ucation which
belonged only to charity schools. They went to church indeed once a
Sunday, yet effectually to counteract any benefit such an attendance
might produce, it was the rule of the school that they should use
only French prayer-books; of course, such superficial scholars as
the Miss Bragwells would always be literally praying in an unknown
tongue; while girls of better capacity and more industry would
infallibly be picking out the nominative case, the verb, and a
participle of a foreign language, in the solemn act of kneeling
before the Father of Spirits, "who searcheth the heart and trieth
the reins." During the remainder of the Sunday they learned their
worldly tasks, all except actual needle-work, which omission alone
marked the distinction of Sunday from other days; and the governess
being a French Roman Catholic, it became a doubtful point with some
people, whether her zeal or her negligence in the article of
religion would be most to the advantage of her pupils. Of knowledge
the Miss Bragwells had got just enough to laugh at their fond
parents' rustic manners and vulgar language, and just enough taste
to despise and ridicule every girl who was not as vainly dressed as
themselves.

The mother had been comforting herself for the heavy expense of
their bringing up, by looking forward to the pleasure of seeing them
become fine ladies, and the pride of marrying them above their
station; and to this hope she constantly referred in all her
conversations with them; assuring them that all her happiness
depended on their future elevation.

Their father hoped, with far more judgment, that they would be a
comfort to him both in sickness and in health. He had no learning
himself, and could write but poorly, and owed what skill he had in
figures to his natural turn of business. He reasonably hoped that
his daughters, after all the money he had spent on them, would now
write his letters and keep his accounts. And as he was now and then
laid up with a fit of the gout, he was enjoying the prospect of
having two affectionate children to nurse him, as well as two
skillful assistants to relieve him.

When they came home, however, he had the mortification to find, that
though he had two smart showy ladies to visit him, he had neither
dutiful daughters to nurse him, nor faithful stewards to keep his
books, nor prudent children to manage his house. They neither
soothed him by their kindness when he was sick, nor helped him