results; for I saw Cuthbert every now and then elevate his eyebrows, in a manner for him most actively expressive of astonishment at what he heard.

Why," said the lady, "now I'll tell you; you know those two girls of yours are as fond of me as if I was their own mother. That's mere nature-all nature-every bit of it nature; they never knew their own mother, then isn't it natural they should love me?—I have always been kind to them, and, as Mr. Gurney knows, never said wrong was the thing they did, though Kitty's as full of mischief as an egg's full of meat-well then-I-so-oh, what was I saying-something--"

"You were speaking of the natural affection of children for their parents," said Wells, who performed his part in this domestic farce with the greatest gravity.

"So I was," said the lady; "and—I had no mother myself!"

"What! never, Ma'am?" said Wells, with a look of the most serious astonishment.

"Oh, Mr. Wells," said Mrs. Brandyball, "what a man you are! you do remind me so of an uncle of mine at Bristol."

"Oh," said Wells, "then you had an uncle?" "Two," said the lady ;" and, as you asked, I had a mother, but she died before I knew anything about her, and that's a very bad thing for a girl."

"It is indeed," said Cuthbert,

"And so," continued she, "I was left a good deal to myself; and that was, I think, the foundation of all my knowledge. I was what they would call a self-taught genius. I never was taught nothing on earth by nobody until after I was married, and then poor Mr. B., who was mighty particular, he was a very old man when I married him—at least I thought so then,-I don't believe he was near so old as Mr. Gurney, but he was a deal too old to marry me,-so when I came out with my P's and Q's-all wrong, you know he used to fidget, and look cross,-and so then I had masters and mistresses, and got

on uncommonly well,-and never having any family-none of what the advertising servants call incumbrances-I had plenty of time to devote to myself, and so-as-I say-learning is a treasure-I-then-poor Mr. B. died—he was in a very extensive way of business-in the timber trade-but somehow-I don't recollect the particulars when he died, it was found-I never could understand why-that he had not left me a farden—no, Mr. Wells, as I'm a living woman, not the value of a brass farden-nothing settled on me ;-and there I was-nobody to help me my uncle dead-and my father gone me-my abroad for life."

"What a dreadful position for a female,” said Cuthbert, who, in the tenderness of his heart, and the intensity of his sympathy in our fair friend's misfortunes, totally lost sight of the main points of her history, so candidly-so unconsciously narrated for our edification.

"And what did happen to you?" said Wells. "Oh," said Mrs. Brandyball, "nothing happened to me: I began to think what I had best

do-and what was easiest to be done; and just as I was quite at a nonplus, I happened to fall in with a nice respectable lady who kept the school I now keep."

"Who wore that day the arms which now I wear ;'

said I, involuntarily.

No, not arms," said the lady-" school,-oh, I remember-out of the play-Norval—ha ! ha ! - On the Grampy Hills,'-that's a very moving play-it always makes me cry to think of his poor dear mother."

"My dear Gilbert," said Wells, "you have interrupted Mrs. Brandyball in her autobiography."

66

"Oh, there's not much to tell," said the lady;

only my new friend Mrs. Slinkin wanted an assistant to teach French, Italian, music, geography, and astronomy, and a few other little matters, and so I engaged myself her great objection was to my name-which, she said, gave a notion that I was-ha! ha!-the idea-addicted to the use of spirits-but, as I said, what's

in a name?—there's Mr. Young, very old—Mrs. White, very brown-Mr. Short, very tall—and Mrs. Little, very big,-and why should not Mrs. Brandyball be as sober as a judge?"

"Why not, indeed!" said Wells, once more filling up her glass; " and so, I conclude, you satisfied your friend?"

"Quite entirely," said Mrs. Brandyball: "so I took the situation, and we got on very comfortably indeed, the best part of the story is, I didn't know any of the things I went to teach, that is to say, I knew a little of them; but what I said was this, I shall learn them all in time, by teaching the girls,—and so I did— and so then Mrs. Slinkin made friends with a Bath doctor, and he used to recommend Montpelier House as the healthiest place in the neighbourhood,--and so people sent their children to us, and then we sent out one or two to India, and so made a connexion that way,-and at last Mrs. Slinkin married the doctor, and

* At the period of which Mr. Gilbert Gurney's papers treat, James Smith's admirable song upon the subject of similar anomalies had not appeared.