for the most part, like some old acts of parliament, had fallen altogether into disuse.

"Amelia took in her hand the riband which she was requested to make up; and while she was twisting and modelling it according to the directions given, Miss Crawford entered upon the real purport of her visit.'La, Miss Carrisforth!' she said, 'what a passion Beaumont was in last night! what have you done to make her so angry with you?'

"Amelia made no answer.

"But I know,' continued Miss Crawford, you are too pretty, Amelia, too quiet, too reserved, too delicate, to please. You will never have a female friend.'

"Miss Crawford,' said Amelia, tossing the riband over her hands as if out of humour with it, how can you buy riband of this kind! It is all gum, and no substance. I hope you did not give much for it.'

"Miss Crawford took the alarm at this remark; and a long discussion then followed, about the nature of stiffened ribands, and the tricks of the box-wallas: after which, she returned to the point in question. 'I am sure Julia Beaumont is angry with you, Amelia,' said she, 'because you are reckoned incomparably the most genteel girl in the school: to be sure, Miss Beaumont comes next, but it is far behind; and she knows that.'

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If gentility consists in not loving gossip, Miss Crawford,' replied Amelia, and I have often heard my dear mother say that this is a necessary ingredient of real gentility, I think I may venture to allow, that, in that respect at least, I have some pretensions to it: but these are pretensions which every one, if they chose, might possess as well as myself. But, Miss Crawford,' she added, do tell me, shall I put two bows on your bandeau, or only one? and would you choose the ends of the riband to be notched?'

"Another discussion now followed upon the nature of bows, and the fashion of notching ribands.

I have before remarked, my dear friend, that even at that time I was a close observer; and, young as I was, I was so fully aware of Amelia's contrivances to divert the conversation from the subject that she disliked, that I could not help bursting into a laugh.

"Amelia and Miss Crawford both looked at me; and

the latter exclaimed, You little impertinent thing! what are you quizzing now?'

"Being thus rebuked, I pursed up my mouth, and was silent, but not the less attentive to what passed. "Well,' said Miss Crawford, as I was saying, Julia Beaumont was in such a strange way last night. O how she did run on about you, Amelia! She called you proud, and cold, and distant, and insolent! Yes, she called you insolent, and said you were become so conceited ever since you had had a pupil, that there was no such thing as associating with you with any comfort.'

"Clara,' said Amelia, go to Madame, and borrow a little silk of the colour of this riband.'

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"'O,' said Miss Crawford, 'that is quite unnecessary.' So saying, she produced a needle-book, full of ends of silk of all colours: which being done, she returned to the charge, and ran on for a considerable length, till Amelia suddenly exclaimed, Dear Miss Crawford, I wish you would be silent for a few minutes, for I shall spoil your bandeau. I have actually now notched it in

the wrong place.'

"Pooh!' said Miss Crawford, rising and looking at it, you have nothing now to do but to piece it under the rose; it will never be seen. But, as I was saying, Julia was shockingly out of humour, and Chatterton, who was in the room, in her funny way, (you know Chatterton's droll way,) she provoked her, and at last the poor girl became so highly irritated, that she told us of some things which I am sure you would not have had mentioned for all the world.'

"What could she tell?' said Amelia, now thrown a little off her guard.

"O, something that she heard when your father was here, and when you spent a week with him at the fort, you and Beaumont together; something she then heard of your brother, the ensign; something he did which made your father very angry.'

"The poison now began to work, for it was evident; as Amelia coloured, and her hand trembled: but still controlling her feelings, she asked how her brother's name came to be mentioned.

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'O, I don't know,' returned Miss Crawford; 'I think I mentioned him first. You know I saw him once

with you, and I was saying he was like you, very handsome; and then Miss Beaumont said, it was no credit to be like Charles Carrisforth, and so the story came out.'

"Amelia was silent for several moments. At length, with an effort, which did the highest honour to her Christian profession, she arose, gave the bandeau to Miss Crawford, calmly saying, 'I hope it will please you,' and then taking my hand, she added, Clara, come with me, you have not practised your music today. I will now give you a lesson.' On saying which, she accompanied me to the instrument, which stood in one of the halls.

While taking my lesson, I perceived that her cheeks were still flushed, and I saw two or three tears running down her sweet face: but these she presently wiped away; and in less than half an hour her usual composure, the effect of habitual rectitude and humility, recovered its accustomed influence.

