is the only instance in which 
 you have displeased me for some time ; 
 and I hoped, as I endeavoured to shew 
 you the impropriety of your conduct, 
 that I should hear no more of such 
 folly ; instead of which, you express 
 your hatred of one of the most useful 
 branches of education." Caroline, who 
 was not in very good humour when her 
 mamma entered, sat in rather a sulky 
 manner, and apparently paying little 
 attention to what she said ; but finding 
 that she was much displeased, she burst 
 into tears, and expressed her sorrow — 
 again entreating forgiveness. Mrs. Ro- 
 
29 
 
 berts was so much hurt at the behaviour 
 of her child, that although she would 
 not part from her without pardoning 
 her, she could not admit her into favour 
 so readily as usual. She therefore de- 
 sired her, if she wished to regain her 
 good opinion, to lay aside the trifling 
 work she had begun, and prepare for 
 her masters, as it was only in that way 
 she could make amends for her miscon- 
 duct. Caroline promised obedience, and 
 Mrs. Roberts left her. 
 
 This good mother felt extremely un- 
 easy when she reflected on Caroline's 
 manner during the last week ; each day 
 something had occurred to vex her, and 
 this was so total a change in her child, 
 that she resolved on doing every thing 
 in her power to correct it. The treat 
 that Caroline spoke of with so much 
 delight, had been given as a reward ; 
 but instead of continuing to merit the 
 indulgence, she had begun to rebel the 
 very next day. Mrs. Roberts had not 
 seen any thing particularly unamiahle 
 c2 
 
30 
 
 ill the Misses Felton ; perhaps many 
 mothers would have been pleased with 
 the praises they bestowed on Caroline. 
 Not so Mrs. Roberts ; she thought it 
 very much like flattery^ and was con- 
 vinced they had said more than they 
 could possibly think. She knew Caro- 
 line's foible was, her love of praise, and 
 made no doubt that the young ladies 
 had discovered it. She could not, there- 
 fore, have any other than a contempti- 
 ble opinion of girls who indulged one so 
 much their junior, in this folly. How 
 to break off the acquaintance was her 
 first thought. Were she to forbid their 
 meeting again, it would cause much 
 disagreeable tattle in the village, and 
 make Caroline appear very silly and un- 
 amiable to every one she knew: this her 
 mamma did not wish. She therefore 
 determined to keep her daughter close 
 to her lessons, and forbid her mixing 
 with any of her young friends until she 
 had made a total change in her conduct 
 — giving as the reason, that she had 
 
31 
 
 partaken of so much pleasure of late, 
 that she had much to do to make up 
 her lost time. The Misses Felton would 
 then have no reason to think they were 
 the chief cause, and no offence would 
 be given. Mrs. Roberts also concluded, 
 that, in a very few weeks, both the mo- 
 ther and children would tire of a dull 
 village, and go to some watering-place, 
 by which time she hoped her child 
 would be much improved. 
 
 When Mrs. Roberts told Caroline, 
 that she had determined on her giving 
 up visiting all her young friends until 
 she had made amends for her late be- 
 haviour, she felt assured her mamma 
 was seriously offended ; and, like a good 
 girl, resolved to submit and be as atten- 
 tive as possible. All things went on 
 well during the two following months, 
 nor did she evince any impatience, ex- 
 cept once, when she expressed her dis- 
 like to the multiplication table, which 
 she said she could not learn, and which 
 she was sure need not be committed to 
 
32 
 
 memory. However^ on her master's 
 expostulating with her, she conquered 
 her aversion to the lesson, and after this 
 confessed, she did not think arithmetic 
 so very difficult. 
 
 About this time Mrs. Roberts received 
 an invitation for herself and Caroline to 
 attend a fete which Mrs. Felton and 
 her daughters intended to give in a few 
 days, previously to their departure for 
 the sea-side. As Caroline had been 
 very good, and her mamma knew her 
 intercourse with the Felton family could 
 not be long kept up, she accepted the 
 invitation for both. Caroline was much 
 pleased, and very grateful to her marnma 
 for allowing her to go. She often thought 
 of the expected pleasure, but took care 
 not to slight any of her lessons. At 
 length the day arrived, and Mrs. Ro- 
 berts and Caroline proceeded to "^ Belle 
 Vue." Almost every body they knew, 
 was there. All the younger part of the 
 company were to dance on the lawn 
 before the house, as soon as tea wa§ 
 
33 
 
 over ; but as Mrs. Felton was a fashion- 
 able lady, this repast did not take place 
 till late — so that it was nearly 9 o'clock 
 before the dance began. This was a 
 serious disappointment to many, who 
 very justly thought the finest part of 
 the evening was gone by. Many of 
 the mothers, among whom was Mrs. 
 Roberts, were afraid of letting their 
 children remain dancing in the open air 
 after night had set in, and expressed 
 their wish, that Mrs. Felton would al- 
 low the young party to dance in the 
 hall ; to which, after expressing her 
 regret that they should think it neces- 
 sary, she consented. Her daughters 
 were loud in their complaints, and 
 seemed entirely to have forgotten, that 
 they ought to be ready to agree to 
 whatever their visitors wished ; nay. 
 Miss Felton was heard to say, she was 
 heartily glad they were going to leave 
 •such a stupid place, and such unfashion- 
 able, uneducated people. Caroline over- 
 heard her, and could not but think she 
 
34 
 was very rude — indeed, much altered ; 
 for she scarcely noticed her after she 
 first came in. "I cannot imagine the 
 reason/' thought Caroline. " She used 
 to say I was her favourite. I cannot 
 think what has made this change in her." 
 As soon as the music began to play, 
 the whole party were ready to start, 
 and had gathered towards the end of 
 the hall, when Miss Felton desired all 
 but six, whom she named, would sit 
 down. She and her sister then joining 
 the chosen six, she directed the men to 
 begin playing the quadrille she had de- 
 sired them to learn. The men played ; 
 but very indifferent was their perform- 
 ance. The style of music was quite 
 new to them ; and, though they had 
 practised, they were far from perfect. 
 The ladies, who had been practising 
 quadrilles at their dancing-school, were 
 not quite perfect in their part ; they 
 had learned them but a very short time, 
 and would not have thought of standing 
 up before company if they had not been 
 
35^ 
 
 pressed to do so by Miss Felton. After 
 many attempts, the quadrille was obliged 
 to be given up, to the great mortifica- 
 tion of the Misses Felton, (who, as 
 they really were good dancers, had 
 hoped they should astonish their coun- 
 try party by the style of their perform- 
 ance,) but to the delight of the rest of 
 the party, who gladly resumed their 
 country dance. But so much time had 
 been wasted in changing the scene of 
 dancing from the lawn to the hall, and 
 in attempting the quadrilles, that they 
 had only time for one dance more ; 
 when, after taking refreshrhent, they 
 were obliged to depart. 
 
 Caroline was not much delighted 
 with her evening's entertainment. She 
 had danced very little, and Miss Felton 
 had hardly spoken to her. Miss Ann, 
 indeed, had been rather more attentive ; 
 but even she had behaved rudely, when, 
 on inquiring how many bead purses 
 Caroline had made, and receiving for 
 answer, ^^ Not one," she, with a toss 
 
36 
 
 of her head^ said^ " I am sorry I have 
 wasted my time in teaching such a stu- 
 pid little thing ! But, perhaps^ you are 
 not to blame," continued she. " I know 
 your mamma is very severe. I dare say 
 she has prevented you, and kept you to 
 your lessons ; thank God, my mamma 
 is better tempered." Before Caroline 
 had time to say a word, Miss Ann was 
 off; but she had said enough to make 
 Caroline no longer desire her for a 
 friend. To speak slightingly of her 
 mamma, who was so good, so indul- 
 gent, was a fault not easily to be for- 
 given ; and, in their way home, Caroline 
 told her mamma what she had heard. 
 Mrs. Roberts was not sorry to find 
 Caroline was hurt at Miss Ann's beha- 
 viour; she hoped the disagreeable im- 
 pression it would leave on her mind 
 would prevent her forming such hasty 
 intimacies in future — nor did she fail to 
 point out the impropriety of such friend-, 
 ships, but assured her, that as she be- 
 came more acquainted with the world. 
 
she would see the necessity of being 
 choice in selecting her friends. 
 
 The remainder of the week passed 
 on as usual with Mrs. Roberts and her 
 family. Caroline received tickets of 
 approbation from all her masters, and 
 read to her mamma with great care and 
 attention. She had very early begun 
 to read Enghsh History; indeed, by 
 the time she was eight years old, she 
 could repeat all the most important 
 events named in Mrs. Trimmers His- 
 tory. Her mamma, as a reward, had 
 made her a present of Goldsmith! s His- 
 tories, in four volumes : these Caroline 
 had read through more than once, and 
 as she was always accustomed to make 
 extracts, and likewise write down all 
 the leading facts, she might be called 
 a tolerably good historian for her age. 
 She supposed that all young ladies had 
 the same pains taken with them as she 
 had ; consequently, that all were ac- 
 quainted with the history of their own 
 country at least. She certainly did not 
 
38 
 
 think the Misses Felton were quite so 
 clever as they appeared at the first in- 
 troduction ; at that time she had been 
 dazzled by their accomplishments ; but 
 she still gave them credit for knowing 
 a great deal more than she did herself. 
 Their age, indeed, authorized her to 
 think so. But she was not aware that 
 their mamma had neither the inclina- 
 tion nor the ability to superintend her 
 daughters' education. She had done 
 what she thought her duty — namely, 
 placing them at a very expensive school, 
 where little attention was paid to any 
 thing except showy accomplishments. 
 She had intended keeping them at this 
 school for several years, but finding it 
 was all the rage among the fashionable 
 world to go to France, she had, as I 
 have already stated, taken her daugh- 
 ters thither. Had she procured masters 
 for them, and not allowed them to visit 
 with her, they might have come home 
 much improved ; instead of which^ from 
 having been very early introduced into 
 
society, they returned to England with- 
 out having acquired one idea beyond 
 dressing, dancing, &c. 
 
