there are young persons; at the same time, most of them are of such a nature as to afford both profit and delight to readers of every age. Impressed with these considerations, sensible not only of the value of the works themselves, but also of the benefits their more general dissemination will be instrumental in producing, the Subscribers have determined upon their immediate republication in a form worthy of their intrinsic merit. The editions heretofore produced in the United States, even of those portions that have been republished, have been, for the most part, inferior, and in some cases the works selected have been materially injured by alterations and abridg ments. The contemplated edition will be printed in the same style as the edition of Miss Edgeworth's Tales published by the Subscribers, and with illustrations on steel. The number of volumes will be hereafter ascertained and stated; and the several works will, as far as practicable, be so arranged that each volume will be perfect in itself, and may be purchased separately, if desired. The Subscribers feel assured, that the collection to which they invite the attention of the public will be found worthy of the same encouragement that has beer extended to their previous standard publications. For that encouragement they avail themselves of the present opportunity to express their grateful sense; and, with confidence, they present their contemplated edition of MRS. SHERWOOD's writings as evidence of their anxiety to merit its continuance. HARPER & BROTHERS. HISTORY ОР THE FAIRCHILD FAMILY. INTRODUCTION. Mr. MR. and MRS. FAIRCHILD lived very far from any town; their house stood in the midst of a garden, which in the summer-time was full of fruit and sweet flowers. Fairchild kept only two servants, Betty and John; Betty's business was to clean the house, cook the dinner, and milk the cow; and John waited at table, worked in the garden, fed the pig, and took care of the meadow in which the cow grazed. Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild had three children; Lucy, who was about nine years old when these stories began: Emily who was next in age: and Henry, who was between six and seven. These little children did not go to school: Mrs. Fairchild taught Lucy and Emily, and Mr. Fairchild taught little Henry. Lucy and Emily learned to read, and to do various kinds of needlework. Lucy had begun to write, and took great pains with her writing: their mamma also taught them to sing psalms and hymns, and they could sing several very sweetly. Little Henry, too, had a great notion of singing. Besides working and reading, the little girls could do many useful things: they made their beds, rubbed the thairs and tables in their rooms, fed the fowls; and, when John was busy, they laid the cloth for dinner, and rere ready to fetch any thing which their papa or amma might want. Mr. Fairchild taught Henry every thing that was proper for little boys in his station to learn: and when he had finished his lessons in a morning, his papa used to take him very often to work in the garden; for Mr. Fairchild had great pleasure in helping John to keep the garden clean. Henry had a little basket; and he 2 |