Rachel felt satisfied by this explanation; and she set off soon after, in good spirits, with her teacher; who was so kind as to offer to assist her, in choosing the cloth for her new cloak.

XIV.

THE LITTLE BIOGRAPHERS.

IT was the custom at Mrs. L,'s school, to spend an hour every evening in hearing some interesting book, which was read aloud by the young people alternately, while the hearers were employed at their needles. Mrs. L. herself usually made one of this happy party; and her questions or remarks on what was read rendered it doubly improving and agreeable to them. Having nearly finished a book which had occupied them some time, Mrs. L. announced that the following week they were to begin an interesting volume of Biography; containing, chiefly, the lives of children like themselves; or giving an account of the early life of persons who had afterwards become distinguished. After Mrs. L. had left them, a few of the elder girls assembling round the fire, began to talk about it: among other things, one of them said she wondered, if any body were to write her life, what sort of a

thing it would make; adding, that she had a great mind to do it herself. Her companions declared it was a good thought; and several of them agreed, that as the next day was a halfholyday, they would devote it to writing their own lives.

This scheme was put in execution accordingly; but, as they most of them found it a more difficult undertaking than they had expected, it would probably never have been heard of afterwards, if Mrs. L. had not happened to enter the schoolroom when they were thus employed; and upon learning what they were about, she requested a sight of the manuscripts. This, with some reluctance was complied with; at several of them, she desired to keep possession of them for a few days. Nothing more was heard of it, however, until the following Monday evening, when to their great surprise, Mrs. L. produced the promised volume of Biography, with their own manuscripts inserted here and there among the pages.

66

when, having glanced

Now," said she, "my intention is, that you shall read through this volume just as you see it; your own lives are to be read in turn with these memoirs: take your places, and we will begin." This arrangement occasioned some embarrassment among our young biographers; but they knew remonstrances would be vain. A few specimens of these manuscripts just as they were

written, will be given for the amusement of the reader, together with some extracts from the volume itself. The first life that was read in this collection was that of Lady Jane Grey, whose virtues and accomplishments are so justly celebrated. Her historian thus speaks of her early acquirements.

"She spoke and wrote her own language with peculiar accuracy, and the French, Italian, Latin, and Greek, were as natural to her as her own. She had also some knowledge of the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Arabic; and all this while comparatively but a child. She had a sedateness of temper, a quickness of apprehension, and a solidity of judgment, that enabled her not only to become a mistress of languages, but of sciences also; so that she thought, spoke, and reasoned on subjects of the greatest importance, in a manner that excited general surprise. With these extraordinary endowments she had so much mildness, humility, and modesty, that she assumed no pride in consequence of her acquisitions."

When this life was concluded, the children unanimously petitioned Mrs. L. that none of theirs might be read that evening; but she would not yield to their entreaties, and desired the reader to proceed with the subjoined manuscript, which was as follows:

"Miss M. P. was the daughter of respectable parents, and was born at W, in Middlesex; a

very pleasant town, with two churches and a bridge. When she was nine years old, she went to pay a visit to her cousins at Norwich, which she enjoyed very much, and staid half-a-year: she went in the mail coach. At twelve years of age she came to Mrs. L's school; at which time she was four feet nine inches high; a light complexion, eyes and hair the same. At school she has not, perhaps, made quite so much proficiency as could be wished. Her disposition she was rather her natural temperas to her disposition

وو

Here this narrative broke off abruptly; the writer having declared, when she had proceeded thus far, that "she could not write hers at all."

The following evening they read the interesting life of Frances Maria, of Rochebeaucour; "the daughter of a poor tax-gatherer, in Switzerland; who was left an orphan at eleven years old, with a little infant brother to protect and maintain. Having nothing left her by her parents but a little cottage by the side of a wood, and some old furniture, they must have perished for want, but for the industry of Frances Maria. From the age of seven years she had been able to knit a pair of men's stockings in two days. These habits of employment were of great use to her in her poverty; she set herself to spinning, sewing, and knitting alternately; and thus provided for their necessities. A girl, at twelve years old, living

alone in a poor cottage, providing entirely for herself, and taking care of an infant brother as if he had been her child, was an affecting sight. Many mothers in the neighborhood brought their children to see, saying, 'Come and see a girl of twelve years old, who conducts herself like a woman, and passes her nights in providing for her little brother.' One day, in the midst of a severe winter, when the ground was covered with snow, a she-wolf, followed by five of her young, suddenly entered poor Maria's cottage, and sprung at her little brother: Maria could have saved her own life had she then fled; but, staying to rescue him, the savage animal sprung at her throat, and she was instantly strangled. Thus died Frances Maria, at the age of fifteen."

The manuscript life which followed this was then read.

“In a pleasant village, situated within 30 miles of the metropolis, in the year 1804, Caroline W- It was in the year 1804, that Caroline W. in a pleasant village within 30 miles of the metropolis.- -Caroline W. was born in the year 1804, in a pleasant village within thirty miles of the metropolis. She was the eldest of five children, whose names were Marianne, Esther, Susan, and George: being the eldest, though some people thought she was indulged on that account, yet, in her opinion, there were many respects in

which she was the worst off. Children are so