 Early in the following week, as Caro- 
 line was reading to her mamma, Mrs. 
 Felton and her daughters were an- 
 nounced. Caroline closed her book, 
 and rose to receive them. No sooner 
 had the usual compliments passed, than 
 Miss Felton ran towards the table, and, 
 laying her hand on the cover of the 
 book Caroline had closed, exclaimed, 
 " What a beautiful bound book ! A 
 novel, I am sure !" Then opening it, 
 she hastily threw it down again, saying, 
 " What a disappointment ! I thought 
 it was some new work, and I should 
 have asked you to lend it to me. I 
 quite long to read a new novel. This 
 is such a stupid place, there is no cir- 
 culating library ; I shall be glad when 
 we leave it." " Well, don't fret about 
 that now, my love," said Mrs. Felton ; 
 " we ihall soon be where you will get 
 plenty of amusing books. It is cer- 
 
40 
 tainly very odd," said she, addressing 
 Mrs. Roberts, " that there is no hbrary 
 here. It is a great want of spirit not to 
 have one ; don't you think so ?" " I 
 cannot say I do, madam," said Mrs. 
 Roberts. " Were there to be one, 
 there are not inhabitants sufficient to 
 support it, even should they all sub- 
 scribe. Indeed, I should be extremely 
 sorry to see any person attempt to open 
 one. It would only corrupt the morals 
 of the young around us, and teach our 
 domestics to idle away their time. I 
 am not an enemy to well-written novels; 
 but, in my opinion, the silly things that 
 are frequently circulated, do much mis- 
 chief. I acknow^ledge I would not 
 allow a child of mine to read one, until 
 of an . age to distinguish the elegant 
 from the trifling." " Well, I am glad 
 Tny mamma does not think like you," 
 said Miss Ann ; " for if she did, we 
 should do nothing but read history I 
 suppose, and I hate that." Mrs. Ro- 
 berts took no notice of the rudeness of 
 
M 
 
 this speech, but, turning to the dder 
 sister, said, ^^ I hope you have not so 
 great a dislike to history as Miss Ann ? 
 It would be a very ill compliment to 
 suppose you had, at i/our age" " Oh ! 
 no, certainly not, I don't hate it, but I 
 like novels better." Then addressing 
 Caroline, she continued, " I suppose 
 you are very fond of it ?" " I like it ex- 
 tremely," answered Caroline. " Should 
 you like to travel?" asked Miss Fel- 
 ton. " Yes, indeed, I quite long for it. 
 Mamma says when I am three or four 
 years older, she will allow me to visit 
 an aunt I have, who resides in Scot- 
 land. I have a great desire to see Edin- 
 burgh, and to visit Holyrood House. 
 I am so fond of reading about Mary, 
 Queen of Scots, that any place in which 
 she had lived, I shall delight in seeing." 
 " Well," replied Miss Felton, " I am 
 sure you are very moderate in your idea 
 of travelling. Why I should think no- 
 thing worth the name, unless I went to 
 the Continent ; but I suppose that would 
 d2 
 
42. 
 be too gaij for you!" "Not at all; I 
 ^should like to go both to France and 
 ^Italy^ but as I know it is not very likely 
 I shall visit either^ I do not say any thing 
 about it : — but/ iiov^ we are talking of 
 France, do tell me what you thought of 
 ;Calais ; I want to go there very much." 
 ' '« Thought of Calais!" said Miss Felton, 
 looking amazed ; " why, my dear, I 
 never thought about it — nobody does : 
 we merely landed there^ went to bed, and 
 proceeded the next morning to Paris. I 
 don't believe I saw any thing till we 
 reached that dear, delightful place ; in- 
 deed, nobody ever does. You never hear 
 any one speak of the road from Calais to 
 Paris. No ; all that is thought of is. How 
 far have we to go ? How long shall we 
 be before we get there ? But pray do tell 
 me, what makes you wish to see Calais." 
 Caroline was almost ashamed to say 
 why she wished to see Calais ; but re- 
 collecting that she had often spoken to 
 her mamma on the subject, and had 
 never heard her express either surprise 
 
43 
 
 or displeasure, she ventured to say, " I 
 am always so interested with the story 
 told of the citizens of that place, and 
 the kind behaviour of the Queen of 
 England, that I should be delighted to 
 walk over the spot where it happened. 
 I should fancy I saw the King and 
 Queen seated in state, and the good 
 Eustace St. Pierre and his fellow-citi- 
 zens offering themselves as voluntary 
 victims to save their city. But I beg 
 your pardon, I am talking too much ; 
 I almost forgot there was any body else 
 in the room." '^ Oh ! pray go on ; it 
 is a very pretty tale you are telling. I 
 remember something about it ; it was 
 Edward the Fifth, was it not ?" '' La ! 
 sister," said Miss Ann, '' why I know 
 better than that! Edward the Fifth 
 died when he was quite a child. I 
 think it was Henry the Fifth. You 
 know we heard a great many things 
 about him when we were in France ; 
 but I never can remember the kings' 
 names — there are so many of them." 
 
44 
 
 Miss Felton looked rather foolish at 
 the mistake she had made ; she saw, too, 
 by Caroline's countenance, that Ann was 
 not right ; she was therefore very glad to 
 see her mamma rise to depart. After 
 many expressions of regret at being 
 forced to go so soon, as they had several 
 places to call at, they took their leave. 
 
 Caroline watched them through the 
 garden and shrubbery, and when she 
 had lost sight of them, she still conti- 
 nued standing at the window. At length 
 Mrs. Roberts said, " Caroline, you ap- 
 pear quite melancholy ! I had no idea 
 you were so much attached to the 
 Misses Felton. Remember, all your 
 
 old friends remain in D . You pay 
 
 them a bad compliment." " I am not 
 melancholy, mamma, nor am I regret- 
 ting the departure of the ladies ; no, I 
 am thinking what a silly little girl I 
 was to be so much pleased with them 
 when they first came hither. How I 
 have been deceived ! I really thought 
 they were the most elegant girls in the 
 
45 
 
 world, and knew more than any of my 
 young acquaintance ; instead of which, 
 they are quite ignorant r " That you 
 would not long continue to think them 
 all perfection," said Mrs. Roberts, " I 
 felt assured ; but before you decide on 
 their being ' quite ignorant,' tell me 
 how they have acted, for you to form 
 this opinion of them ?" " Why, mam- 
 ma," said Caroline, blushing, '^ you 
 may remember they told me French 
 grammar was unnecessary, and /, fool- 
 ish girl, was inclined to believe them ; 
 but, thanks to you, mamma, I was not 
 allowed to leave it off — for I have found 
 the advantage of it already. I have 
 more than once heard Miss Felton speak 
 very incorrectly, and the other day I 
 saw a note she had written to Miss 
 Clifton, which was very ungrammatical. 
 She had put the feminine article before 
 nouns masculine and spelt several words 
 wTong, besides making other mistakes 
 which I should not have found out, had 
 I not been learning a grammar lesson 
 
46 
 
 that very morning, by which I readily 
 discovered the errors. And, could you 
 believe, mamma, she knows no more of 
 history than httle Agnes does ! She po- 
 sitively said, just now, that it was Ed- 
 ward the Fifth who conquered Calais ! 
 Nor is Miss Ann any wiser; she de- 
 clared she thought it must be Henry 
 the Fifth, because she had heard many 
 things told of him in France. I am 
 sure you will agree with me now, mam- 
 ma, in saying they are very ignarantr 
 ^^ They are certainly not very wise, my 
 child. I have no right to censure Mrs. 
 Felton for the manner in which she 
 has brought up her children, but I can- 
 not avoid saying, she has acted unkindly 
 towards them, though no doubt it has 
 been through mistaken indulgence. She, 
 poor woman, knew not the advantages 
 of education herself, and as she had got 
 through life very well without it, thought 
 she would not overload her daughters 
 with too much learning. She forgot 
 that the age has improved, and that the 
 
47 
 
 young people of the present day, with 
 a few exceptions, are not only accom- 
 plished, but well informed. But we 
 will not find any more fault with the 
 party that has just left us. I am not 
 fond of detracting. It is not likely we 
 shall meet with them for some time ; in 
 the mean while, let what you have seen 
 of them serve as a warning to you, not 
 to set too high a value on showy «c- 
 compUshments. Always remember that 
 a well-cultivated mind will be a resource 
 when the glare of accomplishments fades 
 before you." " I will always remember 
 what you say, dear mamma," answered 
 Caroline. They then separated, Mrs. 
 Roberts to attend to some domestic con- 
 cerns, and Caroline to walk out with 
 her sister and the servant. 
 
 Mrs. Roberts continued the plan she 
 had adopted for her daughter's educa- 
 tion, and was much pleased with the 
 progress she made. Caroline was cheer- 
 ful and happy, as she saw her mamma 
 was satisfied with her conduct. She 
 
48 
 frequently mixed with her young friends 
 in the village, and as the Misses Felton 
 were not there to show off, no spirit of 
 rivalry appeared amongst them. 
 
 Winter was now drawing on ; Caro- 
 Hne had begun to read Roman history, 
 and was delighted with it. She longed 
 every evening for the tea equipage to 
 be removed, that she might commence 
 reading aloud to her mamma. Just at 
 
 this time a stranger arrived at D . 
 
 Charles Stuart, son of the worthy rector, 
 was indeed a stranger. He had been a 
 considerable time absent from England. 
 His fond parents had many times wish- 
 ed to press him to their bosom ; but as 
 they knew he must obey the commands 
 of his captain, they forbore to express 
 their wishes. They lived in hopes that 
 the day would arrive when they should 
 again see their son, and they never fail- 
 ed to recommend him to the protection 
 of Him who alone can preserve life. 
 
