it on. The young

least twice a day;

ones held up
their little faces for a kiss, at
and, feverish as all school matters must

have been to the proud, sensitive girl, it was with a heart beating to palpitation that she heard that the resident teacher would return in a week.

The poor Irish woman continued her humble attachmentshe had the care of the old spaniel from eight in the morning; she called him "her daily boorder;" and I have met her in the scorching heat of June, with a basket of "fine fresh lettuce! green, gay, gosh lettuce!" as she used to call it, surmounting her flat bonnet, and the spaniel tucked under her arm. "If I left it at Miss Kate's lodging," she would say, "it would brake its heart for want of company; if I left it at home with my own children, they'd worry the life out of it; so all I can do, when it's tired walking, is to give it a lift. It sees as much life with me out of its one eye, as ever it did before with two."

Poor Kate became fearfully nervous as her last day drew nigh; she went to the school at seven, instead of eight, and sat down to wait for the pupils, whose hour was nine. Having hung up her bonnet and shawl in their usual place, she drew over the large criss-cross basket, to arrange the patterns and work, and piled up the books she had laboured to finish, that they might be ready for inspection. Soon after eight the little girl who took care of the rooms, brought her her usual cup of coffee and slice of bread and butter, but she could not taste it; the next day the regular teacher would assume her duty, and she would again be without occupation. She wondered, then, how she could have been so ungrateful to the Almighty, as to have thought she had too much to do, or to have felt shy and proud, or annoyed, with any thing sweetened by the unselfish love of youth and innocence. Some of the village children were playing outside, and she

could hear them laugh: the laugh of children had, in nine weeks, become music to her ears. It was not the small stipend, so much as the companionship, and interest, she should miss; this rankled in her heart, and never, since her mother's death, had she felt so cast down-she covered her face with her hands, and wept. Each shout of childish laughter from without, was as a knell to her crushed spirit; to-morrow she would be alone, companioned only by her poor old dog. We do not know how much sorrow is lessened by the sight of a human face, and the sound of a human voice; nor how much self-respect we gain by being actively, however humbly, useful, until we are left alone-without a lip to smile, a voice to cheer, and no one to look to us even for the smallest service. Kate Ellis wept bitterly.

"Indeed!" exclaimed a voice, whose rough brogue made her start, “I saw the postman leave this letter for y'e; and I thought I so often saw you looking for it, that it would be as good to bring it here as keep it waiting till evening, so I made bould to take it; and, och, Miss Kate, don't be using yer eyes to the tears dear, while they're so young; take heart, miss, every one has their weight of happy days set against their weight of sad ones, and yours are to come. I know the teachers have heavy times of it, for I meet them at all hours, and in all weathers; I know them by their being always alone; and their things expected to look twice as good as they are, through the means of a bit of trimming or the like; and by their stuffed bags, and thin books, with the pens sticking out; or a rowl of music in their hands,-what they hav'nt in their hearts! barring it's a lamentation—a caion, as we call it, over the past and gone. Well, that's enough, there's bright days for you yet; and though that letter has an ugly rim to it, yet an ugly nut has a sweet bit inside it!" And the humble Irish woman disappeared,