the instructions necessary both for her and Ellen; but the bad temper and
insolent airs of Matilda had prevented this, as Mrs. Harewood could not
bear the idea of subjecting an amiable young person, whom she designed for
that situation, to be tormented with such a girl. She knew that, in
schools, two faults seldom fail to be cured: these are impertinence, or
insolence, and affectation--one rendering a person disagreeable, the other
ridiculous; and every member in the community of which a school consists,
is ready to assist the ruler in punishing the one, and laughing at the
other.

One morning, when Matilda got out of bed, she went to look whether the
morning was fine, and the moment she got to the window, eagerly cried out,
in great surprise--"Ellen, Ellen! get up this moment, and come to the
window; the whole world is covered with white! and see, there are thousands
and thousands of little white feathers coming from the skies, as if the
angels were emptying feather-beds upon the earth."

"It snows," said Ellen, calmly; "I recollect my papa told us you had never
seen it snow."

"What is snow?"

"We will ask Edmund; he can tell you much better than I can."

The surprising appearance thus witnessed, induced Matilda to hasten down
stairs, where Edmund was writing his Latin exercise.--"Do pray tell me,"
she cried, "what snow is, and why I never saw it before?"

"Snow," said Edmund, "is nothing but drops of rain, which, in passing
through the cold air, become congealed or frozen. If you take this pretty
light substance into your warm hand, it will melt and become a rain-drop
again."

As Edmund spoke, he opened the window a very little way, caught some snow,
and showed her the effect he spoke of.

"But why did I never see this in Barbadoes?"

"Because Barbadoes lies nearer to the sun than England, and is much warmer,
even in winter; therefore the rain-drops never pass through that region of
cold air which freezes them in northern climates. If you were to go farther
north, you would find still more snow and ice, the same I saw you looking
at yesterday. I will lend you a little book, where you will see a
description of a palace of ice, and of whole mountains of snow, called
Glaciers; and, if you please, I will show you that part of the globe, or
earth, in which those effects begin to take place. But, my dear Ellen, pray
lend Matilda your tippet, for she looks as much frozen as the snow; she
must take great care of he