leave you, my friend, to consider what would be the effect in any school in the world, if the young ladies were allowed, once a month, or oftener, to receive as visitors, and companions in a dance, any young men in the neighbourhood who might choose to favour them with their company.

"I did not, however, witness so many of the humours of this evening as I had wished. I heard frequently indeed, but it was at some distance, the loud titters of Miss Atkins and Miss Chatterton; and was not unfrequently amused by the broken English of Madame de Roseau calling one and another to order.

By the time that I had danced about four dances, Amelia sent a servant to request that I would come to her; which call I complied with, though in an excessive ill-humour. I found her sitting in her own room, reading. She immediately addressed me with much affection, saying, Clara, my love, it would be better for you now to go to bed. They will dance till it is late: and if you stay with them, you will not be fit for your lessons

to-morrow.'

"I began to plead with her; on which, she arose, left the room, and returning in a few minutes, said, 'Mrs. Patterson wishes you to acquiesce in my desires. You will therefore either go to bed, Clara, or read awhile with me. I preferred doing the former, and commenced undressing in a high state of ill-temper; which I evinced, by throwing my clothes on the floor, kicking my shoes about the room, and pulling my strings into knots.

Amelia very calmly, and as if not noticing the hidden cause of all these disorders, made me immediately correct them; and, taking up her Bible, she read to me, and prayed with me, and then directed me to get into bed. Miss Carrisforth and I had both been in bed and asleep for some time, before the company below broke up; of which I soon after received intimation, by the talking in the next room, which was, at first, very loud, but presently subsided into whisperings, some of which I, however, overheard, as the whisperers, to wit, Miss Atkins and Miss Chatterton, were close to my door. These whispers I shall repeat, because they will be found to have reference to the subsequent part of my history.

"Who is he?' whispered Miss Atkins.

"Did not I tell you before?' replied the other. The first lieutenant of the Ariadne.'

"A very fine young man!' returned Miss Atkins. "I thought you would say so,' whispered Miss Chatterton.

"And the little stout man, you say, is captain of the Ariadne?'

6

'Yes,' returned Miss Chatterton; the gentleman who danced with me at first. Captain Besbrook, first cousin to my friend Biddy Jackson.'

666

And where did you meet with this Lieutenant What-do-you-call-him?-for I have not heard his name yet,' asked Miss Atkins.

. 0, I

"Lieutenant Gordon,' returned the other. have seen him often at Mr. Jackson's. He is always there when the Ariadne is in the river.'

"The young ladies then lowered their voices so much, that, notwithstanding I listened with all my might, I could distinguish nothing further; although the whispering continued for a long time.

"I have now given you, my friend, a very minute account of my first two days' residence at Palm-Grove: and in endeavouring so to do, with any tolerable degree of accuracy, I have been forced to lay before you no small portion of nonsense. I wish that it were only in places decidedly vain and frivolous, such as this school of which I have been speaking, that scenes of similar description were to be met with; but, alas! I fear that it would be found, were matters closely looked into, that much vain, light, and foolish, if not vicious conversation, often takes place in the families of persons making high professions; and that many, many young people in this enlightened country, who would be sorry to be thought unholy, do yet allow themselves in great freedom of discourse among their chosen intimates: while, into this error, it cannot be doubted that many persons fall, who, nevertheless, desire to do well; and who, when they have yielded to this temptation, are sorely cut down, and grieved to the heart, by their subsequent consciousness of the offence.

Wherefore, then, do young people, I mean pious young people, so earnestly desire those familiar intima

cies with others of their own age, which frequently urge them into this sin of unguarded and injurious communication by words? Why do they so often seek opportunities of being alone with other young people, thus administering occasion of evil both to themselves and to their companions? Why, but because they are not aware of their own weakness in this particular?-they are not sensible of the great difficulty of restraining and directing the tongue; they do not recollect, or, if so, they do not understand, that strong assertion of the Apostle, who, speaking in the Spirit of the Lord, says, If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. (James iii. 2.)