 As Charles was the only child of his 
 parents, they had with much concern 
 
A9 m-^- ._ 
 
 observed from his infancy a strong in- 
 clination to a sea life. Mr. Stuart for- 
 bore to notice this to the boy himself, 
 but took care on every occasion to speak 
 of the pleasure he should feel in seeing 
 him an inmate of the same college in 
 which he himself had been educated ; 
 " and, perhaps/' said the fond father, 
 ^' obtaining a prize for a Latin poem !" 
 ^^ I trust my son will follow his father's 
 steps in every thing," said Mrs. Stuart, 
 " and then he will be an ornament to 
 the Church." " I hope I shall be as 
 good as my father," said Charles ; 
 " but I don't think I should like to be a 
 clergyman ; I would much rather be the 
 captain of a Merchantman." Though 
 Mr. Stuart did not hastily check his 
 son's wishes, he never failed to point 
 out the hardships of a sailor's life, in 
 the hope that it might give him a dis- 
 taste to it. But it was of no avail. 
 Each year only increased his desire ; 
 and a letter Mr. Stuart received from 
 Mrs. Roberts, in which she told him of 
 
 E 
 
50 
 her husband's safety, after having en* 
 countered very boisterous weather in his 
 homebound passage, was listened to by 
 Charles with such delight, that he could 
 talk of nothing else. The newspapers^ 
 too, spoke of the imminent danger in 
 which the ship had frequently been 
 placed, and of Capt. Roberts's great 
 skill in weathering so many storms and 
 bringing his cargo home uninjured. In 
 short, Charles, who was now thirteen 
 years of age, told his father he was sure 
 he never could be happy unless he al- 
 lowed him to go to sea. His parents 
 perceiving how strongly his mind was 
 set on it, reluctantly gave their consent; 
 and, after some letters had passed be* 
 tween them and Capt. Roberts, the 
 latter desired the young adventure? 
 might be sent to him. He was warmly 
 received by the captain; but, unfortu- 
 nately, that gentleman's health obliging 
 him to return home, in a very few 
 months after Charles's entering the ser- 
 vice, he consigned him to the particu- 
 
51 
 
 lar care of an intelligent and esteemed 
 friend, with whom Charles sailed to the 
 East Indies. He returned to England 
 after an absence of a year and a half, 
 and made a short visit to his parents, 
 who were delighted with his growth and 
 improvement in health. He paid iiis 
 respects to Mrs. Roberts, who was much 
 aifected at seeing him. Her husband 
 having spoken of him in high terms, 
 she felt great interest in his welfare. 
 
 During the last four years, Charles had 
 been two voyages to India, and one to 
 Alexandria. He had seen much service, 
 and in all of them behaved so well as to 
 be particularly noticed by his comman- 
 der. His delighted parents had receiv- 
 ed intelligence of all that had occurred. 
 His letters to them were written with 
 much good sense; but though he de- 
 scribed the difficulties and perils they 
 experienced, he did not mention the 
 high encomiums passed on his rapidly 
 advancing skill. Captain Drummond, 
 however, did not fail to acquaint them 
 
52 
 
 with the value of his nautical science 
 in time of danger, and the propriety of 
 his behaviour on all occasions. It may 
 easily be supposed after this, that it was 
 with great joy they received intelligence 
 of the safe arrival of the Marquis of 
 Huntley Indiaman in the Downs. The 
 next letter told them they might expect 
 their child in a few days. The moment 
 at length arrived when they were once 
 more to behold the object of their fond- 
 est hopes. We will pass over the meet- 
 ing ; — suffice it to say, they were alf 
 happy, as they deserved to be. 
 
 As soon as the parties were suffici- 
 ently composed, they proceeded to Mrs. 
 Roberts's, where they were cordially 
 welcomed. Charles, who was now eigh- 
 teen, was very tall and well-formed; 
 his manners were easy and pleasing. 
 He had seen much of the world, and 
 had profited by what he had seen. His 
 attention to his parents was as dutiful 
 and affectionate as ever. He went round 
 the village to see all his old friends — to 
 
53 
 
 whom he behaved in the kindest man- 
 ner ; in short, he seemed the same 
 warm-hearted youth he ever had been, 
 and vi^as now, as formerly, a great fa- 
 vourite with all. 
 
 As his stay at D— — would proba- 
 bly be of some months' duration, he 
 determined to make it as profitable as 
 he could, and avail himself of his fa- 
 thers instructions. Accordingly, he 
 spent his mornings in study, and fre- 
 quently passed the evening at Mrs. 
 Roberts's, where he was considered so 
 much like a son and brother, that the 
 reading went on as usual. Charles had 
 seen several of the places named in the 
 history Caroline was reading, and was 
 ready at all times to give an account of 
 what he had seen, and to compare the 
 state of those places now with what they 
 had been. He had touched at many of 
 the ports in the Mediterranean, and had 
 frequently landed both in Africa and 
 Europe. The information he gave was 
 therefore extremely interesting. Mrs. 
 e2 
 
54 
 
 Roberts likewise found him a most use- 
 ful assistant in teaching the use of the 
 globes, particularly the celestial globe. 
 The life of a sailor obliges him to be- 
 come acquainted with the situation of 
 the stars ; and when he explained to Ca- 
 roline the great use of the compass, she 
 could not sufficiently admire the inge- 
 nuity of the man who had discovered it. 
 This winter proved a most profitable 
 season to Caroline ; and never had she 
 passed her time so pleasantly. She 
 could scarcely believe she had been 
 improving both in grammar and arith- 
 metic while making memorandums of 
 what Charles told them, and calcu- 
 lating the distances of the stars ; but 
 this had actually been the case. Her 
 mamma made a point of reading the 
 memorandums, and of correcting the 
 language when it required. " This, 
 then, has been a grammatical exercise, 
 my child," said Mrs. Roberts ; and 
 Charles had made her find out the dis- 
 tance of one star from another, and of 
 
55 
 
 each from the earth — so that she had 
 become a very ready accountant. — 
 '' Well," said Caroline, " I wonder that 
 I ever said any thing against either the 
 one or the other, for I am sure I never 
 was so much pleased with any employ- 
 ment I ever had." Nor had music been 
 neglected. She had practised much, 
 and had made considerable improvement. 
 The French tongue, too, had become 
 quite familiar to her. Charles and her 
 mamma continually conversed in it, so 
 that she insensibly joined them, and 
 could now speak it without blushing 
 or stammering. To her little sister she 
 had been very attentive. Her mamma 
 had always promised that when she be- 
 came steady and had conquered her im- 
 patience, she should instruct Agnes. 
 She had now had her under her care 
 several months, and Mrs. Roberts was 
 quite gratified with the child's improve- 
 ment. Thus every thing went on to 
 the entire satisfaction of both mother 
 and daughter. 
 
56 
 
 , A change was now to take place that 
 could not fail of giving pain to all par- 
 ties. Mrs. Roberts received letters from 
 her attorney in London, telling her that 
 her presence would be absolutely ne- 
 cessary previous to term commencing. 
 She therefore resolved on taking both 
 her children with her, as she foresaw 
 the probability of her being detained in 
 London some time. Her friends Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stuart kindly offered to take 
 charge of her children, but she declined 
 it. " I feel greatly obliged, my kind 
 friends," said she, " by your offer, but 
 as I wish Caroline to have the attend- 
 ance of some of the best masters, I 
 think this will be a good opportunity to 
 procure it. Should my stay in London 
 be prolonged till the summer advances^, 
 I will request you to let my house ; as 
 I fear in that case, the law-suit will not 
 be terminated. I know not how I shall 
 live without your society ; I feel, too, 
 that you will miss me and my children; 
 however, I leave you your son, who is 
 
57 
 
 all you could wish him to be." Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stuart's hearts assented to this; 
 but they felt so much at the idea of parting 
 with Mrs. Roberts and her little family, 
 that they could think of nothing else. 
 
 Caroline had often wished to revisit 
 London, particularly at the time the 
 
 Misses Felton were in D , for she 
 
 tlien, like them, began to think D~ 
 
 a very stupid place — (such is the force 
 of example); but now that they were 
 gone, and she had returned to her old 
 pursuits, she imagined no place like 
 
 D . The day for their departure 
 
 was fixed, and CaroHne thought she 
 never could be happy when separated 
 from all her old friends. The time 
 seemed to pass much quicker than 
 usual, and when her mamma asked her, 
 while at breakfast, if she did not intend 
 to dedicate that morning to taking leave 
 of her young companions, as they 
 should certainly depart in two days — 
 the time she had fixed — Caroline burst 
 into tears. Mrs. Roberts was not dis- 
 
58 
 
 pleased to see her child capable of warm 
 attachment to her friends ; at the same 
 time she did not think it right to allow 
 her to indulge in her sorrow; she there* 
 fore tried to rouse her. " I know you 
 are partial to many of your young com- 
 panions, and that it will cost you some 
 pain to part with them, my child," said 
 she ; but you must not allow your tears 
 to flow on all occasions. I expected 
 you would have shewn more fortitude. 
 This is ihQ Jirst trial you have had 5 
 many, many may be in store for you ; 
 it is therefore necessary that you should 
 begin to shew something like strength 
 of mind." 
 
