o the neighbourhood of Kirklands,
to live with her grandfather and her aunt. She thus passed from one
extreme of misfortune to the other. From roaming at large in whatever
place and in whatever company she chose, she became at once the in-door
drudge of her aunt and the out-door drudge of her grandfather. The
father and daughter agreed perfectly in one respect. Their ruling
passion was the same,--the love of money. It was believed in the
neighbourhood that they had laid by a considerable sum; but nothing
could be more wretched than their usual mode of life. Their business
was the keeping of cows and poultry; and they found an efficient
assistant in the strong and energetic Elsie. The life of constant
occupation which she was obliged to live with them was less dangerous to
an active-minded child than the idle, sauntering existence she had
passed with her mother. But it left her no time for improvement; and
she seemed likely to grow up in ignorance. The chance visit of an uncle
saved her from this sad fate. Her grandfather so far attended to his
remonstrances as to send her, during three or four of the least busy
months, to Mrs Blair's school.

It would be difficult to imagine a more unpromising pupil than Elsie
appeared to be when Lilias first took her in hand; for to Lilias'
special care was she committed. Wonder unspeakable to the children in
the school was the sight of a girl of Elsie's age who could not say the
catechism, which every Scotch child begins to learn almost in infancy.
But this was by no means the greatest defect in the education of the
new-comer; for it soon appeared that "great A" and "crooked S" were as
utter mysteries to her as any sentence in the catechism. And their
wonder was by no means silent wonder. More than once during the first
week was Elsie's ready hand raised to resent the mockery of her
tormentors. It needed constant watchfulness on the part of Lilias to
keep the peace; and nothing but her earnest and gentle encouragement
would have prevented the girl from giving up, in disgust, the attempt to
learn to read.

This was only for a short time, however. Her rapid improvement in
reading, as well as sewing, was a constant source of wonder and delight
to her young teacher; and soon the mocking of the children was silenced.

Nor was it in these things alone that improvement appeared. Incited
partly by the precept and partly by the example of Lilias, a great
change soon became v