her spirits
soon rose superior to the little annoyances that had fretted her for
the past hour. When she met Fanny she was in the best possible
humor; and so seemed the tidy domestic who had admitted her, for she
looked very cheerful, and smiled as she opened the door.

"How different from our grumbling, slovenly set!" Helen could not
help remarking to herself, as she passed in. Fanny welcomed her with
genuine cordiality, and the two young ladies were soon engaged in
pleasant conversation. After exhausting various themes, they turned
to music, and played, and sang together for half an hour.

"I believe I have some new prints that you have never seen," said
Fanny on their leaving the piano, and she looked around for the
portfolio of engravings, but could not find it.

"Oh! now I remember--it is up stairs. Excuse me for a minute and I
will run and get it." As Fanny said this, she glided from the room.
In a few minutes she returned with the book of prints.

"Pardon me, Fanny--but why didn't you call a servant to get the
port-folio for you? You have them in the house to wait upon you."

"Oh, as to that," returned Fanny, "I always prefer to wait upon
myself when I can, and so remain independent. And besides, the girls
are all busy ironing, and I would not call them off from their work
for any thing that I could do myself. Ironing day is a pretty hard
day for all of them, for our family is large, and mother always
likes her work done well."

"But, if you adopt that system, you'll soon have them grumbling at
the merest trifle you may be compelled to ask them to do."

"So far from that, Helen, I never make a request of any domestic in
the house, that is not instantly and cheerfully met. To make you
sensible of the good effects of the system I pursue of not asking to
be waited on when I can help myself, I will mention that as I came
down just now with these engravings in my hand, I met our
chambermaid on the stairs, with a basket of clothes in her
hands--'There now, Miss Fanny,' she said half reprovingly, 'why
didn't you call me to get that for you, and not leave your company
in the parlor?' There is no reluctance about her, you see. She knows
that I spare her whenever I can, and she is willing to oblige me,
whenever she can do so."

"Truly, she must be the eighth wonder of the world!" said, Helen in
laughing surprise. "Who ever heard of a servant that asked as a
favor to be permitted to serve you? All of which I ever