 " Indeed, mamma," said Caroline, 
 ^^ I feel so very unhappy at leaving all 
 whom I know and love, that I cannot 
 help crying. I had rather not take 
 leave of them ; it will make me so 
 miserable." " I do not call this be- 
 haviour the result of warm or generous 
 feelings, Caroline ; on the contrary, I 
 think it proceeds from selfishness-i— and 
 
must own I am disappointed. I thought 
 you would be sorry to leave many who 
 had been kind to you^ but at the same 
 time I expected you would behave pro- 
 perly on the occasion ; that is^ instead 
 of giving vent to unavaiHng regrets^ you 
 Would make a point of calling on your 
 friends, and behaving politely to them. 
 I call your behaviour selfish, because 
 you would rather appear to them, a 
 rude, ungrateful girl, than expose your- 
 self to what you think will give you 
 some pain. What opinion do you sup- 
 pose your friends will have of you ? 
 What an unfavourable impression will 
 you leave on their minds! ^This little 
 girl, to whom we have been so kind,' 
 
 they will say, * has left D without 
 
 taking any notice of us. The thought 
 of her London journey has made her 
 quite forget her old playfellows in D — . 
 I did not think Miss Roberts would ever 
 be so unkind.' '* 
 
 " But indeed, mamma, they would 
 do me great injustice if they said so," 
 
60 
 replied Caroline, " for I love them all 
 very much. I had no idea I should be 
 called selfish for saying w^hat I have ; 
 nor did I think it possible that self had 
 any thing to do with my feelings; but 
 you have made it appear very different. 
 I now see I should only spare my own 
 feelings, at the risk of giving offence to 
 those whom I would wish to please. I 
 will do exactly as you advise ; and as 
 soon as my eyes have lost their red- 
 ness, will take Agnes in my hand and 
 walk through the village. How fortu- 
 nate it is that I have a good and kind 
 mother to direct me in every thing! 
 for I am constantly judging wrong." 
 Mrs. Roberts kissed her sweet girl, and 
 commended her for the readiness with 
 which she attended to her counsel ; 
 then ringing the bell she desired a ser- 
 vant to accompany the young ladies in 
 their walk. \. 
 
 Left to herself, Mrs. Roberts felt that 
 it required all the firmness she possessed 
 to conceal from her daughter the great 
 
61 
 
 pain she experienced at the approaching 
 separation. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart had 
 been so kind^ so attentive^ ever since 
 
 her residence in D , that she must 
 
 have been ungrateful in the extreme if 
 she had not felt towards them both 
 gratitude and affection. They had 
 soothed her grief when she lost her 
 husband; Mr. Stuart had been the 
 chosen friend of that lamented husband, 
 and this made his friendship doubly 
 valuable. When he advised, it seemed 
 the counsel of her husband. On all 
 occasions he had been most active to 
 serve her. It was bv his advice, that 
 she had educated Caroline at home. 
 He saw it would be a great advantage 
 to both mother and child, — he was 
 right. The exertion Mrs. Roberts was 
 obliged to make in order to pay proper 
 attention to her child, had roused her 
 /rom that state of grief into which she 
 had fallen ; and the little foibles of Ca- 
 roline had been so carefully watched 
 and corrected by her fond mother, that 
 
62 
 
 she gave every promise of making an 
 amiable woman. Thus both v^^ere in- 
 debted to the worthy Mr. Stuart. It is 
 not surprising, then, that Mrs. Roberts 
 should feel regret at parting with so 
 kind a friend. She was unwilling, 
 however, to let her daughter see the 
 extent of what she felt, as it was with 
 pain she saw her too often prone to 
 indulge in excessive sensibility — a feel- 
 ing which she thought it her duty to 
 check — knowing that it always makes 
 the possessors of it miserable, besides 
 frequently exposing them to much ridi- 
 cule from the world. On Caroline's re^ 
 turn, therefore, she was able to speak to 
 her with cheerfulness. 
 
 '^ I am very glad, dear mamma, I 
 was not allowed to act as / thought 
 proper," said Caroline, " for I should 
 not have heard what has given me 
 much pleasure. Do you know, almost 
 all my friends expressed their regret at 
 parting with me ! And many of their 
 mammas," added the blushing girl, 
 
63 
 
 " declared I should be quite a loss to 
 
 D ., and said many handsome things 
 
 which I cannot repeat. They all con- 
 fessed how differently they felt when 
 Mrs. Felton and her daughters left the 
 village ; but I could not avoid shedding 
 tears when I said ^ Good bye ;' particu- 
 larly when I took leave of Louisa Jones. 
 You know we always were fond of each 
 other. Louisa said she should like to 
 correspond with me, and her mamma 
 was so good as to say she was sure it 
 would be of great service to her. I 
 promised, if you would give me leave, I 
 would perform my part very punctually. 
 Will you allow me, mamma ?" " Un- 
 doubtedly, my love. Louisa is a very 
 good girl, an affectionate, dutiful child — 
 as such, she must be a proper person to 
 choose for a friend. I am glad to find 
 you have selected one so every way un- 
 exceptionable. Mrs. Jones paid you a 
 great compliment in saying her daughter 
 would derive benefit from it. How- 
 ever, as she has said so, do not disap- 
 
64 
 
 point her; but let your letters be as 
 free from error as you can possibly 
 write them. I feel assured yours will 
 be the advantage in this correspond- 
 ence. I am glad the friend you have 
 chosen is older than yourself ; it will 
 make you more cautious in your com- 
 positions, than if you were writing to 
 a younger person. But come, my love, 
 we must make some preparations for 
 our journey." 
 
 Mrs. Roberts and her daughter were 
 so fully occupied with overlooking, pack- 
 ing up, &c., that it was late in the day 
 ere they thought of taking refreshment; 
 and when they did sit down to dinner, 
 neither was in such good spirits as to 
 enjoy it. This would be the last dinner 
 they would eat in that house for a length 
 of time, and perhaps they never might 
 meet there again. — " Many comfortable 
 days have we spent here, mamma," 
 said Caroline, " I hope we shall get as 
 nice a house in London. But the gar- 
 den ! Oh we never can have as good a 
 
garden any where else, and in London 
 there are no gardens at all. My pretty- 
 rose-trees and honey-suckles, how sorry 
 I am to leave them ! I hope the gar- 
 dener will attend to them carefully: you 
 know I have taken such pains to train 
 the woodbines.*' " I will give orders to 
 him, my love, to do so ; and you will 
 hear of their welfare from your friend 
 Louisa Jones." " Oh ! that will be de- 
 lightful ! I began to be afraid I should 
 find nothing to say to her, but I dare 
 say I shall : you have given me one 
 subject already, besides which, I must 
 tell her of all I see in London." " You 
 can," said Mrs. Roberts, ^^ likewise give 
 her an account of what you are learning, 
 as you will have much to say on that 
 subject." "True, mamma; but see who 
 comes here," said she, looking through 
 the window ; " it is Charles, carrying 
 Agnes in his arms." Charles entered 
 immediately after, saying he should 
 soon be followed by his father and mo- 
 ther, who were coming to entreat Mrs. 
 f2 
 
66 
 
 Roberts would join their family party 
 in the evening. " I have promised to 
 spend the whole of to-morrow with you, 
 Charles," said Mrs. Roberts. "You 
 did not know this, perhaps." "Yes I 
 did, ma'am," replied he, " but we shall 
 not meet again for a long time ; there- 
 fore we ought to be together as much 
 as possible." Before she could answer, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stuart arrived, who join- 
 ing their entreaties to those of their 
 son, soon prevailed on Mrs. Roberts to 
 consent. Taking little Agnes in her 
 hand, she walked with the worthy cou- 
 ple through the village, whilst Charles 
 and Caroline traversed the garden over, 
 visited the green-houses and gave strict 
 charge to the gardener to take care of 
 the plants. "And pray, good Richard," 
 said Caroline, "be particularly careful 
 of my woodbines." " That I will, Miss," 
 said Richard, "both for your sake and 
 Madam's. Sorry / he to think you are 
 going to leave us." "Thank you, Ri- 
 chard," replied Caroline, I hope we 
 
"And. pray, o'ood. Richard," said Caroline," be partlculaj^ 
 careful of my wroodbines ." 
 
 I.M.i.^n :nWam. 'DartsrufS. ffoU'.m M^, 2 m,\ 23.2S24. 
 
67 
 
 shall return by next spring. Good bye." 
 On saying this, she joined her compa- 
 nion and proceeded to the Parsonage. 
 Mrs. Roberts had but just arrived. She 
 had met many in the village who had 
 taken leave of her: she had not had 
 spirits to call on all her friends ; but 
 the poor, to whom she was always a 
 friend, had run out of their houses on 
 seeing her, to pour their blessings on 
 her head, and to express their grief at 
 losing her. " In all probability, I shall 
 return again, my good people," said 
 Mrs. Roberts, " therefore you need not 
 take this solemn leave of me. Fare you 
 well ! God bless you ;" and, leaning on 
 the arm of her friend, she proceeded to 
 the Rectory. The evening was passed ra- 
 ther cheerfully than otherwise ; theyoung 
 people were in good spirits, and the 
 prospect of spending the whole of the 
 next day together seemed to give plea- 
 sure to all. They parted for the night, 
 Charles promising to call for them by 
 twelve o'clock on the morrow. The 
 
68 
 
 morrow arrived, passed over, and the 
 day of separation came : — the friends 
 breakfasted together. 
 
 When the chaise stopped at the door, 
 all but little Agnes looked grave: she 
 clapped her hands with joy at the- 
 thought of a ride. The parties took 
 leave. The elder ones commanded 
 their feelings tolerably well. Charles 
 was ashamed to be seen shedding a tear, 
 but could not entirely refrain from it. 
 CaroHne sobbed aloud as she clasped 
 her arms around her good, kind friend 
 Mr. Stuart, whom she loved as a fa- 
 ther. The children and the maid being 
 at length seated in the chaise, Mrs. Ro- 
 berts took a hand of each, pressed them 
 to her lips, and, leaning on the arm of 
 Charles, walked towards the door. Mr. 
 Stuart, however, attempting to smile, 
 said, his son should not supplant him 
 yet, and taking Mrs. Roberts's hand, 
 led her to the carriage. When she was 
 seated, he rested his arm for a moment 
 on the window, and saying AdieUy Re- 
 
69 
 
 member^ waved his hand for the pos- 
 tihon to drive on. 
 