"O, lovely Amelia, my sweet instructress, and incomparable friend, the more I meditate upon your charming character, the more am I filled with love and admiration; and overwhelmed with shame and regret, at my own coldness and ingratitude towards you. How wonderfully did the power of grace shine forth in the conduct of this excellent young creature! As the lily among thorns, so was my Amelia among her companions.

"While we were sitting in the hall, at the time that I am speaking of, one little circumstance somewhat touched my hard and unfeeling heart. Little Flora, who was the youngest child in the school, and an orphan, passed through. Amelia called her to her. She came with childlike innocence, and jumped upon her lap. Amelia kissed her, and said, 'My little Flora, you do not come to see me now as you used to do. You know I always open my door when little Flora knocks.'

"I will tell you,' said the child, whispering; 'Miss Beaumont will not let me.'

"The little girl, I found, was under Miss Beaumont's protection; although she had not found in her protectress that' watchful guardian which I had met with in Amelia. The tears again trembled in the eyes of Amelia, as she kissed the child; but she said no more.

"On that very same evening, just after this conversa

tion between Amelia and Miss Crawford, there was a violent dispute, at tea, between Miss Chatterton and Miss Atkins. What was at the bottom of their difference, I could not tell; but I believe that it was some breach of confidence on the part of Miss Atkins. Be it, however, what it might, it seemed to affect several individuals of the family, as much was said about listening, and tale-bearing: and Miss Beaumont involved herself in the affair by uttering a variety of unqualified expressions against persons guilty of such practices. These censures were taken to herself by Miss Crawford, conscious, no doubt, of what she had been about in Amelia's room; and such was the violence on all sides, that Mrs. Patterson was called in, by Madame de Roseau, to still the tumult.

"The appearance of this dignified lady, had much the same effect as that produced by the presence of Neptune, when he comes, according to the poet, to still the tumult excited by the queen of heaven and her devoted servant Eölus, the ruler of the winds:-all was hushed, and apparently calm in a moment. And as Mrs. Patterson staid with us during the rest of the evening, our reading, work, and drawing went on with their usual diligence.

"I think it was only the very day after this, that, as Amelia and myself were taking the air, in the afternoon, on the shady side of the house, we were surprised by Miss Beaumont, who, having been brought to a sense of her error, and that probably by the ill conduct and violence of her companions the night before, came up to Amelia, and, soliciting pardon for her late behaviour, assured her that she would give her credit for all that was right respecting Gabrielle, begging that she would, if possible, restore her to her affection.

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This request, which was made not without many tears, was instantly granted by Amelia, and that without the slightest reference to her friend's breach of confidence respecting her brother.

"This reconciliation having taken place, I had an opportunity of seeing and observing more of Miss Beaumont than I had ever done before. There was, undoubtedly, no one in the house to be compared with her but Amelia. Her person was fine, her countenance anima

ted, and her sentiments were pure. She was entirely above disguise; a proof of which she presently gave, by readily acknowledging in what manner she had been led to abuse Amelia, and betray her confidence, on a late occasion, through the violence of her passion. She lamented the heat of her temper; but still pleaded, in her own behalf, her hatred of what she considered coldness and haughtiness: and I did think, Amelia,' she added, 'that you manifested both in your conduct to Gabrielle.'

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"Amelia smiled, but it was a sorrowful, not a reproachful smile. And so, Julia, you were ready,' said she, 'to renounce a dear friend, on the bare suspicion of her treating with apparent coldness a person for whom you had no regard. You gave me up at once, and exposed me publicly, without even allowing me a trial. O, Julia,' she added, lowering her voice, how often might I have given you up, had I weighed in a scale so nice your conduct towards your pretty protegée, that lovely child, the little Flora! Permit me to be sincere with you. You have fallen into the error of all those persons who busy themselves with concerns which are not their own. Man is a finite creature; his comprehension is narrow: in attending to one thing, he forgets another; and, therefore, it usually follows, that he who busies himself about that which does not concern him, becomes proportionably careless and unfaithful in that which does really belong to him.'

"Miss Beaumont acknowledged the justice of Amelia's rebuke; and immediately going in search of Flora, she brought her to kiss Amelia, and added, that she hoped in future to be preserved from all such unguarded and violent expressions of her feelings as might give pain to the friend whom she most loved on earth.

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Rather,' returned Amelia, pray for the subjugation of those feelings; and that they may be rightly controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit of God; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matt. xii. 34.) The tongue is but the index of the heart, and words are but the expression of the thoughts of the heart. Seek that wisdom, my Julia, which is from above; and which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good