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At Mrs. Candy's school, I had a favourite pupil, a little girl, who displayed traces of strong natural talent, and a gifted sensibility. Mrs. Candy, indeed, once thought herself bound to apologise for the admission of Mary Thornmead into a seminary which she was most desirous should emulate Mnemosyne House in the gentility of its connexions.

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"A manufacturer's daughter only," she said, deprecatingly ; very wealthy people, but of low origin-but I had high references; and just in the beginning, you know it won't do quite to refuse connexion. Mary is a very ladylike child, I must say, to come from such a stock. I believe her grandfather was a rag dealer, or something equally horrid. Ah! I wish I could afford to be as select as I desire; ah! dear me !"

I said I thought Miss Thornmead had more talent than all the other girls put together. "Yes, my dear, and, as a teacher, perhaps I might prefer talent to birth; but as the principal of a ladies' school, I own I prefer family and genteel connexion to all beside."

But in spite of Mrs. Candy's opinion, I still liked Mary Thornmead better than all the stiff and stupid girls who comprised my pupils in

this school.

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DAUGHTER..

for to-day. See! you are the last on the list. Must I report you the worst?"

The tears filled the child's eyes. "I am so sorry."

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"But we are all careless at times, dear childgrown-up people as well as little ones. So, Mary, we must omit your name this time from the black list; and if this great brother of yours desires to hear you play, I hope he will find you improved."

She was so delighted to find anybody to sympathise with her gladness, that with a sudden impulse she threw her arms round my neck and kissed me.

"Russell loves music so much," she said. "Oh, if he could only hear you play and sing!" "There is no chance of that," I said, smiling. "So good-bye, little Mary; be a good child next lesson."

I went away; but Fate, designing that I should become acquainted with Mr. Russell Thornmead, put forth one of those stratagems which mortals call accident.

Mr. Candy, having had his house recently attempted by thieves, had purchased-not a respectable-looking creature, such as should only have been on duty at a young ladies' school, but an ill-conditioned brute of a bull-dog, who chose to consider every one not of the family who entered or issued from the house, The little girl was exceedingly mild and as thieves and burglars, without respect loving. One day, for the first time, I found her to sex or appearance. Since the advent attention wandering. Mary," I said, reprov- of this amiable animal, I usually had to ingly; "this is not like you, to give so much enter and depart, under convoy of one of the trouble." teachers, or a servant; and now, forgetting the grim Cerberus, I went out alone, and before I had proceeded two yards down the gravel approach, he bolted out of some unseen lair, and seizing my dress by the skirts in his vicious jaws, he pinned me to the ground. I was always a terrible coward at the sight of ferocious dogs; I feminine resource of a scream, which only therefore put in practice directly the usual dress, and flew at my throat-protected, luckily, increased my tormentor's fury. He quitted my by a fur tippet, which the brute seized instead of my neck. At that minute, a young man who had just appeared at the gate dashed it open, and in a minute had hold of Cerberus by the skin of

She coloured, and cast down her pretty eyes. "I beg your pardon, Mademoiselle," she said; but Russell, my brother, is coming to-day, to see me; and I am-oh! so glad, I could not, sleep all last night for thinking of to-day. Oh I wish he was going to take me home.”

"Oh, I suppose

'Russell!" smiling at her. he is at school, also, near London." "Russell at school! dear no; how odd! I never remember him at school; but he is so clever. He is a man, Mademoiselle, quite old, like you; that is, I mean

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Grown up, my love. Well that will do

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