 To account for the unusual depres- 
 sion of spirits which Mrs. Roberts felt, 
 I must tell my young readers, that a 
 few days before her departure, Mr. 
 Stuart had called on her, and, after 
 some conversation about the business 
 which required her to go to London, 
 and the great probability there was 
 
 that her return to D would not 
 
 be until a very distant period ; he pro- 
 ceeded to speak of himself and family, 
 of the many happy days they had spent 
 together, and of the great loss she would 
 be to their social, friendly parties. He 
 then, after a little hesitation, though with 
 perfect resignation and some degree of 
 cheerfulness, told her, that he felt his 
 health was rapidly declining, and that 
 before another summer had arrived, he 
 should be no more. All his. family had 
 died at the age he then was, and he felt 
 certain symptoms which he took as 
 warnings. Upon seeing Mrs. Roberts 
 
70 
 
 much affected at what he said, (though 
 she did not express surprise, for she had 
 with grief seen a great change in his 
 health,) he apologised for giving her 
 pain ; but was anxious to say to her 
 what he had long wished, which was, 
 that in case his death happened before 
 her return, she would use all her endea- 
 vours to persuade Mrs. Stuart to join 
 her in London. — " In this place," said 
 he, '^she will only indulge her grief, 
 and being without your friendly aid, 
 will perhaps soon follow me to the 
 grave ; whereas she ought to live for 
 her boy, our worthy Charles, who, al- 
 though he is at present all we can wish, 
 is at an age to want the counsel of a 
 parent." As soon as Mrs. Roberts 
 could speak, she promised all he asked: 
 adding, " I can never do for her what 
 you did for me under similar circum- 
 stances ; but you may depend on my 
 friendship should it be necessary. I 
 most earnestlv pray the day may be far 
 distant when I shall be called upon." 
 
71 
 
 Mr. Stuart thanked her, and soon after 
 took his leave. He returned to his 
 usual avocations, and his spirits soon 
 became tranquil and cheerful as ever: 
 for he was a truly good Christian, and 
 prepared for the great and avv^ful change, 
 whenever it should take place. Mrs. 
 Roberts could not so soon regain her 
 accustomed ease. Mr, Stuart's manner, 
 as well as his words ^ convinced her that 
 he felt much more than he acknow- 
 ledged, or he would not have spoken to 
 her in the way he had done. When 
 she visited the Parsonage next day, he 
 met her as usual. Mrs. Stuart looked 
 as if she wished to say something, but 
 feared to say what. Mrs. Roberts per- 
 ceiving it, avoided any private conversa- 
 tion, and thus each of the elder party 
 felt more than she ventured to express. 
 Mr. Stuart had been the most lively of 
 the three, the last evening ; and even 
 at the hour of parting, he contrived to 
 make Caroline smile through her tears. 
 The word remember^ uttered by him 
 
in a pleasing, but solemn tone, still 
 sounded in the ears of Mrs. Roberts. 
 She knew it alluded to the promise she 
 had made him ; and fearing it might 
 be the last she should ever hear him 
 speak, she could no longer refrain from 
 tears. After indulging her grief for 
 some minutes, she roused herself to 
 speak to her children, particularly to 
 Caroline, who appeared to forget her 
 mamma and sister were with her; she 
 kept looking out of the window as long 
 as the church steeple was in sight, and 
 then falling back into her seat, cried 
 aloud. Her mamma permitted this a 
 short time^ and then calling her atten- 
 tion to the objects they were passing, 
 had the pleasure to see her gradually 
 recover her spirits. The road was new 
 to her, the country very beautiful, and, 
 after two days' pleasant travelling, they 
 arrived at lodgings, previously taken for 
 them, in Russel Square. 
 
 A day's rest recruited the party ; 
 after which, Mrs. Roberts took them 
 
73 
 
 out for a long walk. Caroline remem- 
 bered many of the streets, and was much 
 pleased at being able to lead her mamma 
 through some of them, on their way- 
 home. Little Agnes was delighted with 
 all she saw : she could scarcely pass the 
 toy-shops, they all looked so inviting. 
 They were much tired with their walk, 
 but looked forward to the next day to 
 renew their toil and their delight. The 
 next day was passed like the preceding 
 one. On the third, the attorney called 
 on Mrs. Roberts, and told her it was 
 necessary she should attend at his office 
 for some mornings ; there was much 
 business to be done, and no time to be 
 lost, as the trial would take place the 
 following week. Mrs. Roberts was un- 
 easy at being obliged to leave her chil- 
 dren, but there was no alternative ; she 
 therefore gave them in strict charge to 
 Collins, her servant, with leave to walk 
 an hour or two during the morning, 
 but restricted them to the neighbouring 
 squares. The whole week was spent 
 
74 
 in this way. Early in the next, the 
 law-suit was tried, and decided in favour 
 of Mrs. Roberts. By this decision, she 
 acquired a great increase of income, 
 arising from estates in Cornwall and 
 Somersetshire. This could not fail to 
 give her pleasure, as it enabled her to 
 provide handsomely for her children, 
 and to do good to a greater extent than 
 she had hitherto been able. She lost 
 no time in letting her friends, the Stu- 
 arts, know what had happened; and 
 they soon replied to her letter, congra- 
 tulating her on the happy termination of 
 the business. Mr. Stuart added a post- 
 script, telling her, that he was considera- 
 bly better than when she left. This was 
 intelligence that gave her heartfelt plea- 
 sure. " It may not be a lasting change," 
 said she ; " but I will not dwell on the 
 dark side of the picture. I will hope 
 that this good man will be restored to us." 
 Mrs. Roberts had many acquaintance 
 in London, some of whom she highly 
 valued. As soon as it was known she 
 
75 
 
 was in town, they waited on her ; but 
 so much had she been occupied with 
 the lawyers, that she had not had time 
 to return any of their visits. The next 
 week, too, she found would be employ- 
 ed in looking over leases and other 
 business, by which her children would 
 be unavoidably left to themselves the 
 greater part of the day. When, there- 
 fore, two or three of her friends request- 
 ed she would allow them to spend a 
 day with each, she readily complied. 
 CaroHne and she had had little time to 
 converse together during the last fort- 
 night; when they met, Caroline had 
 something to tell her of whom and 
 what she had seen, and as Mrs. Roberts 
 did not like to check her very natural 
 gaiety, she forbore to give her any les- 
 sons, or any fixed employment, per- 
 suaded that in a few days, when they 
 should return to their usual occupa- 
 tions, she would find her as attentive 
 and industrious as ever. 
 
 The leisure time arrived, but Caro- 
 
76 
 line was not quite so well behaved on 
 the occasion as her mamma had ex- 
 pected. She did not see how it would 
 be possible to learn regular lessons now 
 they were in town ; they dined much 
 later than when in the country ; and, 
 besides, they should have a great many 
 morrdng visitors ! Mrs. Roberts was 
 rather surprised to hear her daughter 
 run on in this trifling manner ; she had 
 hoped that she never again should have 
 occasion to reprimand her for what she 
 called a very serious fault. She had 
 made such great progress in all she had 
 learned, that her mamma fully expected 
 she would feel the laudable desire to 
 excel ; but this could not be the case, 
 or she would not throw^ obstacles in the 
 w^ay of further improvement. Upon 
 entering into conversation with her, she 
 found that the new acquaintance Caro- 
 line had made during her morning walks 
 in the Square, had all agreed, upon her 
 describing the way in which she was 
 educated, that she spent more time in 
 
77 
 
 study than they did ; that it was not 
 the fashion in London to dedicate all 
 the morning to study ; an hour or two 
 in the early part of the day, and part 
 of the afternoon, was quite long enough 
 to mope over lessons ; their mammas 
 had many morning visitors, most of 
 whom they saw ; they had to dress 
 several times in the day ; in short, hers 
 was a very dismal life, and theirs was a 
 very gay one. Caroline endeavoured to 
 point out the advantages she possessed 
 in living always under her mamma's eye, 
 and ventured to say, that she thought 
 the retired life she led was by no means 
 dismal ; but when she told them she 
 read aloud to her mamma every even- 
 ing by way of amusement, and that she 
 generally read history, of which she 
 was very fond, — they all joined in say- 
 ing it was quite a bore. At first, Caro- 
 line was rather offended ; and, instead of 
 going to the Square the next morning 
 immediately on her mamma's leaving 
 her, she sat down to the piano, and 
 g2 
 
78 
 practised nearly an hour ; after which 
 she heard Agnes read a short lesson. 
 Her young companions wondered what 
 had kept her so long ; and Caroline, 
 afraid of being laughed at, forbore to 
 give the reason, but promised to be 
 earlier the next day. She kept her 
 word the following morning, resolving 
 that she would hear Agnes say a lesson 
 when she returned home ; but a suc- 
 cession of young persons coming into 
 the Square, she stayed out much later 
 than usual, and her mamma came home 
 before she had done any thing. Seve- 
 ral days passed in this manner ; and 
 although Caroline knew she was not 
 acting as she ought to do, she had not 
 the courage to alter her conduct. Not 
 that she felt any thing like attachment 
 to her new friends, but they were ele- 
 gant, fashionable girls, and she could not 
 bear to be laughed at by them. It is 
 true, she sometimes thought they re- 
 sembled the Misses Felton ; but they 
 were far superior; they never were 
 
79 
 
 guilty of the flagrant faults those young 
 ladies committed ; on the contrary^ they 
 spoke both French and English very 
 correctly. " It is a pity/' said Caro- 
 line sometimes to herself, " that they 
 do not talk on some other subjects than 
 plays and books which I never read ; it 
 makes me appear as if I knew nothing." 
 Still this little girl allowed herself to be 
 led from the performance of her duty, 
 to appear amiable in the eyes of girls 
 who were almost strangers to her, and 
 of whom she had not the most exalted 
 opinion. The want of stability in Caro- 
 line, greatly grieved her parent. With- 
 out firmness of character, she knew no 
 permanent good could be effected. She 
 saw how absolutely necessary it was to 
 have a constant watch over her, and, 
 above all, to be careful in letting her mix 
 as little as possible with those of her own 
 age, until she herself had an opportunity 
 of judging whether they were fit com- 
 panions. Caroline was much wounded 
 when her mamma expressed her displea- 
 
80 
 
 sure at the account she gave of the man- 
 ner in whi ch she had passed her time. 
 
