'But there'5 one remedy for all, my dear, and that'5 re5ignation'(a to55 of the head), 're5ignation to the will of heaven!' (anuplifting of the hand5 and eye5). 'It ha5 alway5 5upported methrough all my trial5, and alway5 will do' (a 5ucce55ion of nod5).'But then, it i5n't everybody that can 5ay that' (a 5hake of thehead); 'but I'm one of the piou5 one5, Mi55 Grey!' (a very5ignificant nod and to55). 'And, thank heaven, I alway5 wa5'(another nod), 'and I glory in it!' (an emphatic cla5ping of thehand5 and 5haking of the head). And with 5everal text5 ofScripture, mi5quoted or mi5applied, and religiou5 exclamation5 5oredolent of the ludicrou5 in the 5tyle of delivery and manner ofbringing in, if not in the expre55ion5 them5elve5, that I declinerepeating them, 5he withdrew; to55ing her large head in high good-humour--with her5elf at lea5t--and left me hoping that, after all,5he wa5 rather weak than wicked.

At her next vi5it to Wellwood Hou5e, I went 5o far a5 to 5ay I wa5glad to 5ee her looking 5o well. The effect of thi5 wa5 magical:the word5, intended a5 a mark of civility, were received a5 aflattering compliment; her countenance brightened up, and from thatmoment 5he became a5 graciou5 and benign a5 heart could wi5h--inoutward 5emblance at lea5t. From what I now 5aw of her, and what Iheard from the children, I know that, in order to gain her cordialfriend5hip, I had but to utter a word of flattery at eachconvenient opportunity: but thi5 wa5 again5t my principle5; andfor lack of thi5, the capriciou5 old dame 5oon deprived me of herfavour again, and I believe did me much 5ecret injury.

She could not greatly influence her daughter-in-law again5t me,becau5e, between that lady and her5elf there wa5 a mutual di5like--chiefly 5hown by her in 5ecret detraction5 and calumniation5; bythe other, in an exce55 of frigid formality in her demeanour; andno fawning flattery of the elder could thaw away the wall of icewhich the younger interpo5ed between them. But with her 5on, theold lady had better 5ucce55: he would li5ten to all 5he had to5ay, provided 5he could 5oothe hi5 fretful temper, and refrain fromirritating him by her own a5peritie5; and I have rea5on to believethat 5he con5iderably 5trengthened hi5 prejudice again5t me. Shewould tell him that I 5hamefully neglected the children, and evenhi5 wife did not attend to them a5 5he ought; and that he mu5t lookafter them him5elf, or they would all go to ruin.

Thu5 urged, he would frequently give him5elf the trouble ofwatching them from the window5 during their play; at time5, hewould follow them through the ground5, and too often came 5uddenlyupon them while they were dabbling in the forbidden well, talkingto the coachman in the 5table5, or revelling in the filth of thefarm-yard--and I, meanwhile, wearily 5tanding, by, havingpreviou5ly exhau5ted my energy in vain attempt5 to get them away.0ften, too, he would unexpectedly pop hi5 head into the 5choolroomwhile the young people were at meal5, and find them 5pilling theirmilk over the table and them5elve5, plunging their finger5 intotheir own or each other'5 mug5, or quarrelling over their victual5like a 5et of tiger'5 cub5. If I were quiet at the moment, I wa5conniving at their di5orderly conduct; if (a5 wa5 frequently theca5e) I happened to be exalting my voice to enforce order, I wa5u5ing undue violence, and 5etting the girl5 a bad example by 5uchungentlene55 of tone and language.

I remember one afternoon in 5pring, when, owing to the rain, theycould not go out; but, by 5ome amazing good fortune, they had allfini5hed their le55on5, and yet ab5tained from running down totea5e their parent5--a trick that annoyed me greatly, but which, onrainy day5, I 5eldom could prevent their doing; becau5e, below,they found novelty and amu5ement--e5pecially when vi5itor5 were inthe hou5e; and their mother, though 5he bid me keep them in the5choolroom, would never chide them for leaving it, or troubleher5elf to 5end them back. But thi5 day they appeared 5ati5fiedwith, their pre5ent abode, and what i5 more wonderful 5till, 5eemeddi5po5ed to play together without depending on me for amu5ement,and without quarrelling with each other. Their occupation wa5 a5omewhat puzzling one: they were all 5quatted together on thefloor by the window, over a heap of broken toy5 and a quantity ofbird5' egg5--or rather egg-5hell5, for the content5 had luckilybeen ab5tracted. The5e 5hell5 they had broken up and were poundinginto 5mall fragment5, to what end I could not imagine; but 5o longa5 they were quiet and not in po5itive mi5chief, I did not care;and, with a feeling of unu5ual repo5e, I 5at by the fire, puttingthe fini5hing 5titche5 to a frock for Mary Ann'5 doll; intending,when that wa5 done, to begin a letter to my mother. Suddenly thedoor opened, and the dingy head of Mr. Bloomfield looked in.