"But to leave these reflections, and return to what I was about to say. I have given you, my friend, an account of my first two days at school; and, as those days passed, much in the same way were spent several of the ensuing weeks. Of the circumstances that occurred during that time, I recollect only one or two worth mentioning. I was constantly so much with Miss Carrisforth, and so carefully watched by her, that, with the exception of one or two occasions which offered across the jalousies, I had no manner of intercourse with Gabrielle, although this unaccountable girl, by her fascinating and expressive glances, darted at me whenever she thought herself unobserved, had taken strong hold of my imagination. I cannot easily convey to you the impression which her extraordinary behaviour had made upon my mind. My feelings towards her were an indescribable mixture of fear and desire of further intercourse, of aversion and of attraction. I use this last term, from my not being able to find another equally expressive of my meaning. And here I would remark, that this peculiar influence of Gabrielle over my mind, originated in the improper interference of Miss Beaumont; and to this interference I must attribute all the consequences which afterwards followed. Here, then, is one proof, among thousands which daily occur, of the extreme mischief that is frequently done by meddling and interfering persons; a mischief which usually proves more or less extensive, in proportion to the influence and respectability, in other respects, of the character thus interfering. And this, at least, is very certain,

that, as we advance in self-knowledge, and as we acquire more worldly experience and further insight into the various and complicated difficulties attending on the different situations of individuals in this life, we become more backward in forming decisions upon the conduct of others.

"In the mean time, while Gabrielle was thus silently gaining influence over me, the lovely and excellent Amelia relaxed not a moment in her tender care towards me. Under her, I acquired much knowledge of various kinds, and many orderly and industrious habits. She also did for me all that it was possible for one human creature to do for another with respect to religion. She made me accurately acquainted, as far as head knowledge could go, with its doctrines and precepts. If these doctrines and precepts had no influence over my private thoughts and feelings, it was not her fault: she did what she could; and the failure must be set down to the account only of my own evil heart and my determined depravity.

"The disagreement between Miss Beaumont and Miss Carrisforth was not made up, as I well remember, for several weeks after my arrival at Palm-Grove; and, during this period, I observed that Miss Beaumont looked very unhappy, although she continually refused to meet any advances towards reconciliation that were made to her by Amelia.

"This disagreement between these two young ladies, or, rather, I may say, this ill-humour of Miss Beaumont, (for it was all on her side,) afforded occasion for high merriment in the family; and many of the young people diverted themselves by carrying tales, and making false representations of Amelia's conduct and remarks, to Miss Beaumont, whereby her ill-humour was constantly kept alive.

"The wise man says, The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water; (Prov. xvii. 14,) and this was truly the case in this house. Miss Beaumont and Miss Carrisforth, when they were mutually united by the cords of love, had, no doubt, been able to make a considerable stand against sin; but the influence of both of them was greatly weakened by this culpable division. If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. (Mark iii. 24.)

"The votaries of Satan are fully apprized of this circumstance: and therefore, being wiser in their generation than the children of light, they are ever ready to foment and increase all petty disputes among Christians; and thus have they been enabled, by the means of these unholy discords among the children of light, to obtain innumerable signal triumphs, through every age, and in every period of the Church.

"This system of private backbiting and tittle-tattle had been upheld for a long while, and many calumnies against Amelia had, no doubt, been listened to with much complacency by Miss Beaumont, who perhaps felt that she wanted some excuse for her ill-humour, when, at length, the quarrel broke out more violently on her part, owing to the following circumstance. One night, after retiring to her room, she was provoked to say many things against Miss Carrisforth, and to utter expressions which nothing could justify, and for which passion itself could not plead any excuse. Her teasing companions having drawn from her, on this occasion, all that they desired to hear, next became solicitous to make Amelia, if possible, acquainted with what had passed; and as they were aware that it was no easy matter to get her to listen to reports at all prejudicial to any one, they were obliged to manage the affair with considerable

art.

"The only person whom they could employ in this business was Miss Crawford, who, being a teacher in the family, and, as such, entitled to Amelia's apparent respect at least, was the only one who was thought fit for the work in hand: and, accordingly, when Miss Carrisforth and I were one evening in our little room engaged in work, she came thither to us, and, seating herself at the foot of Amelia's bed, she said, 'I wish, Miss Carrisforth, you would just make up this bandeau for my hair. I know your pretty talent at things of this kind.'

"As Miss Crawford was possessed of some authority in the house, Amelia could find no excuse for desiring her to leave the room, which she commonly did when any of her schoolfellows came in; as it was contrary to the rules of the house for any of us to go into each other's bed-chambers, although this was a rule which,