contented with her lot. I would
feel as though all my love and labor had been in vain. It is my constant
regret that I cannot give you each a complete and finished education,
and supply home with all the comforts we love; but when I look at you
now, all working so bravely, and receiving with so little complaint your
rigid discipline, it makes me happy indeed, because I see in you, a
womanly strength and character, that a life of ease, comfort, and few
self-denials, could never have brought out clearly, and I know that God
has chosen this way to make our girls the dear noble women we want them.
I would that He had seen best to leave father with us, but He did not,
so we must just feel that He still loves, and is interested in us, and
have just as much thought for His approval as when _he_ was with us.
Now, about your disappointments;" and there she paused to glance around,
but each young face was warm with interest, so she went on with her
cheery smile:

"Here Ernestine, to begin with, wants to conquer the world with song,
and receive elegant presents. Dearie, to conquer the world, the great,
many-faced world, one's head and heart must be capable and willing to
assume any and every guise; to stoop to every form of policy that
secures the fickle smile; to bend to all its freaks, until it is
subject to yours; and after you had done this, after you had spent your
life's sweetest and purest years in studying the art of deceit and
triumph, and had brought the beautiful wicked world to your feet, would
you be quite happy? Could you ever be again the fresh, untouched, pure
hearted creature that you are now? I'm afraid not, dear; and your
warmest, greatest longing, would come back to home and girlhood, when
you only knew the world's wickedness by hearsay, when you owed it
nothing, and never heard its grasping cry for pay for its homage.

"Bea wants pretty clothes, and regrets that mother must work. Quite
natural, dear, we all love pretty clothes, and I hope some time we can
have all we want, providing it does not become a chief and selfish
desire. Mother loves to work for her girls, and only regrets that it
must take her from them so much of the time, for the dearest light to a
mother's life, the brightest cloud that receives that life's setting
sun, is found in the circle of her children's faces. To go back to Bea,
she wants some real lace; I hope she may have it some time; it is a
beautiful and valuable addition to a lady's w