all kneeled and Uncle Nathan offered a simple but heartfelt prayer, in which he failed not to remember the poor boy, who kneeled by his side, as well as his distant friends.  After prayers I was shown at once to the room which was to be mine during my stay, and very different it was from the one I occupied at Farmer Judson’s.  It was an airy, cheerful, looking apartment, furnished plainly, but with everything necessary to my comfort.  When left alone my first act was to remove from my trunk the small Bible which was my mother’s parting gift, with the request that I would allow no day to pass without reading at least one Chapter, alone.  And I have no doubt the obeying my mother’s parting injunction, made the slumber all the sweeter, which weighed down my eyelids almost as soon as my head pressed my pillow.

CHAPTER IX.

Before a week had passed away I made up my mind that I might have found a worse home than the old farm-house at Uncle Nathan’s.  Aunt Lucinda was not positively unkind to me, but I could not help a feeling of fear when in her presence, for she evidently regarded my every movement with a watchful eye, and looked upon my presence in the family as an infliction that must be borne; but with all this she was very careful for my comfort, and treated me in every respect as one of the family.  Few would, at first sight, receive a favourable impression of my aunt.  During the first few days of my residence in the family I used often to wonder to myself how two sisters could be so dissimilar in every way as were my mother and Aunt Lucinda.  My mother’s manner was very gentle, and her speech was mild and pleasant, while my Aunt had a sharp, quick manner of speech, and took the liberty upon all occasions of speaking her mind plainly.  She was however a very clever house-keeper, always busy, and a large amount of work went every day through her hands.  From the first moment I saw her I felt strongly attached to my venerable grandmother, who treated me with the greatest kindness and seemed never so happy as when, seated by her side, I read aloud to her from the large Bible which lay constantly within her reach.  The personal appearance of Uncle Nathan was very pleasing; there was a mild good-humoured expression upon his countenance which at once told you he was not one at all inclined to fret or borrow trouble.  This disposition to take the world easy often irritated my aunt, and she sometimes went so far as to say, “if she didn’t stir up Nathan now and then, every thing would go to wreck and ruin about the place.”  Mindful of Uncle Nathan’s advice I did my best to please my aunt, and endeavoured to win her affection by many little offices of kindness, as often as I had opportunity, but for some time my attempts to gain her goodwill produced but little effect.  When I had been a few days an inmate with the family, I became an unwilling listener to a conversation which troubled me much at