 ^^ How many days have you lost, 
 Caroline !" said Mrs. Roberts ; " nay, 
 worse than lost ! for, in them, you have 
 imbibed notions which will, if perse- 
 vered in, undo all I have been endea- 
 vouring to do. I am persuaded you 
 do not think very highly of the young 
 people with whom you have been asso- 
 ciating; but they are what you call 
 fcmhionable ; as such, you wish to imi- 
 tate them. My time has been most 
 unprofitably spent indeed, if a few days 
 are sufficient to overturn the labour of 
 years ! I fear you want a more strict 
 preceptress than your mother can ever 
 be: unremitting attention is what you 
 must have, but which, in the present 
 state of my affairs, I cannot pay you. 
 In another fortnight I must go into 
 Cornwall to settle business for your fu- 
 ture advantage. I did think either of 
 taking you with me, or of sending you 
 to my friend Mrs. Stuart, where you 
 
81 
 might have pursued your studies as 
 heretofore ; but you will oblige me to 
 alter my plan entirely." " Oh ! dear 
 mamma, what will you do with me? 
 Try me again, I entreat you : you shall 
 find me obedient and attentive. I am 
 sorry, very sorry, that I have offended 
 you ; I see my folly, and shall never be 
 guilty of the same again." " You pro- 
 mised the like the last time you seri- 
 ously offended me ; and for a time you 
 kept that promise ; but on the first op- 
 portunity you have relapsed into your 
 former error. No, my child, I love you 
 too well to neglect any thing that I think 
 will eventually tend to your good. I 
 think it desirable that you should live 
 with strangers. Were I to send you to 
 
 D , my kind friend would, I know, 
 
 pay you every attention ; but the same 
 masters would attend you, the same 
 young persons would be your compa- 
 nions, that you have had for several 
 years ; all would go on well, no doubt ; 
 but should a stranger arrive, a very fa- 
 
82 
 shionable lady, she would be your chosen 
 friend ; all her fancies would soon be- 
 come yours. I cannot suppose the eye 
 of a friend would be more watchful than 
 that of a mother, or that her admoni- 
 tions would have more effect than mine. 
 No! it is the superintendence of one 
 accustomed to the education of youth 
 that you require — one who gives her 
 whole time to her pupils, and who, 
 while she gently and kindly leads you 
 to do what is right, will both reprimand 
 and punish you when you do wrong." 
 
 " Then, mamma, you will not take 
 me with you into Cornwall ?" cried Ca- 
 roline ; ^^ you are really going to send 
 me from you ? You do not forgive me, 
 and I shall never be happy again ! I 
 have displeased the kindest mother that 
 ever child had. I cannot live if you 
 send me away ; I know I cannot. I 
 shall break my heart," continued she, 
 sobbing aloud. " Your impatient tem- 
 per is shewing itself again, Caroline," 
 said Mrs, Roberts. " Check it, I be- 
 
93 
 
 seech you, or I shall indeed find it hard 
 to love you as I have done. I thought 
 I had really overcome this fault." " I 
 will be whatever you wish, mamma/' 
 said she, '^ only let me stay with you. 
 Oh ! this nasty London — ^I shall always 
 hate it !" " That would be unjust, in- 
 deed," replied her mamma. ^^ Remem- 
 ber, London has nothing to do with 
 the resolution I have formed; i/ou alone 
 are to blame. The fault you have lately 
 committed is the same as that which 
 incurred my displeasure at D — . Place 
 has nothing to do with it. In short, 
 you have proved that I estimated your 
 advancement in knowledge, and your 
 amendment in temper, too highly. I 
 begin to think that your real character 
 will not be known until you live with 
 those of your own age ; and as this 
 cannot be the case under my roof, I 
 shall, before I begin my journey to the 
 West, place you under the care of a lady 
 who has been strongly recommended to 
 me, where I trust, my child, you will 
 
84 
 evince your love for me by a cheerful 
 compliance v^ith all she commands you." 
 Caroline could not answer ; the idea 
 of separation from her parent was to her 
 so shocking, that she thought it was 
 impossible to survive it ; and that sepa- 
 ration, too, caused by her own undutiful 
 conduct ! Her kind mother did all she 
 could to convince her that she forgave 
 her, but did not attempt to deny, that, 
 had her behaviour been satisfactory, 
 she would have accompanied Agnes and 
 herself to Cornwall. All that Caroline 
 heard, only added to her grief; nor 
 could she be at all reconciled to her- 
 self, till her mamma promised that she 
 would not place her under Mrs. Smith's 
 care until the day before she left town. 
 " Thank you, mamma," said Caroline ; 
 " give me an opportunity of regaining a 
 little share in your love before we part." 
 ^^ Be assured, my child, I love you most 
 dearly, and that the separation will be 
 a most painful one to me, but one to 
 which I will submit, as your future 
 
85 
 -happiness, I hope, will be promoted by 
 it. I will write to you regularly, and 
 shall expect to hear from you in return. 
 Mrs. Smith has promised that you shall 
 write to me without having your letters 
 inspected ; thus I shall learn the real 
 state of your feelings, and be some judge 
 of the improvement you make." " Then 
 you have seen Mrs. Smith, and settled 
 all about it ? Oh ! I have no hope 
 left." '^ You are right, Caroline ; all is 
 settled in my oivn mind. I met Mrs. 
 Smith at a friend's the other day. I 
 had often heard of her. We conversed 
 much about children, and I was delight- 
 ed with the plan of education she pur- 
 sued in her family ; for I can scarcely 
 call it a school, as she only admits six 
 pupils. Her daughter is a very charm- 
 ing, sensible young woman, and assists 
 her mother. Mrs. Smith happening to 
 say she had one vacancy in her family, 
 I begged she would allow me the pre- 
 ference, and I would give her an answer 
 in two days." " I perceive, mamma," 
 
 H 
 
86 
 said Caroline, " that you had made up 
 your mind to part with me, even before 
 you knew how idle and naughty I had 
 been." " You are wrong and unkind 
 to say so ; you cannot suppose your 
 idleness had escaped me. On my re- 
 turn home every day, I always went to 
 your desk and books, and to my sorrow 
 perceived nothing had been done. You 
 may remember I gently hinted, that I 
 thought you neglected your lessons, and 
 that I should expect an account of your 
 time very shortly. You promised to be 
 more diligent; but, only one exercise 
 have I seen written, and not one hook 
 has been opened. You practised on the 
 piano a little, but that was to gratify 
 self. In short, from what I saw, I was 
 afraid I should find you were returning 
 to your old habits. I determined, there- 
 fore, if this were the case, to place you 
 under Mrs. Smith's care. I acknow- 
 ledge, had I found you had spent your 
 time profitably, I should have taken you 
 with me, as I think seeing different places 
 
87 
 
 is a great advantage to young persons : 
 but it would not do for one who is ready 
 on the very first opportunity to forget all 
 she knows " Nothing her mamma said 
 at all tended to alleviate the sorrow of 
 Caroline ; she was obliged to own^ that 
 she deserved all she was doomed to suffer. 
 Much pain as she knew it would cost 
 her to part with Caroline, Mrs. Roberts 
 determined on doing so. Mrs. Smith 
 had described to her the young ladies 
 already under her care. They were just 
 such as she would desire for Caroline's 
 companions. With them as examples, 
 and under the guidance of a woman 
 of Mrs. Smith's good sense, the tender 
 mother hoped her beloved child's faults 
 would be entirely eradicated. She ex- 
 plained to Mrs. Smith the disposition 
 and character of Caroline, with which 
 that lady was not at all dismayed. She 
 promised,' if Mrs. Roberts placed her 
 under her care, to be as watchful as a 
 parent over her. — A few days previously 
 to commencing her journey, Mrs. Ro- 
 
88 
 berts was informed that a gentleman 
 wished to see her. Upon going into 
 the parlour^ she was surprised to find 
 Charles Stuart. They were mutually 
 glad to see each other ; but as soon as 
 the first salutation was over, Mrs. Ro- 
 berts saw that Charles looked sad and 
 pale. On inquiring after his parents, 
 she heard that his mother was well, but 
 that his father had been very ill for 
 some days. " He is recovering," added 
 Charles ; " but his countenance is so 
 changed, that I apprehend the most 
 serious consequences. I have thought 
 him declining for some time, and wrote 
 for my leave of absence to be lengthen- 
 ed, which request my captain kindly 
 complied with, and I was to join my 
 ship at Dover next month : but I re- 
 ceived a letter two days since, inform- 
 ing me that Captain Drummond was 
 appointed to a new ship, which would 
 sail from Portsmouth in the course of 
 this week ; he therefore ordered me to 
 join him directly. I would willingly 
 
89 
 
 have given up the prospect of promo- 
 tion to stay with my beloved father, but 
 he would not hear of it, and insisted on 
 my obeying my commander s orders. I 
 left home with a heavy heart. Our ship 
 is bound to Calcutta and China. Pro- 
 bably I shall not return to England these 
 two years ; and long ere that time, my 
 dear father will be consigned to his 
 grave." Charles stopped, and turned 
 from his friend to hide the tears that 
 flowed from his eyes. 
 
 Mrs. Roberts said all she could to 
 comfort the amiable youth, but felt that 
 his fears were too well founded. He 
 brought letters from both his parents, 
 and while she retired to read them, she 
 desired Charles to proceed to the draw- 
 ing-room, where he would find her chil- 
 dren. Mrs. Stuart's letter was full of 
 apprehensions for her husband, and re- 
 gret that at such a time she was deprived 
 of her next comforts — her child and her 
 friend. Mr. Stuart, in his letter, spoke 
 much of his wife and son ; recommend^ 
 H 2 
 
90 
 
 ed both to the friendship of Mrs. Ro- 
 berts^ and concluded with prayers for 
 the welfare of all. It was impossible 
 to read these letters without being ex- 
 tremely affected ; it was therefore some 
 time before Mrs. Roberts was able to 
 join the young people. When she did 
 so^ she found Charles and Caroline in 
 deep conversation. The latter had evi- 
 dently been in tears. Of this she took 
 no notice at the time, feeling assured 
 she should soon learn the cause. Charles 
 was easily prevailed on to spend the 
 afternoon with them, which was passed 
 in talking of the many happy hours 
 gone by, and the sad prospect that now 
 presented itself. When the clock struck 
 seven, Charles rose to take leave, as he 
 was to set off in the mail at eight. He 
 promised to be a regular correspondent, 
 and requested Mrs. Roberts would give 
 him faithful accounts of his parents — 
 after which they parted. 
 
