"No imposition at all, my leddy, and please to repay me, for I must not be out of pocket."

Imagine my surprise when her mistress instantly produced the money, and dismissed her pert maid without further remark, though if it had been myself, it would have been deducted out of my salary.

This was the first time I noticed how much more a lady's-maid was favoured than a govern

ess.

All this time I was kept standing, and when the discussion with Mrs. Patterson was over, dinner was ordered to be brought in, while I obtained permission to go to my bed-room and take off my travelling dress.

The

prospect from my window was as uninteresting as that from my attic in London, and far more dismal. It opened upon the dirty court yard, round which the offices were built, and at the back of it a barren hill rose quite close, and almost perpendicularly.

I found two curtainless bedsteads in my room, which opened into another with three

cribs in it; therefore, I concluded I was to have the children fastened upon me at night, as well as during the day, and I was not wrong in my conjecture.

At dinner I found an addition to the party, in a little sickly-looking, melancholy and deformed girl, about eleven years of age. This I soon discovered was the second daughter, who, on account of her infirmity, was neglected by her mother, and worried by her brothers and sisters.

She had been left in the castle during the journey to England, with only the bare-legged domestics whom I had seen in the court-yard, under pretence that her health was too delicate to permit her to leave home.

This poor little creature occupied one of the miserable beds in my room, and, as I afterwards found, because Mrs. Patterson, (who was the only servant who slept in the dwellinghouse,) did not choose to have the patient invalid in her room, on account of being disturbed at night by her cough. I was also not a little annoyed by it, but if my complaint

could have had the effect of removing the poor child, (which it would not,) I could not have had the heart to do so, so unhappy and neglected did she appear to be.

The following morning, when I commenced my lessons, Lady McJames told me that I was to devote myself principally to her eldest and favourite daughter, but that she expected all were to have my undeviating attention.

It did not take long to perceive, that the sickly, neglected, and melancholy Annie, was the only one who was capable of benefiting by, or willing to pay the slightest attention to, my instructions.

She was also so grateful for my kindness to her, that after a few weeks she could scarcely bear to be out of my sight.

Had it not been for the affection shown me by this grateful little creature, I really do not think that I could have borne the unceasing and hopeless drudgery I daily went through. I never had one moment's relaxation.

The worst of it was, that all the pains I took with the other children, were not only thrown

away, but that I was being continually scolded by their mother, because they made so little progress; and she was almost mad with passion, that Annie, whom she appeared quite to dislike, was always employed, and profited by everything I taught her.

I was compelled to go every Sunday to the kirk, to hear a very disagreeable Presbyterian clergyman, who afterwards at dinner on that day, employed every moment, when he was not eating, in abusing and ridiculing the established religion of England.

Six months passed heavily enough, when it was announced that the family were to set off the following week for Edinburgh, to pass the winter months there.

I was quite dreading, and so was poor Annie, that she would be left behind; when at night she told me, with great pleasure, that she also was to go to Edinburgh, because Lady Eustace, who was her godmother, was to be there.

"When she is there, I am always taken," added the poor child; "and she is always so kind to me that I long to see her. Till I saw

you, dear Miss Dornay, no one, except papa and my godmother, ever spoke a kind word to me, and I often wished myself dead."

The thought of seeing Lady Eustace again revived me a little; though perhaps, thought 1, she has forgotten the insignificant being to whom she was so kind.

It was a cold, blowing morning when we left Loch Ruff, the carriage was filled as usual, while poor neglected Annie, Patterson and myself went in the market-cart.

The former whispered, while trembling with cold, that as I was with her, she did not care where she was.

Poor delicate little thing! I wrapped her up as well as I could, and on putting my arms round her to keep her warm, for she was really not sufficiently clad, Mrs. Patterson sneered, and exclaimed at my making such a fuss about her.

I always felt courageous when poor Annie was slighted, and therefore replied, that it was Mrs. Patterson's duty to assist me in comforting the child of her mistress, instead of ridiculing me for doing so.