abstained from going on Sunday evening to
a certain club which he frequented, to play
cards, or roulette, for unknown sums.

The elder of these children grew up, suffering,
and spiritless; the younger was proud,
insolent, overbearing, and tyrannical—as
much so as such a little creature could be.
They were fast growing up into all this, and
would have been confirmed in it, had not an
accident arrested the fearful progress.

Spoiled, flattered, allowed to indulge every
evil temper with impunity, Ella's faults were
numberless; more especially to her helpless
sister, whose languid health and feeble spirits
excited little sympathy, and whose complaints
seemed to irritate her.

"I declare you are the most tiresome,
tormenting thing, sitting there looking as
miserable as ever you can, and with that
whining voice of yours, enough to drive one
mad. Why can't you brighten up a little,
and come and play? You really shall come
and play. I want to play! Nurse! O!
she's not there! Do make Clementina come
and play."

"Don't, Ella! don't tease me so; pray
don't! My hip hurts me; I can't. Do let me
alone, pray."

"Nonsense. You make such a fuss about
your hip! I don't believe anything's the
matter with it; only you 're so ill-natured,
you never will do anything I ask. Nurse, I
say," as the door opened, " do make her.—O,
it's only Matty! Matty, where's Nurse?"

"She's just stepped out, Miss, and told
me to come, and stay in the day-room with
you till she was back."

And Matty, the new maid, hired but a day
or two before, came in with her sewing in her
hand, and sat down quietly to her work at
the window.

"Matty! " cried Ella, imperiously, " don't
sit there, looking so stupid; but come and
make this tiresome girl play with me. There
she sits, mooning over the fire. If Nurse
were here, she 'd soon have her up."

"Don't, pray, Matty," as Matty was rising
from her chair. " Pray, don't. I'll go and
play; but indeed, indeed, it hurts me very
much to move to-day."

"Nonsense! Make her get up, Matty.
You must mind me, Matty; you come here
to mind me; so do as you are bid, you ugly
thing."

Matty indeed merited the title of ugly.
She was rather tall, but of a most ungainly
figure, with long bony limbs, ill put together.
It was difficult to say what the features of
her face might have been: they were so
crumpled, and scarred, and seamed. Not a
feature had been left uninjured, except her
eyes; and they were remarkable both for
intelligence and softness.

She put down her work and went up to
Clementina, saying, " What ails you, Miss?
I hope it isn't true that you feign sickness
not to play with your sister?"

The poor girl looked up, and her eyes were
filled with tears. " Feign! I wish I did!

"Then your hip does hurt you?"

"To be sure it does. So badly! At night,
sometimes, when I 'm in bed—so, so badly."

"And do you know that, Miss Ella?"

"Know it! Why, who does not know it?
She's always talking of it; but, for my part,
I don't believe it's half so bad as she pretends."

"I don't pretend, Ella; you are always
saying that. How cruel you are to set Nurse
against me, by always saying I pretend."

Thus it went on for a minute or two,
whilst Matty stood silently by, her eyes
wandering from one sister to the other.

At last she sighed, and said, " If it had
pleased God to spare me my sister, I wouldn't
have served her so."

Ella turned at this, and lifting up her eyes,
measured Matty from head to foot with
indignant contempt. It would seem as if she
thought it almost too great a presumption
in one so humble to have more care for a
sister than she had.

"Who cares how such as you serve their
sisters?"

"There is One who cares!" said Matty.

Clementina looked at Matty with puzzled
wonder as she spoke. Ella haughtily turned
away, saying, " I should like, for my part,
to hear who this important one is, that you
mention with such a strange emphasis. Some
mighty fine personage, no doubt."

"Miss Clementina! Miss Clementina! only
hear how shocking your sister talks. Do stop
her!"

"Stop me! I should like to see her, or
anyone, attempting to stop me. And why, pray—
and what, pray, am I saying so mighty bad,
Mrs. Matty? You? A charity girl? I
heard Nurse say, but yesterday, that she
wondered her mistress would put up with such
rubbish, and that she loathed the very look
of you, for you put her in mind of the Blue
Coat."

"I thank God," returned Matty, mildly,
"that he raised up that great charity for me,
and many perishing like me, and saved us
from wickedness, and taught us to know His
holy name. For He looks alike on rich and
poor, and will judge both you and me, young
lady."

Both girls were a little awestricken at this
speech.

But Ella soon recovered herself, and said,
"she hated to hear people talk like
Methodists."

"What are you talking about, Matty?"
asked Clementina, gently; " I don't quite un-
derstand."

"Not understand!—why, sure—heart alive!
—it can't be as you are ignorant of who made
and keeps you and all of us! Sure! sure!"
Matty kept repeating in a tone of much
distress. " I can't believe my own ears."

"I suppose we know about all that," said
Ella, haughtily.