was kneeling at the bed's feet with clasped
fingers and uplifted eyes, with tears trickling in large drops from her
cheeks, as if imploring help from the source of all comfort.

"The excellent lady had been silent a few minutes, and was thought
speechless, she moving her lips without uttering a word; but when Mrs.
Lovick, on Mr. Belford's approach, pronounced his name, O Mr. Belford!
cried she, in a faint inward voice, Now!--now!--I bless God, all will
soon be over--a few minutes will end this strife--and I shall be happy,"
etc. Her speech was long, although broken by dashes, and again she
resumed, "in a more faint and broken accent," the blessing and
directions. "She then sunk her head upon the pillow; and fainting away,
drew from them her hands." Once more she returned to consciousness,
"when waving her hand to him [Mr. Belford] and to her cousin, and bowing
her head to every one present, not omitting the nurse and maid servant,
with a faltering and inward voice, she added Bless--Bless--you all!--"

The illustrations, in comparison with others of the time, are very well
engraved, although the choice of subjects is somewhat singular. The last
one represents Clarissa's friend, "Miss Howe" (the loyal friend to whom
all the absent letters were addressed), "lamenting over the corpse of
Clarissa," who lies in the coffin ordered by the heroine "to be covered
with fine black cloth, and lined with white satin."

As one lays aside this faded duodecimo, the conviction is strong that
the texture of the life of an old-fashioned child was of coarser weave
than is pleasant to contemplate. How else could elders and guardians
have placed without scruple such books in the hands of children? The one
explanation is to be found in such diaries as that of Anna Winslow, who
quaintly put down in her book facts and occurrences denoting the
maturity already reached by a little miss of eleven.

FOOTNOTES:

[73-A] Winsor, _Memorial History of Boston_, vol. ii, p. xix.

[80-A] Cross, _Development of the English Novel_, pp. 38, 39.

CHAPTER IV

1776-1790

The British King
Lost States thirteen.
_The New England Primer_,
Philadelphia, 1797

The good little boy
That will not tell a lie,
Shall have a plum-pudding
Or hot apple-pye.
_Jacky Dandy's Delight_,
Worcester, 1786

CHAPTER IV

1776-1790

_Patriotic Printers and t