 The next morning when they met at 
 breakfast, Caroline told her mamma 
 
91 
 
 she had informed Charles of her late 
 misconduct^ and that he had given her 
 a great deal of good advice. But/' 
 added she, " he says he does not pity 
 me for leaving you ; he thinks it a pro- 
 per punishment for my misconduct, and 
 I feel it as such. Poor Charles! he 
 who has always been dutiful, is obliged 
 to leave his s\ck father and go to a dis- 
 tant country. He says he is sure he 
 shall never see him any more ! My 
 dear mamma, if any thing should hap- 
 pen to you while we are separated, / 
 shall never be happy again. Charles is 
 obliged to leave his parents ; but I have, 
 hy my own ingratitude to you, sepa- 
 rated myself from you." Mrs. Roberts 
 was pleased to find Caroline had a pro- 
 per sense of her fault, but did not wish 
 to leave her under the impression that 
 she had offended beyond the hope of 
 forgiveness ; she therefore told her, that 
 by a steady perseverance in the per- 
 formance of her duty from this time, 
 she would regain her good opinion. 
 
92 
 
 Caroline was pleased with this assur- 
 ance : " But," said she, " before we 
 part, mamma, let me tell you one thing, 
 with which you are unacquainted. I 
 have never answered Louisa Jones's 
 letters, and Charles tells me she is quite 
 hurt by my neglect. What shall I do ? 
 I love her better than any young person 
 I know, and am very sorry I have 
 neglected her. I often intended to 
 write to her, but always put it off till 
 the next day — and then something or 
 other prevented me." "Thus it ever 
 is, my child," replied her mamma, 
 " with those who neglect their duty 
 for pleasure. I will not say more than 
 I have done on the subject of our sepa- 
 ration, but I must warn you never to 
 forget an old friend for a new one. I 
 would advise you to write to Louisa 
 immediately ; she is too amiable not to 
 forgive. On the contrary, I am sure she 
 will receive you again to her friendship ; 
 but never give her occasion to repeat her 
 complaints, for then she will have no de- 
 
93 
 
 sire to be admitted to your confidence. 
 She will justly consider you are not wor- 
 thy the name of friend." Caroline pro- 
 mised always to bear in mind what her 
 mamma said, and, before she came to 
 the breakfast table the next morning, 
 had written a long letter to Louisa. 
 
 Mrs. Roberts was employed the 
 whole of this morning in writing let- 
 ters. It may be supposed that those of 
 the Stuarts were not left unanswered. 
 On joining her little family at dinner, 
 her spirits were rather depressed ; for, 
 added to her concern for the friends to 
 whom she had been writing, she had 
 determined to leave town on the next 
 Wednesday: to-morrow, then, she must 
 take Caroline to Kensington, where 
 Mrs. Smith resided. To part with one 
 whom she so tenderly loved, could not 
 but be painful to her ; yet she was 
 resolved not to let Caroline see how 
 much it affected her. When they were 
 to retire for the night, she desired they 
 might be called early the next morning. 
 Caroline guessed the dreaded day was 
 
94 
 
 at hand, but as her mamma did not 
 name it, she was silent. After the 
 morning salutation, Mrs. Roberts told 
 Caroline her intention of taking: her to 
 school that day. Hearing this she turned 
 pale, but attentively listened while her 
 mamma, in the most affectionate manner, 
 desired she would pay implicit obedience 
 to the lady with whom she was going to 
 reside, and, by a strict attention to every 
 thing she was desired to learn, to give 
 the only proof in her power, of her love 
 to her mother, and her sincere sorrow 
 for having neglected her studies. 
 
 It were needless to repeat all Caro- 
 line said on the occasion, or how she 
 behaved at the time of parting ; suffice 
 it to say, Mrs. Roberts took her to 
 Kensington the same afternoon, where 
 she was kindly received by Mrs. and 
 Miss Smith, who did all in their power 
 to soothe the grief of the self-accusing, 
 heart-broken girl : nor were their atten- 
 tions thrown awav. Caroline was not 
 an ungrateful child ; she had some 
 faults, but many good qualities. When 
 
95 
 
 introduced to her young companions, 
 she did all in her power to conciliate 
 their friendship, determining in her own 
 mind to observe which was the most 
 amiable, which the most attentive and 
 obedient, and to make that one her 
 pattern. She soon discovered that they 
 were all attentive, all obedient, and 
 desirous of improvement — all much at-.^ 
 tached to their governess, and to each 
 other— in short, that they formed one 
 happy family. In Mrs. Smith, she 
 found a kind friend and able instruc- 
 tress, but one who expected an imme- 
 diate compliance with all her com- 
 mands. Caroline's duty was pointed 
 out to her ; she found she should have 
 much more to learn than she had been 
 accustomed to, and that no excuse 
 would be accepted for the non- per- 
 formance of her duty. At first, she 
 felt as if she never could get through 
 what was expected from her ; but she 
 soon perceived that every hour of the 
 day was employed. Each young lady 
 knew what was expected from her, and 
 
96 
 each was desirous of performing it, that 
 she might gain her reward — the appro- 
 hat ion of Mrs. Smith. That lady was 
 greatly pleased with Caroline, and gave 
 her much praise for the ready attention 
 she paid to what was said to her : at 
 the same time she carefully observed her 
 pupil while engaged with her young 
 friends, as she knew it was in those mo- 
 ments the impatience of temper com- 
 plained of by Mrs. Roberts would be 
 most likely to shew itself. To Caroline's 
 credit it must be owned, that on very 
 few occasions did she discover it ; and 
 at the end of two months, when she was 
 writing her third letter to her mamma, 
 Mrs. Smith told her she should add a 
 few lines to it to convey her approbation 
 of her general conduct. Caroline ex- 
 pressed her gratitude for what she knew 
 would give her mamma pleasure; and 
 assured her governess, that if she could 
 but see that dear mamma once a week, 
 she should be perfectly happy. 
 
 It is time now to return to Mrs. 
 Roberts, who, in a few hours after 
 
97 
 
 taking leave of Caroline, began her 
 journey to Cornwall. Little Agnes and 
 a female servant were her travelling 
 companions. The little girl, as soon 
 as she could be reconciled to Caro- 
 line's absence, became entertaining to 
 her mamma, whose heart felt very- 
 heavy. Caroline had always been with 
 her ; she was a sensible girl, and by her 
 remarks had often delighted her fond 
 mother ; she was of an age too, when 
 she could be made acquainted with 
 many things concerning the present 
 prospect of their affairs. But, on seve- 
 ral occasions, Mrs. Roberts had per- 
 ceived Caroline too ready to set a high 
 value on fortune ; she therefore pre- 
 fered leaving her in the care of the 
 worthy Mrs. Smith, hoping that by her 
 mind being turned to the acquisition 
 of knowledge, she would learn to es- 
 timate riches only as they tended to 
 make her serviceable to her fellow-crea- 
 tures. Had Caroline accompanied her 
 mamma in her excursion, she must 
 have become acquainted with the value 
 
98 
 of the estates of which she went to take 
 possession. Of this Mrs. Roberts wished 
 to keep her in ignorance for some time : 
 they promised to be immense, and for 
 this reason she particularly wished it. 
 " Should my child become proud of 
 her wealth, and by that means make an 
 unamiable, unfeeling woman," thought 
 this fond mother, " I should sorely re- 
 pent having gained possession of it ; 
 but by cultivating her mind, and teach- 
 ing her her duty to God and man, I 
 may hope one day to see her the bene- 
 factress of many — distributing blessings 
 on all around her. To see her act thus, 
 and my sweet Agnes following her 
 steps, is all I wish for.'* On saying 
 this, she pressed Agnes to her bosom. 
 They arrived in Cornwall without any 
 thing material occurring. A gentle- 
 man who acted as agent had procured 
 her lodgings, and she proceeded imme- 
 diately to investigate the business that 
 had brought her thither. She found it 
 must necessarily detain her some time ; 
 she therefore determined on paying all 
 
99 
 
 the attention in her power to the edu- 
 cation of Agnes ; feeling convinced that, 
 even at her early age, habits of idleness 
 might be acquired. But, as she was 
 unable to command her own time while 
 engaged in law business, she took every 
 opportunity of imparting knowledge to 
 the little girl in the course of the conver- 
 sations they had together. She did not 
 prefer this plan to the regular one she had 
 pursued with Caroline; but as it was the 
 only one she could adopt, she endeavour- 
 ed to make it as profitable as possible. 
 
 Caroline's letters gave her mamma 
 great pleasure : they were neatly writ- 
 ten ; and, though sometimes expressive 
 of impatience at her long absence, they 
 always concluded with saying, she wa^ 
 perfectly contented with the situation in 
 which she was placed. " I have a great 
 deal to learn," she observed, ^^ but still 
 I find time for all. Every thing here is 
 performed so regularly that I can not 
 only learn all my lessons, but have plenty 
 of leisure — which I chiefly employ in 
 writing to those I love. Yes, mamma, 
 
100 
 
 you will scarcely believe it, but I have 
 become quite fond of writing letters ; 
 for besides writing to 3/0W, which is my 
 chief delight, I have a regular corre- 
 spondence with Louisa Jones. Mrs. 
 Smith is much pleased with her letters, 
 and so are all my companions, who long 
 to be acquainted with her." Caroline's 
 last letter contained the foregoing para- 
 graph, which convinced her mamma, 
 that she was both diligent and happy ; 
 and this reconciled her to the long sepa- 
 ration she was obliged to submit to. 
 
 After an absence of some months, 
 during which Mrs. Roberts made ex- 
 cursions into various parts of Cornwall, 
 with which she was extremely gratified^ 
 as she had had opportunities of viewing 
 the tin mines, and the very interesting 
 occupation of the fishermen employed 
 in catching pilchards — she turned her 
 thoughts towards London, and had ac- 
 tually given orders about her journey, 
 when a letter arrived from Mrs. Jones 
 
 of D , in which that lady informed 
 
 her of the death of her valued friend ^ 
 
101 
 
 Mr. Stuart. His widow's grief would 
 not allow her to write; but she had ex- 
 pressed a hope that Mrs. Roberts would 
 lose no time in writing to her. At first 
 she was going to comply with the re- 
 quest of her friend ; but after a mo- 
 ment's reflection she resolved to proceed 
 
 to D ^ instead of London. " My 
 
 presence will no doubt be a comfort to 
 the mourner/' said she aloud, as soon as 
 the shock she had received would allow 
 her. " I have no other tie in London 
 than my Caroline; she^ I know, is in 
 good hands ; I will hasten, then, to my 
 friend and endeavour to soothe her. It 
 was the last request of him whom she 
 laments ; of him who, with the kind- 
 ness of that Master, whose faithful ser- 
 vant he was, poured the balm of conso- 
 lation into my bosom in the hour of 
 distress." Full of this idea, Mrs. Ro- 
 berts gave immediate orders for her 
 departure, and, by five o'clock the next 
 morning, found herself on the road to 
 Exeter; — from thence she proceeded 
 with as much speed as possible, con- 
 i2 
 
102 
 
 sistent with the strength of httle Agnes, 
 who was not able to renew the journey 
 each succeeding day. Several days of 
 course elapsed before she reached D — . 
 Upon alighting at the house of Mrs. 
 Jones, where she had ordered the car- 
 riage to stop, she was met by that lady 
 with much warmth ; and, on inquiring 
 after the family at the rectory, she 
 heard that the good pastor had been 
 laid in his grave two days previously, 
 followed to it by the whole parish, 
 which was unanimous in its sorrow for 
 his loss. Mrs. Stuart was confined to 
 her bed by illness. Mrs. Roberts was 
 soon by the bed-side of the mourner, 
 who, by the tender assiduity and care 
 her friend, was, in the course of a few 
 days, so far recovered as to be able to 
 sit up. Grateful for the attention she 
 received, and resigned to the will of 
 Him who had taken her beloved hus- 
 band from this world to the enjoyment 
 of a better, Mrs. Stuart exerted herself 
 to shake oif the melancholy which op- 
 pressed her. In a few weeks she re- 
 gained sufficient strength to enable her 
 to accompany Mrs. Roberts to town, 
 whither she was prevailed on to go, her 
 
103 
 
 son s ship being expected in port ; and, 
 as he must go to the India House in 
 consequence of his promotion to the 
 rank of chief-mate, she might have his 
 society for a few days at least — a happi- 
 ness she could not experience while she 
 remained so far removed from London. 
 Many were the painful feelings the 
 two friends experienced at leaving D — . 
 Most likely neither of them would see 
 it again ; a new rector would soon oc- 
 cupy the house in which Mrs. Stuart 
 had spent her happiest days; with her, 
 
 D had lost all its attractions ; one 
 
 spot alone contained her lost treasure ; 
 the being she now best loved in the 
 
 world could not come to D ; she 
 
 longed to see him, to talk to him of the 
 father he had lost; besides, she knew 
 she was obeying the will of that Parent 
 who had taught her not to neglect her 
 duty to the living, nor to indulge in 
 unavailing sorrow for the dead. Mrs, 
 Roberts had her regrets, but she thought 
 only of her friend, whom she hastened 
 from the spot, which, in spite of her 
 good resolutions, she seemed unwilling 
 to quit. They took leave of a few par- 
 ticular friends^ and began their sorrow-^ 
 
104 
 
 fui journey. Mrs. Roberts had written 
 to Mrs. Smith, requesting permission 
 for Caroline to spend some time with 
 her, and had appointed the day for 
 their meeting in Russel Square ; Caro- 
 hne was therefore in waiting for her 
 mamma. The moment the carriage 
 stopped at the door she perceived it, 
 and in a few moments w^as in the arms 
 of her mother. As soon as she had em- 
 braced her and the dear Agnes, she paid 
 her respects to Mrs. Stuart. Caroline 
 had heard of her friend's loss, and had 
 been deeply affected by it. Mrs. Ro- 
 berts was delighted to see her child : 
 she was considerably grown, and im- 
 proved in person ; her manners were 
 evidently more pleasing, and she shew- 
 ed so much good feehng in her atten- 
 tions to Mrs. Stuart, that her fond mo- 
 ther was soon convinced her heart was 
 as kind as ever. A fortnight's residence 
 at home, served more fully to prove this. 
 Not a moment was wasted ; she was 
 ever ready to attend her mamma and 
 friend, took pains to hear Agnes read, 
 and yet found time to learn several les- 
 sons to repeat on her return to school. 
 — This Mrs. Roberts would not have 
 
TTae 3rx^ '^ l» ■ ' i ' -^ Sriuirt 
 
 to embrace her son., and sh.e experienced die only 
 pleasure sh.e could, no-w- eryoj^ . 
 
 Zondm.:M:iL2m. "^DarA-n -3$ ySTVAvT? Si.'/- ^ mo. 23JS;?J. 
 
105 
 
 known, (for Caroline made no display 
 of what she did,) had she not by chance 
 looked into her desk. Caroline entered 
 the room at the moment, and received 
 the approbation of her mother with the 
 most lively pleasure. " How different 
 are my feelings now, mamma, from what 
 they were when you last looked at my 
 desk ! I do not like to think of that 
 time; my ingratitude was so very great!" 
 " We will think no more of it, my child," 
 said Mrs. Roberts. " I am satisfied your 
 future conduct will gratify my fond heart; 
 your behaviour since I came home has 
 been all I could wish ; and Mrs. Smith 
 assures me, you are in eveiy respect an 
 obedient, good girl." Caroline expressed 
 her gratitude, and declared she never felt 
 so happy as at this moment. 
 
 The anxiously-desired moment arrived 
 for Mrs. Stuart to embrace her son ; 
 and she experienced the only pleasure 
 she could now enjoy. Charles was af- 
 fected, but his was a manly sorrow ; he 
 was not ashamed to weep for the loss of a 
 parent, but he felt himself doubly bound 
 to the one he had left, and resolved to 
 dedicate each moment he could spare 
 from his professional duties, to soothe 
 
106 
 
 her grief. In the short time he spent 
 with her, he succeeded in some degree, 
 and when parting again, she promised 
 to take care of herself for his sake. 
 
 Carohne returned to school the day 
 after Charles left. Mrs. Roberts was so 
 perfectly satisfied with the progress she 
 had made there, that she determined on 
 continuing her with Mrs. Smith some 
 time longer. It was a very different 
 mode of education from the one she 
 had always intended to pursue ; but 
 she found that different dispositions re- 
 quire different methods of instruction. 
 She had, during Caroline's infancy, laid 
 down a plan, which she thought must 
 eventually prove the right one. She 
 had studied the best writers on educa- 
 tion, and had formed her plan on their 
 principles ; but on putting it into prac- 
 tice, difficulties presented themselves of 
 which she had not formed an idea. Ca- 
 roline, she found, was not to be educa- 
 ted on her plan ; she therefore entrusted 
 her to the care of one who had found 
 by experience, that no regular system 
 will suit all dispositions. Mrs. Smith 
 watched her pupils with the most unre- 
 mitting care, and regulated her treat- 
 
107 
 
 ment of them according to the obser- 
 vations she made. One only rule she 
 had with all, which was, to make them 
 observe order; without that, she knew 
 no advancement in knowledge could be 
 made. Under her care, Caroline be- 
 came an amiable, accomplished girl ; 
 and, at the age of seventeen, when she 
 left school, Mrs. Smith was heard to 
 say, " Caroline Roberts bids fair to be 
 an ornament to her sex." Nor was she 
 mistaken ; Caroline was, indeed, a pat- 
 tern for all females. She became the 
 companion of her mother, to whom she 
 was ever after obedient and attentive, 
 and the kind comforter of Mrs. Stuart, 
 who would often declare, that she loved 
 her equally as well as she did Charles. 
 To her sister, Caroline was the instruc- 
 tress and friend. The plan her mamma 
 had laid down for her education, was 
 successfully pursued with Agnes, who 
 made daily progress in every thing she 
 studied. The true use of riches was 
 likewise known to Caroline. In her 
 mother she had had the best example. 
 She was ever active in doing good, and 
 early taught her child to seek the house 
 of distress or mourning. At the age of 
 
108 
 
 twenty-one, when Caroline became mis- 
 tress of a handsome fortune, she did not 
 fail to gladden the hearts of many a 
 child of sorrow, which gave her more 
 real joy than the possession of wealth. 
 
 Mrs. Roberts and her friend Mrs. 
 Stuart continued to live together, and 
 in the union of their children looked 
 forward to many happy days. Charles 
 Stuart attained the rank of Captain, 
 and, with the consent of all parties, be- 
 came the husband of Caroline Roberts. 
 They retired to live on their estate in 
 Somersetshire, where they were beloved 
 and respected by all ranks. Caroline did 
 not fail to observe the greatest order, in 
 the regulation of her family. To the 
 observance of order she owed much of 
 the knowledge she had attained. Every 
 day convinced her of the truth of what 
 her kind governess had often told her, 
 that ^^ Order in your affairs, is indispen- 
 sably necessary, if you wish to be either 
 useful to your fellow-creatures, or happy 
 in yourself." 
 
 [Printed by G. Smallfield, Hackney. 
 

 
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